The Duke's Bed Warmer-Chapter 21: The Duke’s Choice

Alina tried not to think much about the tea party with Audrey.

They asked me to share what I knew about him, and I did. If Audrey didn’t know, that was between them.

The thought settled uneasily in her mind, but she pushed it aside.

The next morning, the castle was alive with a different kind of energy. Alina learned that an important delegation was arriving at Ravenmoor and a welcome party had been arranged in their honour.

Alina heard the buzz over breakfast; the whispers, and the excitement. Ladies discussed about their gowns, and accessories, each trying to outshine the other.

Alina paid little attention to it.

I’ll sit in my usual place, and watch the spectacle from a distance.

After breakfast, she was walking back towards her room when Austin stopped her in the corridor.

"The welcome party," he said. "You will attend it by my side."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"By your side?"

"Yes."

Her first thought was of Audrey.

"What about Audrey?"

He paused, briefly.

"She is a princess. Everyone knows her. She needs no introduction."

Alina’s heart began to race.

"So I’m... going to be your date at the party?" she asked casually, not expecting an answer.

He held her gaze.

"Yes."

For a second, everything froze. Then he walked away, leaving her standing in the corridor, stunned.

She returned to her room in a daze.

I’m going to be his date. Not the bed warmer... his date.

She immediately looked at her dresses. All of them were old, simple, and unsuitable for a gathering like this.

She pulled out the green dress. It was her favourite, but too plain. She needed to make it special.

She worked throughout the afternoon. She started by altering the neckline, adjusting the waist, and reworking the seams. The needle pricked her fingers more than once, but she barely noticed. She ripped out stitches and refined every detail until the dress slowly transformed beneath her hands.

When she finally finished, she held it up.

It was no court gown as there were no jewels, or elegant embroidery but still it looked completely different from before. The bodice now cinched at her waist, and the skirt flowed like water. It was simple but beautiful.

Lady Talbot arrived soon after to help her with her hair and makeup.

"Sit," she said.

She pinned Alina’s hair up, letting a few strands fall, then pinned it again. She tried three different hairstyles before she found the one that suited her the most.

"You have good features," Lady Talbot said. "Your mother must have been beautiful."

"She was," Alina replied softly.

"Close your eyes."

Alina obeyed and felt powder on her cheeks, a cool brush of colour on her lips, and something dark at her lashes.

"Now open."

Alina looked into the mirror. She didn’t recognize herself. Her hair was swept up, a few curls framing her face. Her eyes looked big and brighter. Her lips had the colour of wine, and her cheekbones looked sharper. The green dress made her skin look like porcelain. She looked stunning.

Just as she was about to leave, someone knocked at her door. She assumed it must be the maid come to fetch her. She took one last look in the mirror and opened the door.

And was surprised to see Austin standing there.

He was dressed in black. His jacket fitted perfectly, his hair swept back. He wore no jewellery except his signet ring with the raven crest, looking devastatingly handsome.

For a moment, no one spoke.

His eyes moved slowly over her face, her hair, her dress, and her hands that were clasped in front of her.

He didn’t speak or move as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

Alina frowned slightly and waved a hand in front of him.

"Are you alright?"

He blinked, coming back from the trance.

"Yes?"

"How do I look?" She asked, trying to sound casual, like the answer didn’t matter.

He cleared his throat.

"Fine."

Her heart sank. After all that effort, all those hours with the needle, and pins and powders, she looked just fine.

Then he stepped closer. His hand reached out and touched the edge of her sleeve. Slowly, he traced it with his finger, from her shoulder to her elbow.

"You look," he said, his voice lower. "like you are about to walk into a room and make everyone forget their own names."

She couldn’t breathe. She didn’t expect this from him. He then extended his hand. She placed hers in his and walked together.

The ballroom was already packed when they entered. Candlelight reflected off crystal chandeliers. Flowers filled the space with soft fragrance, and music drifted through the air.

The delegation stood near the front but no one was looking at them.

Alina walked with Austin with her hand in his, feeling the weight of the gaze of everyone in the room.

They did not look like a duke and his bed warmer. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They looked like a duke and his duchess.

The whispers started immediately. Her palm was sweating and her heart pounding. But she kept her chin high.

"Did you see her dress?"

"She altered it herself. The kitchen maid saw her."

"He has never brought any of his previous bed warmers like this."

At the far end of the room, Audrey stood with a glass of wine. She wore a silver dress that screamed princess without her having to say a word. Her hair was styled in a crown of braids, her diamonds catching the light.

She heard every whisper with a smile on her face. But something underneath it was cracking. Alina noticed how her fingers tightened on her wine glass, and how she looked at Austin’s hand holding hers.

She crossed the room and reached them.

"Austin," she said.

She smoothly slid her fingers between their hands, separating them, like she had every right.

"The delegation is waiting. The ambassador has been asking for you."

She intertwined her arm with his and pulled him away. Alina’s hand dropped to her side.

Austin looked back at her but Audrey was already leading him towards the delegation. And just like that, Alina was left standing alone in the middle of the ballroom.

The whispers started again.

"Finally. The princess showed her her place."

"Did you see her face when the princess took his arm? Priceless."

She had walked into this room looking like she belonged here, and now she was standing alone with everyone pitying and mocking her. Tears brimmed in her eyes but she blinked rapidly, forcing them back.

Not now.

"Alina."

Lord Ashby and Lady Talbot approached her.

"You look like a duchess," Lord Ashby said, loud enough for the whispering women to hear. "Doesn’t she, Lady Talbot?"

"Better than a duchess," Lady Talbot replied. "Duchesses are born. She made herself."

"I didn’t..."

"You walked into this room as if you owned it," Lady Talbot continued. "And for a moment, everyone believed you did."

Lord Ashby nodded.

"The princess may have his arm," he added. "But everyone saw who he was looking at when he walked in."

Alina smiled slightly, grateful for their kind words.

Then the music changed and the first dance of the evening was announced.

Across the ballroom, Audrey turned to Austin. Her hand was already reaching for his to ask him for the first dance. But Austin walked past her.

Audrey’s hand hung in the air and her smile froze. Her eyes followed him as he crossed the ballroom, walking through the crowd and through the whispers that were already starting again.

He stopped in front of Alina and the room held its breath. He held out his hand.

"May I have this dance?"