The Decadent Duke by Virginia Henley

ton here tonight. Only true aficionados of opera will be stoic enough for this one.”
    â€œWhy, there’s Prime Minister Pitt. There is such a refined elegance in his taste.” Jane raised her chin, smiled archly, and was most gratified when William Pitt graciously stood and bowed his head in acknowledgment.
    Just as the overture began, the Prince of Wales and his good friend Charles James Fox entered the royal box, which was directly opposite the Gordons’ box.
    â€œOh, how very fortunate I chose to wear the Prince of Wales’s feathers tonight. You are quite wrong, Georgina. I am enjoying the opera immensely.”
    Georgina amused herself by watching the audience and counting the number of patrons who dozed off. She had almost given herself up to the arms of Morpheus when the burning of the Roman capital revived her.
    When her mother saw Prinny’s fervent applause, she began to clap with great enthusiasm. “The Prince of Wales is often censured for his profligate habits, but there is no denying that his taste in the arts is perfection itself.”
    Georgina gathered her fan and her wrap and stood to leave.
    â€œThere’s no hurry, dear. We must time things so we will meet the prince in the foyer.”
    â€œIn that case I have time for another snooze. It will take both Prinny and Fox an aeon to navigate their bulk from the royal box to the theater lobby.”
    â€œGeorgina, that was unkind ... vastly amusing, but unkind.”
    Jane’s timing was perfect. She’d had considerable experience in maneuvering as she climbed the social ladder. Since Fox was with the prince, she surmised their next stop would be a place where they could gamble. “Your Royal Highness, the opera tonight was a triumph. Not in the common taste, of course. Only a devout opera aficionado could fully appreciate it.”
    â€œYour Grace, what a delightful encounter.” He drew her proffered hand to his lips with a gallant flourish. Prinny never forgot that when his debts had become astronomical, and King George disowned him, Jane Gordon had arranged a truce between himself and his royal father. She had persuaded the king to give his son the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall, which George had usurped for his own use. King George settled his son’s debts on condition that parliament grant the prince an allowance of one hundred thousand pounds a year. Without the Duchess of Gordon’s influence, he would not have been able to indulge his passion for building, and Carlton House would not be the most magnificent residence in London.
    Jane confided, “I have an open invitation from our dearest mutual friend, the Duchess of Devonshire. Since the night is young, I thought I might pop in for a friendly game of faro.’’
    â€œBy an amazing coincidence, Charles and I also are on our way to Devonshire House.”
    â€œThen we shall take the liberty of joining you, Your Highness. It would be unthinkable to pass up the honor of a royal escort. I shall instruct my driver to follow your carriage.” She turned to Fox. “You are looking well, Charles. This is my youngest daughter, Georgina. She’s not out yet, but I’m sure you both remember how unnecessarily restrictive the mores of society are at her age.”
    Both gentlemen kissed Georgina’s hand with marked gallantry.
    Mother is a master of manipulation. The prince is putty in her hands. When we make our grand entrance at Devonshire House, I wager that Duchess Drinkwater will tell Duchess Belgrave that His Royal Highness insisted that we join him.
    Â 
Francis Russell, Duke of Bedford, had spent the entire evening in one of the sumptuous reception rooms at Devonshire House that was used exclusively for gaming. He and his hostess, along with Sir Robert Adair and the Earl of Lauderdale, were playing his favorite game of lanterloo. As usual, Francis was winning and the duchess was losing.
    The pot had grown to five