On any other day, they would never waste so much time speaking to her. Even though she was a Montrose in name, it was known in the community that she did not have the same noble upbringing. To them, she was beneath them in society at best.
Their changed behavior proved only one thing.
It was working.
She hoped that this would be the end of the questioning, but then another lady spoke up.
“Strange that no one has seen the duke in months now,” Lady Penrose said. “How convenient that he chooses now to emerge.Isn’t that just so strange?”
All eyes turned to Rachel, burning with curiosity. Rachel’s pulse quickened, but she was not going to let this ruin the impression she had spent so much effort in making.
“The duke indeed appears rather elusive to those who do not know him,” she replied, “but does his preference for privacy mean that he should not find love?”
Lady Penrose’s thin lips pressed into a line, but she let the matter go. There were a few murmurs of agreement. Rachel felt relieved.
But just as she was about to gloat further, she felt herself being pulled backward.
“Excuse us, ladies,” Marina said quickly, pulling at her sister’s hand. “I have to discuss something quite urgent with my sister.”
Rachel smiled politely at the ladies before being dragged away.
“I was in the middle of something,” she tried to say, but Marina did not let her go until she was brought out to the terrace, a place where they finally had the privacy to speak without the fear of being heard by gossip-seeking guests.
“Rachel, whatexactlyare you doing tonight?” Marina hissed, rounding on her. Rachel had never seen her sister so angry before.
“My darling sister, you need to relax. Frowning like this will give you wrinkles around your face,” Rachel grinned, amused. “Maybe I can fetch you a drink of water, or perhaps you should sit down.”
Marina glared at her sister.
“What?” Rachel asked. “Why are you so angry with me?”
“Don’t act as if you are oblivious. Youknowexactly what I am talking about.”
Rachel shrugged her shoulders. “I am not sure if I do. Is it something I said?”
No matter how old she got, it was always just sofunto tease her little sister like this, for it was so easy to rile her up.
“I just heard Lady Haversham and half the room whispering that you’re engaged to the Duke of Everly!Whaton earth is this about? Surely, this is not true.”
“It has to be true,” Rachel joked. “Why else would they be talking about it?”
Rachel had never been impressed by the ladies of society and their gossip. To her, it appeared that it was almost too easy to get their attention. They loved to discuss the lives of others, and Rachel had learnt that fact alone could be beneficial to her favor.
One must play the game, or be played by it. It was something that Rachel had learnt the hard way.
“Because you told them!” Marina’s voice rose despite her attempt to keep it quiet. She glanced nervously over her shoulder before stepping closer to Rachel. “So either you have been meeting the duke in secret, which I doubt, as I know about your whereabouts at any given moment, or you’ve been lying to everyone.”
To that, Rachel gave her sister a wink as if to say, ‘Oh, you caught me.’
“Whywould you do something so reckless?” came the reply, bursting with frustration.
“Why don’t you try and answer that for me, love?” Rachel replied, smirking.
“Rachel, please,” Marina snapped. “I have no time for your games at the moment. Youmusttell me the truth this instant.”
“You’re no fun,” Rachel sighed, finally surrendering. “And if you reallymustdemand an answer from me, well then, it is quite obvious. Dear sister, it works.”
Marina stared at her, mouth slightly agape. “It works? What could be worth risking the wrath of the ton, the wrath of our father, the embarrassment of it all, and—heaven forbid—the duke himself hearing about this? Youdorealise the sheer magnitude of your lie, right?”
