“Hmm, that is unfortunate.” Evelina nodded, clearly having observed the awkward moment. “There is Lord Bates, too,” she gestured to another older man. “Though he would probably prefer the company of any man to a woman. There’s Mr. Urwin. Oh, he has enough money without needing a bride with a good dowry, so you do not need to worry about that. There’s Mr. Peters, too –”
“Pray sister, tell me something. Is every gentleman you invited to stay in your house on this little visit unattached and in need of a wife?” Margaret pinned her eyebrows together, knowingly.
“Perhaps.” Evelina took no great pains to hide her smile of mischief. “I see no reason to shy away from the fact you want a husband.”
“I need a husband,” Margaret muttered. There had been a time when she had dreamt about love, though that was long past. These days, she simply wanted a new life, a new home, with a man that could afford to look after her.
It was plain their father was running out of money so fast, that they could be homeless someday.
“Who else have you invited?”
“Well, there is one other gentleman. I do not know much about him. Others whisper about him, though I choose not to believe the rumors. After all, he is Gabriel’s friend, and if Gabriel likes him, he cannot be all bad.”
Margaret found this highly suspicious.
“Are you set to approve of people now just because your husband does? Did your own capacity for judgment disappear the day you were married?”
“Come, sister,” Evelina tutted. “That is not what I meant and you know it. I merely mean that there must be some goodness in his character, or surely the man would have no friends at all.”
“Who is this man you speak of?”
“The Duke of Thornfield,” Evelin said simply with a shrug. “Have you not heard of him?”
“I’ve read of him.” Margaret chewed her lip. His name was almost as often in the scandal sheets as her own had been, perhaps even more so. “A cold shadow of a man, with a heart as black as ink.Isn’t that what the scandal sheets say?”
“And yes, because scandal sheets speak the truth, don’t they? You should know better than anyone.”
“Oh, I know.” Margaret shrugged off the matter. “Then tell me what you know of him?”
“I know him to be…” Evelina frowned. Clearly she was searching for something good to say about the man but struggled.
“Straining your brain?”
“I’ll get there, give me a minute.” Evelina smiled, emphasizing the jest, then flicked her fingers with delight. “I know him to be a loyal friend to Gabriel. He has been there for Gabriel in times of trouble.”
“And the rumors?” Margaret urged her on.
“Well…” Evelina looked most reluctant to share them, but in the end, they escaped her in a torrent. “They say he’s cold and distant for a reason. That he has no capacity for love. They say, too, that he bears scars, from what, no one knows. He meets fewpeople, talks to even less, and keeps himself to himself. He lives like a shadow, as if he is no man at all.”
Margaret blinked when her sister had finished.
“Some rumors,” she murmured. “And where is this shadow of a man?”
“Well, I haven’t yet seen him here, oh…” Evelina broke off her, eyes on the doorway.
The footman was taking a tailcoat from someone, his face unseen for he still stood in the shadows of the hallway. As he stepped forward, into the candlelight, a hush fell over the room.
“There was one thing you forgot to mention about him, sister,” Margaret whispered as she watched the man appear.
Who would think a shadow so handsome?
The Duke of Thornfield was indeed a handsome man, though he wore it with a darkness in his features.
Chestnut brown hair was arranged perfectly, with no wisp out of place. He had neat sideburns but was otherwise clean shaven. Everything in his appearance was excessively neat, down to the black cravat and waistcoat. The square jaw gave way to angular cheekbones and a strong stare, though at this distance Margaret could not see his eye color.
He glowered back as everyone stared at him. As Gabriel hurried forward to greet him, it was if a spell had been broken over the room. Everyone went back to their conversation, though some now whispered more animatedly than before.
“I shall not introduce you to him,” Evelina declared with finality. “I do not think the Duke of Thornfield would make any lady a happy husband.”
