Page 21 of An Unwanted Widow for the Duke
“He talks excessively and fancies himself clever. Among these three, he is the last man I would consider. Not that I am currently seeking a husband.”
“You are impossible,” Daniel whispered with an affectionate shake of his head. “No man is perfect, Mina. Robert, for instance, was exceptional, though?—”
Wilhelmina allowed a flicker of emotion to pass over her face, fleeting but enough to remind her that she had not yet moved past her grief.
“Oh,” Daniel breathed, “I apologize. I will say no more. Not tonight.” He paused. “You know they will never stop speculating about whether you will marry again.”
“Then they do not know me at all,” she replied, her voice softening as the music swelled around them.
The violins and cello blended in an intricate dance, echoing through the room and wrapping her in an almost dreamlike serenity.
She glanced at her sisters. Daphne was ever attentive and composed, while Victoria was rolling her eyes at the ceiling.
Wilhelmina smiled faintly; she could not help but think of their mother’s never-ending schemes.
“Mother is already plotting them into wedlock,” she whispered.
“Really? Do you think she would dare?” Daniel asked, his eyebrow arched.
“Of course. She is relentless. She may even push me before I am ready.”
“Mhm. She does not know how to stop.”
“She never will. I suspect she seethes over my lack of children to mold into the next diamond or most eligible bachelor.”
“You handled your Seasons well,” Daniel said, his voice betraying a hint of admiration. “You were?—”
“You can say it. Sometimes it still stings, but yes, I was fortunate to have met Robert.”
“Yes, you were. He was a good man, and you are… formidable.”
“It is the gown, Daniel. It imbues me with invincibility.” She let out a soft giggle.
Lady Grisham turned her head and fixed her with a glare, but Wilhelmina only allowed herself a private chuckle, her shoulders heaving slightly in amusement.
A short recess allowed the musicians to regroup, and the next piece began. Wilhelmina tried to focus on the performance, appreciating the skill and harmony, yet she found herself distracted by the intricacies of the social dance around her.
She had been absent from public life for a year; now, the rooms of Society felt simultaneously enchanting and suffocating.
Polite applause rippled through the audience as the piece concluded, mingling with praise. Wilhelmina allowed herself a quiet breath of relief, grateful for the momentary pause from social expectation.
Lady Grisham made it her duty to turn around and watch her oldest daughter. “You aren’t applauding them. Lord Hensley had done his utmost best to organize this musicale.”
“It’s a performance. You’ll hear me at my loudest after the finale,” Wilhelmina replied, not knowing what the fuss was about.
“Still ever charming, are you not, Lady Slyham?” Lady Grisham asked sarcastically, before turning back to face the quartet.
“And you’re still trying to undermine that charm,” Wilhelmina mumbled.
Daniel snorted quietly. “You need a reward for all the things you have to put up with,” he whispered.
“If only you knew what it’s like to be a woman, Daniel. You’d understand better. Perhaps I need a drink. I am, after all, no longer a debutante. I am supposed to be an experienced widow.”
The next piece was played. Wilhelmina expected more of the same, although she truly appreciated how well the quartet was playing. What she didn’t like was the fact that Lord Bertram, aged thirty, thought it wise to lean closer to Victoria.
Her feisty sister shrank back, and that was telling a lot.
Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes at the man. “I may have to murder that man. Why are you friends with him, Daniel?”
