“I’m so sorry,” Hector kept saying.
“A pastime,” Mother said. “Nothing more.”
The words were nothing new for Maddie, but maybe because she was so fragile at the moment, they cut deeper than the glass shard. How could her mother be so dismissive of something bringing so much joy to her daughter? And Maddie’s hand hurt!
Her father stomped a fist on his polished desk. “Catherine, please. Don’t you see how distraught Maddie is?”
Her mother shrugged. “Reality and dreams are two different things. The sooner we learn this lesson, the better.”
Hector scowled and opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything.
There was more bickering between her parents, Verity whispering that everything would be all right, and footsteps thundering around her. Maddie mentally went through her half-finished canvases in the hope of finding something she could present to Mrs. Blanchet.
Voices sounded from downstairs. The door opened, and the maid said something she didn’t care to understand. When Maddie wiped her face, a man she’d never seen before stood in front of her. From his fair hair and peculiar blue eyes, she guessed he was Hector’s brother, the darn duke. Where Hector was all angular shapes and raw beauty, Robert had a certain softness to his features that made him less harsh but less intriguing as well. Even his eyes, even though of an intense blue, didn’t hold the determined quality Hector’s had.
The duke took in the scene, pausing on Maddie and his brother.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asked Hector.
“Your Grace.” Mother’s voice lost her high-pitched tone completely. “Thank you for being here.” She curtsied.
“Robert.” Hector hung his head, not pleading with his brother for help while Maddie’s father recounted the incident.
The more she heard the story of the incident, the more bizarre it sounded.
Whenever Father turned angry about Hector’s abrupt intrusion, Mother would intervene with a kind word, reminding everyone Hector had meant no harm. He should still be held accountable for his actions, in Maddie’s opinion. Not that anyone asked for it.
The duke listened in stoic silence. The only sign the tale upset him was the ticking tendon in his neck. When her parents finished talking over each other, he narrowed his eyes to slits as he regarded his brother.
The duke’s teeth flashed. “Hector, we’ll talk about what you did later.” He bowed to Maddie. “Miss Debenham, I wish to express my deepest and most sincere apologies for tonight’s incident. My brother is an overeager scientist who didn’t mean any harm, although he triumphantly succeeded anyway.”
“Nothing serious happened.” Mother smiled, tugging at her long braid.
Oh, not again! “Excuse me?” Maddie stood up on shaky legs. “Nothing serious? My painting is ruined. My hand is injured. And my window doesn’t exist anymore.”
Hector tortured his hat again, his cheeks turning a deep crimson. No, she wouldn’t feel pity for him...all right. She did pity him a little. He was obviously sorry for what he’d done, but the rage boiling inside her had to vent somewhere. The duke shook his head in consternation, but Mother pressed her lips in a flat line.
“For heaven’s sake, Maddie. A silly painting is nothing.” Mother pressed two fingers to her temples. “And your hand will heal. No harm done.”
“Mother.” The single word came out strangled. “My painting...the academy...Mrs. Blanchet…”
“Academy?” Hector and the duke asked together, turning towards her.
She let out a strangled noise.
Verity wrapped an arm around Maddie’s shaking shoulders. She seemed unable to leave Maddie alone.
“That painting would have granted my sister a place in the Royal Women’s Academy of Arts. Mrs. Blanchet herself was supposed to inspect the painting and help her find a fellowship. Now…” She rubbed Maddie’s shoulder. “With the painting destroyed and her hand injured, it seems unlikely her dream will come true.”
“I won’t allow that.” Hector paled, twisting his hat so tightly to rip the fabric. “Miss Madeline, I will make amends. I promise no matter what, I’ll help you.”
The honesty ringing in his voice struck a chord within her. His calm determination soothed her anger. At that moment, she could believe he’d find a solution and help her get a fellowship. Who knew? His brother was a duke. Perhaps not everything was lost.
“Thank you,” she said, staring into his intense gaze.
A spark of hope kindled in her chest as he bowed his head.
“I don’t deserve your gratitude, miss.”
