Page 10 of The Duke's Reluctant Muse
With a slight tilt of her head, Elizabeth sharpened her gaze upon her brother. “I can understand that you wish to keep yourself away from any sort of gossip and be assured that I do not want to spread any sort of rumour or the like… but can you tell me even a little as to why the Duke has hidden himself away at his estate for so long?”
Her brother’s lips flattened. “Elizabeth, it is not my situation to speak about. If the Duke wishes to share it, then he shall.”
“But he is not likely to share it with me!” Her curiosity getting the better of her, Elizabeth set her needlework to one side. “I think that I might be able to assist him better if I had more awareness.”
Lord Dennington’s frown grew heavy. “I shall not tell you all,” he said, after a few moments of silence. “It is not my place to say, though I can understand why you might think it will be of aid to you.” With a small sigh, he sat up straight and then looked directly at her. “The Duke has a sister. She is now married but there was a time of great difficulty with her – though it was not her doing, of course. It made it appear to society that the Duke was a heavy handed, angry and ungrateful fellow, however, though, in fact, all he was doing was protecting his sister’s reputation. It was a great relief to him for her to marry and settle into a contented match, but I quite understood his need to hide away from society thereafter.”
“Goodness.” Elizabeth frowned, as her brother clicked his tongue and shook his head. “That sounds quite dreadful, whatever it was that took place.”
“It was.” Lord Dennington sighed gently. “Lady Harkins, as she is now, had an excellent dowry at the time of her entry into society. That, and the fact that her brother was a Duke, made her an enticing prospect to many of the gentlemen.”
A tightening of Elizabeth’s stomach told her that she was not at all pleased to hear such a thing.
“I think that the poor creature was quite broken by some of what was done – or sought to be done to her,” Lord Dennington continued, making Elizabeth’s heart soften in sympathy for the lady. “But all is well now, which is excellent. Though,” he continued, wincing lightly, “I can well understand why the Duke wished to step away from society for a time thereafter. Hecertainly did not wish to be about those who had injured him and his family so – or had attempted to do so, at least.”
“Of course, I quite understand.”
“I think,” her brother added, with a slightly wry smile, “that the Duke saw that his sister’s title and dowry made her a desirous connection to the gentlemen of theton. Part of me believes that he thought that he would also be seen in such a way, that he would have no difficulty in finding a young lady to seek out. But it has not been that way for him. The scandal which he managed to avoid has left him looking like a difficult, onerous gentleman with a temper to match.”
“But you do not think that he is truly so?”
Her brother smiled. “He was a little rude when we spoke, I am aware of that and certainly he did not often smile but all in all, I think him an excellent fellow.” His smile grew, the twinkle returning to his eye. “All it will require is for a young lady of quality to see it.”
Elizabeth chuckled, despite the inner sorrow which lingered in her soul over all that the Duke and his sister had endured. “That may be so, but recall that I am here to assist the Duke in finding a bride, rather than offering myself up to him!”
“But what if youdofind yourself drawn to him?”
Considering this and seeing her brother’s question as frank and honest, Elizabeth shook her head. “Even if it were to be so, I would have to confess to him that I have been the one responding to his letters and I do not think that such a conversation would go particularly well.” With a smile, she shrugged. “It will not come to that, however, I am sure of it.”
Just as she spoke, a gentle rap at the door signalled the presence of one of their household staff. Calling for them to enter, Elizabeth observed as the butler presented three missives to her brother. It was not until the butler had quit the room,however, that her brother, grinning, rose to his feet and handed Elizabeth one of them.
“I think the Duke requires a little more aid,” he said, with a wink. “I do hope that whatever he writes will be shared with me, however. I should like to know what he is saying.”
“I shall read it to you.” Opening it – and ignoring the frisson of anticipation which whirled in her, Elizabeth let her eyes dance across the first few lines before clearing her throat and beginning to read.
“‘My dear friend, I write to tell you just how delighted I was to see you again. I do hope that you are not too fatigued after the ball though I was very sorry indeed to hear of your health concerns. I pray that this time in London will be a restorative. Might I also state how good it was to be introduced to your sister. It was a pleasure to make her acquaintance.’”
“You see?” Lord Dennington chuckled, as Elizabeth rolled her eyes back at him. “I told you that you made anexcellentimpression upon him!”
Gesturing to the letter, Elizabeth waited until her brother fell silent again before continuing. “‘I confess that I have been staying back from society for a sennight or so, finding the sharp looks and the whispers which seem to accompany my presence becoming a little too many to overcome. There is a part of my heart which wishes to make known to society all that I was forced to do and endure in order to secure Martha’s happiness – and to keep her safe from the scandal – so that they might understand me better and see me the way that I truly am. There is no reason that I could not do such a thing given that Martha is so happy and settled but at the very same time, because she is so contented, there is no need for me to do anything that might upset that. Though in saying that, would it not also make those responsible finally feel the heavy weight of disdain from societyupon their shoulders? I confess, I do not know what I am to do and should like to request your advice in that.’”
“No.” Her brother shook his head firmly. “No, he should not say a word.”
“I quite agree. That is what I should advise also.” Her eyes went back to the letter. “‘Finally, I am aware that I did not accept your sister’s request to converse with me so we might both practice given our various difficulties, but the truth is that I have begun to wonder whether or not any of the young ladies in London are as they seem! I have had a warning from Lord Dalton and though I am sure your sister is very good and kind, I fear what she might think of me in my foolishness – and, I also am concerned that even more whispers would be spread. In that regard, again, I should seek your advice though I do not mean any insult.’”
Taking a deep breath and aware of the warmth in her cheeks, Elizabeth lifted her head and looked straight into her brother’s eye. “Well, I confess that I am a little insulted! I am not at all the sort to spread gossip! Nor do I pretend to be anything other than what I am.”
Her brother shrugged. “It seems that Lord Dalton, whatever he has told the Duke, has settled in the man’s mind and made him all the more distrustful of society and the young ladies within it particularly.”
“Then I shall say something!”
“But you cannot, not until you know what it is that Lord Dalton has said.”
Her mind settled, Elizabeth nodded and went to pull out a fresh piece of paper. “I shall write to the Duke directly. I shall ask him what it is that was said and, of course, state that I do not think he ought to say a word to anyone about what has happened in the past.”
“And you must say that you are not in the least bit insulted,” her brother added, as Elizabeth’s lips pursed. “Recall that you are writing as me and therefore, you must say such a thing.”
I shall still state that my character is not in the least bit as he fears,Elizabeth thought to herself, giving her brother a nod.And thereafter, I shall approach the Duke myself and make it quite plain to him that I dislike society’s gossip intently.
