The Irish Duke Read Free Page B

in her charge, sat him down, and departed. The Duke of Bedford, with the aid of a walking stick, arrived with his friend Lord Holland and Edwin Landseer. Her father’s young physician, Harry Halford, who had resided with them since the duke had suffered his stroke, followed them.
    When Henry gallantly held Georgina’s chair, then did the same for Louisa, she smiled and said, “Thank you, Uncle Holly.” When Edwin performed the same service for Lady Holland, Louisa felt positively envious.
    John Russell’s dark brows drew together. “Where’s Georgy? A lack of promptness is ill mannered.”
    Her father was displaying what her mother referred to as Russell firmness . Louisa cleared her throat. “Georgy was reading,” she improvised quickly. “She must have gotten so absorbed, she didn’t hear the dinner gong.”
    “What was she reading?” he asked with skepticism.
    “One of your lovely books on botany.” Lu managed not to choke on the lie. The only interest Georgy takes in flora and fauna is rolling in the grass.
    The soup was being served by the time Georgy slid into her chair. Louisa saw that she hadn’t changed from her riding dress and there were telltale green stains on her skirt. “Please excuse me,” Georgy begged sweetly.
    Her father’s stern voice rang out. “Georgianna . . .”
    To deflect the reprimand, Louisa took her courage in both hands. “May I dance for you after dinner? Georgy will play for me.”
    “That would be lovely,” Beth enthused.
    Instead of the usual rude protests from her brothers, Louisa saw Henry and Cosmo exchange a sly smile and wondered what the young demons were up to.
    “Lanny, when you have finished the portrait of Lu with her pony, I would like you to paint her in one of her ballet gowns. What do you think?”
    “An excellent suggestion, Your Grace. It would be my pleasure.”
    Louisa lowered her eyes to the beautiful birds and butterflies that decorated her Meissen soup plate and thought it sacrilege when the footman filled it with consommé. Lanny wants to paint me . . . It will give him pleasure. Her heart began to sing. She closed her eyes and her imagination took flight: They were standing by the fountain in the center of the maze. He dipped his head and gently touched his lips to hers. She raised her lashes and gazed into his adoring, deep blue eyes. Then Georgy joggled her elbow and her fantasy dissolved. Lu cast a guilty look across the table and to her great delight, Lanny smiled at her. Perhaps he read my mind! Her breath caught in her throat.
    Before the soup plates were removed and the spring lamb was served, the adults were arguing the merits of breast- feeding. Dr. Halford sided with the Duchess of Bedford, and her racy rejoinders soon had the company laughing. “There’s nothing more entertaining than titillating conversation at dinner.”
    Louisa glanced at her father and was relieved to see he’d forgotten Georgy’s tardiness. The conversation turned to politics, as it invariably did at Woburn. Tonight Louisa’s newly awakened yearnings outweighed her interest in politics, so through the rest of the meal she sat daydreaming about the handsome young artist. Tonight I will dance especially for Lanny. When she was twelve, it came as a devastating realization that a duke’s daughter could not perform on the public stage. But Woburn had its own private theater, which had helped to blunt her disappointment. When she was onstage dancing or acting a role in a play, she took on a persona of confidence and self-assurance. Her costume became a disguise that masked her shyness and insecurity.
    After dinner, the ladies usually withdrew to the blue drawing room while the men drank, but tonight everyone repaired to Woburn’s theater to watch Louisa perform.
    Alexander trotted beside his sister. “I like watching you dance, Lulu.”
    “Thank you.” She thought him sweet, if only because he was too young to be a hellion.
    Georgy took her seat at the