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“Is it?” Laurie said with a loud groan as he took up his place in the field behind Peter. “Can it wait for another awkward dinner?”
“What does that mean?” Lord Catling said, turning to his younger brother.
“It means that you three—”
“Ah-em!” Violette said loudly and pointed to where Lady Helen was watching them, stopping Laurie before he could shout anything louder for the lady to hear. He promptly closed his mouth.
“What is going on?” Lord Northrive asked, whispering to her.
“Your brother simply does not understand the charms of Lady Helen,” Violette said nonchalantly, trying to shrug off the discomfort of the conversation she had just shared with the lady.
“Come on! The way you two are playing, we’ll be here until sundown,” Peter called loudly.
Lord Northrive tossed the ball in the air another time. Unable to make sense of her anger, Violette snatched the ball from the air and wound up her arm. Before Peter could make any more complaints, she bowled it toward him. He had to be quick with the bat to hit it in time, but the ball flew through the air, leaving Lord Catling to run after it in a mad panic.
“Damn, you really are better at cricket than me,” Lord Northrive said, pulling the smallest of smiles from Violette before it vanished with his next whispered question. “How did it go with Lady Helen?”
“She…” Violette paused and glanced back to where Lady Helen was sitting in the shade, staring at the two of them. She couldn’t tell him the truth of what had passed in the conversation, for she couldn’t bear to see the pain in his features at a possible rejection. “She said encouraging things of your suit, though nothing that was decisive.”
“Good well…that is good, isn’t it?” Lord Northrive said, busying himself with rolling his sleeves further up his arms.
“It is. Isn’t it?” she asked in surprise.
“It’s just that I feel a little odd about it,” he said, keeping his eyes away from her and on the cricket ball that was being retrieved.
“How do you mean?”
“I mean, I should be happy, shouldn’t I?” Lord Northrive said, turning to look at her at last. “The lady my father wishes me to marry is showing receptiveness to my suit, not only to your mind, but she seems to make an excuse to touch me whenever she can.” Hearing the words made Violette grimace and look away. “Yet I cannot feel joy.”
“Why not?” Violette asked, her voice hitching high.
“It seems I cannot persuade my heart to commit itself wholeheartedly to this enterprise. What if Lady Helen were different?” he asked excitedly, turning his focus completely on her. “What if marriage could be more like a friendship? Where my future wife had everything that I loved in my friends? Why can’t Lady Helen be a little more like a man? Good god, why can’t she be more like you, Blake? At least then I could be happy in marriage.”
He turned away in time to catch the cricket ball that was being thrown his way by Lord Catling. Violette was so stunned by the words that her jaw had fallen slack, and she was staring at him with hope, her eyes widening in realisation.
He wanted to marry someone like her.
Here was her opportunity again. Suddenly, it didn’t seem to matter that there were people around them. She had to tell him her secret. Now.
“My lord, there is something I really need to tell you,” she said, stepping toward him.
“What is it?” he asked, tossing the ball from one hand to another.
“It’s about a secret.”
“A secret? What kind of secret?”
“A great one. One that I pray you will not hate me for.” Her words grabbed his attention, for he stopped throwing the ball around and turned his eyes completely on her.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice taking on a tone of concern.
She opened her mouth to say more, but there was a clap of thunder, the sound rolling around the estate, practically shaking the earth beneath their feet.
“Storm!” Peter bellowed as the thunder died down.
“Everyone inside!” Lord Catling shouted as the heavens opened.
Violette stayed perfectly still, her body numb as the rain came down in heavy droplets, so fast that it blurred her view of the world and practically clouded the house nearby from view.
