“Duncan,” Aunt Alberta said sharply. “Must you always be sobluntabout things?”
“There’s no reason not to tell her the truth, Mother,” Duncan said. “And, in fact, I think it’s a fine idea. She may well find herself enamored of… one of my friends.”
Something about the way he said that made Valeria think that Duncan had this idea on his own, before his mother brought it up. That perhaps this was even the reason he had invited friends to the dinner party.
A part of her felt irritated and wished she had been asked. The truth was, she didn’t feel up to courtship right now. Not after everything she had just been through with Richard. She wanted her life to be calm and quiet, at least for a little while.
But she couldn’t be angry. Her cousin had wanted to provide her with a distraction from her worries, a good time. And Aunt Alberta, too, clearly wanted what was best for her. Valeria knew how damaged her prospects were after Richard’s arrest, and with no male guardian to provide for her interests. The best thing she could do now was to marry quickly.
I have to try to find a way to get my mind in the right place, so that I can accept a marriage. This dinner party—meeting these gentlemen—will be a good first step.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll come to the dinner party. Thank you, Aunt Alberta. I’ll be happy to attend. I look forward to it.”
Aunt Alberta nodded imperiously. “Then, if you’ve finished eating, I suggest you go on up to your room,” she said. “You’ve had a long journey, and you need to get your rest.”
“Thank you.” Valeria rose from the table and left the dining room quickly. Suddenly, though she couldn’t have said why, she felt on the verge of tears, and she didn’t want to cry in front of her uncle and cousin.
She hurried up the stairs and was halfway down the hall before she’d realized that she didn’t know which room was hers.
She turned in a slow circle, not wanting to go back and ask her aunt for help. She knew it would be all right to ask, but she was so close to tears that she didn’t want to face them.
Charlotte appeared in the hall. “Lady Valeria?”
“Oh, Charlotte!” It was enough to break her control. The tears began to fall.
Charlotte hurried to her and embraced her quickly. “Come along,” she said. “It’s been such a very long day. Let’s get you to bed, and you can forget your worries until tomorrow.”
Valeria followed Charlotte to her room. It was dark and quiet, and though it might have seemed dismal, Valeria found she liked it. It was like retreating into a cave. She felt that she could relax here. She could be alone.
But the weight of her worries seemed to enter the room with her, so that she wasn’t alone at all. And when she had settled herself into bed, she found that there was nothing to distract her from the thoughts that filled her mind.
What was Richard doing right now?
Was he thinking of her?
Did he regret the chaos he had wrought upon her life? Or perhaps he didn’t care?
Perhaps he never cared.
And then there was the matter of Duncan and Aunt Alberta, both of whom seemed determined that she engage herself in courtship as soon as possible.
Well, she would find a way out of that. Because the last thing she felt she could handle right now was romance.
Chapter 5
The night of the dinner party, Thomas elected to walk to Earlington Manor rather than taking a carriage. The weather was pleasant that night, and it felt good to be out in the open air.
The walk also gave him time to think.
Did he dare to approach Lady Valeria tonight? Would he be bold enough, perhaps, to try to sit beside her at dinner?
Maybe our places will be assigned to us. That was an oddly thrilling thought, because he was sure that if it were the case, Duncan would indeed have given him the seat next to Lady Valeria’s.
But what if she wanted nothing to do with him? What if she turned her nose up again, and made it clear she had no interest in speaking to him?
These thoughts ran circles in his mind until he had reached Earlington Manor. All too soon, he found himself mounting the front steps and knocking on the heavy door.
The butler opened the door and stood back to admit him. Thomas thanked the man and made his way inside, taking in the flowers that had been used to decorate for the evening’s festivities. It looked lovely. He could see that Lady Earlington had gone to a great deal of trouble.
