Page 120 of Ironvine

“My family has known the Montclares since before I was born. I came to know Charles through his friendship with my brother. Hugh however, was a stranger to me. That night at the ball, all the ladies were talking of nothing but him, and I realised he was the perfect antidote to my plight. The stellar candidate.”

“You took away your family’s power over you? Well done. Your family can be cross with you, but they can certainly have no complaint with their house now being united with the house of Ryvves.”

“That is fortunate, yes. But they remain cross with me.”

“It must have been quite a shock for you when Hugh died. But you regrouped quickly and married his brother. Again, well done.”

Georgina averted her gaze to a drawing of her husband on the desk. “Charles has always been exceptionally kind to me.”

“More than kind, I think.” A grin swept her lips and quickly faded from her face. “Hugh must have suffered in the end. To die at home alone, bleeding, is awful.”

Georgina’s scalp prickled. She’d expected the Duchess to ask questions about her lover’s death. And now she would have to reply to them. But was she inquiring because she didn’t know the details like everyone else, or she wanted to know what Georgina and Charles knew?

“Horrible,” Georgina agreed.

“Why did Mr. Treharne challenge him to a duel?”

“I am not sure. All that remains an extremely painful subject for Charles, and he has not shared with me the particulars. Although the other man was known to be an unpredictable, volatile sort of character. It could have been any kind of disagreement or offence between gentlemen.” Georgina pressed her lips together. Perhaps she had said too much, but she had to give the Duchess something to chew on.

She had to distract her from this line of conversation. “There is something else here that may belong to you and Hugh. Georgina emptied the one casket of its bundles of letters and lifted out the snuffbox. The Duchess’s eyes widened at the sight of the curio.

Wonderful.

Her Grace took it in her hands. “I remember when I gave this to Hugh. He loved it so. Did you open it, Countess?”

“I did.”

The Duchess tilted her head. She appreciated Georgina’s honesty. “Did you like it?”

“The workmanship is exceptional, Your Grace.”

The Duchess let out a wicked laugh that had Georgina shifting her weight.“Come, Georgina. Did you see the hidden painting inside?”

“I did.”

“What did you think of it?”

“It surprised me.”

“How?”

“It has opened my eyes to the kind of painting one can do and its different purposes. My father-in-law seems to have enjoyed the same taste in art.”

“Yes, Hugh had remarked upon that once.” She opened the snuff box and nimbly touched the hidden spring. The false interior snapped forward, revealing the erotic couple, and a smile creased her lips. “As you rightly remarked, this piece had its purpose. Hugh and I endured many separations, and precious items such as this made it easier to bear. He liked this one very much.”

There were more?

“I like the pink shoes very much,” said Georgina.

The Duchess laughed, an easy laugh. “They were his favourite. And mine too.” She closed the box gently, her fingertips stroking the shiny, glazed exterior. “Tell me, did you find this vulgar or did it excite you?”

The breath burned in her throat.What to say? How to say?

“You can tell me anything.”

Somehow she knew she could, but at this very moment with the ghost of Hugh lurking about them, Georgina felt it would be like dipping a toe in icy waters with deadly sea creatures ready to latch onto her and pull her in.

“Yes, it did…excite me.”

---