“Why wait until another ball when we can simply ask Lady Augusta and Lady Nancy to join us for a promenade at Hyde Park. I am quite tired of being in the company of droll old men as I’m sure that you are,” Matthew suggested.
Benedict said nothing although he very much liked the idea of having to spend another evening with Lady Augusta. His lips spread into a smile he was unable to stop in time for his friend to see.
There was something about Lady Augusta that appealed to him. Perhaps it was how easily he could rile her up whenever he was in her presence. Or maybe it was the fact that always seemed to say things as they were, never bothering with the charade ladies of the ton often did whenever they were in the presence of gentlemen.
She was altogether refreshing, like a breath of fresh air in his otherwise boring life.
“I believe that is a splendid idea. I will have a note sent to the ladies at once,” he said, already imagining what another moment in Lady Augusta’s presence would be like.
CHAPTER16
“Are you quite all right, Benedict? You do not appear to be yourself.”
Benedict looked up to see his sister, Letitia, standing with her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes filled with concern. She hurried towards him, taking his hand in hers.
“Did you hear me, Benedict? Did something happen?” she asked again.
“Do not worry about me, Letitia. I only just shared a few drinks with Matthew after my meeting. It’s nothing to worry about. I did not realize that I’d had more than two glasses,” he said, speaking more than he usually would.
He exhaled deeply and Letitia pulled away from him, a finger to her nostrils as she looked up at her from the little distance she put between them.
“You are quite right. Your breath reeks of alcohol,” she said, her gaze chastising. “You should go up to your room and have a rest. Do you need any help getting there or are you quite capable of getting there on your own?”
“I’m fine, Letitia. You need not worry about me,” he said, smiling at her.
She sighed before turning away to walk off in the direction from which she had come. Benedict remained where he was until she had completely disappeared from his sight. He trudged up the stairs, his head aching from the numerous glasses of alcohol slushing in his stomach.
He felt a dizzy spell hit as he took the last step into the hallway. Perhaps he should listen to her and sleep off the dizziness he was feeling.
Instead of heading in the direction of the bedroom, he walked the short distance to his study instead, staggering as he went. He pulled the chair out, taking a seat behind his desk.
His hand hovered over the paper as he considered what to write to her.
Dear Lady Augusta,
I wish to invite you and the lovely Lady Nancy on a promenade around Hyde Park with Lord Baker and I on the morrow.
The Duke of Wenstrall.
He read the letter over and over. It was simple like he’d intended for it to be. He folded it up, placing it on the platter. He reached for the bell beside him to ring for his butler but thought better of it.
Perhaps it was best not to send the letter to her after all. Somewhere along the lines, he was not quite sure where, he had begun to blur the line between the silly bet that this was and the courtship that everyone else thought it to be.
He had not planned to drink as much as he had but it had been so difficult to escape the thoughts of her that plagued his mind, it was all he could do not to continue to think of her.
Matthew had been fascinated by his sudden interest in the bottle but had asked him no questions, choosing instead to join him.
Does he think I was drinking because of Juliet?
No one, save him, knew how little thoughts of Juliet roamed his mind. He knew that they wished it would be so but they did not realize how quickly their wish had come through. Although he blamed that on himself rather anyone else.
Benedict had never been one to open up about his feelings to anyone. He had wondered if that was why Juliet had been so quick to leave him. Did she wish he was more open? He could not pretend to be who he wasn’t.
Is that what she expects of me too?His thoughts, much like it often did, wandered to Augusta.
He wanted to know everything about her, what she was thinking when she stared out into the lake. What was she thinking when she looked at him? Did she judge him like everyone else? Somehow, he doubted that.
He stared at the letter, suddenly regretting ever writing it. Although she was different from all that he’d ever known, he didn’t think he had it left in him to find out just how much.
