“I havenodesire to return to the Byrne household, to speak to a Byrne, or even look at a Byrneeveragain,” Elise declared.
“I’m so sorry,” Dara said, conscious that her sisters had been right about the Byrnes. “I was trying to shake the tree, so to speak, to find a way into Society.”
“Perhaps you should share your list of the rules with Helen and Sophie?” Elise suggested pointedly.
“Perhapsweshouldnevertrust them,” Gwendolyn said. “If they weren’t kind in Wicklow, we can’t expect them to be so here. They see us as competition.”
“Well, they aren’t competition for us,” Elise countered. “They may play their little tricks, but someday, they will be repaid in kind.”
“I just hope we are there when it happens,” Gwendolyn said.
“Their behavior was unfortunate,” Dara agreed primly. After all, they were still in public—
“Unfortunate?”Gwendolyn lifted a brow. “That is an understatement. Dara, after what they just did, inviting us to call and then making us cool our heels in their sitting room—”
“Whereallwe had to look at was that unremarkable landscape painting,” Elise cut in to complain. “Or those silly porcelains of—what were they?”
“Shepherdesses, I believe,” Gwendolyn offered.
“They looked like ghouls. I shan’t sleep tonight from the memory of them,” Elise declared. “How I wish we could have done something more interesting this afternoon like staying in ourownhome and darning our socks.” She walked a few steps before saying, “What bothers me is that Helen and Sophie spent a good forty-five minutes upstairs laughing at us.”
“And their mother was with them, too,” Gwendolyn agreed. “Rude, rude, rude.”
She was right, and Dara felt guilty. She had pushed the acquaintance because she had been hopeful that Lady Byrne would be kind to them. Her sisters were right—she should not have been so naive.
“What is best for me right now is a walk in the park,” Gwendolyn said. “I wish to put all of this behind me.”
“I wish to return to Wicklow,” Elise muttered. This was not the first time she had mentioned going home. Of the three sisters, Elise was the only one who missed Ireland.
“We must keep the faith,” Dara declared. “We must tell ourselves that wewillmeet dukes. Wewillbe a success.”
“You speak as if you are trying to convince yourself,” Elise said.
“I have to believe we can,” Dara answered. “I started this, and I don’t wish to fail you.”
“Oh, Dara, we all agreed to this venture,” Gwendolyn said with sympathy. “It isn’t your fault that we are nobody of importance. However, I have been enjoying London. No matter what happens in the future, I’m glad we attempted to do something for ourselves. Now, let’s see if Tweedie wishes to enjoy a nice promenade with us, shall we?”
“I believe that is a capital idea. Just think, Helen and Sophie might drive by, and I’ll have the opportunity to throw a dirt clod at them,” Elise sweetly suggested.
Her sisters laughed. They wouldn’t let Elise do it, although Dara rather relished the mental image, and she began to feel better. Whatever happened, she, Gwendolyn, and Elise loved each other.
Tweedie declined their offer to have her join them for their walk. Molly was happy because that meant she was coming with them.
The promenade through Hyde Park had become a daily exercise for the sisters. It was what fashionable people did. From four to five, the park was filled with carriages, riders, and walkers such as themselves, all there to see and be seen.
While Gwendolyn and Elise relished the always entertaining sights, Dara focused on the hard work of trying to search out and identify anyone of importance. As far as she was concerned, this was her primary purpose for being in the park. Some vehicles had coats of arms on their doors, but many did not. She could be walking right next to a duke and not know it. Such was the frustration of her self-assigned task.
The day was a lovely one to be out and about. The paths were more crowded than usual. That didn’t mean the Lanscarr sisters weren’t noticed. Elise’s golden beauty was like a beacon. All eyes, especially male ones, seemed to home in on her... and then their gazes would travel to Gwendolyn with her graceful height.
Both Elise and Gwendolyn were oblivious to the stares, ignoring them as proper young women should. It was up to Dara to be very much on guard and frown the rudest of the gentlemen into looking away. She excelled at the task. Her sisters and Tweedie knew they could count on her and her rules to keep them proper and acceptable—
Dara came to a sudden halt, stunned by the sight of the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes upon. Responsibilities, rules, and worries were wiped from her mind as she did what no one of good breeding should ever do—she gawked at him. She couldn’t help herself. He was exactly that amazing.
The gentleman—and he was a gentleman,judging by the fine cut of his coat and the expensive leather of his boots—was lean and tall, his shoulders broad. He stood as if he understood exactly how important he was in the world. More interesting, the gentlemen accompanying him gathered around as if jockeying for a place in his circle.
Power was an interesting commodity to Dara. She valued its intangible qualities. However, it was his looks that grabbed her attention. There was something about his height, his dark auburn hair and the squareness of his jaw that made the very core of her shaky and weak. He was like no other.
And then he turned to look in Dara’s direction while listening to what one of his compatriots was saying. His eyes were a bright, light gray, and when his gaze met hers, she felt miniature bolts of lightning... before his interest traveled on as if she was part of the scenery—that is, until those quicksilver eyes landed on Elise, and there they stayed.
