Page 3 of Duke of Myste
Jane’s mind raced to place the identity of this mysterious man, her confusion only deepening.
Diana shook her head, fresh tears spilling onto her cheeks. “It wasn’t like that,” she insisted, her voice gaining strength despite her distress. “We were discussing the propagation of rare alpine botanicals. His Grace mentioned acquiring specimens from the Continent, and I merely expressed my interest. I never intended?—”
“Intentions matter little in such situations, my dear,” Lady Thornton interrupted, though not unkindly. “Perception is reality in the eyes of the ton. And their perception, I’m afraid, is quite clear.”
Jane’s mind was working rapidly, assessing the situation with tactical precision. The grandfather clock in the corner showed eleven-forty-five—merely fifteen minutes until midnight, when tradition dictated that all masks would be removed. Once Diana’s identity was revealed, her reputation would be irrevocably tarnished. No amount of botanical explanation—however logical it might be—would erase the scandal of being found alone with a man in a closed room.
“May I have a moment alone with my sister?” Jane asked, meeting Lady Thornton’s gaze steadily. “Just a moment to help her compose herself before the grand reveal.”
Lady Thornton hesitated, then nodded. “Five minutes,” she conceded, moving toward the door. “No more. I’ll be just outside.”
As soon as the door closed behind their hostess, Jane turned to Diana, clasping her hands firmly. “Listen to me carefully,” she began, her voice low and urgent. “We haven’t got much time.”
“Jane, I swear, I didn’t?—”
“I believe you,” Jane cut in, giving her hands a reassuring squeeze. “But that hardly matters now. Once your identity is revealed at midnight, you’ll be at the heart of a scandal that no amount of explaining can undo.”
Diana’s face paled beneath her mask. “What am I to do? Papa will be furious, and Mama…” Her voice broke on a sob.
Jane took a deep breath, a plan already forming with crystalline clarity in her mind. “Take off your dress,” she instructed, her tone brooking no argument as she began working at the fastenings of her gown.
“What?” Diana stared at her in shock. “Have you lost your senses?”
“Quite the opposite,” Jane replied, determination hardening her features. “I’m thinking with perfect clarity. We’re going to switch places.”
Understanding dawned slowly in Diana’s eyes, followed swiftly by horror. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head vehemently. “I cannot let you do that. It is my mistake, my scandal to?—”
“A scandal that will utterly destroy you,” Jane countered, already stepping out of her blue gown. “You are far too gentle for this kind of notoriety, Diana. Your heart is too soft. You would wither under Society’s condemnation.”
“And you would not?” Diana’s voice cracked with emotion.
Jane managed a small, wry smile. “I am made of sterner stuff. Besides, I’ve never quite fit the mold of a proper Society miss, have I? This would merely confirm what half the ton already thinks of me.”
“But your future?—”
“Is my own to determine,” Jane interrupted firmly. “Now, quickly! We don’t have much time.”
Reluctantly, Diana began unfastening her pink gown while Jane moved behind a screen to remove her own. The sisters had played this game before as children, confusing governesses and dancing masters alike with their identical features.
But never with such devastating stakes.
“The masks!” Jane called softly, emerging from behind the screen in her chemise. “We must exchange those, too.”
Diana’s hands trembled as she removed her silver mask and passed it to Jane. “I cannot bear that you are sacrificing yourself for my foolishness,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Jane paused in the middle of their hurried exchange, cupping her sister’s face in her hands. “Listen to me,” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “This is not a sacrifice. This is a choice—my choice. And I would make it a thousand times over, rather than see you suffer what is to come.”
The genuine emotion in her voice seemed to reach Diana, who nodded once before slipping on Jane’s star-studded blue mask.
The transformation was remarkable. With Jane’s more vibrant gown and distinctive mask, Diana could easily pass as her more outspoken sister, at least until the grand reveal.
As the twins completed their switch, Jane’s mind turned to the other party in this unexpected scandal.
Richard Riverstone, the Duke of Myste.
Stone-faced, proper, judgmental Richard Riverstone, who had lectured her about appropriate behavior at Marian’s wedding, just as she was starting to like him.
The irony of her current situation was not lost on her. To think that she would now be linked to him by scandal—it was almost too absurd to contemplate.
