Page 84 of The Best-Kept Secrets
Uncle Niles nodded. “When I first met him, he was... unsure of himself but always trying to convince others that he was self-assured. It was a little vexing, but he wasn’t like he is now. And there was already some tension between him and Penelope, but even seeing that, I wouldn’t have predicted the fracture that later split their family.”
“I wish I had known him then,” Duke said.
“So do I.” Uncle Niles’s expression was pensive. “I’ve found myself wishing a number of things had been different. And I wonder lately if maybe all this was allowed to go on too long and hurt too many people.”
Duke stood, a tense twist in his stomach. “Even knowing they can be unkind, I was still shocked at how they spoke to Eve. And all three of them believed I was overreacting when I told them not to rejoin everyone else for the remainder of the evening. I cannot comprehend how they could possiblynotrealize that they were so clearly in the wrong.”
Uncle Niles leaned back in his chair, his hands woven together and resting on his middle. “Perhaps because until now, when they have said unkind things to each other, to Penelope, to myself, to Colm, to you, they’ve been tiptoed around.”
“Kid gloves are the only way to keep the squabbles from becoming battles,” Duke said. “I don’t think I could have endured Writtlestone all these years without constantly soothing their ruffled feathers.”
“What changed?” Uncle Niles asked. “This time, you didn’t soothe feathers; you ruffled them.”
Duke had thought about it more than a few times. “I’ve spent the majority of this house party doing everything I can to prevent them from hurting Eve. And they still managed to. I think I was as frustrated with myself as I was angry with them.”
“What happened between you?”
Duke sat on the window seat. “I told them their behavior was abominable. They disagreed and haven’t spoken to me since.”
Uncle Niles smiled. “I meant between you and Miss O’Doyle. When you first arrived, the two of you were all smiles and tender glances. And then suddenly, you didn’t seem to want anything to do with her. She looked confused at first, then dejected.”
“Dejected?”
“You’ve been quite thoroughly breaking her heart, Duke.” Uncle Niles narrowed his gaze a bit, the look one of scrutiny. “Yet, you pushed back for the first time against your parents and grandmother in defense of her. You came in here to ask a favor on her behalf. I’m not entirely certain what to make of the contradiction, and I suspect she isn’t either.”
Duke rubbed at the tension in his temples. “I have been trying to protect her.”
“From the Seymour family animosity?”
“And from a future that wouldn’t be what she deserves. I—” Pacing seemed his only option. “I’ve always liked Eve. She’s interesting and clever, and she’s always been enjoyable to talk with. I didn’t realize until we reached Fairfield how much that friendship had grown into something deeper. A life with me is inextricably tied to the kind of treatment she endured during three kingdoms. And though I’m making my first strides toward a future away from Writtlestone, it isn’t—I’m not—”
“Establishing your Writtlestone-distant life will take time,” Uncle Niles finished for him.
“I know how it feels to have people who are supposed to care about me make promises that they don’t keep—that theywon’tkeep.” His parents had told him countless times that they would leave aside discussions of their grievances during his school holidays. They’d often promised to be civil when discussing their family in the company of others. Father had promised not to disrupt this house party but instead take Grandmother directly to Writtlestone. All those promises had eventually proved empty. “I don’t want to do that to Eve. Keeping a distance and putting a stop to what was beginning to grow between us seemed best.”
“I think she has shown herself well able to navigate difficult things. Perhaps instead of protecting her, you should start trusting her.”
Duke’s steps took him back past his uncle’s desk. “I do trust her, but I also love her too much to tie her to the misery I know she would experience connected with us.”
Uncle Niles stood and crossed into Duke’s pacing path. He looked at him, holding his eyes with the firm, intelligent, caring expression that seemed so ingrained in him. “Did you hear what you just said?”
“Misery? Believe me, I long ago discovered the proper adjective for life with my parents.”
“No.” Uncle Niles set a hand on his shoulder. “You said youloveher.”
Love. He had said that. The accuracy of it, the truth that underlay it swelled in his heart on the instant. He loved Eve. How had that happened? “Two weeks ago, I would have, honestly, said she was a friend.”
“Some of the very best love stories begin as tales of friendship.” His Uncle didn’t seem as struck by Duke’s discovery as he himself was. “It is noble of you not to want to see her hurt. But you are already beginning to forge a new path for yourself that does not have to inevitably include that. You’ll be living away from Writtlestone, which will grant you distance in which to find your footing and discover if that distance is enough to lessen the pain your parents and grandmother too often inflict. There is every chance you will discover an aptitude for and enjoyment of politics, which will give you a purpose and focus. Your friends, Duke, are very much like mine were at your age and still are: family in all the ways that matter.” Uncle Niles held his gaze. “Don’t abandon a life of love and happiness because the path to reaching it isn’t going to be quick or easy.”
He couldn’t remember his father ever taking time to give him encouragement and direction and needed clarity. He’d offered advice now and then, and he did listen when Duke spoke of his ambitions or concerns. But their discussions never remained off Father and his grievances for long. Duke was beginning to realize how much he had, in essence, raised himself.
He squared his shoulders. “That life is a possibility worth fighting for.”
“Yes, it is.” Uncle Niles made his way back to his chair, though he didn’t sit immediately. “I hope you plan to work hard for it as well, because I make a point of severely overworking my secretaries.”
“I will endure my suffering with as much dignity as I can manage.” Lud, it felt good to be lighthearted for a moment.
And he was still grinning when Eve stepped into the library.
