Page 46 of An Unwanted Widow for the Duke
And yet the wordsnaredid not suit her. She was far too mindful of her dignity, far too careful of her reputation, to entangle herself in frivolous schemes of courtship or to start petty quarrels with married ladies. She was, by any measure, at a disadvantage in the rigid hierarchy of Society, and she knew it.
Perhaps that was all there was to it.
At the last gathering she had attended, Lord Elwood, a man who had once been a business associate of her late husband, had seen fit to dismiss her, and with a civility that barelymasked his condescension. To recover from that small but pointed humiliation would be entirely reasonable, even prudent. Far more acceptable, in Gerard’s estimation, than the darker thought that had begun to creep into his mind: that she might be deliberately avoiding him.
“You’re wrong, Berkhead,” he muttered, not having the energy to argue with his friend.
“Oh, am I?”
It was infuriating how Samuel kept that smug look on his face, even as his attention had seemingly been captured by a nearby card table. Still, Gerard stayed in his seat. It was difficult enough to pretend to be glad he was there; he was not in the mood to brave the crowd.
His irritation lingered throughout the night. But hope somehow remained. It was the only explanation for his attending yet another social gathering.
“The Duke of Talleystone is right there,” a matron whispered aloud as soon as he passed by her group, “one of your daughters ought to approach him, for goodness sake!”
It seemed that the woman wanted to draw the attention of her friends and their daughters.
He was in no mood to be chased tonight. Still, he bravely walked through the crowd and looked left and right for noother than Lady Slyham. He’d even consider conversing with an acquaintance to take away some of the awkwardness or to avoid being trapped in conversation with any eager lady.
“He must be looking for a wife!”
“I told you so! That letter was telling the truth, but be careful with the way you talk to him. I feel like he’s selective.”
“My daughter Joanna would be a good match for him. She’s beautiful and smart.”
“But not half as pretty as my Flora!”
Gerard sighed. It seemed that irritation had become his constant companion as of late. But he had to engage in casual, polite conversation.
“Oh, there you are, Talleystone!” the Earl of Edgewood called.
Gerard joined the circle of gentlemen. At least he didn’t have to deal with Samuel’s knowing eyes.
Then, he heard a lady’s laughter. He turned toward the source of the sound, but was disappointed when he saw that it was a petite blonde.
This time, it was no longer irritation that lingered. It seemed that despair would replace it—and quickly.
Gerard thought that the best thing to do was to recuperate at home. He’d spent so much energy on the last few social gatherings that he was utterly drained.
The library seemed to take away some of his exhaustion, with the familiar smell of leather and the idea of being surrounded by something that he could control.
He could have stayed in his study, but he knew that Hector liked the library better. So, he sat on his favorite couch, while Hector sat on his.
With one leg crossed over the other, he perused a merchant’s proposal. He tried, anyway. The text seemed to blur, for he could not focus. He had read he same line at least five times.
At first, Hector seemed occupied with the new books they had acquired at the bookshop where they had encountered Lady Slyham and her sister. He was leaning back in his cushiony seat, his legs hanging slightly. However, he was not the sort of child who could keep still the whole day.
Soon, Gerard heard him approach.
“What is it, son?” he asked, looking up at him curiously.
“Papa, are you sad?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You look like someone just told you that puddings are made of mud,” the boy replied.
“Do I, really?” Gerard asked, trying to school his features, for his son knew too much.
