“What is this about?” Rosemary inquired politely. She’d walked further into the drawing room while her cousins were…discussing, bantering, fighting? It was hard to tell sometimes…and she positioned herself in front of a window wet from rain. What had begun as a light drizzle in the early hours of the morning had intensified to a steady soaking, a subtle shift that hinted at cooler, damper months to come as Mother Nature shed her summer cloak and reached for a warmer autumn shawl.
“Your engagement. To the Duke of Hanover.” Evie nibbled on her bottom lip, an uneasy habit Rosemary might not have noticed if she didn’t often engage in it herself. “I must admit, it caught Joanna and me…off guard. The last we were together, you didn’t mention you were being courted by anyone, least of all a duke.”
“Least of allthatduke,” said Joanna with a meaningful arch of her brow.
Evie glared at her sister. “I thought we agreed I was going to do this part?”
“By all means, go right ahead.”
“Thank you. As I was saying–what was I saying?”
“That I never mentioned I was being courted by anyone,” Rosemary supplied helpfully. “And that’s because I wasn’t.”
“Then how did you and the Duke of Hanover come to be engaged?” Joanna wondered aloud.
“Because he asked, and I said yes.” Summarized into seven words, her relationship with Sterling seemed remarkably straightforward. In truth, she could not begin to untangle the knot of emotions that tied them together. The more she tried, the more complex the knot became.
“We didn’t realize you evenknewhim,” said Evie. “And it’s not that we doubt your intentions, but having had a few interactions with Hanover at the house party, I’d be remiss if I did not share my…our”–she glanced at Joanna, who inclined her chin–“…misgivings.”
“Your misgivings,” Rosemary repeated.
“That’s right.”
Lifting herself up onto the deep windowsill, she let her feet swing aimlessly as the back of her skull pressed against the cool window pane. “Because I am a wallflower and he is a duke?”
“No! That’s not it at all. Well…yes,” Evie admitted after a brief pause. “That’s partially it. But mostly our concern stems from the fact that Hanover is a bit of a…rogue. And by a bit, I mean that his reputation is terrible.”
“My husband has quite literally been tasked with clearing him of murder.” Although Joanna’s blue gaze was filled with compassion, her firm tone caused Rosemary to stiffen and immediately jump to the defense of her fiancé.
“Sterling is innocent. If Mr. Kincaid cannot prove that, then he isn’t very good at his job.” Her eyes went huge as her mouth dropped open. “I–I cannot believe I said that. I’m sorry. I did not mean to imply–”
“Not to worry,” Joanna assured her. “Really. Had someone said that about Kincaid, I’d have reacted much the same way.” Her thick russet lashes pressed closely together as she studied her cousin with a scrutiny that made Rosemary want to squirm. “You love him, don’t you? Hanover.”
Evie started to laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous–my God,” she gasped when Rosemary’s entire face flushed a dull shade of pink. “Youdolove him.”
“I don’t know if I do or not.” Fingers twisting anxiously together, she sat up straighter on the sill. “It’s all culminated rather rapidly, and I’ve never been in love before, so I cannot compare. One minute he was kissing me at Hawkridge Manor–”
“He kissed you at Hawkridge Manor?” Evie practically yelped. “When? Where?When?”
Rosemary’s color heightened. “In the library during the house party.”
“Before or after the receiving dinner?”
“Ah…” Perplexed by the specificity of the question, Rosemary thought back, counting off the days in her head. “After. Several days after.”
“That’s fine, then.” Evie glanced at Joanna, who gave a small shrug.
“I wouldn’t see why not,” she said.
Rosemary’s perplexity grew. “What are you talking about?”
“Should I tell her?” Evie asked.
“Probably best if you do,” Joanna replied.
“Tell mewhat?”
Evie gave a deep sigh. “On the night of the receiving dinner, I could not sleep. Earl problems, you understand. So I went for a walk and encountered Hanover on the terrace. A very drunk Hanover, mind you, and during the course of our conversation he…he inquired into whether or not I’d be interested in becoming his mistress.”
