Page 32 of A Duchess Mistaken
“Oh, nothing at all,” Agnes said a little too quickly. “I am just a bit tired so I am hoping to get some rest before it becomes time to prepare for dinner.”
Mary only narrowed her eyes. “I can tell when you are not telling me the truth, young lady.”
Agnes could have laughed at the irony of those words if she hadn’t known better than to laugh in her mother’s face. “I assure you, nothing is wrong, Mother. What of you? How was your day?”
Agnes slipped her arm through her mother’s in an amicable manner, hoping that would be enough to distract her from her line of questioning. It worked.
“Quite peaceful, I must say,” Mary replied after a moment. “When we were informed of your outing with the duke and his brother, we took the opportunity to have tea in the gardens with Her Grace and Lord and Lady Reeds.”
“Sounds positively riveting, Mother,” Agnes said.
“It was rather interesting. Lord and Lady Reeds have made it no secret how happy they are to have secured such a match for their niece.”
Agnes kept her face as still as she could, knowing how well her mother could read her expressions. “Anyone would be happy to secure a match with a wealthy duke. But it is Caroline’s happiness that matters, is it not?”
“Yes, well in this case it is one and the same. She seems quite pleased to be courted by the duke.”
Yes, but that is because Caroline has grown rather good at pretending her feelings do not matter.
The thought brought on a wave of sadness. Suddenly, Agnes wished she could confide in her mother. She wished she could tell her all about Caroline’s love for Christopher and that there would be no wedding between her and the duke. But that would also mean telling her that there would be no wedding between Agnes and Christopher. And she didn’t know how her parents were going to react to that just yet…
No, she couldn’t say anything. She had to bide her time and wait until the moment was right. Once the others saw what a lovely match Caroline and Christopher made, and how happy they made each other, they would have no choice but to agree with the match.
She hoped.
“Her Grace seems rather odd, however,” Mary continued in a hush whisper.
Agnes tucked her straying thoughts aside as she tilted her head closer to her mother. She was not one for gossip, but she had been thinking the same thing when she’d arrived. “Odd in what manner?” she asked softly.
Mary touched Agnes on her hand as she murmured, “She seems rather…despondent. As if she is hardly present. During tea she could only respond with ‘hm’ and ‘quite so’.”
“Perhaps she is tired?”’
“Tired since the moment we arrived?” Mary shook her head, a frown touching her brows. “I do not think so. I believe it may have something to do with the rumors surrounding the late duke’s death.”
Agnes matched her mother’s frown. She hadn’t thought much about the duke’s death. She’d assumed that he passed away like many other aged gentlemen in England—from old age or sickness.
Before she could ask, Mary shook her head and said, “Oh, would you listen to me? I should not be gossiping about our hostess in such an ungrateful manner. It is none of my business.”
“I suppose,” Agnes agreed reluctantly but her mind lingered on her mother’s words. Was that the reason why the duke acted theway that he did? He was always so serious, as if the world was on his shoulders. Did it have anything to do with his late father’s death and his mother’s state of mind?
All of a sudden, the duke was the only thing she could think about. And that conundrum was what she had been escaping to her chambers for in the first place.
Thankfully, Mary turned the conversation to simpler matters that helped to distract Agnes the rest of the way to her chambers. But the moment she was alone again, the duke came racing back to the forefront of her mind.
She thought of the way it felt riding behind him, her ear pressed against his back as the wind raced through her hair. She’d blamed the racing of her heart on the thrilling ride but now that she was alone, Agnes knew better. It had far more to do with the fact that she had her arms around the duke like a lover’s embrace.
You are silly for thinking that it has anything to do with the duke himself,she chastised herself, walking over to the window to cool her flushed cheeks.You are simply reacting to your environment. That is all.
Agnes barely had a chance to come to terms with her explanation before the door burst open and Caroline came rushing in. Her friend paused at the threshold for a second, scanning the room, and the moment her eyes landed on Agnes she raced over.
“Agnes!” she gushed, coming to her side. “Are you all right?”
Fixing a smile on her face, Agnes said, “You needn’t hurry over, Caroline. I am quite fine.”
Caroline stared at her for a moment, then frowned stubbornly. “I’ve known you all my life, Agnes. I know when you are quite fine. You raced out of the stables without so much as a goodbye to the duke and Lord Christopher so you are not fine.”
Agnes tried not to sigh. She loved how well Caroline knew her. Right now, it was a bit of a bother. “All right, I…I simply grew a bit flustered.”
