Page 71 of Last Night with the Duke
“She doesn’t know, of course,” Miss Waldegrave said, leaning forward. “I do it in secret,” she whispered.
“Then you shouldn’t have told us,” Lady Sara offered. “She’ll probably find out about it now. I mean you just told two of us at this table. How can you expect it to be kept a secret if others know about it?”
Esmeralda relaxed and smiled. She was impressed with how Lady Sara had turned the conversation from herself to Miss Waldegrave. She would have expected it of the outspoken Lady Vera but she really had no idea that Lady Sara was that clever or capable.
“Well, I do insist on silence about this from both of you,” Miss Waldegrave said firmly. “And if my secret leaves this table I’ll never speak to either of you again.”
This seemed a good time for Esmeralda to step in.
“Lady Sara, pardon me for interrupting your lovely afternoon, but I’m afraid we must be going.”
Lady Sara looked up at her and smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing, Miss Swift. It looks as if a storm is on the way and I do hate to get my feet wet.” She rose and turned to Miss Froste. “So lovely of you to invite us over. We’ll return the favor soon.”
Miss Froste stood too. “I’ll look forward to another invitation at your home. Perhaps I can visit at a time when the duke will be there.”
A stab of envy struck Esmeralda and she stiffened. That was rather brash of the young lady to be so bold about her intentions.
“I don’t know if that can be arranged,” Lady Sara said innocently. “My brother doesn’t make us privy to his schedule, and he doesn’t visit often during the day.”
“Oh, well, yes, of course,” Miss Froste answered, clearly not knowing what to say to Lady Sara’s simple decline to arrange a rendezvous between her brother and Miss Froste. “He would be very busy, I’m sure.”
“I’ll see you tonight at Grand Hall,” Lady Sara said to her hostess. Turning to Miss Waldegrave, she said, “I do hope no one finds out that you read the gossip sheets. That would be dreadful. If you couldn’t read them, then you couldn’t tell we who are less fortunate than you what’s in them.”
After saying their good-byes to everyone, Esmeralda and the twins walked the short distance to their carriage and climbed inside. As soon as they were seated, Lady Sara turned to Lady Vera and asked, “What were you and Mr. Lambert talking about?”
“Don’t be a silly goose. I’m not going to tell you about my conversations with him. I don’t ask you about discussions with him.”
Lady Sara’s face turned red. “You don’t have to ask because I always tell you.”
“Since I won’t tell you what was said,” Lady Vera said, smiling, “you don’t have to tell me anymore.”
“You are a horrible sister,” Lady Sara said and threw her reticule at Lady Vera.
She caught the velvet purse and laughed. “I was only teasing you, Sara. Don’t be such a ninny. He only wanted to talk about you. And I was really quite bored telling him what a wonderful sister you are.”
“Oh, you are horrible.”
“Only sometimes.” She handed the reticule back to Lady Sara. “I was excruciatingly miserable after Lord Henry left the party and couldn’t wait for Miss Swift to tell us it was time to leave.”
“I don’t understand that,” Esmeralda said. “You declined when he asked you to go for a ride in the park with him.”
“I had to. If I seem too interested in him, he’ll treat me like he treats all the other ladies—I want to be different.”
“You certainly know how to do that,” her sister said.
Lady Vera sighed. “But I don’t know if it will work and I don’t want to talk about him anymore. I do hope you heard some luscious gossip at the party, dear sister.”
“Not much,” Lady Sara answered. “There was that old news about someone wanting to disrupt our Season because of Griffin’s secret admirer letter a few years ago.”
Esmeralda’s heart jumped. “You know about that?”
“Of course,” Lady Vera said. “We know all the gossip about our brother and most of it about us.”
“Then I am going to ask Lady Sara what Miss Waldegrave was trying to ask her but couldn’t get the question out: How do you know this?”
“How could we not know? It’s been in all the gossip and scandal sheets,” Lady Sara said.
Astonished, Esmeralda was speechless for a moment. “I was told you’re not allowed to read them.”
