“It did not.” Fortuity brushed her fingers across her forehead and looked everywhere but at anyone’s eyes. “I was merely tired and growing hungry. They kept supper quite late.”
Knightwood cleared his throat and tipped a nod at a footman coming their way. “I suggest we resolve this matter at another time and, most definitely, another place.”
“There is nothing to resolve,” Fortuity said, sounding much stronger. “All is well. We merely erred in allowing the gossips to take temporary control of the narrative. We shall not make that mistake again. Shall we, Matthew?”
“No, my lady. We shall not.” But something about her made him feel ill at ease, quite unforgiven and as if he had done something much worse than naming her as his friend. And the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if he had been the worst sort of fool. She was not happy with him, and he hated himself for it.
A trio of maids appeared bearing the ladies’ cloaks. A pair of footmen followed them with Thorne’s and Chance’s greatcoats and toppers. Another footman appeared and bowed to Matthew. “Do you require your things as well, my lord?”
“Yes. Along with my cousins. Have them fetched from the dining room and summon my carriage.” Not even the hounds of hell could drag him back to that table and the poisonous Lady Serafina.
And he had much to think about. His heart ached for Fortuity, and he would be damned if he allowed her suffering and humiliation at the hands of thetonto continue.
You mean her suffering and humiliation at your hands,his conscience argued.
He bowed his head and accepted the damnation. Yes, the suffering, humiliation, and, worst of all, the sadness he had caused her.
Chapter Three
Fortuity crumpled thepaper and tossed it aside, then propped her elbows on her writing table and dropped her head into her hands. Her characters’ conversations had left her. Last night’s painfully embarrassing debacle repeatedly squalled through her mind like a relentless storm, drowning out everything else.
“What was Blessing thinking?” she muttered. How could her sister not realize that if they had simply allowed the evening to play out however it would, the gossips would have soon grown bored and forgotten Matthew’s rather loud proclamation that she was nothing more than his friend? After all, she was a wallflower no one ever noticed unless to comment that they thought her the plainest of the Broadmere sisters, which was fine.
Well, no, it wasn’t fine. It hurt. But she refused to allow those mean-spirited sorts to dictate how she lived her life. Or, at least, shetriedto refuse them most of the time. Sometimes that particular battle became wearisome and difficult to fight. A heavy sigh escaped her. Who was she attempting to trick? Those cruel, back-biting churls cast a shadow over everything.
Once thetondiscovered her sympathetic sister had quickly recovered from her sudden ailment, the tongue waggers would realize what had actually happened: that a frailness of health was a mere ploy to remove the infamous Broadmere wallflower from an unpleasant situation. Everyone knew the siblings were close and would do anything to protect one another. It wouldtake no stretch of the imagination for the tattle sheets to weave an intriguing tale everyone would easily believe. All of them were well and surely doomed.
“Dearest Blessing.” Fortuity gave in to a despondent groan as she spoke aloud to the sister whom she no longer shared a home with. “I thought you better at this game than me. What in heaven’s name were you thinking?”
A rapid tap on the door and the creak of its hinges made her lift her head.
“Chance has called for a gathering of the flock,” her youngest sister Merry announced. “I tried to tell him you were unwell, but he didn’t believe me.” She offered a sympathetic shrug. “If it helps, he’s angry with all of us, yet not so unhappy with you. At least you set your notes aside and danced. Or how did he put it?” She tapped her chin, staring upward as if the answer floated somewhere near the ceiling. “Ah, yes—you took part in the evening like a dutiful sister rather than the four selfish ones who did whatever they wished.”
“I presume Serendipity possesses immunity, since she assists him in throwing us at potential husbands?” Fortuity leaned back in her chair and rubbed at her ink-stained fingers. “Somehow that seems less than fair, since she must also eventually find love and marry.”
“When have you ever known Chance to be fair? He wants us starry-eyed, in love, and married off as quickly as possible, so he can be more thana duke in name only, as he puts it.” With her hand still on the door latch, Merry waved for Fortuity to follow. “Come along. Serendipity might not fight on your side, but the rest of us will. We swore an oath last night.”
Fortuity could just envision her four younger sisters joining hands and giving a hearty war cry, as they had often done as children when waging pretend wars against Chance and his chums at their country estate. Even though they weregirls, Mama and Papa had indulged their every interest and imagination, never once limiting them to only subjects proper for young ladies.
“I might as well come down.” She eyed the crumpled balls of paper scattered across the floor. “I am doing no good at all up here.”
Merry looped her arm through hers and tugged her out into the hallway. “Blessing had a word with us last night.”
Fortuity cut a leery glance at her youngest sister. “Your tone concerns me.”
“She confirmed what the rest of us already knew. We are not young, oblivious things anymore, you know.”
“Oh, I know,” Fortuity said, trying not to smile. “Why, you yourself are the ripe old age of ten and seven now.”
Merry lightly pinched her. “We know you love him.”
Fortuity swallowed hard before assuming as bored an expression as possible. “Love whom?”
Merry arched a feathery brow and stared at her, waiting for the truth as Mama used to do when one of them had been caught in a lie.
“I love my writing,” Fortuity said, but it came out weaker than she intended. She cleared her throat. “Matthew and I are friends, as he is friends with all of us.”
“He didn’t dance withall of uslast night. Only you. Twice.”
