When he said nothing, his mother stood. She tilted her head to the side and gave him a sympathetic look, but said no more.
Peter rose once she slipped away and crossed the room so that he stood in front of a small writing desk.
What is this?
There was a single sheet of parchment, as well as a quill and an inkpot on the table. The paper would have been pristine, except for the smudge of bluish black ink on the corner. He pressed his thumb into the ink, then lifted it to his lips. He knew better than to stamp a thumbprint onto his mouth, but he let his hand hover there for a moment as he thought about Miss Fitzroy.
What should I do with you, Lavinia?
He thought about her face. It was the first time in his life that he thought of a woman and wanted to have a conversation with her, rather than take her to bed. It was the first time that he truly wanted something.
CHAPTER 11
“Aah!” Lavinia screamed as the shuttlecock fell to the ground.
She jumped in excitement, but then calmed down when she saw those standing nearby shaking their heads. She quickly adjusted her stance and held her racket in place once again as Abigail handed her a shuttlecock.
The sun was high, and the wind was calm. It was perfect weather for an outdoor activity. Madeline had invited Lavinia and all the other girls to play a game of Battledore and Shuttlecock with her. However, it seemed that she was the only one who wanted to play the game, and all the other girls only obliged her to keep themselves busy.
“Is there something wrong, Lavinia? You seem to be performing poorly. You are usually more competitive than this!” Madeline remarked, clearly frustrated at her friend, who obviously seemed unwilling to play.
“I don’t think I’m feeling so well, Maddie,” Lavinia said.
“What happened? Do you need to get some rest?” Madeline asked with worry. She handed Abigail her racket as Lavinia did.
Lavinia sighed in defeat. “No, I think I just need to walk around the estate and get some fresh air,” she said.
Madeline looped an arm through Lavinia’s. “All right, I’ll walk with you,” she offered, and Lavinia just nodded her head.
She saw her mother watching them from the patio. She had wanted to avoid the Baroness for the past few days; she was tired of getting shoved into one gentleman’s path after another. And after taking herself to the Duke’s room the other night, Lavinia was sure that her mother, of all people, would be able to see her guilt over that lascivious trip on her face.
“Lavinia,” Madeline began as they started walking.
Lavinia wanted to look at her friend, but even doing that felt like a Herculean task.
“Yes?” she asked, looking straight ahead.
“I don’t want to point this out, but have you noticed my brother acting strangely whenever you’re around?”
Lavinia almost choked on the air. Her heart sped up. She did not know that the strange behavior she and the Duke exhibited in each other’s presence had become obvious to other people, so she had to say something to dissuade Madeline from thinking the worst of her.
“I do not think there is anything wrong with his mannerisms, Maddie. We all know your brother spends little time in the country, so he is perhaps taking his time to adjust to… our ways.” She knew that her statement sounded odd and vague, but she could come up with no better response.
“I can see that Peter is uncomfortable, but that does not account for the way he looks at you.”
Lavinia gulped. “You have caught him looking at me?”
“Of course,” Madeline replied without hesitation. “He has been rather attentive, don’t you think?”
“I suppose that is true,” Lavinia conceded. “But no more than any of the other male guests.”
They drifted further away from the crowd. Soon, they were heading to the lake. It was a calm and sunny day. The soft breeze blew their hair across their faces. The two women giggled as they tucked their hair back into place.
They had not gone very far when snippets of a conversation drifted from the lake. In the distance, Lavinia could see twogentlemen swimming. They laughed at jokes that she was not able to hear.
She could not remember the last time she saw someone swim in the lake, and there could only be one person who would dare to do it while everyone else was wandering about the grounds—her twin brother.
I do hope that Charles remembered to wear clothes this time before taking a quick dip.
