“I’d like you to be quite candid, if you please,” Gemma urged. “A divorce is certain to cause as big a scandal if not biggerthan…” She bit her lip. Oh, she shouldn’t have started that sentence.
“Than what happened to me?” Clare finished for her, laughing.
“I beg your pardon,” Gemma murmured.
Lady Clare gave them both a bright smile. “The second lesson to learn about ladies who’ve been through scandals is that there’s nothing you can say behind our backs that surprises us. We’re quite forthright. It’s not as if we think our scandal is a secret. It’s quite the opposite. Out there for all to see and discuss. Quite freeing in a way.”
“It seems to me that being free is the best part of being attached to a scandal,” Gemma pointed out.
“There are good parts,” Lady Clare agreed. “And there are bad. Quite bad.”
More than an hour flew by as Clare regaled them with stories of how she’d been ostracized, diminished, ignored, un-invited, and essentially treated with a complete lack of manners for the last decade. None of it was news to Gemma, but hearing some of her tales did make Gemma gulp.
“But…but won’t your true friends, your good,realfriends, remain by your side even after a scandal? Like Meredith did for you?” Gemma prompted. She had to hear another bit of good news after hearing all the bad. The bad had been quite discouraging.
“I’ll stay by your side, Gemma,” Cecily promised, grasping Gemma’s hand and squeezing it. “No matter what Mama says.”
“I know you will, Cecily,” Gemma replied, returning her friend’s pat.
They both waited for Lady Clare’s answer.
“It’s true,” the older woman said. “Your real friendswillremain steadfast.”
Gemma breathed a sigh of relief.
“But you must ask yourself,” Lady Clare continued, arching a brow. “Are you prepared to find out how few of them there truly are?”
O
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Later That Afternoon, The Duke of Grovemont’s Study
When Lucian stepped into his study to see Gemma bending over his desk, rifling through a stack of papers, he stopped short.
“Good afternoon,” he said in his most cheery voice. The one he’d been using whenever he saw her now. Honestly, it hadn’t been easy pretending to be the soul of happiness these last several days, but he was committed to changing his demeanor for his wife’s sake.
Gemma dropped the papers and shot upright. She slung an arm around her waist and used her other hand to innocently scratch behind her ear. “Um. I was just…uh…”
He bestowed her with an easy smile. “No need to explain. I trust you.”
He enjoyed watching her mouth fall open and then her struggle to close it. It might not be easy to pretend to be cheerful, but he had to admit it was fun defying Gemma’s expectations.
“You trust me?” she echoed, frowning.
“Of course, I do.” He walked around to the front of the desk and glanced at the papers. Some accounting informationfrom his solicitor. Nothing particularly interesting. Though he doubted that was what Gemma had been looking for. It was plain as day on her face. She was nosing through his office to find out if he was up to something. She’d been treating him like this all week. As if he was hiding something. And he knew why she was suspicious. She didn’t trust why he was acting so differently toward her. It was comical to watch, actually.
“May I help you find anything?” he offered.
She rocked back and forth on her heels. “No. I just…”
“Have you decided whether you’ll go riding with me? Just say the word, and I’ll have the curricle put to.”
Her mouth snapped shut, and she was clearly contemplating the matter for several moments before she finally asked, “Why do youwantto go riding in the park with me?” Her tone was accusatory.
Lucian allowed the hint of a smile to play around his lips. “I’m told it’s a pleasant experience.”
Her suspicious eyes narrowed further. “It is. But why would you want to go withme?” She pointed at herself.
