I do not want this. Hugo, there is my answer: I do not want this!
“If you will excuse me, Lady Hemstich,” she blurted out, rising to her feet, her knee knocking hard into the table in her hurry. “I am afraid I do not feel very well. I think… I just need some fresh air. Apologies.”
She did not wait for permission, walking out of the dining room as swiftly as she could, ignoring the faint ache that still troubled her ankle. In the hallway, she immediately turned right, heading for the main doors of the apartments. This was no townhouse,with gardens where she might sit and catch her breath, so the street would have to do.
Maybe she would just continue walking until she made it back to her own home, where she could at least garner a moment of peace and quiet before her father and brothers returned and unleashed their anger.
“Evelyn?”
It was Luke.
She halted, her entire body clenched. Would she be dragged back into that dining room so soon?
Turning, she cast a wary look at her oldest brother. “I really do not feel well, brother. I just… I just need a moment outside, and then I am sure I shall be fine again.”
“Come on,” he said, walking up to her and taking her arm.
She was certain he was about to haul her back to her place beside Miles’ mother, so it confused her somewhat when Luke began walking toward the main doors instead.
“What are you doing?” she asked feebly.
He glanced down at her with a nervous smile. “I am taking you home, in case your affliction is catching.”
“But… what will Father say?”
“I already told him of my intention,” Luke replied, leading her out into the communal hallway and down the stairs to the entrance. “He might not be pleased about it, but he will not quarrel with me.”
Heart swelling with gratitude, she clung onto her brother’s arm as he ushered her into the waiting carriage and instructed the driver to take them home. It was the first truly nice thing that Luke had ever done for her and as she sat in the gloom of the carriage, with her arm still holding his, she felt bittersweet tears roll down her cheeks.
Why could you not have stood up for me sooner?
Maybe it would not have changed anything, but at least she might have felt that she could stand up for herself too, if she had just had the support and affection of a family who cared what happened to her.
“Are you cold?” Luke asked.
Evelyn shook her head, her heart cracking just a little bit more when he put a blanket across her anyway.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
By noon the next day, having tended to the headache that he fully deserved, Hugo found himself outside the townhouse of Selina Parsons. Octavia had given him the address, and though he knew it had to be done, it took him a moment to muster the courage to march up the steps and knock on the door.
She is Evelyn’s best friend. If she does not take this news well, it may thwart everything.
The worry had followed him on the brief ride from his own townhouse, through the pleasant, sun-drenched streets of Mayfair.
A housekeeper answered the door, blinking up at him. “Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?”
“I should like to speak with Miss Parsons,” he replied, straightening up. “Please tell her that the Duke of Ravenvale has come to call upon her.”
Excitement animated the woman’s face as she welcomed him into the grand townhouse, the scent of lilies drifting toward his nose from the plumes of flowers that seemed to occupy every available surface. He was led down an airy hallway to the drawing room, where he duly sat and waited for Selina to arrive.
She breezed into the room ten minutes later, dressed as if she were about to leave for a ball, her hair fashioned into waves that had been pinned into a bun. A white flower adorned the gathered locks.
Hugo observed her for a moment, and smiled as he realized that he truly felt nothing for this woman. Her beauty and grace, so celebrated among society, did not matter in the slightest to him.
“This is very unexpected,” she said, coming to sit beside him on the settee, rather too close for comfort. “Have you come to take me to the botanical gardens after all?”
Hugo got up. “I have not, Miss Parsons.”
