Page 23 of The Duke's Hidden Scandal
“It is a rather remarkable establishment, is it not?” he asked.
“Certainly,” she said. The bright storefront and colourful display were a stark change from the rest of the street. The majority of the shops were drab by comparison. “I have never seen a cake of that size,” she said, looking at the enormous wedding cake that was displayed in the shop window.
“Nor have I. However would one eat it?”
“Slowly,” Lady Wentworth replied. “And in stages.”
Colin laughed. The sound surprising him so much that he tried to mask it with a cough. He could not remember the last time he had laughed or smiled so much, and when he caught Elizabeth’s gaze, she was smiling broadly, too.
“You must see Harding’s if you like Gunter’s, Lady Wentworth,” Elizabeth said as she finished the last of her dessert. “It is not quite as large, but an excellent confectionery.”
Charlotte dabbed her lips with a napkin. She liked Elizabeth immensely already. “I shall certainly make a note of it,” she replied. She was just about to inquire further when a familiar figure appeared nearby.
“Your Grace! How wonderful to see you.”
The party turned to see Lady Norwell and Lady Lavinia Norwell approaching them. Once again, Charlotte observed that the two women were similarly dressed in pale pink, with whatappeared to be matching hats. It was a strange ensemble, as though the mother was reaching to remain as similar to the daughter as she could.
Their familiar cold smiles were firmly in place, and Charlotte put down her ice, her appetite suddenly leaving her as they arrived at their table. They were two of the most insufferable women she had ever met.
“Lady Norwell, Lady Lavinia,” the duke said as he and Malcolm rose to greet the ladies. Charlotte and Elizabeth exchanged a glance that held a thousand words within it. It was clear the appearance of the Norwells was no less welcome to Elizabeth, and at that moment, a sense of intense solidarity bloomed between the two women.
Lavinia’s eyes were fixed on Charlotte for only a few seconds, but she communicated all she needed to within that time. It was very clear that to Lavinia, a woman freshly returned to society had no right to be sitting with the Duke of Lindenbrook.
The temperature around the table had dropped several degrees upon their arrival. Charlotte was gratified to note that the duke seemed incomparably different around the two women. His back was straighter, his manner far more clipped and formal than it had been. Charlotte could not help but feel happy to see it.
Across the table, Elizabeth had also noticed the shift in Colin. When he wasn’t speaking politely to the Norwells, his eyes would glance incessantly toward Lady Wentworth, his manner brisk and to the point. He barely spared Lavinia Norwell a glance, which seemed to irritate her greatly.
“Lady Lavinia, I hope I will see you at Pembrooke’s ball in a few days’ time?” Elizabeth said lightly, trying to dispel the obvious tension that had appeared at the table.
“Of course,” Lavinia said archly. “It will be the talk of the season, no doubt. Miss Pembrooke’s balls are always exceedingly diverting.”
“Oh, I am so pleased,” Elizabeth lied, finishing her ice and glancing at Colin.
Charlotte listened as the conversation continued; the stilted nature of it palpably different from the easy manner in which they had all been speaking before.
Now that her mind had been dragged back to the judgment of high society by the Norwells, she could not settle her thoughts. They were driven time and again to her impending promenade with the Earl of Kenthurst the following day. If anyone saw them together, their connection would be cemented in the eyes of the ton for all to see.
I cannot bear the thought of being so tied to the man. Am I not permitted to make my own choices?
She felt suffocated by expectation and responsibility. It had been so easy to convince herself that she had some kind of rapport with the duke, but he was likely merely being polite for the sake of appearances. Even the books he had bought for her could have meant nothing. Perhaps it was a gesture he extended to many people if he believed them to be enamoured of a particular topic. Surely, any hope that they would manifest a real attachment was slim at best.
I was wrong to entertain it,she thought sadly.I have allowed my mind to run away with me in my desperation to be free of Lord Kilby.
She glanced up to find the duke’s eyes upon her, and for an instant, she saw her own conflict mirrored in his expression.
For Colin’s part, he did not like the way that the Norwell’s had affected Lady Wentworth. He wished to intervene, to somehow stand between them and force the women to leave them in peace. But he knew it was impossible. Theprotectiveness he felt in Lady Wentworth’s presence was increasingly surprising to him. He had been so detached from any connection for so long, even to his own mother and father, that to feel something so fragile forming between them was an alarming but pleasant thing.
Yet, when he thought of the ledgers waiting at home and the precarious position that he found himself in it seemed hopeless. He would give anything to retrieve the gentle rapport that had been built between them throughout the day. He had not had such an enjoyable afternoon for a very long while.
The arrival of the Norwells quickly dispersed the group as Elizabeth, and Lord Preston seemed just as eager to depart as Lady Wentworth did.
Charlotte felt a pang of loss as Colin bowed to her and walked away by his cousin’s side. She noticed as he departed that Elizabeth’s eyes lingered on Malcolm’s for a fraction longer than was proper, and she felt her heart leap for him. Despite her own sorry situation, Malcolm was her dearest friend and ally, and she longed to see him happy.
As she turned away, she could not help admonishing herself for her fanciful thoughts about the duke. Yet as she climbed into the coach beside Malcolm, she clutched the books all the more tightly, fancying that within them, she could feel the lingering warmth of the duke’s gaze and that quiet peace she had found in his presence.
CHAPTER NINE
Before Charlotte was entirely ready the following day, the promenade hour was upon her.
