A Duke and A Damsel

A Duke and A Damsel--Chapter 10

“What? She saw me two days ago. Why would she willingly come to see me when I am pretty sure she'd like to see as little of me as possible.”

“Well, she's agreed to help you find a suitable wife.”

“What?” It seemed that that was the only word to be consistently in Blake's vocabulary at the moment. “What exactly did you tell her?”

A vein throbbed near Blake's temple, though his voice was deadly calm, a sure sign that a storm was brewing. Arjun, however, didn't look the least bit perturbed by this. He just sat back in his chair, making himself more comfortable.

“That your manners were severely lacking so you're having trouble finding a wife.”

“WHAT?” Blake looked at Arjun indignantly. “Why would you tell her such a thing when you know it's not true at all?! I could have any woman I wanted in the ton, including the married ones.”

-----

Arjun burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. He had never seen his friend so riled up before over a woman and it was highly amusing. He supposed he could have given Blake all the information at once, instead of drawing it out bit by bit, but it was infinitely more fun to watch him get more and more frustrated by the minute. It was very likely that by the time Emma and Blake met, Blake would have worked himself into such a temper that if Emma had had any lingering doubt about Blake's lacking manners, they would disappear in an instant.

“I'm afraid that finding a married woman would be of no use to you seeing as you're supposed to get married yourself. See, this is precisely why you need Emma's help. You're going about this all wrong.”

Arjun bit back a smile as he watched Blake's jaw drop in further indignation. Goading Blake had been one of his favorite past times since childhood.

“And what exactly will she gain out of all this?”

“Oh, that. You may not like this,” Arjun warned.

Blake raised his eyebrows.

“How much worse can it get? I already have to have the person who dislikes me the most help me find a wife because my deadline is quickly approaching...”

“Well, I don't think it's that bad, but I have a feeling you'll disagree. You have to help her find a husband, she's in a bit of a spot. But it has to be someone who will love her and not marry her for her money.”

“Just how the hell am I supposed to do that?”

“Simple. Teach her how to be appealing to a man.”

“Why can't you just do that?”

“Because I don't know anything about London society.”

“Neither do I!”

“You know more than I do—”

Thankfully for Arjun, Spencer walked in again, cutting him off,.

-----

“That woman is getting quite impatient and is making me crazy. May I please just tell her to leave?”

Blake blinked up at him.

“Spencer! I have never known you to be so rude. Whatever is the matter with you? And why are you with her in the first place?”

Spencer looked down, a mild flush appearing on his cheeks.

“I decided that I must keep an eye on her, Your Grace, so I was doing mundane tasks in the room. She just kept prattling on about nothing and then began to criticize me on my work, which is when I decided to come see if you were finished.”

Arjun stood up and said, “Yes, we're done, Spencer. I'm on my way out. Please, keep an eye on those two, will you? Seeing as you're such a stickler for propriety and keeping an eye on people, this chaperoning job should come naturally to you.”

Spencer looked back up and glared at him.

“I will not take on the responsibility of chaperoning no matter how improper it is!” He turned towards Blake. “I'm sorry, Your Grace, but I just cannot bear any more criticism from that woman. You are on your own. I trust that you will behave in the proper manner.”

Arjun chuckled to himself as he took his leave. It seemed that Emma had gotten under both Spencer's and his employer's skin. This whole thing would be much more entertaining than he had initially anticipated.