Eliza risked a glance toward Philip. He wasn’t looking at her but at least he was facing her as he spoke with an older woman who stood beside him. Surely, he would see what she was about to do.
Still, she hesitated. Would this gain his notice? She tugged on the handkerchief and wadded it into her gloved hand. With her nerves tangled in knots, she turned away from him and followed her aunt, dropping the fine white linen with the hope he’d noticed.
It was only a small white cloth fluttering to the garden path when what she wanted to do was wave a flag until he truly looked at her.
This would have to do for now.
Philip Carstairs, the Duke of Trentworth, wished he hadn’t allowed his aunt and uncle to convince him to come to the garden party. However, he felt that way about every event he attended since his father and brother’s passing over a year ago.
“These smaller gatherings will make it more comfortable for you when the Season begins in full again,” Aunt Eleanor had insisted.
“True,” Uncle Herbert agreed. He was the younger brother of Philip’s father and had offered advice and support since Philip had inherited. His aunt and uncle were staying with him in London for the time being, an arrangement Philip appreciated. If only their son, Markus, wasn’t as well. Philip and his cousin didn’t get on particularly well, and Philip hoped he’d soon choose to find his own place.
“Small events will smooth your path back into Society,” Uncle Herbert had added. “You can’t remain in the country forever.”
That’s exactly what he wanted to do.
“It’s much easier to hold true conversations with less of a crowd.” Aunt Eleanor had smiled. “That will aid you in deciding who would suit you best.”
Philip knew they both meant well, and he appreciated their efforts. Without their interference, he would have remained at the country estate for the foreseeable future.
It was preferrable to stay busy with physical labor like fence repair and clearing fields to plow rather than making polite conversation. Especially when the conversation always began with condolences for his losses.
“Would you rather people pretended it didn’t happen?” Aunt Eleanor had asked when he mentioned it.
“No. I’d rather they didn’t speak to me at all.” Not since losing both his brother and father in such a short time. His heart still ached with the loss.
Despite that, he was at a garden party where he was supposed to admire flowers and meet two of the three Graham sisters. He already knew the eldest, Lady Charlotte, who was also in attendance, as she’d been betrothed to his brother, Oscar, the heir.
His aunt and uncle had suggested that he consider marrying one of the sisters since his brother had intended to make the eldest his duchess. Philip was certain both his father and brother would applaud the plan.
Unfortunately, the thought of marrying anyone while his heart was still heavy with grief was inconceivable. However, duty demanded he do so soon. He would soon be one and thirty. Never mind that his brother had been four and thirty and only been betrothed when he’d died.
The least Philip could do was strive to make his father and brother proud. To be half the man each of them had been.
The task felt impossible. He was different than them in numerous ways. Less serious. More prone to laughter and jests. Less likely to succeed at the enormous task of serving as the ninth Duke of Trentworth and caring for all the people who depended on him.
Marrying a sister of his brother’s betrothed was a small step in the right direction. He needed any he could get and hoped they’d add up to something meaningful.
With renewed determination, he glanced around the formal garden and tried to take an interest in the scenery as well as the guests. The young lady in green who had caught his eye from across the garden earlier moved in his direction, but he forced his attention away from her beauty and vitality.
She was far too young for him for one thing. One glance made that clear.
He was here to meet the Graham sisters, not any other ladies.
Perhaps he should’ve offered for his brother’s fiancée and been done with this. The thought had him clenching his jaw in response. In all honesty, he couldn’t bring himself to imagine kissing the woman Oscar had admired. It felt like a betrayal. A line he couldn’t cross.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have considered her sisters either except his uncle had shared that the family was in dire financial circumstances and had been counting on the match with Oscar to remedy that.
This was the right thing to do, he reminded himself. That was something he was working on. Less of his normal spontaneity and more constraint. He couldn’t afford to act on instinct anymore. He needed to think through his actions with care.
Whether he was capable of that remained to be seen.
As he watched, a handkerchief fell behind the young lady in green as she walked away. He waited a moment then realized he was the only one to notice.
With a smothered sigh, he walked to pick it up then strode toward her. “Excuse me.”
She turned, her wide green eyes with ridiculously long lashes holding onto him. She smiled, revealing a hint of dimples that added to the beauty of her heart-shaped face. “Good afternoon.”
