This time, Hugo was there. Sometimes, he just stood by and watched as the toads overwhelmed Evelyn, regardless of whether or not she called for his help. Sometimes, he fought his way through them to get to her, pulling her into his arms and carrying her to safety. Sometimes, they were both swamped by those awful, slimy creatures. She was not certain which manner of dream perturbed her more.
“A physician should be sent for,” Luke remarked at breakfast, dark crescents apparent beneath his eyes. “This has gone on too long. It was at least understandable when she was a child, but she is a grown woman; she should not be having such dreams.”
Evelyn blinked in surprise, a forkful of eggs halfway to her mouth. Although it wasnosurprise that she was being spoken about as if she were not there.
“Physicians cannot do anything,” her father replied from behind the shield of his morning newspaper. “They have all tried.”
“Yes, well, I cannot sleep when she keeps waking up screaming,” Luke said, casting a hard look at his sister. “I have important meetings to attend while we are in London, and I cannot show up looking as if I have been at the gentlemen’s club all evening.”
Matthew snorted into his teacup. “As if anyone would ever think that was where you had been, brother. I would not worry too much. Her nightmares will pass, as they always do.”
Setting down her cutlery and dabbing her mouth with a napkin, Evelyn rose from her chair. She had lost her appetite.
“I should begin my preparations for this afternoon,” she announced.
At that, her father folded down one corner of his newspaper. “For what reason?”
“The garden party, Father,” Evelyn said, trying her best not to sound exasperated. She had spoken of it at least five times by now.
With a sniff, her father flipped the corner of his newspaper back up… and Evelyn paused for a moment, unable to believe that that was the end of it. But when her father did not continue to speak or make comment, she pushed her chair in and headed out of the breakfast room, eager for the peace and solace of her bedchamber.
At the top of the stairwell, she halted at the sound of footsteps behind her and turned to find Luke on the stairs.
“Did I leave something?” she asked.
Luke proceeded toward her. “I should make preparations too, since I am to join you at this afternoon’s party.”
“Join me?” Evelyn stared at him.
She could not remember the last time her brothers, or her father for that matter, had accompanied her to a society event. Indeed, it was the one benefit of a disinterested family, that she was allowed to venture out with just her chaperone.
Luke nodded and moved past her, though there was not much room. “Father does not want you going out alone anymore. He does not believe that you are seeking a husband, as you claimed to be. As such, I must now take time away from more pressing endeavors to accompany you to society’s events.”
“There really is no need,” Evelyn urged, her heart missing a few awful beats. “Margery is perfectly capable of ensuring I do not get into any trouble.”
Luke hesitated at the door to his chambers. “Apparently, that is not good enough.” He cast her a strange look as if, somewhere very deep down, he might pity her. “Father is searching for a husband for you. He is tired of waiting for you to find one of your own accord. So I must ensure nothing occurs to thwart that.”
He stepped into his room and closed the door behind him, robbing Evelyn of her opportunity to protest, to wail, to cry out at the injustice of it. She could well imagine the sort of gentleman that her father would choose for her, and she would rather have her name plastered in the scandal sheets a thousand times over than accept his selection.
I will not obey,she promised furiously, her hands curled into fists.If you force this upon me, you shall have no pawn of a daughter at all.
In that moment, she was almost sorry that there had been no mention of her and Hugo in the scandal sheets. She had looked, but it appeared that even in public, even in an unexpected embrace with a duke, she remained invisible to society’s interest.
Nevertheless, if pushed, she would make certain that society could not ignore her, even if that meant obliterating her own reputation.
The gardens of Throckley Manor sprawled on the edge of London, where the city gave way to rolling green fields, offering the most breathtaking view of the countryside. Evelyn stood on the terrace with a full glass of lemonade in hand, just staring at the promise of all of that freedom, while feeling as if shackles were tightening around her wrists and her heart.
She did not even like the countryside that much, unless she had a favored book in hand and a nice tree to sit beneath on a warm day, but she would have done anything to be running free across all of that greenery right now. And she would not stop until she was far enough from the threat of an arranged marriage as possible.
“I can well understand why you have not been successful since your debut,” her brother said coolly, as he came to join her. “You do realize that everyone is inside?”
“It is a garden party,” Evelyn replied dryly. “I am in the garden.”
He cast her a sharp sideways glance. “You will be able to run your own house, Evelyn. That is something to look forward to.”
“I am sure you think so,” she said, her tolerance for her family wearing even thinner than usual.
“Everyone must marry, Evelyn. Do not be so precocious about it.” There was a scolding note in his voice that sounded so like their father that an unpleasant shiver beetled down the back of her neck.
