“You’re right. I should have…I don’t know. I should have said something to you, I suppose. If you really don’t want to see these dates through…I can talk to Seth. I can have Seth talk to Allan. Perhaps we can find a way out of it for you.”
It was all Edwina wanted. She ached to take her sister up on the offer.
But a part of her resisted.
It was the stubborn part of her buried deep within that hated the idea of not rising to a challenge. She felt that the Duke of Harbeck had issued her a dare of sorts by claiming that he wouldmakeher fall for him, that she wouldn’t be able to resist. She felt the need to prove that she could, in fact, resist him. If she walked away now, it would be like admitting defeat, and that was the last thing Edwina wanted to do.
It was her father who spoke. “You can’t cancel the dates,” he said firmly. “Edwina should do this. There’s every possibility that the Duke will do what he said, you know, and make you fall for him, Edwina. And then you would be a duchess, just as your sister is.” He beamed. “I can’t think of anything better for my two daughters.”
Edwina couldn’t think of anything worse. She knew that Lavinia was happy with her life, and she was glad for her sister’s happiness, but she herself was not going to find happiness in the same way. That wasn’t what was right for her.
And it certainly wasn’t going to happen with the Duke of Harbeck, of all the miserable people.
She allowed her father to have his opinion and didn’t argue because she didn’t want the dates to be canceled. She wasn’t going to enjoy them in the way her sister thought she should, but in her own way, she would have a good time. Each date she returned from having not fallen victim to the Duke’s charms would be a victory, something she could hold on to. Something that would show the gentlemen of the ton—all these new suitors she had lately—that they were wrong to try, wrong to hope. Even the most dashing and charming gentlemen of the bunch wouldn’t get anywhere with her, and the rest of them would see that they ought to give it up.
And she would finally have some peace.
“I don’t mind going on the dates,” she decided. “He’ll discover for himself that he’s wasting his time with me—that it’s never going to amount to anything.”
“I expect you to give him a chance, Edwina,” her father said.
“No,” Matthew countered. “She shouldn’t. He’s not good for her.”
Edwina ignored them both. “Excuse me,” she said, rising from the table. “I think I’m finished eating.”
“Edwina,” Matthew objected, “we’re not done talking about this.”
But Edwina was finished hearing about it. She didn’t let them call her back. Instead, she strode from the room and hurried up the steps leading to her bedroom.
Once there, with the door closed behind her, she settled down on her bed, laid back, and closed her eyes.
This was going to be exceedingly difficult. She wasn’t looking forward to it at all.
But the idea of defying the arrogant Duke of Harbeck—well, that was appealing. She did want to prove to him that he had been wrong to think he could get her attention and favor so easily. He could try as hard as he wanted to, but it wasnevergoing to happen—and, in fact, he might end up looking foolish for trying.She knew the Duke wasn’t accustomed to rejection. He was used to being able to charm his way into getting anything and everything he wanted.
Will I be the first lady to ever resist him?
There was something wonderful about that idea. It would be something to be proud of, she thought, resisting where so many other ladies had succumbed. Especially now that she had experienced how alluring he could be for herself. And when it was done, the suitors would stop, and she would finally be free—free to live the life she wanted without having to spend time fending off the advances of unwanted men.
It sounded like a dream come true.
And all she had to do to make it possible was to get through five dates. She could do that. Five dates were nothing at all. She would manage it easily.
There was a knock at her door.
Edwina didn’t particularly want to see any of the members of her family, but she also didn’t want to remain on bad terms with them, and she knew they weren’t happy with her after the way dinner had gone tonight. She went to the door and opened it.
There stood Lavinia. She was holding a cup in her hands. “Hot chocolate,” she explained.
Edwina couldn’t resist that. She stood back and allowed her sister to enter.
It was an old ritual of theirs. Whenever something unpleasant had happened in their childhood, one of them would come to the other’s room with a cup of hot chocolate. This was Lavinia’s way of saying that she hoped things were all right between the two of them. And though Edwina was still frustrated by the situation, she knew that there might be benefits to it—not the benefits her sister had wanted, to be sure, but benefits, nonetheless.
And she could never be angry with Lavinia. It was a wild idea her sister had had, but it stemmed from a place of kindness.
She accepted the cup and took a sip. It was piping hot. Lavinia had done a good job as always.
“Iamsorry, you know,” Lavinia said. “Truly, I did think that it would be for the best.”
