Page 15 of Stolen By the Duke of Ice
Why no! That brute has made it all up for nefarious reasons of his own!
Of course not; it’s really just a big misunderstanding! It’s actually Biddy! I have just been helping her publish!
But in the end, she knew that she could not directly lie to her friends. Not saying anything was one thing—but a direct falsehood was entirely different. She took a deep breath.
“He was not lying. IamPenelope Lovelace.”
“Dahlia…” Helena whispered weakly. She sank on the settee.
“Why didn’t you tell us? How could you have kept this from us? And for so long!” Celine said urgently.
“Why didn’t you tell us, Dahlia?” Helena asked mirroring Celine’s expression.
“I wanted to tell you!” Dahlia stood up and wrung her hands. “But I was… I was embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? Come now, Dahlia, we’ve known each other for so long. Surely, you knew that you could trust us with such an admission.” Celine looked at her with hurt in her eyes.
Dahlia was prepared for anger and accusations, but she was not prepared for the look of hurt on her friends faces. Sitting down again, she let out a small sob and covered her face.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, finally overwhelmed by her emotions. Her friends rushed to her as her sobs increased and wracked her shoulders.
“Oh, Dahlia…” Helena embraced her even as Celine took her hand, kissed it, and clasped it in both of hers. They stayed in that position until the peak of her emotions passed.
“I–I do not deserve your friendship,” Dalia whispered when her tears finally stopped.
“Let’s not be overdramatic, dearest,” Celine teased, trying to make her smile.
Dalia chuckled, but her expression turned serious again as she looked at her friends.
“In truth, I was afraid that you would judge me.”
“Judge y—” Helena silenced Celine with a look.
“All of us had always been so against marriage and courtship. We felt so strongly about it, and yet… and yet it was the very thing that I wrote about. To Penelope Lovelace, they were the most important things in the world! How could I explain that to you?” She held her palms up. “You are my only friends, my onlytruefriends. I was afraid. I was afraid that you would cease—that you would no longer wish to continue our friendship once you found out.”
“Dearest Dahlia,” Helena said. “And so, you have kept this to yourself all this time.”
Dahlia nodded silently. After a while, Celine sighed and spoke again.
“Well, what you said is indeed true,” Celine continued. “For the longest time, we did have that view of marriage and courtship, but look at me now. Am I not a married woman and happily so? Do you think I cannot relate to the emotions that you describe in your novels?”
Dahlia looked at Celine. She was the same person but, indeed, different as well. Love and happiness had given her a radiance from within and without.
“We are no longer those girls, Dahlia.” Celine brushed her fingers against Dahlia’s cheek. “We have practically grown up together. We loved you then, and we love you now for who you are—and apparently for what you are—an authoress!”
“You cannot be rid of us so easily, even after we discovered the revolting truth that you are a romantic at heart!” Helena kissed her cheek.
Dahlia sobbed again as she wrapped her arms around her friends.
“I’m so sorry I never told you. Goodness knows how much I wanted to tell you! It was such a big thing for me, and it gave me such feelings—joy and pride. I wanted to share those with you, but I was—well, you know the rest. I’m only sorry that you had to find out this way.”
“But how did the Duke of Ice find out?” Helena asked. “And is he really the Duke of Snowdon? He must be!” A hint of laughter was in Helena’s eyes.
“Would there be any good in denying it?” Dahlia said, laughing and wiping her eyes at the same time.
“He must have been very angry when he found out.” Helena covered her mouth at a laugh.
“He was livid!”
