Page 66 of It's All About the Duke
“I would never try.”
“What’s this?” Lady Vera exclaimed. “Are you telling me you want the attentions of a gentleman you aren’t willing to fight for? Because if you are, I’d tell you that you don’t deserve a man you aren’t willing to fight for.”
“If it were only a lady I had to fight, I’d be willing. That’s not the reason. There are other things. Things in my past that I don’t want to discuss.”
“You are being honest about that. I can see something troubles you.”
“Yes, and it’s not something I can change.”
“Sometimes it is easier to embrace things than change them, Miss Fast.”
“That’s not possible either. Other people are involved, but I thank you for being kind about it. Tell me, have you known the duke long?”
“Since I was a little girl. Hawk and Rath would come home from Oxford with Griffin. And sometimes he’d go home with one of them. Sara and I would miss their visits. Once we even wrote them very childish letters.”
“So that is why you are so free with him. Touching him.”
Lady Vera relaxed against the back in the settee, crossed one leg over the other, and started swinging her foot. Marlena was amazed to see a lady be so casual.
“Rath used to give me rides on his back. Sara would get on Hawk’s back and they would race to a certain spot to see who would win. Hawk and Rath were so handsome, tall, and strong. Sara and I gave them no peace while they were with Griffin but still they would come for a visit. I know they enjoyed our attention—for a little while anyway.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Marlena said wistfully. “I lived with my cousins for a few years and I can remember taking turns riding on their backs, too. They were so good about me pestering them. But they moved away and I went to live with Mr. Olingworth. There were no children to play with at his house so I spent my time in the garden talking to flowers and sometimes the insects that crawl on them.”
“Flowers are beautiful friends,” Lady Vera said.
“Yes,” Marlena admitted. “I never felt lonely when I was in the garden. Flowers don’t last, though they do come back the next year, and that’s always a comfort. Tell me, Lady Vera, do you really want to marry Rath?”
“Of course I do. What lady wouldn’t? But I never will. Not because I don’t love him dearly. I do. But as a brother, and he loves me as a sister as he’s said. We will never marry, but we will always be close. Rath would come to my aid if I ever needed him. Hawk, too.”
“Three brothers then. You are blessed.”
Lady Vera let out a satisfied smile. “I am. You may not remember or may not have even known that a couple of years ago, when Sara and I made our debuts, there was a revival of Griffin’s, Hawk’s, and Rath’s secret admirer letters in a scandal sheet.”
Marlena went still. That old fear of being caught assailed her.
“It said something along the lines that Sara and I might bear the brunt of revenge for Griffin’s and the other rakes’ misdeeds,” Lady Vera continued. “And someone might want to disrupt our Season to get back at them. Do you remember anything about that?”
Very guiltily Marlena swallowed hard and answered, “Yes, I do. I’m sure it must have made you and Lady Sara suspicious of every gentleman you met, but I hope nothing tarnished you or your sister because of that rumor.”
“Oh, we weren’t suspicious of anyone,” she insisted.
Marlena gasped. “How can that be true?”
“We were cautious as all ladies should be about how a gentleman is treating her. Being twins we were always the center of attention. And if we weren’t, we’d do something to make sure we were. We thrived on it. The more the better.”
“I’m pleased that you weren’t upset about the rumor and its possible consequences.”
Lady Vera waved her hand dismissively. “Both twins living to our age are a rarity as I’m sure you know. Sara and I had been the topic of discussion as long as we could remember. We wouldn’t have wanted our first Season beany different. Far from the scandal sheet ruining our lives, it enhanced them. We enjoyed every moment of the Season.”
That surprised Marlena. “And you never felt you were in danger of anyone trying to ruin your Season or your reputation?”
“Not in the least. From the first, we never believed anyone wanted to harm us and no one did. Oh, no, wait. That’s not exactly true. There was one. Lord Henry, a young bachelor who was so handsome he could make birds sing just by looking at them. He still can. But he is an ogre in gentleman’s clothing. One afternoon he thought to make good on that rumor and was trying to force me to kiss him, but I took care of him with a few whacks on his head with my parasol.”
Marlena was astonished. “Did you really?”
“I did and was quite proud of myself. I taught him that when a lady says no, she means no. The poor man was bleeding all over his white shirt and neckcloth. Every time I think about it now, I smile. He had to stay in hiding for over a week to let the bruising heal.”
“I think that’s wonderful,” Marlena said, and then suddenly realized how that must have sounded and added, “I mean that he learned a valuable lesson about how to treat a lady. I hope the experience wasn’t too frightening.”
