“When did she ask that?” Emily asked, an eyebrow raised.
“Before the ball. She likes to discuss such matters. Ladies often do.”
Nobody questioned that any further, which was what she needed from them. She donned her cloak and stepped out with one of their few maids as a chaperone, but she did not go to see Penelope.
Sometimes, she was grateful to be the forgotten one. Nobody questioned her too deeply, and nobody followed her. It wasprecisely what she needed when doing something that she should not have been.
Ravensmere House was but a short walk away, but she could not go to the front door. If she were seen, thetonwould be abuzz trying to learn of the lady that went there, and it would have only been a matter of time before she was discovered as said lady. She could not afford that, not when she did not know what the Duke wanted to offer her.
She did not even know, she realized as she sneaked around the back of his household, if she had indeed been speaking with him the night before. It could have been another gentleman, one that was pretending to be him, and she was about to embarrass herself entirely.
But it was a risk worth taking. She had been told to go there, and to ask for him. If it was a mistake, she could lie her way out of it. She steadied herself and approached the back door.
“Can I help you?” a short man asked when he saw her.
“His Grace expects me,” she explained.
“Do you have a calling card?”
“I– no, I do not.”
“Then I cannot let you enter. I cannot simply let any lady in simply because they say so.”
“But–”
“It is quite alright,” a familiar voice came.
It had indeed been him, at least. Margaret looked past the man to see none other than the man she had met the night prior looking back at her.
“Your Grace,” the man began, “is it wise to let her in?”
“She is chaperoned, and I invited her. Is there an issue, Thompson?”
“No, Your Grace, of course not.”
“Then it is settled. Come in, Miss.”
The man stood aside, and Margaret entered the household. It put her own to shame, but that was of no surprise to her. It was incredible, and immaculately decorated in a way that she never would have expected of a man.
“You have a lovely home,” she said as they wandered the halls.
He thanked her, and then they entered his study. It was a dark room, helped only slightly by the fact that he had opened the curtains to let in sunlight. He gestured for her to take a seat, and when she did so he remained standing, his hands on his desk as he leaned into it.
“You came,” he said at last.
“I did. I was not certain that I would, but then… that does not matter.”
“It does. I would like to know what brought you here, for you did not seem so willing last night.”
“And I would like to know what you want. You did not even see me, and yet you invited me here. I was curious about it.”
“We can discuss that, certainly. You see, I found your honesty refreshing, and I want to help you with your situation. You and I are both in situations where it would benefit us, for that matter.”
“Very well. Might you tell me of yours?”
He looked away at that, and could no longer quite meet her eye. It did not seem fair, as far as she was concerned, that he was able to keep secrets from her after she had divulged so much, but then she reasoned that he had not forced her to tell him what was happening. She had told him of her own accord.
“You told me last night that your leaving town was your own choice,” he replied instead. “I shall only ask this once, and I would like you to be honest in your response. Is that the truth?”
