Page 12 of Snowed In with the Jilted Duke

“Do you think he saw?” Pippa hissed.

“I don’t know. But I had better leave first, and then you can slip out a few minutes after I do.”

As he picked up the candle, she clutched at his sleeve. “I shan’t be able to find my way without a candle.”

Wordlessly, he carried the candle to his desk and rummaged around on the shelf behind it until he held up a second candle and candleholder. Lighting it with her candle, he returned to where she stood, knees still frozen in shock, and handed it to her.

“Pippa.” He ran a hand through his disordered hair. “There’s no need to take on so. It was only a kiss.”

“You must leave. What if someone else finds us here? Go!”

He shook his head but obeyed, letting himself out the door with only one glance back at her. She could hear the tread of his footsteps fade away in the hallway as she sank into a chair, her legs no longer able to hold her steady.

What had she been thinking?

That was the trouble, of course. She had not thought at all. As soon as she was alone with Oliver, all rational thought fled.

She must not allow it to happen again. He and Penny must marry. It was the only way to repair what she had done.

Penny had nearly died because of her. If she had not been so wrapped in her jealousy of her twin, in her anger at always being second to her, she might have seen earlier that Penny was ill and demanded she rest. The physician had said there was nothing that could have been done, but Pippa knew better.

If Penny did not marry Oliver, Pippa would never be able to expiate her guilt.

Pasting a smile onto her face, Pippa slipped through the door of their room to find Penny sitting up in bed. Her slight frown disappeared as she saw Pippa.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” Pippa said. “I, er… I had some difficulty finding a book.”

“What did you bring?”

Pippa grinned, knowing what Penny’s reaction would be. “Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women.”

With a shriek of laughter, Penny flung a pillow at Pippa’s head. “Not that old thing! Nurse must have read it to me a hundred times, for all the good it did.”

Crossing to sit on the edge of the bed, Pippa said, “We didn’t turn out all that badly. For the most part.”

Guilt rushed up on her even as she spoke. Perhaps she ought to have paid better attention to Mr. Fordyce’s words if she was sneaking around the house stealing kisses from her own sister’s betrothed.

She must tell her. She must tell Penny what had happened.

But how could she? Penny would never forgive her.

Even as she had the thought, Penny yawned hugely and settled back into the pillows. “It’s of no matter. I think I may be able to sleep after all.”

“Are you certain?” Guilt poked at Pippa again. “I can still read to you.”

Penny’s eyes were already drooping. “I’m not in much of a mood for sermons about proper female behavior tonight.”

“All right.” Ignoring the stab of shame in her gut and forcing a smile, Pippa blew out the candle at her sister’s bedside and crossed to the dressing room where Sally waited to prepare her for bed.

“Pippa?”

“Yes?”

Penny looked straight at her, her expression serious. “I do love you, you know.”

Tears pricked at Pippa’s eyes, guilt heavy on her soul.

“I know. I love you, too.”