Page 59 of The Best-Kept Secrets
“She’s sleeping, which Dr. Wilstead says is expected and important for her recovery. Of course, if Mrs. Seymour, the elder, is to be believed, Nia’s best chance of avoiding future illness is for me to stop being so selfish and lazy.”
“She said that to you?” Charlie didn’t look shocked at the possibility.
“She says a lot of things,” Eve answered. “They all do.”
“It is rather surprising, isn’t it, that Duke and Colm are such lovely people?” Artemis shook her head in amazement.
“I’ve spent time with Mr. Greenberry away from the rest of his family,” Charlie said, “and he is far more like Duke and Colm than the others are. He was a good friend of my father’s, actually. So was M. Fortier.”
“Truly?” Eve hadn’t heard that. “And yet you didn’t seem to know the Fortiers’ connection to Lisette.”
“I learned about it at the same time everyone else did: earlier today.”
Artemis’s expression turned to one of confusion and contemplation. “It’s almost as if their connection were intentionally kept a secret, yet Lisette spoke of it openly when she arrived. There is a mystery in all this that I am determined to sort out.” To Eve specifically, she said, “Lisette has indicated that she will be in London for the Season. Is that not wonderful? We will have a Season withallof us present for the first time in years.”
“A wonderful prospect indeed.” But not destined to actually happen. Lisette, at last, would be with them. But Eve wouldn’t be.
The butler arrived at the door to the drawing room. He gave a quick nod, Eve assumed to Mr. and Mrs. Greenberry.
Their host addressed the gathering. “Let us all proceed to the dining room.”
Duke’s grandmother moved with chin held high to stand near her son-in-law. To the room in general, she said, “Last evening, we took a very careless approach to our evening meal. I believe true decorum is actually called for. As such, I will walk in on the arm of our host.”
“If we intend to undertake this meal on the most formal footing,” Mrs. Greenberry said, “then Mrs. Jonquil will walk in with her host, and Mr. Jonquil with myself.”
“I will not be supplanted by children simply because they are the leaders of a ragamuffin band of mischief makers.”
Fortunately for the older lady, that “ragamuffin band of mischief makers” found the descriptor funny rather than offensive. Enough smiles popped up around the room to put to rest any concerns that the Pack and Huntresses would be up in arms over the slight.
Duke moved to his grandmother’s side. He patiently explained, “Mr. Jonquil is the son of an earl. As such, he outranks everyone in this room. By rights, he and his wife would have the distinction of walking to supper with their host and hostess. Propriety dictates that.”
“I do not need a lecture on propriety.” She tipped her chin at a defiant angle and sniffed. “We will, of course, do things properly. Penelope will most certainly take great pleasure in seeing me relegated to a lowered standing.”
Behind her, Eve heard Tobias mutter, “I’d wager a pony that your mother will murder your grandmother before the week is out.”
Colm replied, “I’d double the amount on a wager that Mother would find ample people willing to help.”
Mrs. Greenberry had warned her brother and mother that if they did not find a way to coexist peacefully, they ran the risk of eventually losing Duke. As Eve followed the procession into the dining room, she couldn’t help thinking Colm was hanging in the balance as well.
She wasn’t in a position to offer any real reassurance to the elder of the Seymour grandchildren. And Duke seemed to not enjoy her company as much now as he had during their journey. He was with the Pack and had their loyalty and companionship; he hadn’t as much need of hers.
All the Pack and the Huntresses would be in London for the coming Season and might very well learn the same lesson: that Eve wasn’t overly necessary to any of their happiness.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Duke felt certain he couldwatch Eve drive a gig every day of his life and never grow tired of the sight. He could say that about watching her do most things. The bite of cold air pinked her cheeks. And her dimpled smile, lighting her silvery eyes, drew him in as he suspected it always would.
Colm had suggested that they all go for a ride, Fairfield being a horse-breeding estate and boasting an incredibly large number of remarkable horses. When Eve had pointed out that Nia was unlikely to be feeling well enough to ride but would also be heartbroken to be left out, Colm had swiftly solved that difficulty with the suggestion of a light gig.
Eve had thanked Colm profusely, and Duke had stifled the urge to land his cousin a facer. Jealousy was a new experience for him. That wasn’t to say that he’d never had competition when his interest had been captured, nor that every tendre he’d experienced had always fully and immediately been returned. But until now, he’d been able to more or less shrug and move along when his head was turned by someone whose head was turned by someone else.
But Eve was different. She didn’t merely turn his head; she captured his every thought and resided in every beat of his heart. And a happy outcome was so utterly impossible that being near her filled his soul with a painful sort of hopeless longing that couldn’t be shrugged away.
“With a bit of ingenuity, we could have tucked you into the gig too.” Colm’s voice directly beside him startled Duke out of his distraction. His cousin kept the white mare on which he rode perfectly in step with Duke’s mount.
“What do you mean?” Duke asked.
“I mean that rather than watching Eve drive past, looking as though she’s hauling your heart around with her, you could be sitting beside her.”
