There were, of course, numbers of debutantes there for the asking, standing beside their chaperones and looking, he thought, dull, gauche and quite beneath his condescension. At the house parties he gave himself and those he attended, the guests were chosen with particular care and on one primary consideration that they should be entertaining. This, as far as he was concerned, implied two other qualities, they must be alluring and bewitching! That was certainly what he had found in the sophisticated beauties who looked at him knowingly from under their long eyelashes, pouted their red lips provocatively and made it very clear that they were as willing as he was for a fiery affaire de coeur. These, the Duke knew, had all the thrill of a sound day’s hunting, a run for his money and the jo