As the family gathered for breakfast, Diana could sense a palpable tension filling the air. Her father, oblivious to the emotional storm that was brewing within the heart of at least one of his daughters, chatted amiably to the other gentleman present about the success of the house party, while Grace sat across from Diana, her expression unreadable. The weight of unspoken words hung heavily in the space between them. Diana knew that they would have to speak soon about what would happen next, but not now. Not until they had left.
After the meal, the guests began to depart. Tristan stood in the hallway, bidding them all farewell as their possessions were loaded into their carriages. When Jerome and his daughters took their leave, Tristan smiled rather blandly at them all. He did not meet Diana’s eye, but he took Lady Grace’s hand and kissed it, then looked up at her. “I will write to you,” Diana heard him say. She forced herself to look away, to ignore what was going on in front of her very eyes. The pain was almost too much to bear, and she climbed into the carriage without allowing herself to look back.
They trundled off down the driveway and onto the road, and Diana felt a surge of relief overcoming her. It was over at last. And now they could get back to normal. At least, until Grace’s wedding. She realized, then, that there would be nothing normal about the next few weeks or months, in the lead up to the wedding. She would have to see Tristan all the time, as he and Grace spent more time together and planned their wedding. Shetook a breath and leaned back in her seat. She could bear it, she told herself. She would have to. She had no choice.
A little while later, their father had fallen asleep and was snoring softly in his seat. Diana turned to Grace, who she thought looked rather tired and pale.
“When are you and Lord Silvermere planning to make the announcement?” she asked, feeling a hint of trepidation as she did so. She was not sure that she wanted to know the answer, but the uncertainty was weighing on her mind and it was almost more than she could bear.
Grace looked up, her brow furrowed with confusion. “What announcement?”
“About your engagement, and the date of your wedding.” Diana paused, her heart pounding. “Because I need to tell you that I’ve made a decision. I will be leaving after your wedding.”
Grace’s eyes widened in shock, and she shook her head slowly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that as soon as you and Tristan are married, I will leave. Of course, I will not miss your wedding, but once you are his wife, I will go out into the world on my own. It is time, you know, that I did something decisive.”
Grace stared at her. “But where will you go, and what will you do?”
“I do not know yet, and it surely will not matter to you, as you will be settling into your new life. You will not miss me at all, I am sure of it.”
“Diana, I – ” Grace bit her lip and stared at Diana.
“What?” Diana said.
“There won’t be a wedding, Diana.”
“What do you mean there won’t be a wedding?” Diana asked, a sense of confusion taking over. “You and Tristan are perfect for one another. I thought that you had reached an agreement?”
“No, there is no agreement,” Grace said firmly. “We are not engaged. We are not right for each other at all.”
“Are you sure?” Diana said, incredulous. After everything that had happened, this was the last thing she was expecting.
“I am not in love with him,” Grace continued. “And at first I tried to convince myself that I was, but I can’t continue this charade any longer. And I won’t marry someone who I don’t love. I am sure that you would not want me to do that.”
Diana felt a rush of relief washing over her, mingled with concern for her sister. “Grace, I?—”
“I’m so sorry for causing all this trouble,” Grace interrupted, her voice trembling. “I was simply being stubborn, trying to prove to you that you were wrong about Tristan. I thought if I just tried hard enough, I could feel something for him. But I don’t.”
“What is it that you don’t like about him?” Diana asked, her curiosity piqued. She realized that she found it hard to imagine how any woman alive could not feel the way that she did about Tristan, but clearly her sister saw things differently.
Grace took a deep breath, her expression thoughtful. “He doesn’t pay enough attention to me sometimes. There are moments when I feel like I’m not even there, like he’s only thinking of himself. He never asks about my interests, what I like or dislike. Whenever I have tried to have a serious conversation with him, he just makes jokes and tries to flatter me, but I can tell that it is not real.”
Diana frowned, recalling her own experiences with Tristan. She realized that he had never been like that with her. He had often asked about her interests, her childhood, her dreams of travel. Whenever she was with him, she had always felt as if he was giving her his full attention, even when they were arguing. In fact, as the carriage took them further and further away from him, she realized that she missed him, even the bickering and the arguments.
But she could not say any of this to Grace.
“I want to marry a man who sees me for who I really am, who truly loves me,” Grace continued. “And I know that might seem silly and romantic, but I hope that you understand it.”
Diana nodded. “Of course I do. And I do not want you to marry him, not if you are sure that you really don’t want to. That is the last thing that I would want for you.”
Grace smiled a little awkwardly. “I did try, just to annoy you. But I could not keep it up, and I am sure that he feels the same, too. We did not speak of anything official between us, Diana, so please do not worry. There will not be the scandal of a broken engagement.”
“I would not care if there was!” Diana insisted. “The most important thing is that you are happy, and if you do not believe that you would be happy with him, then of course, you should not marry him.”
Grace let out a sigh of relief. “I am so pleased that you are not angry with me,” she said. “I have been so worried about telling you. I feel like I have cause so much trouble already.”
Diana reached across the table, taking her sister’s hand in hers. “You deserve to be happy, Grace. That is all I have ever wanted for you.”
