“What does that matter? The engagement ended, and we did not marry. Thus, he has no right to interfere with my life.”
Thalia breathed a deep sigh of relief. She could admit now that she was safely closeted in the carriage that she was exceedingly grateful to the Duke for intervening in the alleyway.
But his rescue and his behavior afterward were entirely different matters; he had saved them in a moment of crisis, and sheconsidered herself fortunate that he had come along. Still, he could not then dictate the things she could and could not do.
“Will he tell your father?” Elliot asked, no doubt bracing himself for the storm such a revelation would provoke.
Thalia attempted to consider the matter from a rational perspective. The Duke had been intervening, yes, but he had not threatened her with her father’s action, which led her to surmise he would not.
“No,” she said thoughtfully. “He is cold and can perhaps be cruel in his dealings, but he is a man of his word.”
After all, and she could not forget this, he had ended the engagement when she had asked him to and kept his promise not to betray her hand in the matter.
“But…” she said firmly, “I doubt he is in London for any great period of time, so I will not have to deal with him again.”
CHAPTER 2
“Remember,” her father said as he led her through Vauxhall Gardens, her arm trapped against his body in a vice-like grip, “you must smile. Engage the gentlemen in conversation. Dance with them.”
Two days later, Thalia had successfully forgotten about her run-in with the Duke. And that was largely because of her father’s machinations and determination to see her married.
They approached their picnic, and Thalia saw at once that the group had largely split into the ladies, reclining on the picnic blankets, and a rambunctious group of young men, all with glasses in their hands. Despite the hot spring sunbathing them, they were already partaking of wine.
It would be a long afternoon.
“Come,” her father said, nearly dragging her along to the group of bachelors.
No doubt he intended to thrust her into their midst so they could all get a good look at her as though she were a piece of meat.
Fortunately, their host, Lady Campbell, approached with a smile on her face, and her father was obliged to stop.
“Lord Gilford,” Lady Campbell said. “I am delighted you could make it. And what a lovely day it is.”
As her father made the obligatory small talk, Thalia spotted her closest friend and cousin, Anna Fitzroy, the Marchioness of Bloomsby. She widened her eyes, indicating she would like to be saved, and Anna rose to the occasion with aplomb.
“Lady Thalia!” she said, descending on them in a rustle of skirts and a wave of perfume. She was a tall lady, and although she was only twenty years old, she knew how to make an entrance. “How wonderful to see you! Uncle.” She curtsied to Thalia’s father, who blustered a little in greeting. “I must steal your lovely daughter. It has been too long.”
So saying, she took Thalia’s arm and immediately led her away.
“Thank you,” Thalia muttered. “He was about to feed me to the sharks.”
Anna gave the group of young gentlemen a dismissive glance. “You can do far better, darling.”
“I know that, if I were inclined to marry, but my father is determined to get me out of the house one way or the other.”
“Odious man.” Anna patted her hand and led her to the shade of a nearby tree.
At night, Vauxhall Gardens became a place of danger and splendor all at once, but by day, it seemed perfectly ordinary. A river ran through the beautiful gardens, and hedges and pathways intersected the grassy lawns.
“Did you find Calloway?” Anna then asked.
“Two nights ago. He owed money. I paid them off his debts, but…”
She went on describing the events of the evening, including when the Duke of Marrowhurst had saved them.
Anna’s eyes widened. “He’s back in London?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t particularly care. If I had to guess, I imagine he was away for business, but he’s returned now. I hope I won’t have to see him again.”
