Lavinia’s face fell. The familiar nausea and misery lodged itself in her gut. She looked away.
“Only Gillian,” she responded, voice quiet. When she looked back, Katherine was watching her, a furrow between her brows.
“Forgive me,” she said at last. “I… I believe I have overstepped. I’ve upset you.”
Lavinia shook her head. “It’s nothing, truly. It’s no secret, I think, that I do not feel particularly comfortable in this sort of Society. House gatherings are not my forte. But you have been so kind to me. I don’t think I would be doing either of us a service if I were to take offence now.”
Katherine watched her carefully, pursing her lips. “You are very generous.”
“I am never quite as generous as I should be.”
“I suppose none of us are. But that is not why I came over here, Miss Brookford.”
Lavinia lifted an eyebrow. “Pray, continue. Share with me the nature of your enigmatic undertaking.”
Katherine grinned. “Straight to the point. I like it. The thing is, Miss Brookford, I want to talk to you about William.”
She flinched, despite herself. “T-The duke?”
“He isn’t the duke to me, my dear. The thing about William, is that he’s… well, he’s something of a mystery. He gets the oddest ideas in his head, and once they’d lodged in there, there isn’t much a person can do about it.”
“I noticed as much,” Lavinia mumbled, before she could stop herself. She glanced up and found Katherine looking at her again, a sort of knowing look on her face.
She saw him snub me,Lavinia thought, heart sinking. It was a little embarrassing, but she was getting good at swallowing embarrassments these days.
“Don’t give up on him, Lavinia,” Katherine said abruptly. “You… you seem to be good for him. I know my brother, and I know how he can’t stand the falseness and silliness of the Season. He wants an anchor, somebody he can rely upon. Somebody who sees him for who he is, not the Duke of Dunleigh. I feel that some other ladies – although they might be better suited to the role of duchess – may notseehim correctly, if you know what I mean. They may not understand him. I am not looking for a duchess for my brother, Miss Brookford. I am looking for his wife. A life partner. Somebody who will make him happy, and somebody thathecan make happy. I have seen what it is like, for a married couple that are not well-suited. It is upsetting. It is unfortunate. It generally cannot be remedied. I don’t want that for William.”
Katherine let out a long breath at the end of this speech, leaning back to gauge its effect on Lavinia.
She took her time before responding, a little shocked at the forthrightness of this speech. And at a picnic, no less, with all of their friends and guests around!
“It can’t have been easy for you to say all of that,” she managed at last. It felt like a rather feeble thing to say, but it was better than nothing, after all.
Katherine only grinned. “Oh, yes, it’s a most shocking speech. I rehearsed some of it in my head before I came over here. You aren’t offended, I hope, by any of it?”
Lavinia shook her head. “No, of course not. But I think… I think perhaps you have misinterpreted the relationship between the duke and myself. He is a fine man, but I am sure he sees me as nothing but a good acquaintance.”
Katherine looked away, a smile playing over her lips.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. As I said, Miss Brookford, please don’t give up on him. He’s a fool, sometimes, but things have happened to him to make him that way. He’s a fine man with a prickly exterior.”
“Like a hedgehog.”
Lavinia wasn’t entirely sure where that comment had come from. She rather wished she hadn’t said it, but of course it was too late now. Katherine suppressed a smile.
“Yes, Miss Brookford. Exactly like a hedgehog. You take my meaning, though, I think?”
She bit her lip, glancing down. “Yes. Yes, I think I do. I only hope you aren’t placing too much faith in me. You overestimate me.”
Katherine climbed to her feet, shaking stray pieces of grass from her skirt.
“Miss Brookford, you underestimate yourself. Good day.”
With that, she walked off, leaving Lavinia with her head spinning.
Chapter Seventeen
“You’ve behaved badly, Will. Very badly, indeed!”
