Free How to Dazzle a Duke by Claudia Dain

said upon a half smile.
    “Then the word must not be aversion ,” Edenham said, “as I
    am quite certain I must be found quite high upon the list. I leave
    you to choose my word for me, Lady Dalby.”
    “ Arrogant it is,” Sophia said with a chuckle.
    “No, not arrogant,” Penelope said impulsively, “for that would
    change the game, wouldn’t it? Are we not supposed to choose our
    own faults, not note the faults of others?”
    For what could she do? She had to defend the duke’s honor,
    did she not? Particularly as he was to be her husband. And, as a
    small aside, she did not think they should follow Lord Iveston’s
    suggestion, a small matter of spite. He was quite eager to throw
    a fault upon her, without doubt.
    To judge by the general reaction of the room, it was quite
    possible she should have taken the time to consider another
    choice of action. The mood shifted downward, rather like a tile
    falling from the roof.
    “If we are to list the faults of others,” George said into the
    horrid silence, “then I am compelled to name logic as Penelope’s
    greatest fault. Hardly a fault in normal circumstances, I know,
    but then, when are circumstances ever normal?”
    How completely sweet and entirely like George. He had a
    56 CLAUDIA DAIN
    knack for turning most everything into something quite pleasant,
    which just now seemed his greatest talent.
    “In a woman? I would have said never,” Iveston said. “How
    unexpected to fi nd logic residing in female form.”
    Penelope turned and looked at Iveston, quite truly per
    plexed at how much he had found to say, most of it quite
    unappealing. Perhaps he was not the dullard she had thought
    him, though finding he was a boor instead was hardly a notewor
    thy improvement.
    “How right you are, Lord Iveston,” Sophia said. “Miss Prest
    wick is that rare thing: an original.”
    Why, the way Sophia said it, it didn’t sound like a fault at all.
    How extraordinary.
    Five
    AN original? Is that what she was? Iveston was more than certain
    she was the most ordinary of things: a woman looking for a hus
    band. In this instance, the Duke of Edenham. It was more than
    obvious, wasn’t it? She had that look about her. Putting on that
    pretty, smiling, insipid creature that all women became when a
    likely man was in the room.
    Of course, Miss Prestwick was mauling the whole thing badly.
    She was forever saying the wrong thing, wasn’t she? Couldn’t
    seem to help herself, poor lamb, and if he were any sort of gentle
    man, he’d feel some sympathy for her, perhaps even help her
    along with a friendly word to soothe things over.
    He’d do nothing of the sort.
    She wanted Edenham? Well, let her fight to get Edenham,
    like they all fought . . . like they all usually fought to get him.
    He was a bit disgruntled. He could admit it. Here he was, in
    the full flush of his manhood, so to speak, and there was Edenham, three wives behind him and buried, two children to take
    on, and this little wisp of a girl preferred Edenham to him?
    And her brother claimed logic as her fault. Logic? There was
    58 CLAUDIA DAIN
    nothing logical about it. Nothing logical about her either. In fact,
    she might be a bloody imbecile. She gave every appearance of it,
    didn’t she? Here he was, available, completely desirable in every
    conceivable way, and she had nothing but disdain and scowls for
    him. Why, he’d never been so dismissed in his entire life.
    What was worse, Cranleigh clearly saw the situation for what
    it was and was having the devil of a time not laughing out loud.
    In fact, he might give way at any moment.
    “How very true,” Cranleigh said, crossing his legs casually.
    “There is certainly no other woman I know of who is so adept at
    horticulture, and with roses, too, known to be so difficult. I saw
    quite a few varieties whilst in China, yet none eclipse the perfec
    tion of Miss Prestwick’s roses. When do you think the weather
    will be mild enough to remove them from the