Page 65 of It's All About the Duke
After they made themselves comfortable on the settee, Lady Vera said, “You will have many places to wear your gowns, Miss Fast. We are fitting you for clothing not only for the Season but for your marriage as well.”
“Oh, my.” Marlena eased onto the settee beside Lady Vera.
“You know that is what the Season is for. The marriage mart, remember? But only if you should find the right match.” She smiled. “Should you accept an offerearly, which is quite possible given how lovely you are, your intended may want to marry quickly, and if so, you will already have all your clothing prepared.”
Marry quickly?
That sent another chill racing over Marlena.
“It is Rath’s duty to see you wed.”
“Yes, of course. I know I must marry. Sometime. It’s just that I don’t think about it often.”
“I find that interesting, Miss Fast.”
“Why? I’ve not had many opportunities to be around gentlemen. I have other things to occupy my time and my thoughts.”
“Marriage is somethingmostyoung ladies think about all the time. Getting an offer from the right man, leaving their parents’ home, making a life of their own with their husband, and having his children. But there is no reason you have to dwell on such. It’s just that most young ladies do because they want to marry their first Season. My sister Sara did. She is very happy and expecting her first child.”
“That is lovely for her. I’m glad her life is settled and that she’s happy.”
“She is,” Lady Vera said with a clear carefree attitude. “I, on the other hand, am still waiting for the man I want to spend the rest of my life attached to. The longer I wait the harder it gets to choose.”
Marlena’s chest tightened as that horrifying feeling of jealousy gripped her again. “Is that because the Duke of Rathburne hasn’t offered for your hand yet?”
Lady Vera laughed softly. “So that is the reason you don’t like me, Miss Fast. Because of my relationship with Rath?”
“What?” Marlena exclaimed. Was Lady Vera serious? “No, it’s not true. I like you very much. I don’t know how you can say that. And with a smile on your face.”
“It is true, but I don’t mind now that I know why.”
“You are being unkind,” Marlena insisted. “I have the utmost respect for you. For how bold and honest you are about your feelings. I wish we all could be so engaging. I don’t dislike you. I—I.” She stopped, not wanting to lay open her feelings.
“What?”
“If you must know I am jealous, but I don’t dislike you at all. It’s surprising to me as well, but I enjoy being with you.”
“That’s nice to hear.” Lady Vera’s smile remained in place. “A little jealousy is good. Not too much, mind you, but a small amount. Are you envious because I am so carefree with Rath, or is it because I am the sister of the Duke of Griffin and feel I don’t have to marry just because it’s expected of me or that my brother wants me to?”
“Rath, of course,” Marlena answered, knowing Lady Vera already knew but was giving her a way to deny it if she wanted to. Why should she? After writing about Lady Vera in the scandal sheet two years ago the least Marlena could do was be honest with her now.
“I should have guessed earlier. I noticed the way the two of you kept looking at each other the afternoon you and I met. I thought it was because it shocked you that I wanted to assist with your Season. Unlike you, I don’t have a lot of things to occupy me. I’ve quite enjoyed the challenge of helping you.”
“I will understand if you want to stop assisting me now that you know I have developed feelings for the duke, too.”
Lady Vera laughed. “I can see you don’t know me at all, Miss Fast. If I saw you as competition for anyone I was interested in, I would still help you but make sure you wore the most hideous gowns Mrs. Musgrove could make.”
Marlena chuckled. Lady Vera was right. She could not compete with her. “You are beautiful and intelligent. You’re the sister of a duke with a dowry I’m sure no other young lady could match. You have no competition, Lady Vera.”
“Rath doesn’t need nor does he desire any lady’s dowry, so you can put that thought out of your mind. Tell me, why don’t you seek Rath’s affection? You have the perfect opportunity.”
“How?”
“He is already dedicated to taking care of you.”
Marlena looked over at the mirror and saw all the gowns she would be wearing to attract gentlemen—but there was only one she wanted to notice her. The one who wasn’t a rake after all. He was a gentleman. He was good to Justine. He was trying to help Eugenia—a young lady he didn’t even know. He had kissed her, yes. Not something a gentleman should do, but she had invited his kisses and touches. He hadn’t forced them on her. It had been her decision to make whether they kissed from the first day when she was backed against her secretary.
It was useless to think about trying to win affection from Rath. Though she hadn’t known it at the time, she had sealed her fate about that possibility when she became Miss Truth.
