Page 91 of It's All About the Duke
“I know what it is. It’s been coming for a long time. You’re going to stop writing the column, aren’t you?”
“I have to.”
“I know you’ve wanted to for a long time. I can’t be anything but grateful you’ve written it so long.”
“There were times I enjoyed it. And writing the book about rakes was enjoyable, too. I’m truly glad it did so well. I know the money has assisted you with household matters, but it really hasn’t helped Veronica control her bouts of despair or her problems with Mr. Portington.”
“We had such hope when we started, didn’t we.”
Marlena nodded and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “And there’s one other thing I need to tell you today. The duke knows I’m Miss Truth.”
“Oh!” Eugenia rose as if to flee.
“Don’t worry,” Marlena said, pulling on Eugenia’s hand and forcing her back onto the bench. “Sit back down. He doesn’t know anything about your part in it other than you know about it. He thought you might have been the one writing the sheet, but I assured him it was my idea and I started it, which is the truth.”
“But I helped get it to the publisher each week.”
“A minor part, and I’m not sure little details like that were important to him. I didn’t betray your sister’s trust in all the things she told that had happened to her concerning Mr. Portington. None of that matters since he has only gotten worse. Not better.”
“That was kind of you not to tell.”
“As you know, he does know Mr. Portington spends way too much money on his collection of oddities. At one time I thought there might be hope for him about that, but now I don’t think anything will change.”
Eugenia nodded.
Marlena sat back in the bench and sighed. “What he very much wanted to know—which I refused to tell him, of course—is who started the rumor at White’s.” Marlena put her gloved hands over Eugenia’s and looked steadily into her eyes. “He must never know that we asked Mr. Portington to take Mr. Bramwell to White’s, and that he is the one who started the rumor. Should he ever ask you about that, you must remain strong and not tell him.”
“I would probably just faint if he asked me.”
Marlena laughed. “Yes, I’d say that would be the perfect thing for you to do. I think he’s come to expect it. He’d undoubtedly be disappointed if you didn’t.”
Eugenia’s face turned serious. “Do you think he would hurt Mr. Bramwell?”
Marlena had to be truthful. “I really don’t know. Though he’s lived most of his adult life denying it, I dothink he’s a gentleman. But even gentlemen have been known to call each other out for a duel over a perceived wrong.”
A tremor shook Eugenia. “A duel. He might challenge Mr. Bramwell?”
“I’m telling you I don’t know, which is why you must remain quiet about this. Gentlemen are much more likely to let a lady’s bad behavior pass than a man’s. Mr. Bramwell started the rumor because we asked him, and he should never be punished for it.”
“Thank you for telling me that. But none of this seems fair to you, Marlena. You have taken all the guilt upon your shoulders.”
Adding on to anyone else’s guilt would not absolve hers. She supposed the only thing she could do was go to Lady Vera and Lady Sara, admit her wrongdoing, and apologize. To Eugenia she said, “The fewer people who are upset about this, the better.”
“It hurts terribly, doesn’t it?” Eugenia said.
Marlena looked at her curiously. “What?”
“Loving someone you can’t have.”
“Yes,” Marlena said softly, and turned her face up to the bright-blue sky once again. “It does.”
Chapter 24
He could be a rake if he’s so set on being right, he can’t see what is right in front of his eyes.
MISSHONORATRUTH’SWORDS OFWISDOMANDWARNINGABOUTRAKES, SCOUNDRELS, ROGUES, ANDLIBERTINES
A longing that went bone-deep had settled over Rath.
