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“Do you paint, Lady Irene?” Guildford asked, and Elizabeth returned to stroking Brutus’ ears. He was falling asleep on her lap, but she was sure he would wake up once they reached the park.
“Yes, I do My Lord. It is one of my favorite pursuits,” Irene replied.
“What about you, Lady Elizabeth; do you paint?” he asked.
She raised her eyes, and he was smiling at her. Not the courteous smile he gave her sister, but a smug one that told her he knew the answer to the question he was asking her. “I lack the talent,” she said simply.
“Where does your talent lie?” he asked, slightly leaning forward in his seat.
“It is not music,” she said, leaning forward without thinking.
“I know that, and it does not lie in embroidery either,” he goaded.
“I have no talent, My Lord,” she replied, which was the truth. She did not have any of the accomplishments that ladies of thetonboasted, and many people knew. Evidently, so did he, which did not surprise her.
“I do not believe you,” he said.
“Ask my sister.” Elizabeth laughed. He looked at Irene, and she nodded in confirmation. Elizabeth had once been ashamed of her lack of talents but had explored the world of science and politics and sharpened her mind. She had accomplishments but not conventional ones.
“I still do not believe you, Lady Elizabeth,” Guildford said. He was looking for something, and she felt her shoulders slowly tense.
Did he know?No, he could not know what she had hidden for years. Not even her family knew. No one but Stella knew.
“You may believe whatever you wish, My Lord, but that is the truth.”
“And you seem intent on convincing me of it.” His mouth slanted slyly. Elizabeth was certain he was seeking an answer to a question she did not want him to know. She also noticed that he was not conversing with Irene despite being her suitor. This ought to please Elizabeth, but it did not because his attention was on her which was not right.
They arrived at Hyde Park, and he said, “I wanted us to drive, but I think we should walk because of Brutus.”
“That is considerate of you,” Elizabeth said. As she had predicted, Brutus woke when the carriage stopped. Guildford and Irene walked ahead while she followed behind them at a distance with Brutus as a chaperone would, but Brutus soon grew restless, and she knew he would run and make her chase him if she did not allow him the freedom he wanted.
“Oh, very well,” she sighed and walked faster. “Come along.”
Irene giggled as Elizabeth walked briskly past them. “Is Brutus being impatient?” she asked.
“Yes!” Elizabeth called over her shoulder with a smile.
“I see he is not very different from his mistress,” Guildford remarked.
“Oh, but Elizabeth is patient, My Lord,” Irene disagreed while Elizabeth continued walking without turning to even acknowledge what he had said. “She taught me how to skip pebbles on water, and I was a very difficult student.”
“Oh?” he intoned. Elizabeth slowed and turned to look at him. When he frowned, she smiled. He did not consider that a lady-like activity, and that might discourage him from pursuing Irene. His eyes moved from her sister’s to hers, and Elizabeth grinned.
He cleared his throat. “What else has Lady Elizabeth taught you that she was not supposed to?”
“Climbing trees,” Irene replied innocently, and he blinked. Elizabeth laughed. “Taking honey from a beehive without any covering,” Irene continued, and his eyes positively widened. “Oh, and catching the small fish in the stream that runs through our estate in Gloucestershire.”
“Has Lady Elizabeth learned anything from you?” he asked, his gaze flickering to Elizabeth’s face. The smile he wore was not one of pleasure.
“Yes, she has,” Irene replied, looking at her.
“Which is?” Guildford prompted.
“Oh, it is a secret, My Lord,” Irene said with a beatific smile. Elizabeth bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from laughing. She turned and continued walking ahead of them with Brutus. Irene had just revealed that she was not the right woman to be his marchioness, and Elizabeth was proud of her. Her sister had as much spirit as she did and would not bend to a man’s will, but because she was very young, Elizabeth felt she still needed to protect her sister.
Elizabeth picked up a short stick from the ground and threw it for Brutus to catch. He did and rushed back to her with it, his tail up and wagging. She collected the stick and was about to throw it again when she heard Irene call her name. When she turned, she saw that both Guildford and Irene had stopped, and there was a handsome gentleman in their company.
“Lady Elizabeth,” Guildford said when she joined them, “allow me to introduce my cousin, Miles Danbury, the Earl of Mayton.” She recalled that he was the man Guildford had been speaking to about Irene at the ball.
