…
It had been three days since Lucan had seen Constance. The clawing emptiness and regret he felt inside had not abated, and his dreams were filled with images of her devastation.
He had never loved another in a romantic way, though he wondered if the feelings swelling in his chest and roiling in his mind were love. He’d certainly had a few lovers in the past to chase the loneliness away. He had never kept a mistress, and he would never do so. He’d never held any deep attachment to a female outside of his family, but what he felt for Constance was more than warm affection. He loved her.
It damn well hurt, the thought of never seeing her eyes sparkle with delight, of not hearing the throaty chuckle that spilled from her lips whenever she was amused. The idea to never taste her lips or feel her passion again was unbearable. It had been less than a week, and he could only hope the clawing need burgeoning inside of him daily for her presence would eventually fade.
There was a sound, and he turned to see the Dowager Duchess of Ellington strolled into her domain. He admired her cool aplomb. His call on her had been unexpected, and it was not as if they socialized. He had been waiting for almost an hour in the drawing room while she readied to receive him. He had waited with a patience that he himself admired.
Lucan needed someone powerful and influential, someone who commanded the highest respect of the rest of the peerage. Someone he did not own. But someone he could offer something that they needed. That was what drove him to the home of the dowager duchess after making several rounds to those that did owe him.
“Mondvale, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” she drawled as she moved to sit on her chaise. She was clad in a dark blue gown, lined with buttons from her neck down and an elaborate hairstyle which piled her hair high on her head. The lady even had strands of pearls draped across her throat. Lucan now understood why he had waited so long for her to make an appearance.
“It is said you are very skilled at forcing society to accept another, to forgive indiscretions. I require your service,” he said without indulging in inane pleasantries.
She stiffened. “Indeed?” cool brown eyes assessed him with something akin to admiration. “Speak, Mondvale.”
He walked over and sank onto the sofa directly across from her. “Lady Constance Thornton.”
Lucan doubted he needed to say much more.
An elegant brow arched. “You cannot simply require my service and it is given. And from the rumors that are in circulation this was not merely an indiscretion, Your Grace. I encourage people to overlook another’s minor indiscretion, this young lady is…” She gave an indelicate shrug as if to indicate he should draw his own conclusion.
“You are correct in your assertions, Lady Ellington. I do not want society to overlook any indiscretion; I want it be known there was none. I want her elevated.”
She sucked in a harsh breath. “What you ask is impossible, Your Grace.”
“You are influential, a member of the Marlborough house set. If anyone can do it, it is you. I want Lady Constance to become the toast of the season.”
Lady Ellington’s smile broadened. “You are nothing if not ambitious. The young lady is ruined. And if the rumors are to be believed, it was by your hand.”
“The rumors are not to be believed, and you have the influence to see it done. That is what I require of you, Lady Ellington.”
“It will cost you, Your Grace.”
He met her gaze, taking her measure. She returned his stare unflinchingly confident in her societal power. He thought of the secrets he knew of her, the ones she thought were carefully hidden. Yet, Lucan hesitated in pursuing such a path. He did not want anything related to Constance to be achieved via blackmail. He knew a few of the scandals the dowager duchess tried to bury, and the amount of debt her son was busy incurring, along with the opium he dabbled in. Lucan had made it his business to know everything about her because she was powerful in the eyes of the haute monde. “I will be indebted to you, Lady Ellington, for repayment whenever you desire,” he offered.
Surprise chased her features, then she nodded, her eyes calculating. “What is Lady Constance to you that you will try to restore her reputation, after the damning article in the scandal sheets?”
He smiled fleetingly at her audacity. “That, madam, is not your concern. Can you do it?”
Lady Ellington hesitated and his gut tightened. He wanted to keep this clean, so he hoped she would not test his ruthlessness, for she would lose.
“It cannot be me alone that is seen aiding her. Others will be necessary as well. I recommend—”
“You will have the Earl of Blade and his family’s full support. Lady Prescott will also be at your disposal. I require utmost discretion.”