Natalie frowned. He had heard? It was possible because he had been standing within earshot. He looked down at Alexandra, his expression impassive.
“My aunt and I often talk about how it costs nothing to be polite. One might find it advantageous to show more respect to those who rank higher in society. Do you not think so,MissGilmore?” Alexandra's hold of his arm slackened as her face colored, seemingly in anger and humiliation.
His expression remained inscrutable, and Natalie was tempted to appreciate him defending her. She also felt the urge to tell him that she did not require his help before storming off.
Jasper regarded her for a moment before he tilted his head again, starting over, “As I was saying, it was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Lady Natalie.” He began to steer Alexandra away. “Please excuse us.”
Instead of Natalie walking away after having the final word, she watched them leave, her gut turning with a hundred different emotions, of which she could only identify two. Anger and shame. It was in this state that Hannah found her.
“Natalie, are you well?” she asked as she came to stand in front of her, holding a ballerina puppet. “You look pale.” Her green eyes were clouded with concern.
Natalie shook her head. Her face was supposed to be red with rage, not pale. She had not been able to speak for herself, and it was disgraceful. She tried to quickly compose herself, and her eyes found the ballerina her cousin held. “Where did you find that?”
Hannah smiled. “The puppet player asked us some questions. I answered correctly, earning this pretty ballerina.” Then she frowned. “Are you certain you are well, Natalie?”
Natalie managed a faint smile and a nod before taking her cousin’s arm. She could see that Hannah wanted to ask again but she refused to give her the chance, glad she had not been present to witness her humiliation.
They continued walking along the Serpentine and after a while, Hannah looked up. “Do you think it will rain soon?”
Following her eyes, Natalie saw the sky was completely overcast. “Yes, and we should go.” The impending storm gave Natalie an excuse to leave the park. They walked back to the waiting carriage, and about twenty minutes later, they arrived at Clifford House in Berkeley Square.
Natalie went up to her bedchamber while Hannah sought George, and as soon as she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, fighting every painful memory she had worked for years to keep down.
It took one encounter with Jasper to unleash them, and they pressed against the back of her eyes, causing them to sting. She furiously blinked away the tears blurring her vision, rage tightening her chest, and moved to her writing desk by the window. Natalie sat and opened a drawer, removing a folded piece of parchment that had been there for more than two years.
The paper contained a list of everything she wanted to do in her lifetime but never had the opportunity. All of those things were daring and demanded courage that she did not possess. Her situation was not likely going to change, and perhaps it was time to step out from the shadows and live as she truly wanted to.
Unfolding the list, she began to read:
Kiss a rake
Kiss a proper gentleman
Swim in the Serpentine
Slip away with a gentleman during a ball
Wear a scandalous dress
Gamble in a gentlemen's club
Smoke cheroot and drink until I lose my mind and balance
Fence
Ask a gentleman to dance
Be truly wanted. Loved.
Picking up a quill and dipping it in ink, Natalie added one more item to the list:
Ruin Jasper's reputation.
Chapter 2
Shameless men have come forward with the claims of being the Masked Rogue without proof. We are offering a reward for whoever can reveal his face to society —The Londoner.
Natalie wanted him to feel the pain she had lived with for nine years. Certainly, it would be much more difficult to ruin a man’s reputation, and he was known in society as a perfect duke.
