“Did he really? Or did he seem annoyed? It is hard to tell with his expressionless face sometimes,” she mumbled, loud enough for her maid to hear.
The maid looked nervous, so Nora simply waved her away as she said,
“I am sure that I would much rather stay here and finish this book. I’ll be just fine.”
Her maid left reluctantly and only when Nora was certain that she was gone did she exhale and push the book aside, giving herself a moment to think over the fact that the duke was still coming to see her often.
Nora had been avoiding him for the last few days, ever since she had overhead his discussion with a man at her brother’s house. No matter how much she thought about it, the accusations she had heard still made no sense whatsoever.
Godric really believed that her father was responsible for the murder of his parents. Why Gregory Wightman, of all people?
Nora had tossed and turned for nights on end because she still could not fathom the idea of her father being a murderer. She more than anyone else was aware of his flawed nature – his selfishness and carelessness and utter lack of responsibility – but the idea that someone truly believed that he was to blame for the death of two people was preposterous.
However… a part of her considered that although the thought was ridiculous, it was not by any means impossible.
Her father was mostly an absent parent because he only cared about his heir – and Cecil, in turn, did not award him with any grace for practically abandoning his sisters to handle their affairs and upbringing. And as such, Nora was in no way close to him. At some point she had believed that she wanted his approval, but eventually, her failed engagement seemed to have driven him further away. It made her realize that there wasnever going to be anyone as important to Gregory Wightman as himself.
So, she focused on finding a husband to escape the dreary loneliness of her home, eager to leave her father to waste away the rest of his life. And now, she had discovered that someone out there intended to assist in the task – not in the best way.
Nora did not know what to do, who she could speak to about this discovery.
Even worse, she found herself devastated to learn that perhaps Godric’s hatred for her father was the reason why he had despised her when they first met. Still, she could not understand what they were now to each other, and it was clear that she needed to sort out her thoughts quickly.
Especially when she realized that an important ball to attend tonight.
Regardless of what she had felt about Godric, the discovery she made recently told her it was unwise to put all her eggs in one basket. Especially since the man who bore the brunt of her affections had not given her as much of a hint on whether or not her feelings were reciprocated.
Nora summoned all the courage and strength she had within her to prepare for the ball, her stomach churning nervously as she thought of facing the duke. She knew that she would see him there, but she had no idea what she would say to him or how she would go about avoiding him.
It did not help that he seemed to be waiting for her upon her arrival to the ball. Nora’s gaze met his and she quickly looked away, glancing around in search of a man who might be willing to dance with her.
Luck was on her side, because a few feet away stood an Earl who was friends with her brother and she quickly made her way to him.
“Lord Clarius! What a coincidence! I had told myself that I was hoping to see you tonight, because you promised me a dance at the beginning of spring.”
The man looked bewildered as she appeared by his side.
“Miss Nora – spring? That was four months ago.”
“No time like the present, Cecil always says. Shall we?” she asked hurriedly, glancing in the duke’s direction.
Lord Clarius was gracious enough not to abandon her, offering his arm to lead her to the dance floor.
Their conversation was dull, with their shared interest simply being Cecil and when the dance was over, both of them seemed eager to go their separate ways.
“Thank you, Lord Clarius,” Nora said earnestly, glancing around anxiously.
“It was my pleasure, Miss Nora. You are an excellent dancer. Cecil would be proud.” The earl smiled kindly.
“He should be. He taught me everything I know,” she admitted, not for the first time that day missing her brother immensely. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
The earl bid her farewell and as he was leaving, Nora saw someone approach her from the corner of her eye. A single glance in that direction confirmed her fear – the duke was coming towards her.
Quickly, Nora glanced around until she found another gentleman standing by himself. She wasted no time making her way over to him to invite him to dance with her.
This time, she could see Godric glaring at her from a corner of the ballroom, and she resolved to dance with as many men as it would take for him to leave her be.
Unfortunately, he was proving as stubborn as she was, simply lingering in a corner, never taking his eyes off her as she switched dance partners five more times. As the night wore on, Nora grew nervous and tired, not sure how much longer she could continue with this ploy.
