Delphine did not look convinced. “I think not,” she huffed.
“In a world where conformity is expected, it is nice to see someone who dares to stand out,” Bennett stated.
“You are kind, but I know what you are trying to do,” she said. “You are trying to distract me so we can sit here longer.”
He feigned innocence. “I am doing no such thing!” he declared.
Her face softened, and a laugh escaped her lips. “I think it is sweet. I do not know why I can’t admit that I need help.”
“Most people can’t,” he said.
“My father always said that it was a sign of weakness,” Delphine said, her smile dimming. “I often wonder if I had been born a boy if my father would have been happy. He always seemed so miserable, especially when he was around me.”
Hearing the heartache in her voice, Bennett shifted in his seat to face her. “I do not think that would have made a difference. Happiness comes from within.”
Delphine’s gaze turned downcast. “I do not know why I insist on sharing such things with you. It is in the past and that is where it will remain.”
Bennett found he was curious about one thing. “You speak of your father’s desire of having a boy, but what of your mother?”
“My mother’s only duty was to produce my father a son, and she failed,” Delphine said. “When I was about five years old, my father had his mistress move into the country estate. With us. My mother tried to make it work for my sake. But after many difficult years of all living together under the same roof, she decided it was best to live apart, leaving me alone with them.”
Bennett winced. “I’m sorry,” he said, knowing his words were wholly inadequate.
Delphine started fidgeting with her hands in her lap. “After my father died, I was sent to live with my mother. She was kind to me, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes. Her whole life would have been better if I had just been born a boy.”
“You don’t know that,” Bennett attempted.
“Perhaps not, but I was a grand disappointment the moment I was born and now I have to fight to prove myself,” Delphine said.
“You have nothing to prove.”
Delphine stared at him in astonishment, as if he had sprouted a second head. “How naïve you are if you truly think that,” she said. “I have to work twice as hard to prove I am somewhat competent. Sometimes I am utterly exhausted by it all. But every day, I have to wake up and do it all over again, knowing that people are just waiting for me to fail.”
“Are you one of those people?” Bennett asked.
She hesitated before continuing. “I am,” she replied. “I feel the need to prove to myself that I am just as capable, if not more so, than my father. And I must do it on my own.”
Bennett seemed to consider her words before saying, “It sounds as if you could stand to have some fun.”
With a wistful sigh, she responded, “Maybe someday. But for now, I have far too much to do.”
“How about now?” Bennett asked. “We could play ‘who is snooping on us’.”
Delphine eyed him curiously. “I am not familiar with that game.”
Bennett pointed down the hall where he could see his sister’s head peeking out from the parlor.
Delphine followed his gaze and asked, “How did you know?”
“Elodie thinks she is sneaky, but she is not very light on her feet,” Bennett replied. “I worry about her making her debut in high Society. She is young and doesn’t seem to desire to ever get married.”
“She will rise to the challenge,” Delphine stated.
Bennett wasn’t entirely convinced. Elodie was a hoyden, but she possessed a good heart, one that he feared might be taken advantage of.
Delphine must have sensed his apprehension because she said, “Sometimes, the people we least expect will surprise us in ways we never thought possible.”
“If someone is going to surprise me, it would be Elodie,” Bennett joked.
