me?”
“She did not mention that we were twins?”
The duke started laughing, and several couples turned to see what was amiss. “No, she did not mention that,”he said, genuine amusement shining in his eyes. “But it seems like just the sort of thing the Harlow Hoyden would not mention.” He felt the other Miss Harlow stiffen in his arms, and he rushed to apologize. “I mean no disrespect. Please believe me when I say that I have nothing but the utmost admiration for your sister. She’s enchanting.”
Lavinia relaxed slightly. Seeking to put her furtherat ease, the duke asked, “What sort of potting soil did you use for the Rhyncholaelia digbyana ? I hope it has a good deal of magnesium in it.” It was an unsuitable topic for a London ballroom, but his partner did not notice.
“Oh, yes, your grace. And iron, as well.”
The rest of the dance was given over to a lively discussion of potting techniques, and when the musicians finished, he broughtMiss Harlow back to her fiancé.
“Thank you, your grace, for an enlightening dance.”
“No, thank you, my dear,” he said. Before taking his leave, he discretely looked around the ballroom.
“She is, I assume, tucked away in some corner with my sister-in-law, Sarah,” Lavinia said, easily reading the duke. “She doesn’t like crowded places overmuch.”
He was only momentarily surprised. “No, Idon’t imagine she would.” The duke took her hand and laid a gentle kiss on it. “Thank you.”
“Not at all, your grace.”
Trent left her there and went in search of the real Emma Harlow but not before hearing Sir Waldo Windbourne take his fiancée to task for being too familiar with a duke.
By the time Trent found her, Emma was reconciled to the fact that he was a duke and not the country cousinshe had previously supposed. Indeed, a plotting miss who always had one scheme or another percolating in her lively mind, she’d already figured out a way to use this information to her advantage.
“My lord duke,” said Sarah when he approached, “it’s lovely to see you again. It’s been a long time.”
“Sarah.” Taking her hand and bowing over it, he behaved just as a gentleman ought, but his eyescouldn’t help straying toward Emma. Up close, he could see that she was everything he remembered: the peaches-and-cream complexion, the rosy cheeks, the sparkling eyes, the delightful smile that revealed all her secrets. It seemed inconceivable now that he could ever have mistaken someone else for her.
“I don’t believe you know my sister-in-law Emma,” Sarah said by way of introduction. “Youwere dancing with her sister earlier, but no doubt you’ve already drawn that conclusion, given that they’re mirror images of each other.”
“Actually, I’ve already had the pleasure.” He laid a kiss—a shade more lingering than proper—on her hand, and Sarah, noticing the familiarity, sent a quizzical look Emma’s way. Her young in-law responded with a slight shrug.
“You have?” asked Sarah archly.She found this development rather curious. The Duke of Trent rarely showed interest in green misses.
“Yes, we have,” he answered Sarah but kept his gaze on Emma. “Yesterday at my mother’s tea party. Miss Harlow was a guest. I believe she was very taken with my orchids.”
Emma dimpled. “What he means to say, Sarah, is that his orchids were taken with me.”
The duke sketched a bow. “I standcorrected.”
Sarah watched this exchange with a growing sense of unease. The Duke of Trent was flirting with Emma! Out and out flirting! Sarah had known the duke for years—her brother and he had been at Oxford together—but she had never seen him flirt with an inexperienced chit before. Although his behavior with her had always been circumspect, she knew that his reputation as a rakehell was wellearned. There were few peers more handsome—or wealthy—than the duke, and he had been pressing his advantage with widows and courtesans for years. Sarah
Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson