He never pointed it out to her, nor did he chastise. He simply helped her, but there were times that he wished she had made better decisions for herself, where he wanted nothing more than for her to have known better. Sometimes, he wondered just how much she punished herself for what she had done. He hoped that it was not too much, but there was no denying that he wished she did at least a small amount.
And yet, he was grateful in spite of it all, for it had led him to Lady Margaret, and he was most looking forward to seeing her again.
CHAPTER 8
“Aduke?”
Margaret wondered how soon she would tire of hearing the same two words in the same tone as she heard from her sisters. She had not known what they would say about it, given that they did not know her situation, but she did not know why she had questioned it.
Unlike her mother, her sisters wanted only the best for her, and there was no better in their eyes than the dashing Duke of Ravensmere. He was,a s far as they were concerned, a perfect match.
“I cannot believe it,” Emily sighed wistfully, “but where did you meet?”
Margaret chewed her bottom lip for a moment.
“I am afraid that I was not entirely honest with you both. I was not unwell the night of the ball, as you know, Emily, and–”
“You were not unwell?” Poppy asked, turning to Emily. “And you knew?”
“I had to keep it secret!” Emily yelped. “And it is not as though I knew why Margaret had to be unwell.”
She did, of course, but if that was Margaret’s penance for lying to both of them then she would accept it. She had lied to her family, and so they had every right to be angry with her, but they were not. Her mother was, perhaps, but not her sisters.
Her sisters were never angry with her, and she was grateful for that.
“I cannot believe,” Emily continued, “that after so many events, the one time you were alone you found a match! Perhaps we were at fault all along?”
The sisters all laughed, but their mother pressed her lips into a very thin line. She had not been to blame for Margaret’s failure to marry. In truth, if not for the financial strain her family faced, she still would have been unmarried. It was not for lack of trying, only that she wanted love and she did not love anyone.
If anything, the lack of funds had helped her for a long time. It gave her the chance to wait until something truly special came her way. Unfortunately, she had waited too long.
“It was completely by chance,” she assured them. “I suppose love comes for you when you are least expecting it.”
“Indeed,” Poppy beamed. “I hope that the same happens to me, though perhaps sooner. I know that you are happy, but I cannot wait to be a wife. A duchess, can you imagine?”
“It is only a courtship,” Margaret reminded her.
She did not want them to think that too much would come of it. She wished that she could tell her sisters the true reason for it, and all of the kindness His Grace was showing them, but that would mean revealing their situation and she did not dare.
If they knew what she was doing, and had even the slightest feeling that she did not love the man, they would put a stop to it, she did not doubt that, and she could not allow it. She had to see it through for their sakes.
And, she reasoned, there were worse men to be tied to for a short while. Of all the men in society, she had stumbled into the life of a man that she respected, even if she wished he was not keeping his own secrets from her. She had told him her deepest secret the evening they met, and yet he remained a mystery.
“We are to dine with him,” she explained. “Tomorrow evening at his London residence. You shall meet him then.”
“Is he scary?” Poppy asked. “Rather, will I find him to be?”
“It is possible. He is a large man, and he shall tower over you even more than he does me, but he does not mean any harm, believe me.”
“Does he have a dog? I should like a dog.”
“I do not know.”
“What about–”
“That is quite enough, Poppy,” their mother interrupted. “It has been a long day for us all, and you will have all of your questions answered come tomorrow.”
Poppy quietened, but of course she had no intentions of stopping there. Instead, she waited until Margaret went to her room, and ambushed her in the hallway.
