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Dartmoor swore softly. In a voice that was low and urgent, he murmured, “Send word to me.” And then he seemed to meld into the deep shadows of the hedge behind them.
Artemis blinked. The duke wanted to see her again? She had no further opportunity to reflect on the matter as in the next instant, Aunt Roberta rounded the corner.
“Artemis! Thank heavens. I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” her aunt declared. “Phoebe’s frantic with worry. What on earth are you doing out here all by yourself?”
“I…” Artemis glanced nervously toward the shadows again. Thank goodness the dukehadcompletely disappeared. There must be a convenient gap in the hedge that was impossible to discern in the darkness. “I’m sorry to have upset you and Phoebe,” she continued as she bent to retrieve her fan and reticule from the stone bench. “I wasn’t feeling well and needed a breath of fresh air.”
Aunt Roberta examined her through her lorgnette with a critical eye. “Now, why don’t I believe you?”
Artemis squared her shoulders. The best thing to do in a situation like this was to creatively embellish half-truths. And if that failed, she’d brazen it out. She couldn’t have her aunt thinking she’d sneaked outside for a romantic rendezvous. “If you must know, I crossed paths with…” She paused—perhaps it was better not to mention Lord Gascoyne. “I learned that someone I used to know some time ago, a young woman who I debuted with, had passed away. I had no idea, and as you can imagine, such unexpected news was upsetting. I simply needed a few quiet minutes to regain my composure. Given the ladies’ retiring room was terribly crowded, the garden seemed like the perfect place to escape to.”
“Hmmm…” Aunt Roberta looked skeptical. “Is it anyone I know?”
“No. I shouldn’t think so. In any event, I’m feeling much better now, so let’s return to the ballroom and let Phoebe know I’m all right. And then I should check on Lucy.” She’d only just realized that one of her gloves was still undone and she surreptitiously refastened the pearl buttons as she began to follow her aunt back toward the house. She should probably check if there was anything else amiss with her appearance in the ladies’ retiring room.
Most of all, she needed to calm down. The duke’s last words echoed in her mind:I must see you again… Send word to me…Artemis’s cheeks burned at just the thought of meeting Dartmoor again, but she resisted the urge to fan herself in case her aunt remarked upon the fact she seemed so flustered.
But perhaps Aunt Roberta had noticed something was amiss. They’d almost regained the terrace when she said, “Artemis, I feel it is my duty to remind you, yet again, that you must not skulk away on your own at events like this. I know you see yourself as on the shelf, and you value your independence, but you’ll only feed the gossipmongers. In the absence of facts, they’ll speculate.” Her tone was frost laden as she added, “And Iwillnot have any scandal attached to the family name. If you and your sister are to secure suitable matches, you must not put a foot wrong. You do understand that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.” And she honestly did.But…but…She ground her back teeth together. Society’s hypocrisy rankled her no end. Men like the Duke of Dartmoor and Lord Gascoyne could do whatever they liked, whenever they liked with impunity, but women were never free of etiquette’s tight yoke.
Unless and until the rules of society changed, women would always be constrained by restrictions men were not subject to. Their choices in life would always be limited. Why couldn’t she have an obligation-free romantic liaison—or even take a lover—if she wanted to? She wanted the freedom men had, God damn it.
Most of all, she wanted to make a difference, even if it was only in a small way. And she would do that when she started her college. Somehow, some way, she would make it happen. If only she didn’t have a dragon of a chaperone like Aunt Roberta breathing down her neck all the time, watching her every move. She’d truly had enough.
And then a mad, mad idea drifted through Artemis’s mind. A way to free herself from her aunt’s tight sphere of control, once and for all.
As soon as Artemis could meet with Lucy and Jane to discuss her plan, she would.
