The goddess wasn’t saying anything. She and Lady Hampton were glancing at each other on opposite sides of the massive desk as if it were some sort of ritual or they were commanding the opposing forces of his chest set.
The duke’s gaze swiveled between them, casting each a fretful look. “Well, Sebastian, looks as if you’ve dodged this entrapment.”
“Um. Ah, she didn’t.” My throat began closing up again, but I couldn’t be silent. This was for her and me. “We . . . I thought we’d decided to try.”
The goddess had become a statue, motionless and speechless. And I blithered. “Guess I’ll never be daring.”
Torrance shrugged. “I’m at a loss. And I should’ve bet the viscountess something very interesting to prove her sister wasn’t in love with me. But I don’t gamble anymore.”
“Sure you don’t.” Lady Hampton turned her fury back to the duke. “You and betting. I’m sick of all wagers.”
“You’re sick of losing, Lady Hampton. Your late husband probably made more faulty ones than anyone alive. What made him so desperate? I wonder what kind of married life your husband had? Did thejoyof loving you add to his short life?”
The viscountess, maybe for the first time, seemed stunned, rendered breathless by this barb. Her cheeks went from fiery red to ash.
“Stop it,” Georgina said. “Lord Hampton is gone. He’d be so disappointed to know his dearest friend and my sister—his beloved, tireless widow—couldn’t get along. Your Grace, you don’t know all that my sister has done for him or our family. You’ve known us a year. I’ve watched her for years doing whatever was necessary for us. Please stop.”
“It’s all a jest, Miss Wilcox. I admire Lady Hampton. I truly do. She’s a survivor. Nothing is wrong with that.” The duke turned back to Lady Hampton as if to see if she agreed.
It was the viscountess’s turn to be wordless, standing statue-like with big black eyes looking close to breaking into tears. Then she blinked, and what seemed soft became stone. “No need to take up for me, Georgina. I don’t care for the duke at all. I don’t want him in our lives. He’s bothersome. Bothersome. And—”
“And manipulative. That’s usually one of your complaints.”
“Stop it. I wanted to see how long you two could go without bickering. Not even one minute.” Georgina’s voice rose. “It should be possible. But you two like conflict. You’re both forgetting our present concerns. The duke’s not well and I compromised Lord Mark Sebastian—”
“I obliged, ma’am,” I said and admired her more. The way she spoke held such life and strength.
“Thank you, sir . . . for adding that.”
“Lady Hampton,” the duke said, “those two strangers seem to get along after a kiss. Perhaps we should do the same and make up. On the lips, or on the forehead like a good little girl?”
The viscountess slunk back.
And the duke laughed. “I’m guessing you care nothing for strangers or me.”
“I know my sister. If his lordship is your friend, he’s not a good match for Georgina.”
“I agree with this, Lady Hampton,” the duke said, “and if I had my druthers, I’d find someone who’d be perfect and wealthy enough to help with the mounting debts.”
“You know how dire our finances are?” The older sister looked shaken.
The goddess became angrier. “Of course he does, I told him. Why do you think we’ve been given more time?”
“Georgina. You told him and he acted? And you, Your Grace, you both have kept this secret?”
“Wilcoxes are good at keeping secrets, Katherine. I suppose a duke is too. Yes, I told him, sister. We needed help. And he asks every time he visits on how to be of use. The Duke of Torrance comes to us every week. He pays attention to Scarlett and Lydia.”
“And he pays attention to you.” Lady Hampton’s voice quavered like that magpie, a jealous magpie.
“Yes, Katherine, because he cares. We chat about my fears, my interests. We take calm walks by the river, and he’ll not leave until he tries my biscuits.”
The biscuits were actual biscuits—I convinced myself of that. I kept reminding myself that she kissed me, not the kindly duke who could buy her and her family everything.
Lady Hampton went to her sister and grasped her shoulders like she’d shake her from her coat, but instead she hugged her. “You’re scared for us? I didn’t know. Why didn’t you come to me?”
“You don’t listen, Katherine. Sometimes it’s easier to speak to the duke.”
Torrance sat back in his chair. Did a wince come along with his growing smile? “I try to be of service. The girls have grown on me. I want them happy and protected, just as I promised Lord Hampton, my dear old friend.”
