“Yes,” Dorothy said.
“Your turn,” Gerard said.
Bridget reluctantly met his gaze, inwardly wincing at howhappyhe looked. A small, ugly part of Bridget—one which she did not ever wish to acknowledge—thought that it was unfair, like some cruel joke, that her sister had sworn never to wed and yet had found her perfect love-match. And Bridget, who had always longed for love, had been disgracedtwice.
“This is bad,” she said.
“For now,” Dorothy agreed. “But we will manage. This will not be the first storm that either of our families have weathered.”
“No,” she said tightly. “I caused the last one, too.”
Bridget gripped great handfuls of her wet, dripping skirts and hauled herself into the coach, purposefully ignoring her brother-in-law’s waiting hand. Gerard still hovered, though, like he feared she might fall again.
Bridget settled sullenly on the seat beside her sister, while Gerard positioned himself across from them. Her thoughts turned to the handsome Duke of Wheelton. Why couldn’t the man have just been a charming rescuer?
The coachman shut the door.
“Nothing you say will make me feel better,” Bridget said. “This is a disaster.”
Bridget roughly rubbed her hands against her eyes, forcing away the accursed tears. A small part of her wondered if she would prefer that Gerard or Dorothy yell at her and tell her how badly she had ruined herself.
But that was hard. The first scandal had been her own; she had made her peace with that.
The second scandal was all because of Lady Susan, though. It seemed grossly unjust that Bridget was being asked to suffer the consequences for it. And worse?—
She had been so close to being the heroine in a fairy tale, rescued by a dashing knight in shining armor, but then, the Duke of Wheelton had just opened his mouth and ruined everything.
CHAPTER 3
“Ithink that you are being a little dramatic,” Gerard said, gesturing with a half-filled glass of brandy. “We are not in a Shakespearean drama, Reeds.”
“Overreacting?” Elias, Duke of Reeds, asked incredulously. “Are you certain that is yourfirstglass of brandy? This is a rather serious matter!”
Bridget, dressed in a clean gown, lingered uncomfortably at the doorway of the parlor. By the time they had reached Gerard’s townhouse, she had nearly managed to collect herself.
Then, Gerard’s butler had informed them that Elias, Bridget’s elder brother, had arrived a week earlier than anticipated. Worse, he had decided to wait for his siblings to return from their promenade. Doubtlessly, he had anticipated a joyous meeting with Bridget and Dorothy.
Bridget had gone to her bedchamber to dress in something that was not filled with lake water, while Gerard had promised to gently inform Elias of what had happened.
Evidently, either Gerard did not know the meaning of the wordgentlyor the situation was just as bad as Bridget had thought it was. Bridget cleared her throat, and three pairs of eyes snapped to her.
Elias and Dorothy sat on the settee together, while Gerard occupied the only other chair in the room. With a sigh, Bridget settled herself beside Dorothy, leaving her in the middle. She was like a wall, protecting Bridget from her brother’s frustration.
“This is terrible,” Elias said, springing to his feet.
So much for Bridget’s plan to hide behind Dorothy.
“I rather thinkyoucould do with some brandy,” Gerard said dryly. “It is bad. I do not deny that. However, it is not?—”
“It is more than bad!” Elias snapped. “Already, Bridget was in a precarious position. Now, her position will be unsalvageable!”
Bridget bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep herself from crying again.Unsalvageable. Her optimistic brother believed that she wasunsalvageable.
“Reeds, you have a title and wealth,” Gerard said. “Both Catherine and Dorothy have married well. Someone will bewilling to marry Bridget, even if she has seen a couple of scandals.”
“We do not know that,” Elias said. “Would you marry a woman who had endured two scandals?”
Bridget winced. An urge to flee rose within her, but she forced herself to remain seated. Dorothy squeezed her hand. “There is no need to be so harsh,” she said soothingly.
