“This is the year, Rebecca,” Caroline suddenly announced, settling comfortably into the pillows. “You are not on the shelf yet. If you want to marry Langley, now is your chance.”
Well . . .
Yes.
And no.
Constructing castles in the sky and stuffing them with dreams was one thing, entering the possibility of that reality quite another. Rebecca preferred the outskirts rather than the center. The shadows rather than the light. The outdoors rather than a ballroom. Much like her brother, she shied away from crowds and bustling places.
Also, there was Knightley’s.
Honestly, there was a sort of thrill about being at the helm of an establishment that men fell slaves to. And her involvement in the club could not be overlooked.
Which meant marriage was off the table. But Caroline did not know that. No one did. A first kiss, she could do. She had certainly fantasized about it enough. But to wed? She was not as innocent as everyone believed. And if society ever discovered her secret, she would be ruined beyond repair.
“I’m happy with my life, Caro.”
“Have you not mooned over the man for years now?”
“Certainly not.”
Caroline raised a brow.
Well, not since she acquired Knightley’s, at least. “Youknew?” Rebecca questioned.
Caroline’s brow lifted even higher.
Rebecca sighed. “Mooning is a bit of a stretch. How did you know?”
“I am more perceptive than most.”
“Langley has never sought me out,” Rebecca pointed out, hoping Caroline would leave the matter be. “We haven’t spoken in ages.”
“But this is Langley.”
True.
But this is alsoLangley. Even if she was inclined to step up to the challenge, which she was not, he was aTonfavorite. As a wallflower, despite his sweet words all those years ago, she went unnoticed for the most part. Emphasis onfor the most part.
Because Rebecca wasn’t just any wallflower, she was the worst sort. And by worst, Rebecca meant the kind of wallflower that completely shut down when attention fell on her at large gatherings. Even thinking about it, a nasty chill spread through her belly.
She clamped up like an oyster protecting a precious pearl. But what came after she clamped up was what had her turning tail for the nearest escape. Instead of blending into her surroundings, Rebecca inflamed them.
She had never gotten into the swing of being aninvisiblewallflower. Oh no, the blazing tips of her ears and pink blotches that broke out over her face did not allow her to blend into the shadows. Sweat would not bead daintily upon her brows, it rolled over her face droplet after droplet like a waterfall. What was worse than a clamped up wallflower who couldn’t blush properly?
A sweaty, blotchy one.
Which was why she rarely ever attended events anymore.
“You know what happens when I attend gatherings, Caro. I have never been equipped for social settings. Besides, I’d have to present myself at the Stapleton festivities and I can hardly go on my own. You are with child and Mason will not attend without you.” Neither did Rebecca want to subject herself to the humiliation of leaking perspiration over the Stapletons’ marble floor.
“So you will give up?” Caroline asked.
Rebecca could not very well admit she could never marry Langley, so she said. “I will give the matter some thought.”
“Thoughts breed excuses. Actions breed results.”
Rebecca decided not to dwell onthat. So she changed the subject. “Does a man not search for a wifeinseason?”
