Of course, it didn’t explain everything.
Why not marry Larilane, then?
Why not acknowledge Elizabeth as her daughter and the daughter of the duke? Indeed, if the man was locked away, why not be a duchess?
But another voice broke in. “Because she’s already married!” It was Caroline Bingley with a plate of finger sandwiches cut in small triangles. She smiled as she pressed in between Elizabeth and Neithern. She spoke to Neithern but addressed Elizabeth. “I must say, I leave Eliza here alone for five minutes, and she’s getting another marriage proposal. I think she may be a secret siren.”
Neithern’s voice was hoarse. “What did you hear, Miss Bingley?”
“I heard that you are already in love with Miss Bennet,” said Caroline. “But you should know, she is Mrs. Fitzwilliam, only it’s a secret. Don’t tell anyone.”
“A secret marriage,” said Neithern, glancing over Caroline’s head at Elizabeth. But she could see that he didn’t believe it, that he knew that her reaction had not been about that.
“I am secretly married,” said Elizabeth. “But I told you that in confidence, Caroline.”
“Well, I’m sure His Grace will not carry tales!” said Caroline, very merry.
“I shall not,” said the duke.
“At any rate,” said Elizabeth, “I am certain you are a bit too young to be considering marriage yet, Your Grace.” After all, he would have to be at least a year younger than she if the duke had remarried and gotten another child on another woman. Of course… how had he done that when he was locked away in a tower? “You must be what? Nineteen?”
“Twenty,” said Neithern. “Yes, I suppose I have some time to consider such things. I could wait another ten or twelve years before I find my duchess.”
He was the same age as she was?
She did not know what to make of that. She considered it as Caroline began to prattle on.
“Your Grace, do try this.” Caroline shoved the plate at the duke.
“Oh, Miss Bingley, really, I could not eat from your plate.”
“I am desirous of your opinion of it, however,” said Caroline, taking a large bite of one of the sandwiches and chewing.
He picked one up and took a bite. “Terrible,” he pronounced, setting the sandwich down on the plate.
Caroline looked down at the other half of the sandwich she had in her hand.
“Do you agree, Miss Bingley?” prompted the duke. “Am I quite entirely correct?”
Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. “Your Grace has seen that I have been eating them, even now, so I must have been enjoying them.”
“Ah, yes, so you have your own opinions on things, is that it? Wonders never cease,” said the duke. He took a step away. “If you’ll excuse me, I think the bowls game may be resuming, and I am going to offer to take someone’s place. Good afternoon to you both.”
Caroline glared into his wake. “I think he did like the sandwich.”
Elizabeth would have found all of that amusing, but she had to admit, she was still trying to understand what she’d just discovered from Neithern.
Caroline rounded on her. “What did you say to him to make him fall in love with you so quickly?”
“He is not in love with me,” said Elizabeth.
“Men seem to fall in love with you and your sister at the drop of a hat,” said Caroline, shaking her head. “Men do not fall in love with me so easily.”
“He was not in love with me,” Elizabeth repeated, nearly sulkily. She was thinking about that stupid idea that she was half-fae. She was not, anyway. Mrs. Exley had mistaken Larilane for a fey prince, and he had been a French vicomte and not even Elizabeth’s father.
Caroline put her hands on her hips. “And now he’s talking to Miss Darcy, isn’t he?”
“The Duke of Neithern is?” said Elizabeth, peering in the direction that Caroline was looking.
