“And has it not been all of Darden’s friends, save for Conbatten, who have surrounded Lady Beatrice. You told me yourself how ridiculous they were about it and how it was not real.”
“Of course, I understood there was a plot afoot, but I can hardly thinkIwas the target of it.”
“It makes sense though,” Marcus said. “Darden trusts you, who better to trust with his sister?”
It was impossible to fathom. He and Beatrice?
It was not that he…at least over the years he’d wondered…but then she’d turned away from him so firmly, making her disdain so well known… She could never…
But what if she could?
Could she?
Matthew was forced to face that his feelings were not much changed from what they had ever been. When Beatrice had begun to outgrow whatever feelings she’d had on her side, it had been a blow. A terrible blow, actually.
A blow he’d not seen coming.
The scenes of how it happened came rushing back to him. He had refused to even think of the circumstances for years, but now they came in a flood.
Beatrice had long put away her dolls and he, Beatrice, and Rosalind were deemed old enough to attend small neighborhood parties. The events were always silly affairs, held early and generally hosted by one of a handful of families. They were expressly meant to give the young people experience at socializing and dancing.
He had been in the habit of leading Beatrice to the floor when there was dancing, but then Rothcraft’s cousin, a seventeen-year-old baron from Suffolk had come to stay. That fellow had led Beatrice to the floor before Matthew even knew what was happening. He’d been left behind and stuck with Rosalind.
Later that evening, feeling very opposed to this invading cousin of Rothcraft’s, he’d counseled Beatrice that she ought not flutter her lashes at the fellow as he would not be in the neighborhood long. Once he was gone, he’d forget all about her.
She’d looked at him with absolute contempt and said, “Do not suppose you can direct my thoughts on any matter, Van Doren.”
Beatrice had spent the rest of the evening making herself as pleasant as possible to the baron.
That had been the beginning, but it had not been the end. After that night, she’d made it perfectly clear that she no longer admired him or cared to consider his opinions.
He’d buried the blow under a storm of lectures and strongly worded hints. He’d known when he was doing it that it was only driving her further away, but what else could he do? He was not going to moon over a lady who held him in contempt.
What if she did not, though? She was always so very contrary, perhaps she harbored some kind of feeling for him and simply would not show it.
It seemed dangerous to attempt to find it out though. She might laugh in his face and then have the advantage of knowing she’d conquered him while she remained unscathed. He could not live with that.
But then, apparently he could not live with her marrying somebody else either. He’d acted irresponsibly when he’d thought a proposal from Conbatten was in the works. He’d become intemperate and they’d all noticed it. He’d stirred up gossip. And why? All to stop Beatrice from getting married.
“What are you going to do?” Marcus said softly.
“I have no idea.”
“But you must do something!” Marcus cried.
Matthew really thought he ought to rein in his valet. He was certain that other lords’ valets did not attempt to direct their actions. Further, if he were to do something, he ought to have done it years ago. It was far too late now. He imagined.
But what if he were mistaken? It was not as if he’d been in the habit of getting things right recently.
“Conbatten said I should meet her requirements.”
Marcus scrunched up his face with worry. “Her requirements? There are so many of them!”
“Indeed,” Matthew said. “Though they all seem to boil down to the same thing. Beatrice Bennington has only ever been interested in a lovesick lunatic.”
Marcus rubbed his hands together. “You could manage it. I’m sure you could. Easily,” he said encouragingly.
Matthew thought it should probably give him some pause that his valet thought he could easily manage acting the lunatic.
