Page 69 of Duke of Emeralds
Fiona leaned forward. “A more suitable arrangement?”
“A proper family, perhaps. Someone who could…” She trailed off, uncertain of what she meant to say.
Anna, ever the romantic, said, “She has a family now, Hester. You. The Duke. Why would you look elsewhere?”
Nancy gave a wicked little smile. “Because Hester is too practical for her own good. She’s convinced that she cannot possibly be enough.”
Hester was about to object when Fiona interjected, “And where is the Duke? Did he not come to Town with you?”
A cold drop slid down Hester’s spine. She set her glass on the side table, suddenly aware of the eyes trained on her face. “He… remained in Dorset. There were matters on the estate.”
Anna and Fiona exchanged a glance, but it was Nancy who spoke first. “Are you quite certain you do not want him here?”
Hester blinked. “Pardon?”
Nancy shrugged, as if the question were no more than a trifle. “It’s just that—well, you seem different. Happier, perhaps. But also… I don’t know. As if you miss something and refuse to admit it.”
Hester tried to laugh, but it came out brittle. “You are reading too much into things as usual.”
Nancy’s smile softened, and she reached out to pat Hester’s hand. “We do, sometimes. But only because we care.”
There was a silence, awkward but not unkind, as the friends looked at one another and then back at her.
Finally, Anna broke it. “We are going to King’s Theater tomorrow. There’s a new play, and the Duke of Wellington himself is rumored to be in attendance. You must come with us.”
Hester nodded, grateful for the change in subject. “Of course. I would not miss it.”
Fiona, eyes bright, said, “And bring Arabella. The child deserves a treat.”
Nancy, already restored to good spirits, finished her wine and declared, “Let’s make a night of it. We shall take supper at Boodles then parade to the theatre as if we own the place.”
The conversation rolled on, full of plans and laughter, but Hester found her mind returning, again and again, to Nancy’s question. Did she want Thomas here? Did she want him at all?
She thought of the castle, silent and waiting. She thought of Bella, alone in her new room. She thought of her mother, finally content in her fragile world, and of the lie that kept it afloat.
She did not know the answer.
As her friends rose to leave, Anna pressed her hand. “If you need anything, call on me.”
“I will,” Hester promised.
Fiona hugged her tightly. “Tomorrow, then.”
Nancy lingered, a quirk of mischief in her smile. “You are not alone, you know.”
Hester watched them go, the warmth of their words lingering in the room long after they had vanished down the stairs.
She stood in the silent parlor for a long while, thinking of Thomas, of Lushton Castle, of everything she’d left behind andall that waited ahead. She could not untangle the wants from the musts or the truth from the comfort she had woven around herself.
If you tire of London, you can always return here,he had said.
She wondered if she ever would. Perhaps it was better to remain here, away from Thomas and all the feelings he stirred within her. After all, they were only meant to live together for two months after their marriage.
They had less than a month left now.
CHAPTER 30
Hester woke to a pale, sour morning and the sound of Miss Holt muttering in the far corner of her bedchamber.
