I had told no one of the strange conversation that I had with the Duke in the hallway the night before but it had stuck with me all the same. The way he spoke to me, the way he looked at me, it gave me a feeling much unlike anything I had experienced before. It was almost as if he had taken an interest in me. But that couldn't be.

He was a Duke, the highest level of nobility short of the royal family themselves. And I hadn't been trying to attract his attention. If anything my childish pilfering of Swiss chocolates should have turned him away forever. Perhaps it had. Perhaps he was being so kind to me because I was the one person who couldn't mistake his intentions. He knew I was unavailable. He knew that nothing could happen between us. So perhaps it was friendship he wanted.

But the way he had looked at me in my brother's study before had implied it wasn't only friendly affection he was feeling toward me. I sighed and stood from my desk just as the door to my bedroom opened and a maid entered to assist me in getting ready for the Redmond ball.

Well, I thought as I gazed at my own appearance in the mirror, there's only one way to be sure.

"I'd like to wear my new dress tonight," I told my maids as they entered with my corset and undergarments. "The green one."

The two servants exchanged a look before one scurried off to find the gown and the other began helping me into my underclothes. I requested the finest for the evening. My grandmother's diamonds which we'd always had access to but never wore in favor of the newer fashions, now sparkled mesmerizingly above my well defined cleavage. I smiled at the eye-catching effect. No more high necked little girl's dresses. I may not be available for courtship but I was still a woman and should have a woman's dress to display my feminine figure.

The deep emerald dress my mother had ordered for me when I had made such an assertion flattered my form exquisitely like no other dress ever had. It was slim at the waist but accentuated curvature in all the right places. I smiled as one of our servants leaned over to gloss my pink lips. The other worked fervently behind me, sculpting my auburn tendrils into a curled masterpiece upon my head. Nothing but the best this evening, I had decided.

When they had finished, I was nearly breathless at my own reflection. I thanked my maids wholeheartedly and pried my eyes away from the mirror long enough to lift my skirts and make my way to the door. The moment I opened it, I heard the shouting.

"Go on ahead! I'll bring her!" Elijah's voice was booming as his footsteps quickened their pace coming towards my room.

I glanced at the servants, about to ask what time it was. I had taken considerably longer in my efforts to get ready and hadn't even thought to check the time. Before I could ask, however, my brother rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks. As his eyes roved over me, they widened.

"Ella," he gasped. I smiled and gave a mock little bow. He broke out into a smile of his own and approached, arms spread wide. "You look absolutely incredible."

"Thank you brother," I answered.

"But you'll have to learn how to achieve the same effect much faster. Everyone has already left," he told me, extending an arm.

I muttered an apology as I took it and we hurried through the hall, down the stairs, and into another waiting carriage. As badly as I felt that I had caused us to be late, I was pleased not to find myself cramped into a carriage with my sister and mother as well. The ride was much more pleasant with Elijah as my only company. He told me stories of the hunt and had me laughing along with a tale of Benthem's horrible aim as we pulled up to the curb of the Redmonds' home.

When we arrived at the door, Elijah did his duty and helped me out of the cab. I exited to the stunned stares of the gentry milling about on the outer steps. A few men smiled my way, one even winked. The women only offered me open mouthed stares. I felt my cheeks burning as I walked into the ballroom on my brother's arm, starting to wonder if this plan hadn't been the good idea I'd hoped.

"Pay them no mind, sister," Elijah whispered under his breath as we entered the main hall. "You look beautiful."

I smiled gratefully up at him as we got in line to greet the hosts. Our family was nowhere to be seen. They must have already made it into the ballroom. It seemed a majority of the guests had. When I reached the front of the column, I allowed my brother to make the necessary introductions and gratitudes, speaking only to ask how the Redmond daughter my age was faring in her first season. Then we passed together into the hall.

The reaction inside was largely the same as it had been outside. Shocked stares and interested smiles greeted me. I only nodded politely to anyone I made eye contact with and scanned the room for my family. Even better, my eyes found Madison. I pulled on Elijah's arm and pointed and he released me to flee to the side of my closest friend.

"Wow," Madison said simply when I approached. I looked down at my dress and smoothed it out with a frown.

"Do you not like it?" I asked.

"Of course I do. You look incredible. Who knew you had such a figure? Of course, I'm not the only one who's noticed."

Madison cocked a brow and took a drink as I glanced sideways to see a group of four young men smiling my way. I cleared my throat and snapped my gaze back to my friend who was smiling.

"You, my dear, have underestimated the power of a good dress," Madison cooed and my face flamed.

"It seems I have," I muttered.

"So who's the lucky gentleman?"

My eyes snapped to hers, "Excuse me?"

"Please. A woman does not pull out her most form fitting gown for just any occasion. So, who is he?"

Before I could answer, a familiar voice called out from behind me.

"Ella! There you-" she turned to see Benthem approaching. "Dear Lord. I mean, no. You look wonderful, of course! I didn't mean-"

"Benthem," Madison warned and he cleared his throat and nodded, extending an arm to his wife.

"Lord Wallace is here, dear," he told her warmly. "I do believe I spoke to you about him."

"Ah yes, from Newcastle," Madison recalled, looping her arm through her husband's and tossing a concerned look over her shoulder at her friend. "Will you be alright, Ella? You can come with us if-"

"I'm fine," I assured her with a smile. "Go on."

And so they did, giving me one final nod before striding off to be introduced to whoever Lord Wallace was. I remained rooted to the spot, fidgeting a bit in the combined gaze of half of the men in the room. I turned and made eye contact with a group of women nearby. I gave them a warm smile and a nod of greeting but they only stared back at me. Then I saw him.

Standing just beyond the group of women, back to me as he sipped from his glass and spoke to a man I did not recognize, was the Duke of Northumberland. He was resplendent in an emerald tailcoat that coincidentally matched my gown. He was standing near the entrance as if he'd just arrived. Perhaps Elijah and I hadn't been the latest arrivals after all.

I watched as he laughed and patted the man on the back before turning back to enter the ballroom. Our eyes locked as he turned and he froze, coming to a stop in the middle of the room and allowing his gaze to trail over me from head to toe. I felt my cheeks heating beneath the weight of it as his lips parted more and more as he took me in. When his gaze met mine again, he took a step forward.

I tried to prepare myself for his approach but wasn't sure what I could even do. So I simply dropped my hands to my sides and tried not to make eye contact with him and that strange heat in his gaze.

"Lady Harrington," his low, warm voice greeted me when he finally arrived. I gave a small curtsy.

"Your Grace," I replied, keeping my gaze to the floor for as long as I could before looking back up into those hooded eyes.

"You look... different this evening. Have you done something with your hair?" He asked with a smirk and I smiled at the joke.

"I have, actually," I answered, playing along. "So kind of you to notice."

"I'm not the only one who's noticed."

He raised a brow at that and cast his gaze lazily about the room where men and women alike were watching us.

"No," I agreed slowly. "You are not."

"Do you remember when we first met?" He asked suddenly, cocking his head to the side in thought. "When you were pilfering chocolates from the dessert table at your mother's garden party."

"Don't remind me," I groaned.

"I thought you were beautiful then," he finished and my gaze shot up to meet his again. "But now..."

His eyes roved over me again, beginning with my face and traveling to my borrowed satin slippers.

"Speechless," he whispered so quietly I almost couldn't hear him. My cheeks blazed and I wondered all at once whether this was my best idea yet or the worst decision I'd ever made. I opened my mouth to speak but was interrupted.

"Lady Harrington," someone said, breathless, and I turned to see Sir Thomas Abney standing beside the Duke. When had he gotten there? The Duke was watching me still, his dark eyes fixated on my face but I turned to blink at the man who had addressed me as he continued. "You look incredible. I had hoped that perhaps we could-"

"Ella!"

I looked up to see Elijah sliding in next to me. I felt a rush of gratitude for his interruption that was quickly displaced by confusion when I noticed the Duke snorting a laugh into his cup.

"There you are," my brother continued. "Emily was looking for you. Something about a ribbon come loose in her hair?"

"Ah, I should find her," I said and then, handing my punch to my brother and lifting my skirts, I gave the gentlemen a curtsy before heading toward the exit of the ballroom to locate the powder room.

Elijah, as it turned out, hadn't been lying. Emily was in need of assistance, though a ribbon was the least of her concerns. She held the accessory alright, in a balled up fist upon her lap as she sobbed into the rich yellow satin of her gown.

"Emily," I cried as I entered the room, rushing toward my sister and sitting next to her in an instant. "What are you doing? Are you hurt?"

"Not in any visible way," Emily wept.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Oh Ella, why did you have to wear such a dress?" Emily cried, throwing up her hands in exasperation. She leapt up from her seat and began pacing in front of me, tears streaming down her puffy cheeks.

"Pardon?" I queried, genuinely confused.

"You're prettier, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"

"Emily, I don't-"

"You've always been prettier, Ella! With those bright blue eyes and that gorgeous auburn hair! You're everything they want! All of them! They cannot help but stare at you. And that's on a normal night. And then tonight you show up in that. However am I supposed to attract a husband with you around?"

She had turned back to me now, sadness turned to fury. She narrowed her eyes in a glare that caught me entirely off guard. I stood, backing away toward the door, hand on my chest in surprise.

"They're waiting for you, you know," she snapped. "Nearly all of them. It's hard enough to get any of them to even look at me. You know I danced with the Duke at the last ball, I told you and yet I look over and you're laughing with him as if the two of you are the closest friends."

"Emily, please. I didn't think-"

"No, Ella. But you hardly ever do."

With that, Emily pushed past me, drying her tears on her sleeve as she fled the ladies powder room, headed back for the Redmond ball.

I stood alone for a moment, breathing hard from the exchange. I had been on one mission this evening; to ascertain whether the Duke was interested in me as merely a friend or as the potential for something more. I hadn't paused to consider the effects of my choice of attire. How it might cause other men in the room to stare as well, how it might be perceived by the other women, or, more importantly, how it might affect Emily's chances for the evening.

Shame washed over me as I stared at my reflection in the mirror and shook my head. This must be remedied. And the only way was to remove myself from the public eye. Hiding out in the gardens for the remainder of the evening should do the trick. With this new initiative in mind, I turned on my heel and wrenched open the powder room door.

It was dark in the gardens but beautiful even at night. Despite the fact that the happy little marble cherubs looked more like demonic gargoyles in the light of the moon, it was a pleasant enough hiding place. I sat on the edge of the fountain, pulling petals off of a lily one at a time and dropping them into the water to watch them float. I listened to the distant sounds of the ball and the much closer noise of the crickets and the frogs. As I dropped the last petal into the pond, another sound told me that I was not alone.

"Elijah is looking for you," someone said and I looked up to find the Duke standing in the trellis entrance to the gardens.

"I hope he hasn't sent you to do the job," I muttered with a frown. His eyebrows creased with concern momentarily before he took a step forward.

"I volunteered," he told me. "What are you doing out here?"

I took a breath and sighed, rolling my eyes up to the moon as I answered.

"I'm guilty of precisely the same indiscretion I accused you of," I confessed. "So hypocrisy, I suppose, is why I'm out here."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't..." I trailed off, wondering how to phrase my predicament without admitting that he was the cause of it. "I did not consider what my wearing of this dress might do to my sister, how she might feel about her younger sister dressing up so grandly for a common ball."

The Duke nodded, though hesitantly, as if he still did not entirely understand.

"So, why did you wear the dress?" He asked. Through my sorrow, I forced a smile.

"A woman has her secrets, Your Grace," I told him and then stood from my place on the stone wall of the fountain. I brushed off my dress and walked forward to meet him beneath the trellis. "Where is my brother?"

"Searching the carriages. He thought you may have tried to flee home."

"That would have been far wiser," I answered with a wry smile. "I'll meet him there. It's probably for the best that I do return to the estate."

I lifted my skirts and took a step toward the manor but stopped when the Duke's hand grasped my arm. I glanced down to the contact and then looked back into his eyes.

"You don't have to apologize for who you are," he told me, so quietly I almost couldn't hear him. "For looking beautiful in an elegant dress, for pilfering chocolates or admonishing a nobleman. If you truly want to find love, don't hide that girl away in the gardens."

My lips parted slightly in surprise at his unexpectedly heartwarming encouragement and his gaze fell to them. For a moment, a current of heat passed between us so heavy that I could forget the chill in the air I'd been feeling all evening as I realized his hand was still on my arm. I slowly lowered my gaze to the contact and he watched but did not let me go.

"Your Grace..." I started, chest heaving with an emotion I could not place.

"Call me Victor," he replied, his tone deep and throaty.

"I-"

"Ella! There you are!" Elijah suddenly called from the pavement behind the house leading to the gardens. The Duke released me and stepped hastily away as my brother entered the shrubbery. "You found her! I sincerely appreciate it, Your Grace. My apologies for taking you from the party. You may want to return to the festivities. I'm to understand they are beginning the dancing soon."

The Duke held my gaze for a moment longer before nodding and heading back to the house, more speechless than he had ever been rendered before. Elijah did not seem to notice as he turned to me and leaned down in examination.

"Are you unwell? What happened?" He asked.

"Emily is angry with me," I told him truthfully, though my eyes remained on where the Duke had disappeared to return to the hall as I wondered about the strange moment that had occurred between us only seconds ago. "I think it's best I leave so as not to upset her."

"Ella-" Elijah began with a frown, intent on convincing me not to let our sour sibling ruin my evening.

"Please, Elijah," I interrupted him before he could begin with a tone of exhaustion. "I just want to go home."

With a nod, Elijah gave into my request. I waited by the carriage while he went inside to request that Benthem and the Duke escort our mother and sister home when they are ready to leave. Then he joined me at the carriage and the two of us climbed silently inside.

Neither of us spoke for some time as we made our way back toward our estate. I kept my gaze focused out of the window since my brother seemed to believe that if he stared at me long enough, I would crack and tell him what was wrong. Finally I sighed and met his gaze.

"What?" I asked.

"Why did you want to leave so badly?" He queried.

"I told you. I've made Emily angry and, with how hard mother has been trying to find her a mate, I thought it best I leave so as not to upset her farther and make her appear cross."

He narrowed his eyes, not fully believing my excuse. Elijah knew me better than anyone. He knew when I wasn't telling the whole tale.

"Why was Emily angry with you?" He asked after a considerable amount of staring.

"She was afraid that I stole her show," I confessed and Elijah chuckled. When I looked up, scandalized by the sound, he only began laughing harder. "What's so funny?"

"It isn't her show," he explained, shaking his head as his hilarity died down. "Despite what everyone in our household seems to currently believe, the world does not revolve around Emily Harrington and her efforts to find a husband. Her jealousy of your beauty is positively ridiculous when she's done nothing to improve upon her own temperament. If she would pause to consider, just once, that it might be her condescending sensitivity driving men away rather than her gown or her corset, she might have more suitors with or without a Duke drumming up interest."

"Elijah!" I gasped.

"I'm only being honest. It's about time someone was. Or are you to tell me you find living with our sister so very pleasant?"

I could not help but smile at the outright mockery in my brother's tone. I giggled at the absurdity of my sister's behavior. By the time we had arrived home, my spirits were wildly lifted. Our laughter followed us up the stone steps into the large and very empty manor. Many of the servants had gone to bed. The manse was dark and empty.

"We have the whole place to ourselves," Elijah murmured to me, raising an eyebrow in challenge as we entered the foyer. "We can have a fine time here. What would cheer you up?"

I thought for a moment. I had to admit I was in dire need of some distraction. This whole business with my sister and not to mention the oddity of my experiences with the Duke left me feeling a longing for a bit of simple entertainment again.

"Do you remember when we were children and you used to take fencing with Master Pietro?" I asked and my brother cocked his head but nodded all the same. "I begged father for months to let me train with you but he said it wasn't for girls."

"But you kept on him," Elijah added, remembering. "Every day."