Even when she had not appreciated it. Even when Bridget had been determined to forge her own path, casting aside all the care that her sister fought to encourage inside her.
“I wish I had done better at protecting you,” Dorothy said softly. “If I had been more vigilant, you might have never been involved in a scandal. I was distracted.”
Bridget’s demeanor softened as guilt twinged in her chest. “You were falling in love,” she said. “Anyone would be distracted, and I certainly do not blame you for that. Besides, I made my own decisions. I knew what the consequences of them might be.”
“That does not mean you were prepared for them,” Dorothy said.
“Maybe not,” Bridget conceded. “But you ought not blame yourself for what happened to me. There is only one person who deserves the blame.”
Dorothy looked as though she wanted to argue. Perhaps she intended on casting blame upon the rake who had so cruelly abandoned Bridget. Before her sister could protest, Bridget set aside her tea and shook her head.
“Me,” Bridget said. “I authored my own destruction.”
And she was determined to write a fitting ending for herself, too.
CHAPTER 13
Lewis kept his shoulders rolled back and his head high as he entered the drawing room. Lady Bridget rose to greet him, her smile brittle. “I was not expecting you, Your Grace.”
“I know.”
He bowed cordially to her, and she fixed him with an unimpressed look. Still, the young lady refused to be cowed by him, which was equal parts infuriating and compelling.
His gaze snapped to the parlor maid, who stood against the wall acting as their silent chaperone. It was good luck that Elias had been away. Lewis had no desire to encounter Lady Bridget’s meddling, protective brother. How much did he dare say before the parlor maid, who was doubtlessly listening regardless of how much indifference she feigned?
“A wife should be prepared to attend to her husband’s needs at any moment,” Lewis said. “And without warning.”
Lady Bridget’s lips thinned. “I would imagine that a proper husband would, nonetheless, have the decency to make his intentions known beforehand. He would not simply interrupt his wife’s day, knowing that she might have many other obligations besides entertaining him.”
Lewis gazed about the room with deliberate slowness. An abandoned book nearby was the only indication of what Lady Bridget had been doing beforehand. He could not read the title from where he stood, but he had no doubt that it was some frivolous novel. Lewis liked reading well enough, but not the kind of literature that he suspected Lady Bridget favored. “Oh, yes,” he said. “I can see that you have so many pressing matters to tend to.”
“That is not the point,” Lady Bridget said, petulantly seating herself on the sofa. “I might have had other matters to attend to. You did not know that before coming to see me. It is not even during the time a lady normally accepts calls.”
“A husband does not have to follow such conventions.”
“You are not my husband.”
Lewis’s lips curled in a satisfied smirk. “Yet,” he said. “What choice do you have otherwise?”
“It is still possible that you will decide I am unworthy of your hand,” Lady Bridget said, eyes flashing with defiance.
“You are proving entirely satisfactory so far, despite your attempts to persuade me that you are not,” he said.
Lewis sat across from her, noting how Lady Bridget’s nose wrinkled and her eyes darted about, as if she sought to escape him. That was hardly wifely behavior, but he supposed it was what he could expect. After all, the real lessons would come after they were married. She was right on one account, which was that he could only teach her so much before they were wed. The lady’s brother was certain to interfere if he knew even a small part of what Lewis was thinking.
“Perhaps you should leave me,” Lady Bridget said dryly. “I can continue beingsatisfactorywithout your presence.”
“I have no desire to leave, my lady,” he said. “At least, not until I have delivered my news.”
Lady Bridget arched an eyebrow. “And what might that be?”
“I think it is best that we attend a ball together. It will provide us with the opportunity to announce our engagement to theton,” Lewis said. “It will silence some of the wagging tongues.”
Besides, it was the proper thing to do, which meant the least frustrating one. Elias was not especially fond of societal rules, as he had told Lady Bridget about her kiss, but he understoodthe importance of such conventions. There were times when it was important to be a little improper, but those times were to be carefully calculated and chosen. A reputation was, after all, as valuable as a fortune or title.
“I regret to inform you that I have been invited to no balls,” Lady Bridget said, taking her book in hand and opening it, as though she meant to ignore him.
“I assumed that your name would not grace many guest lists. Fortunately, I have remedied the situation,” Lewis said. “Lord Ashdown has agreed to allow you to attend his ball as a personal favor to me.”
