Page 38 of A Perfect Engagement
“Pardon? What did you say?”
Charlotte finally lowered her hands and looked up at her friends. She dragged in a deep breath. “He’s not my intended. The man you know as Lord Hawksridge is actually his twin brother, Lord Daniel Weston.”
The mouths of all three ladies dropped open.
“Lord Hawksridge couldn’t be here on time, so he sent his brother to fill in for him until he could arrive. I figured it out the first afternoon. Daniel agreed to keep up the charade so I wouldn’t be embarrassed by being jilted at my own engagement party.” She frowned, still upset about Miles abandoning her during their engagement party.
“But how has no one noticed?” Olivia asked.
“They are identical twins.”
Susanna held up her hand, “Lord Hawksridge has an identical twin brother? How did I miss that piece of information? Debrett’s did not say anything about his brother being a twin.”
“I guess Debrett’s doesn’t know everything.” Charlotte sniffed and rolled her eyes at Susanna. Her friend liked to think she knew everything about everyone. “Can we focus on my dilemma, please? I think I have fallen in love with the wrong brother!”
“Wait! You have fallen in love with…what’s his name again?” Susanna asked.
“Daniel.” She sighed. “He is irreverent and good-natured. He is also so observant. He always seems to discern how I’m feeling. All week he has distracted me at every turn from worrying about this blasted party. He shares my love of horticulture, and he owns an estate an hour or so from here. And when he looks at me, it’s if he can see all the way into my soul.”
“Oh, darling, you really have fallen for him.” Susanna shook her head.
Charlotte took a shaky breath. “Today, we spent the whole morning together, only doing things we each had never done before. And tonight he kissed me, or I kissed him maybe. It was divine. But then I ran away. What am I going to do? I cannot have feelings for Daniel. I simply cannot.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Sophia spoke finally. “You are engaged to another. It would be unwise to let this go any further.”
“But do you think he returns your feelings?” Olivia asked.
“I don’t know. Yes? I don’t think he is toying with me if that’s what you’re asking.”
Had things gone too far in a moment of weakness? Daniel certainly could be attracted to her without being in love with her. She had two older brothers; she knew men didn’t fall in love with every woman they kissed. Doubts slid in. She’d known Daniel for less than a week. Perhaps he was a rake. London could be filled with ladies he’d left behind with broken hearts. What had Lord Haverty said about the duel? That Daniel had been challenged by someone’s husband? Lord, what a scandal it must have been. Dueling was illegal. Not that it stopped gentlemen from settling issues of honor in this way.
Charlotte couldn’t imagine Daniel getting riled up about anything enough to need to settle the issue by dueling. It seemed the opposite of his personality. She would not believe the kiss hadn’t taken him by surprise too. She must find out how he really felt. The need to see him, to talk to him overwhelmed her, making her feel reckless for the first time in her life.
She rose from the settee. “I should go down and talk to him.”
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Sophia said. “Your emotions are running high. Wait until the morning. Things always feel clearer the next day.”
“You’re right.” Charlotte sat back down with a sigh. What did she even want to say to him? Wait, tomorrow Daniel would be gone all day. Perhaps that was her opportunity. “Daniel has been called home unexpectedly. He will travel to Brooksdale in the morning. I could go speak with him privately and sort things out.” How would she get away without notice? She couldn’t go visit Daniel in his private home without an escort. Perhaps Lucius, no, then she would have to tell him everything. She shook her head. “No, it’s not allowed. If my mother found out, she would kill me.”
Olivia switched her seat to settle next to Charlotte. “Be brave, take a chance. You need to sort out how you feel and what Lord Weston feels about you. Otherwise, your marriage will always be clouded by this attraction to his brother.”
“But I am not brave.” She sighed.
“Charlotte, do you remember the night we became friends?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, at the Holloway’s ball.” Charlotte thought back to that night. How Olivia had been trapped behind the curtain in the lady’s retiring room.
Charlotte had overheard Olivia’s name, and she’d paused in her evaluation of her coiffure to listen. Her eyes slid to glance in the next mirror over, and she caught sight of Miss Lucy Denpratty and Miss Henrietta Fielding seated and primping in front of another long mirror behind her. Two of this year’s diamonds of the first water, the girls were in their first season but spoke with the confidence of ladies who had been out for years.
“Really, I cannot believe Rivenhall would choose for a wife someone of such low birth. His land steward’s daughter! She stole away a perfectly respectable candidate right out from the pool.”
“And one of the younger ones. It’s so unfair! My mother said she must have lured him to ruin. She bets their baby comes far too early.” Miss Fielding’s high-pitched giggle hurt Charlotte’s ears.
Next to her, a strangled gasp came from behind the privacy curtain. In the gap between the curtain and the wall, a pair of blue eyes watery with tears peeked out. Olivia Wentforth, most recently Lady Olivia Rivenhall, raised a hand to cover her mouth. Charlotte instantly recognized the trapped look in the woman’s eyes. She picked up her reticule and pretended to look through the contents as she mulled over the situation at hand.
In the two years she had been out in society, she had seen and heard more of this type of thing than she cared to in her whole life. Shy to a fault, and being no great beauty, Charlotte, as the daughter of a mere baron, was far too boring of a subject for anyone to hate or envy. She preferred it that way. Why should she invite the ire of the most popular debutants this season?
But these two horrible girls behind her had the ear of the whole retiring room. It was so unfair. Two older ladies to Charlotte’s right stood and exited, shooting disgusted looks at the two girls. But three more ladies turned their heads to listen. She glanced at Olivia again. What should she do?
