Diana stood frozen, her heart racing in her chest. She hardly knew what she was feeling, the whirlwind of emotions swirling within her was so strong. How dare he speak to her like that? A wave of anger swept over her, but she felt a pang of embarrassment too. Was he right? Was she really so uptight? Perhaps that was why she was doomed to be spinster forever.
She pushed the thought out of her mind. She would not let him upset her, she was determined. The most important thing was for her to protect Grace, and not allow her to get swept up in the earl’s intrigues.
But he had unsettled her and she did not like it. The way he looked at her, and that flush in her cheeks that seemed to beinevitable every time their eyes met. The whole situation was infuriating.
She took a deep breath and began to walk after them. She could not allow her sister to be alone with that man, not even for a moment. There was too much at stake.
CHAPTER 4
Grace was perched on the edge of her seat in the drawing room, and Diana could almost see the excitement bubbling out of her like a fountain. They had returned home from their excursion to the park half an hour ago, and Grace had barely stopped talking about the Earl of Silvermere. His flowers were now in pride of place on the table in the middle of the room, the offerings from all the other suitors forgotten and abandoned.
“Did you see how he was looking at me when we were standing by the lake?” Grace gushed. “He is extremely handsome, don’t you think?”
Diana thought for a moment, realizing to her shame that she could not answer that question truthfully to her sister; how could she admit that she, too, found the earl handsome, almost too handsome for words? Instead, she spoke carefully. “There are more important things in a gentleman than being handsome, though. Surely you must understand that?”
Grace let out an exasperated sigh. “What more do you expect? He is an earl! He is well-connected, rich, and charming, and I enjoy his company. I am not sure what you think is missing?”
Diana looked pensively out of the window, her brow furrowed in thought. She was going to have to spell things out very clearly for Grace, she could see. It was going to be rather awkward, but she could not allow her sister to continue with this false image of the earl in her mind. Charming as the earl was, Diana knew that she could not allow Grace to romanticize a man who the whole of the ton know full well was nothing but a rake.
“Grace, have you not heard the gossip about him?” Diana said softly. “I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but he has a very bad reputation. So much so that I did not want to allow you to be alone with him for even a single minute today.”
“But he did nothing improper,” Grace insisted.
Perhaps he did nothing improper your presence,Diana thought. Of course she would never tell Grace the words that had passed between herself and the earl that day, but his behavior had told her all she needed to know; he was not a man to be trusted.
“That is not the point,” Diana said. “You would not be so quick to fall for him if you knew the truth.”
Grace folded her arms and glared at Diana, her innate stubbornness coming to the surface. Diana had known that she would respond like this, and she was prepared for it. “I knew thatyou would not like what I had to say about him,” she went on, “but all that glitters is not gold, as you well know. He may seem like the perfect gentleman, but I have heard awful things about his dalliances, and his reckless behavior.”
“I do not believe it,” Grace said firmly. “I don’t care about rumors. How can you possibly know that they are true?”
“Lady Bretherton told me a shocking story only the other day about something that happened while the earl was traveling in France,” Diana began, but Grace would not allow her to finish.
“How can you know that she and others like her are not just jealous, or wanting to destroy his reputation to make their own sons look better? If they destroy his reputation, then there will be less competition for their own precious boys. No, I will not believe it, I am convinced that it is all done out of spite. Towards me, the earl has been perfectly charming.”
Diana scoffed. Her sister was behaving decidedly oddly when it came to the earl; she had never known her to be like this about a gentlemen before. “Charm itself! Of course he is charming, Grace. Please, do not be so naïve. He has enough charm to bring the birds down from the trees, and to convince any lady that he is a decent man. But the truth is somewhat different, and from what I have been led to believe, there are some ladies who have suffered the consequences most gravely.”
“I do not accept it,” Grace insisted. “He treated me with perfect kindness and chivalry. I am looking forward to seeing him again.He makes me feel alive, as if there is something more to hope for in this world than the boring monotony of everyday life!”
Grace’s eyes sparkled as she spoke of him, and Diana knew that it was time to lay down the gauntlet. She could not allow this to go on any longer, particularly given how dramatically her sister was behaving.
“You will not be seeing him again, Grace,” Diana said in a low voice. “I forbid it.”
“You cannot forbid me, you are not my mother!” Grace cried, her voice rising in defiance. “And you were the one who said that I should make more of an effort. It seems that I cannot win, whatever I do!”
“I am only trying to protect you,” Diana replied, trying to keep calm despite the impact of Grace’s words, which cut through her heart like a knife. Did her sister not realize how much she had sacrificed for her already? And now she would not even trust her to know what was best for her, in this the most important of all decisions that a young lady could make. She wished for a moment that their mother was still with them, and she could guide them both through these difficulties. But such wishes were pointless, Diana knew, and she tried to dismiss them from her thoughts.
“I won’t give up!” Grace said, jumping up from her chair and running to the window, wringing her hands. “I don’t understand why you think you can tell me what to do, I am not a child! Whywon’t you believe that I am capable of deciding for myself what will make me happy?”
“You are being ever so dramatic, Grace, there is no need for it,” Diana said, her voice steady again. “He would not make you happy. I am sure of it. And he will move onto someone else in the blink of an eye when he realizes that he will get nowhere with you. There are many other gentlemen out there who are much more worthy of you. You should be focusing your attention on them.”
“What do you know of what makes me happy?” Grace wailed.
Diana stared at her sister, who was now looking out of the window, with her back to her. She did not know what to say next. But she was sure of her decision, and confident that it was the best thing for her sister. The earl was an entirely unsuitable match, and she had witnessed with her own eyes exactly why that was the case, just an hour before. The thought of the earl standing close to her and whispering in her ear made a shiver run through her body. Why was that pernicious man still so present in her thoughts? It was most infuriating.
Before either of the sisters could say anymore to continue their argument, their father, Jerome, entered the room.
“What is this commotion?” he asked. “I am trying to read, and I cannot concentrate with all this shouting going on!” He looked between his daughters with a bemused expression and ran a hand through his greying hair. “I was already feeling irritated, as Bingham has forgotten to tell the groom to get the horses readyfor me this morning so I shall be delayed going out, and now I have to listen to all this hubbub! Really, it is not to be borne.”
