For the first time, she knew the joy of having sisters—not classmates or housemates, but girls with spirit and vibrancy, intelligence, and a yearning for independence that matched her own.She, Margie, and Fannie had shared their dreams and told their secrets to one another.Aurelia knew instinctively that she could trust the ladies with her whole heart.
With sisters, one kept nothing back.
She knew the delight of having brothers—chatty, teasing boys like Perry who were primed for adventure and ready for a lifetime of good-natured troublemaking.Or the mature, steady presence of the Duke of Brantingham, the head of the family, despite being a young man.
There was such a sense of fun with the siblings.Margie and Fannie had ingratiated themselves with a group of fashionable people, conversing animatedly about the lamps.Perry had made friends with the young man and his dog, and they were laughing as they tossed a rubber ball back and forth between them while the spaniel barked.
Surely, the Duke was aware of the multitude of eyes upon him, yet he never let go of Aurelia’s hand.He guided her toward the row of electric lamps, their bright, unwavering glow silhouetting his broad shoulders and illuminating his good-looking, aristocratic face.His Grace was never one to grow lost in a crowd.
“Are you enjoying the lights, Miss Goldsworthy?”
She nodded.“They’re beautiful!I could never have imagined anything so radiant.Will they replace gas, do you think?”
“In time,” he answered, “proving electricity is safe and efficient, I believe it will.Brantingham House was built for candle glow—all that gilding, paneling, and pier glass were necessary to reflect the flames.I wonder how it will look under the electric lamps, and whether the dazzling light will expose its flaws.”
“I find no flaws in your residence, Your Grace.”She sought to ease his mind on that matter.“My bedchamber overlooking the park is one of the prettiest rooms I’ve ever seen, and the gallery corridor must be filled with more artwork than the Louvre…”
“But you prefer impressionists.”
Aurelia laughed.“I do, but that doesn’t mean I cannot appreciate the Old Masters.Just because your world was built for candle glow and gaslight does not diminish its beauty under the glare.”
The Duke shared her amusement, though laughter did not reach his eyes when he bent low to whisper, “Never look too closely, Miss Goldsworthy, for sometimes a little mystery is preferable to the stark, naked truth.”
Curious words, considering her circumstances, yet they had been speaking of light, and modernity, and art, rather than opulence, lineage, and the undeniable decay of his society.Did the Duke of Brantingham find himself on such shaky ground?
She patted his sleeve with her gloved hand.“Don’t worry, Your Grace.I shan’t go pulling back your draperies or poking my nose into your linen cupboards.”
But someday, someone would.What might they find?
Their tête-à-tête conversation was interrupted by Lady Margery Charlton, who joined them by the riverfront.
“You two are looking far too serious for such a jolly occasion.Fannie and I have met a party from Durness House.”To Aurelia, she explained, “The Earl and Countess are longtime friends of our family.Elspeth and I came out together.We made our curtseys to the Queen and then she married that first Season.Our paths diverged, you see, but I’m not certain which of us is the more fortunate—me, the spinster, or she, the bride.”
The Duke grimaced, yet Margie pushed onward.“Did you know, Selly, that Miss Goldsworthy lives alone in her own suite of rooms back in Cheltenham?Very forward-thinking for an unmarried woman…”
Aurelia was no revolutionary.She rented rooms only because there had been no family to take her in after leaving school.
“Don’t get any ideas, Margie,” scolded the Duke, sweetly.He wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulders and hugged her close.“I’m not ready to turn you loose on the unsuspecting world just yet.”
Lady Margery was undaunted.“Come and say hello to our friends, Selly, so that we might introduce Aurelia to some new people whilst she’s in town.”
His Grace’s sister stepped away.They watched her being welcomed into the group of smart, young people.
“Do you intend to allow Margie to attend university?You must know that she wishes to go.”
“If she can pass the entrance examination, I don’t see how I can stop her.She is of age and has her own income,” said the Duke.“She would make an exemplary wife, mother, and hostess, but for some mad reason, that isn’t the life she wants.What sort of man would I be to force her into a role—numerous roles, for the duties of a peeress are demanding and unceasing—that would destroy her independence?”
Aurelia smiled at this gentleman who cared so deeply and was devoted to his family, even when he didn’t understand them.He would allow Lady Margery her choice.
He made no move to return to the others.Instead, he asked, “You went to school.What was it like for a young lady?”
“Ladies College is like Eton for girls,” she replied.“The University of London is a rung above my reach, I’m afraid.”
“You seem thoroughly educated to me,” he told her.“In my mind, you are everything Margie wishes to be—yet you wanted so desperately to be married, which is the antithesis of her desires.Matrimony seems to be where a woman’s selfhood goes to die.”
She shook her head.“I don’t believe that, Your Grace.There is no one answer for all women.I want a husband and children, duty and love.Lady Margery wants something altogether different, and I believe she ought to have the right to live as she sees fit.”
The Duke of Brantingham regarded her strangely, almost regretfully.They walked a few steps from the lamplight as he asked, “Are you disappointed not to become a duchess?Truly, you may tell me.Is that what you would’ve wanted, had you believed you’d been given the choice?”
