Page 52 of A Duke for Stealing
“It is not just that, though, is it?” She asked, her tone gentle.
Everett turned his gaze on her, a look of awe taking over his handsome face.
“How is it you can see me so plainly?” He asked. “Even when I wear my mask of amusement, you seem to be able to see right through it.”
Rose let out a soft laugh.
“As you said while regaling thetonwith our romantic tale, I have known you for years now. Even if I did not call you out on it back then, I began to decipher when you were flirting naturally and when you were using it to cover up deeper thoughts.”
Everett’s lips twitched toward a smirk, but did not quite make it.
“And you kept this to yourself?” He asked, “Even when I would goad you?”
“As you also said, I am quite prim and proper,” she replied, and felt a wave of happiness as it earned her a sincere laugh from Everett.
“So tell me,” she urged gently, “What is your hesitation with getting closer to the girls? Does it have something to do with your relationship with your brother?”
For a moment, they strolled in silence. Away from the party, the garden was quite peaceful with its colorful blooms and the soft hum of insects. Rose took the moment to look around and wasrelieved to see that they were the only two who had seemed to wander away from the party. She was grateful for Everett saving her, but even still, she did not enjoy parties the way he did.
“I told you my brother and I lived separately most of our lives,” Everett said at last, breaking the silence.
Rose quickly nodded.
“Yes, but you did not tell me why,” she answered.
For a moment, Everett appeared grim, as if an unpleasant memory flashed through his mind.
“I do not believe our mother was well,” he stated, leading them deeper into the flowers. “I have so few memories of her when we all lived together, but what I do remember was her constantly arguing with our father.”
Rose’s brows perked in surprise. She had never thought that she could relate to Everett so much.
“I would hear her saying that he was not raising Paul properly. That he was not well-groomed to take over the Dukedom when it was his time. I had tried, when I was younger, to ask Paul what we were to do, but he was always quick to rush to her defense. Then the arguing became so tumultuous that one day Paul and she just left.”
“Did you miss them?” She asked.
Everett shrugged.
“I had always felt as if my presence had been a burden to my mother,” he replied, “But I did miss Paul. I had always thought that, after our parents were gone, we would come together again. That never happened, though. By the time they passed, we were both grown and Paul had married.”
He paused, letting out a dry chuckle.
“That in itself was its own scandal. He’d fallen in love with a maid, Charity.”
Rose’s brows flew up in surprise. No servant had spoken of the previous Duchess’s past without intense reverence. She’d always just assumed that the woman had come from nobility.
“Oh, yes,” Everett went on, catching her surprised look, “It was all the talk for a while, at least. However, Paul was positively smitten with her, and Charity, well, she was dedicated to the idea of being a true lady, and she took on the role far better than most women who had been groomed from birth to assume the position. She quickly won theton’srespect, and with Paul’s sharp mind and her kindness, they became one of the most well-honored couples of their day.
“I always meant to reach out, to find a way to be brothers once again But, by then I had established a life of my own. I missed their wedding. The birth of their twins. I missed…everything. Except for the funeral.”
Rose could hear the heavy guilt in Everett’s voice, and her heart went out to him. She could not help it- she liked this version of her husband. The one who did not hide behind amusement but instead shared his true feelings.
“Now I- we- are the only family the twins have left,” Everett continued with a heavy sigh. “And I want them to know they can rely on me, but I, I failed them so much already that I am terrified that my attempts will only fail them again.”
“You will not fail them,” Rose countered quickly, bringing him to a stop.
Everett let out a weary sigh.
“You cannot know that,” he replied.
