Dangerous in Diamonds - Madeline Hunter [61]
Castleford placed his palms on the table. He leaned forward so this fool would know there was no wit at all in what followed. “Do your worst. But before you wage war with me, do not forget that towers of rectitude that are made of straw can be easily burned to the ground.”
He went off to arrange to have the new pair of horses brought to his stable. Latham tailed him out to the yard.
“Oh, I forgot to mention that I saw the lovely Mrs. Joyes yesterday,” Latham said from his saddle once he had mounted. “I called on her, and we reminisced about old times. I reminded her how she was a little flirt back then. Hard to believe, isn’t it? She has learned to hide that side of her character well.”
Castleford walked on, giving the ass no response. He would not let the man see his anger at that parting shot and at learning that Latham had boldly called on Daphne. And that she had received him.
Someone needed to shoot down Latham’s ascendant balloon, he decided. As it happened, the Duke of Castleford found himself of late with endless free hours available, and he needed a good diversion.
Chapter Thirteen
“I won’t do it,” Celia said. She slid another spoonful of ice into her mouth.
Daphne’s own spoon halted halfway to its destination. Surely she had heard wrong. “It will only take a short while. A half hour at most.”
Celia kept her attention on the ice. She luxuriated in the taste of it, moaning from the pleasure. Daphne ate her own, but kept her eyes on her friend.
Finally they were done. They passed their little cups out to one of the servants from Gunter’s who tended to the carriages surrounding Berkley Square. All of them held ladies indulging as they did. Celia dabbed at her mouth with a handkerchief.
“I was not invited,” Celia said. “If you needed a chaperone, you should not have accepted without arranging to bring a companion. For me to now accompany you is pointless anyway. If it is Castleford’s intention to get you alone for seductive purposes, he will manage it whether I walk in the door with you or not.”
“I did not say I feared he had seductive—”
“Oh, please, Daphne.” Celia looked to heaven in exasperation. “It is very clear he is pursuing you. Everyone has noticed. This is Castleford. If he pursues a woman, it is for no other purpose except seduction.”
Everyone had noticed? Daphne hoped Celia only meant their friends. Her and Verity and, at worst, their husbands.
Of course, there had been those two invitations . . .
“You appear very concerned, Daphne. Tell the man that you will not have him, if you are not interested in his intentions.”
If?
“I have told him. I have even been rude about it. He does not hear me.”
“Perhaps he sees something in your reactions to him that have convinced him otherwise?”
Daphne felt her face warming. Celia’s blue eyes widened.
“Are you blushing? You never blush. Oh, my.” She giggled behind her hand. “Mrs. Joyes, have you been naughty?”
“If I have not remained strictly proper, I can be forgiven, I think.” Not strictly proper was hardly adequate. “He is just so overwhelming. Relentless. I never appreciated all those references to women having their walls breached, like such things are battles or sieges, but I tell you, Celia, this man has managed to exhaust my defenses.”
“Well, he is not without appeal. I expect you find him exciting?”
“Yes, I do. There, I have said it. For many reasons I dare not be so rash as to succumb to his appeal, but—I am losing the ability to explain why, even to myself, when he plays his games.” She looked down miserably. “He can be very persuasive in the worst ways, I am embarrassed to admit.”
“Do you need an excuse to put him off until you buttress your defenses? Is that the problem?”
“Yes. Exactly. He will lose interest soon, I am sure. I only need to discourage him until he does.” Or until she journeyed north. She would do so very soon, she had decided. To see Margaret