Page 19 of The Duke and Lady Scandal
Helen waved at hand at him. “Stop being difficult. You know what I mean.” Then she seemed to soften. “I know you are capable of great kindness, enormous care.” She glanced down at Bedford as if seeking proof. “And I know most of all that you always try to do the right thing. Believe me, I know that.”
Ben swallowed hard. “Let’s not talk about the past tonight.”
By mentioningthe rightthinghe knew that his sister couldn’t fail to recall the time he did precisely the wrong thing with regard to their youngerbrother, George. He’d been too high-handed, and yet also oblivious to how lost their brother had become. As the eldest, he should have protected him, guided him, better. He’d failed George, and the consequences haunted him still.
“I didn’t intend to bring any of that up.” More quietly, Helen added, “But I forgive you, and one day you must forgive yourself.”
Ben took a long draw of tea, not meeting her gaze. “Let us solve it this way. You ask Mrs. Dowd if I may visit, and I’ll go if I’m wanted.”
She winced. “I shall try, but the poor dear may not recall our conversation by the time you arrive.” She shook her head and tears welled in her eyes. “I feel for her so. Loss of memory must be terrifying, especially when you’re alone.”
“Yes.” Though there were memories Ben would far rather forget, the sharpness of his mind was his main tool. One he planned to use to find M and, one day, reach Haverstock’s position. And higher.
“Well, I’ll await word from you, but I will visit if it would help.”
“Thank you. It’s good of you to offer.” Helen pushed her stew bowl away and clasped her hands around her teacup. As soon as she settled back in her chair, Milly resumed her napping spot on Helen’s lap. His sister studied him until the back of his neck began to itch from the intense assessment.
“What?” he finally asked.
“I don’t know. You seem... different.”
Ben swallowed down a bite of stew. “Perhaps it’s the case. It took a bit out of me.”
“No, no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. You asking to visit Mrs. Dowd.” She shrugged. “You’re usually so focused on your work that you’d never consider giving time to anything else.”
Ben tensed, fearing where this conversation may lead.
“You don’t even take time for friends or other engagements.” She shot him a speaking look. “Perhaps you should. There is more to life than work.”
He laughed at that, the sound bursting out of him. “Have you met yourself, Miss Drake?”
Her brows dipped and her mouth set in the stubborn way he’d known since childhood. “I do have friends, brother. I have friends I see when I do charity work, when I attend my ladies’ clubs.”
There was no denying that she had one of the busiest calendars of anyone he’d ever known. No one could do as much with a twenty-four-hour day.
Contemplating him a moment longer, she finally approached the point she often did. “One day, you’ll want more than work.”
Ben let out a groan. “Please, Helen, not tonight. No mention of wedlock.”
She crossed her arms. A sure sign that she’d not yet finished haranguing him. “Very well. I won’t say the word, especially as I appreciate you not mentioning it to me. Many older brothers would to their spinster sisters.”
“Thank you.” He eased back in his chair. Bedford settled down too, stretching out in front ofthe hearth and emitting a contented sigh. They all seemed to relish the fire’s warmth.
But Helen was musing. He could all but hear her mind whirring. “What about Lavinia Haverstock? Is she what’s caused the change I see in you tonight?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and wished he’d never mentioned Haverstock’s preoccupation with pairing Ben with his daughter.
“It isnotMiss Haverstock, I assure you.”
Helen busied herself selecting a biscuit from the plate of treats Mrs. Pratt had provided for dessert. “Is it another lady, then?”
Ben glanced at her and then forced his gaze back to the dregs of his tea.
In that single look, she’d seen something, because her face lit with a mischievous smile. “It is,” she said in whispered wonder. “I knew something had gotten under your skin.”
“There is nothing under my skin, thank you very much. And it’s not a lady in the way you think.”
“Then how is it?”
