She shuffled the cards, showing off a considerable dexterity, and the game began again.
“Perhaps I have something to learn from you, Lady Diana,” the dowager said, her tone more amiable now. “But really, we ought to ask Tristan to join us. He is an absolute menace at the card table.”
Diana felt her cheeks warming a little at the mention of his name. “I am sure he is a very good player, My Lady.”
“Do you know my grandson well?” the dowager said, eyeing Diana curiously.
Diana shook her head. “I met him for the first time several years ago, but I have not seen him at all in the intervening time period. Lately, though…” She trailed off, unsure how to explain the events of the last couple of weeks.
“I gather that you were all at the theatre together,” the dowager commented. Still, she looked at Diana with that penetrating gaze, as if she were trying to read her thoughts.
“Indeed,” Diana replied. “I was not expecting to see him there, but he seemed glad to see my sister.” She paused. “I think that the earl is rather fond of an audience himself, though. He likes to captivate.”
The dowager chuckled. “It sounds to me as if you have got the measure of him. But tell me, what do you really think about him?”
Diana took a deep breath. What did she have to lose? And truthfully, she was curious to know what the older lady would say, if she really did speak her mind.
“People tell me that he is a rake,” Diana said bluntly. “And I am sure you can imagine that makes me rather cautious about the attentions he seems to be paying towards my sister.”
The dowager laughed, a sound that was surprisingly warm and inviting. “There are few people who really understand him, Lady Diana. Many find him insufferable, but I think if you gave him a chance, you would realize that there’s more to him than meets the eye.”
“Perhaps,” Diana mused. “But I suspect he enjoys the game of being misunderstood.”
“There are not many people who understand how he thinks,” the dowager went on. “And that is the key to really knowing him, I believe.”
Diana pondered the dowager’s words as the game progressed. Could it really be true that there were hidden depths to the earl? She had assumed that he was simply a rake, addicted to the thrill of attention and flattery from young ladies, but perhaps she had been wrong?
She glanced across the room to check on Grace, and saw that Tristan had reappeared and was now sitting with Grace and Cecilia. She felt her heart sink a little. He seemed determined to win her sister over. She would have to redouble her efforts to intervene, despite the hidden depths that the earl appeared to have. Even so, she knew he was not a suitable match for Grace, and she could not allow herself to lose control of the situation. There was too much at stake.
The next round of the game came to an end, the dowager having been victorious this time.
“Let us have a glass of something, then play a final round,” the dowager announced. She signaled to a footman to bring them some refreshment, then cast an eye over Diana’s person as she sat opposite her.
“I hope that you will forgive me for saying so, Lady Diana,” she said, a twinkle of mischief in her eye again. “But your choice of dress is quite…unique.”
Diana flushed. She knew that her taste in gowns was a little old-fashioned, and the dowager was not the first to comment on it. She always felt a little out of place at events like this, in comparison to other young ladies who seemed to have such poise, and to carry off the latest fashions so naturally. But the truth of it was that even if she had wanted to buy herself some new gowns, all the money that was available for such things had been spend on Grace’s wardrobe. There was nothing left for Diana.
“You are not the first to have made such a comment,” Diana replied, unsure what else she could say in response to the dowager’s remark.
“One would think your mother would have arranged for something a bit more fashionable,” the dowager said. There was a hint of kindness in her voice now, and Diana thought that perhaps she did mean to be helpful, rather than critical.
Diana’s heart tightened at the mention of her mother. The pain of her loss was still raw. “My mother passed away three years ago, My Lady ,” Diana replied, her voice steady. “I do believe, thought, she would have preferred I wear something that suited me rather than what society deems fashionable.”
A flicker of surprise crossed the dowager’s, quickly replaced by a hint of remorse. “I…I did not know,” she stammered, her bravado faltering. “I am sorry, truly.”
Diana’s expression softened slightly. “It is quite all right. Many forget that my mother is no longer with us. Perhaps that is why I am so protective over my sister.”
The dowager nodded. “I quite understand. Please forgive me for my comments.”
Diana smiled. “It is already forgotten.”
The footman returned with glasses of sherry for the ladies. Diana took hers gratefully, enjoying the first sip. The evening had been rather eventful so far, and she sensed that it was not quite over yet.
The dowager took up the deck of cards again. “Let us play another round,” she declared. “In fact, Lady Diana, I should like it if you would remain with me for the rest of the evening. I am enjoying your company, and I think we are a good match at this game.”
“I should like that very much,” Diana replied, and she felt the truth of the words as she spoke them. The older lady had clearly begun the conversation with a view to antagonizing her, or testing her in some way, but Diana hade enjoyed their interactions in spite of it.
The evening progressed companionably, and when Diana finally returned to her room, much later, she felt that perhaps she would be able to navigate the complexities of the next few days after all. The game of cards had been more than just a diversion. It had given her a new sense of confidence. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but she felt equal to face them in her own way, no matter what happened.
