He looked at her sharply, studying her. He’d always judged Lady Elise to be intelligent, but he had not realized just how perceptive she was. She saw too much. Too much of him right now, at any rate.

He inhaled deeply and fixed a smile to his face. He needed to stop gawking at Nora and focus all his attention and energy on Lady Elise. She would make a fine wife. He had no doubt of that. She might have been intended for his cousin, and old Birchwood might be forcing her down his throat, but she truly was a lovely human being.

For the rest of dinner he managed to keep his attention where it should be. His gaze did not stray to Nora. Not even when he heard the lovely trill of her laughter.

After dinner, the men adjourned to the library for their brandy and whisky. Constantine managed to feign a relaxed air, staying put when Prentiss rose from his chair before anyone else. “If you’ll beg my pardon. I think I will rejoin the ladies now.”

The duke chuckled. “Ah, our fair Miss Langley has snared your admiration? It seems the duchess’s matchmaking instincts are impeccable, as always.”

“Of course Miss Langley is delightful and has her charms, but I would not go so far as to say that.” Prentiss tugged at the cuffs of his sleeves, straightening his jacket.

“You will have to settle down some day, lad,” the duke intoned. “Your mother will insist.”

“Some day,” he agreed and then offered a rather sly grin that Constantine felt the violent urge to wipe off his face. “But not anytime soon.”

“Then what are your intentions with Miss Langley?” he asked, not giving a damn how aggressive the question sounded escaping him.

The man had just declared he was not interested in honorable marriage to any woman. So what did his flirtatious behavior with Nora mean then? Certainly he was not looking for any honorable liaison with Nora. Just a liaison then.

The duke chuckled. “You sound like an outraged papa, Constantine. Miss Langley is our guest here, but you needn’t be so protective of her.” His lips curled ever so slightly. “I think we can all agree that Miss Langley can take care of herself. She is a veritable bluestocking.”

“So that means no one should have a concern for her well-being while under this roof?” he asked mildly despite his tumultuous feelings. He turned his glass around in his hand, his fingers rotating along the rim with deceptive idleness. “Is a bluestocking somehow worth less consideration?”

The duke sputtered, “N-no. That is not what I said at all.”

Not what he said. But it was what he meant.

Ever since Constantine arrived here Birchwood had been schooling him on the things that, in his opinion, mattered. Things that were important to a future duke of the realm.