Page 48 of The Duke and His Jilted Bride

“No,” he said. “But we'll manage.”

She thought he was probably right.

“I don’t know what they want. Why did they come here?”

“They told you,” Aurelia said. “The house in Suffolk was sold…” She bit her lip, abandoning her task of clearing away the tea. “Did you suspect that’s where they would go? Is that why you decided to get it sold quickly?”

Evander was quiet initially, which was answer enough. “He had spoken about taking you there after your wedding.”

“So you did sell it on purpose. But why? I don’t understand.”

“I did not think he would go there with her. And on the off-chance he did…” He began preparing to rise, straightening himself and stretching out his back. “It would not have felt right. Better to sell the property rather than tarnishing it further.”

“That seems to be a common theme with you,” Aurelia said. “Trying to make things right.”

“Is that a problem?”

Aurelia shrugged, looking at him. An hour ago, she had kissed him. She couldn’t imagine doing that now. “Not always. But sometimes… There is a thin line between correcting things that have gone awry… and revenge. I did not think you were the type to avenge yourself of things, that’s all.”

And more importantly, she thought but did not say, she didn’t like the implications. That there was something worth avenging – a betrayal, a wife stolen, the loss of Seraphina.

Seventeen

“Iwant one,” Miss Penrose said without preamble.

Evander looked up from his newspaper. She was in the doorway of the drawing room with Titan beside her, one hand resting on the dog's enormous head as though they had known each other for years. Titan, for his part, looked settled, which Evander found faintly insulting given that Titan was supposed to be his dog.

“He stayed with me last night you know,” Lydia continued, coming in and taking the chair across from him without being invited. “All night long. He took up three quarters of the bed, which I did not mind because I find his company considerably more restful than most people's. You don’t mind, do you?” She looked at Titan with genuine warmth. “I want one exactly like him. Where does one acquire a dog like this? Is there a specific arrangement or do they simply appear in one's life, carried in by…? Well it wouldn’t be a stork, would it? One of those hot air balloons?”

“They appear in Reading, usually. At least that’s where we purchased them. I can put you in contact with the breeder, if you’re serious,” Evander said, folding the broadsheet. “And you should be serious if you want to keep one. They are not like Mrs. Harrow’s dogs in the slightest.”

“Obviously. I wouldn’t dream of trying to fit Titan in a little bag and carry him around, feeding him pieces of chicken. Whole pheasants, more like.” She reached over and took a biscuit from the plate without asking. “I would name mine something sensible though, not like these two. Titan and Nike…. Those are very grand names.”

Evander cleared his throat. “My brother named them.”

“Of course he did.” She clapped the crumbs off her hands. “Speaking of which – Aurelia is troubled this morning. She didn’t say as much, obviously. I looked in on her before I came down. She was in the music room but she wasn't really playing, just sitting at the piano looking at it very sadly. And when I asked her how she was she said fine, in that funny voice of hers when she is lying.” She looked at him directly. “You will know the voice I mean, Your Grace.”

“Perhaps I do,” he said.

“Obviously it is to do with last night. I would not expect anything different. We heard the news this morning… But neither of them were at breakfast. Curious. Poor Aurelia. There was something else in her answer too…” She was looking at him gravely – as gravely as a woman like Miss Penrose could manage. “I was going to ask her about it this morning but she rejected me very smoothly, which she is excellent at, as you also know. So I thought I would mention it to you instead, in case you had some idea of what could be done ab⁠—”

“Good morning.”

They both turned. Frederick was in the doorway in his shirtsleeves, hair still disordered from sleep, looking considerably less composed than he had the night before. He took in the room, registered Miss Penrose with mild surprise, like he had forgotten there were other guests, and then looked at Evander.

“Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all,” Lydia said pleasantly, her smile making her cheeks bloom. “I was just leaving, for fact.” She stood, took another biscuit, and paused beside Evander's chair on her way past. “We will speak later,” she said quietly, and was gone before Frederick had sat down.

Frederick watched her go. “Who is that?”

“That would be Miss Penrose. Aurelia's close friend.”

“She is not like Aurelia at all.” He sat down and reached for the coffee pot. “She is very bright. Not that Aurelia is not bright, but–”

“Frederick.”

His brother looked at him, eyes wide.