Drew pasted a smile on his face when he recognized the young woman before he got too close to turn away. It was Lady Eloise Barclay again—Northport’s friend’s youngest daughter.
Unmarried, of course.
Drew would be expected to dance with her, as he had been every other night they’d met at one event or another. He had done so on several prior occasions with no complaint on his part. The Barclays were old friends of the family. Certain courtesies were required, and it was better to get his duty over with now than be berated by the duke for rudeness later.
Lady Eloise was an adequate partner for one dance—but never more than that. As he watched, a gentleman attempted to speak with the young lady, but Father turned her away from the fellow, monopolizing Lady Eloise’s attention so the gentleman had no choice but to back away, unspoken to and embarrassed.
Drew groaned under his breath. Was Father attempting to keep Lady Eloise from other men now? Not that Drew would marry her. She was so much younger than himself.
He strolled across to his father, feigning delight to see him.
Drew resembled his sire in many ways. Similar height, same dark hair that curled in the rain, same blue eyes that many said were remarkably changeable. But the similarity ended there. Drew was much quieter and more circumspect than his father. But then, Drew wasn’t a duke yet with designs to control the destiny of members of his family, especially his eldest son.
“Ah, here is Sullivan, too,” Father boomed loud enough to be heard in all corners of the ballroom. The Duke of Northport leaned down toward the woman at his side. “I told you he couldn’t stay away. My son is as handsome as you remember, isn’t he Lady Eloise?”
Drew felt his face grow warm as he extended his hand toward the embarrassed young woman his father had been pushing at him for months. Lady Eloise ranked high on the list created by his family as a potential bride for Drew. Only just eighteen and newly presented to the queen, she had impressed many during her first season. Even him, to a small degree. But there was no thrill, no spark of anticipation, to be felt around her when they met. None at all.
And that lack of attraction was specifically why he could not marry her, or anyone he felt similarly unaffected by.
He smiled politely at the young woman. “A pleasure to see you again, Lady Eloise.”
“My lord,” she murmured, touching her fingers to his for the briefest of handshakes. Father beamed them both a smile. To Father and many in the family, it was an inevitable match. Lady Eloise knew the family well enough that she had attended Drew’s wedding to his first wife—as a flower girl tossing petals in the air, for heaven’s sake.
Since Clare’s death, Lady Eloise had often been invited to visit the Northport estate while Drew was there. Father had made his preference quite clear. Drew suspected his father had also been secretly preparing Lady Eloise for the day when Drew and his bride would become duke and duchess of Northport—as Drew’s eventual wife would one day.
But there was a wide-eyed innocence to Eloise that made Drew’s stomach pit at the thought of bedding her if they ever married, and that was as good a reason as any to turn elsewhere in search of a bride. She was too green for a man of his experience.
Not that he was ancient. He wasn’t even thirty years yet. But a lot had happened in the decade between their ages that could not be overlooked. He would not be happy married to someone as young as Lady Eloise. But she was well-educated about current events, she was a duke’s daughter, and got along well with his family, so she was always pushed at him. She had a decent dowry, too, and seemed to like talking to him.
Unfortunately, she did not stir him in the way his first wife had done. Lady Eloise might be at the top of a very short list of possibilities, but Drew himself didn’t bother writing such a list down of potential brides.
When he eventually discovered a woman he wanted to marry, he was sure he’d know it instantly.
He smiled, and asked Lady Eloise if she had any sets free on her dance card, as he was expected to do.
“I do in fact.” Lady Eloise handed him her card to look at. Her next dance was free, as was a number of sets up until the one right before supper. Father had done his work well in monopolizing her time tonight. Her card should have been full by this hour.
“Looks like my timing is perfect.”
If he chose the very next dance, Lady Eloise would be free to accept other partners once their set was over. Perhaps she might even sit down to supper with someone she really liked then. Anyone but him, really.
Their dance was announced, and he offered his arm to her to stroll to the dance floor together. He glanced down at the young woman on his arm briefly and decided to make the most of the opportunity to speak with her, hopefully without being overheard. “I must apologize for my father,” he whispered.
“He’s a dear man,” she murmured.
“He’s grown fond of you, and hopeful where there is no hope to be found, I’m afraid,” he said somewhat bluntly, deciding honesty was the best policy where making a marriage was concerned. He wouldn’t have this young woman led on about his intentions toward her another moment more.
She nodded slowly, a frown marring her complexion. “That is what I suspected, but he was adamant that…”
Drew inclined his head. “He’s mistaken.”
“Oh,” she murmured softly. “I see.”
Did she? He hoped she was not offended by his disinterest in her.
The music began, and they danced, but Lady Eloise said nothing more after his confession. Had he upset her with his disinterest in marrying her? Could she really be surprised? She’d met his wife. There was very little similarity between the two.
When the dance was over, he found himself steered around with subtle pressure toward a distant doorway, away from his father and her family. Alarmed, he glanced down at her. “What are you doing?”