Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

" T hank you for a lovely afternoon." The duke bowed low over Selina's hand. Thalia watched as her sister all but melted before him. "I may only hope that we shall share such similar excursions in the future."

"When will I see you again? Will it be soon?" asked Selina, making Thalia wince. Even if this were an appropriate suitor, such a show of preference might be regarded as overly bold.

But Benedict merely smiled. "Indeed. As soon as propriety may allow."

Raising his gaze to where Thalia stood, several feet behind her sister, the duke nodded, his smile twisting just a little. "Lady Thalia. Good day."

Managing a curt nod, Thalia moved to stand beside her sister as the duke turned and climbed into his carriage. As he took his seat, Thalia caught his eye. Benedict's smile - which had never slipped once from his face since she and the duke had rejoined Selina in the park - now widened. The carriage stuttered into motion. And, with a wink, he was gone.

Selina began to speak but, for a moment, Thalia did not hear her. She was overcome by how utterly infuriating she found the duke. The audacity of the man!

"I shall sleep soundly tonight I think," said Selina with a contented sigh, bringing Thalia back to the present. "It has been a wonderful afternoon. Good exercise and fresh air. Intriguing company," she added with a giggle. "Thoroughly enjoyable, was it not?"

Without waiting for her sister's reply, Selina happily turned to skip up the steps leading to the manor.

Glumly, Thalia followed. She was not looking forward to the conversation that needed to be had. Especially since she and her sister had quarreled only last night. These days, they seemed to do nothing but argue.

As Selina glided into the drawing room, Thalia hesitated in the doorway. Her younger sister's delighted monologue carried into the hall after her. "He was most courteous, was he not?" Selina mused. "And handsome, of course. Why, he must be the most handsome man in the ton ."

She was not wrong. Thalia pressed her eyes closed, steeling herself. She was more shaken by her intimate conversation with the duke than she cared to admit. And not just because of what he had insinuated, but because of where her mind had gone the instant he first made the sordid proposal.

After letting out a particularly deep breath, she crossed into the drawing room. "Do not let yourself be persuaded merely by looks, Selina."

"Of course not," Selina replied, flopping down onto the settee. "But they do help, do they not?" she grinned. "Besides, with such a title, any woman in town would marry him even if he were to resemble a toad more than a man." She burst into delighted laughter.

Thalia did not share in her sister's mirth. "Selina. I do not think you should invite the duke's attention."

Selina's laughter died. Frowning, she slowly shook her head. "I should have known that you could not be satisfied, even with a prize such as he. What fault could you possibly find in him?"

"Have you not heard what the ton says of him?"

"I have heard that he is handsome, in possession of one of the largest dukedoms in the country and enjoys the comforts that such a position affords him. All of which I find to be true."

Thalia raised an eyebrow, searching her sister's eyes. "Selina, I would be remiss if I did not tell you what they say about him. He is a rake and a rogue. He takes from women what he wants and casts them away. Why, Lady Wright told me only a fortnight ago that she believed him to be the reason Lady Claudia was forced to leave the ton so suddenly. I can only imagine what shame he brought to her. Nor do I wish to imagine the sweet promises he whispered in her ear, all the while intending to break them just as quickly as he lost interest in her."

Thalia shivered, realizing that Benedict had spoken such improper musings in her ear.

"Speculation, sister! That is all that is. You should know better than to believe the gossip of the ton . Especially if comes from Lady Wright." Selina rolled her eyes. "I had expected better of you, Thalia. Do you not always say that such rumors had very little stake in the truth."

"But surely from his behavior, you may see –"

"His behavior has been nothing but gentlemanly," argued Selina. "Has it not?"

Biting her lip, Thalia did not answer. How could she begin to tell her sister of what had transpired between herself and the duke? She herself did not quite know what had happened. Nor would Selina take the news well. She would assume that Thalia had made it up in an effort to stop her from seeing the duke. That this was some way to manipulate her. Something Selina seemed to think Thalia was already doing.

"I forbid you from seeing him," Thalia said quietly after a moment. She stood and glanced out of one of the nearby windows. The sunny day had already begun to turn. When had those clouds blown in? So much for the duke's fine day.

"What?" Selina was on her feet in an instant.

"If you will not believe me or the ton , what choice do I have? If I were to give the duke the benefit of the doubt, he may still take advantage of you. I cannot risk the ruin of your reputation, Selina."

"You cannot tell me what to do!" retorted her sister, her voice rising in pitch and volume. "You have no right!"

"I have every right because I care about you! And because someone must be reasonable about these things if you will not." Thalia replied, her anger spurring her to match her sister's cry. "Simply because you are ready to throw your life away, does not mean that I should stand by and watch you do it!"

Selina's eyes flashed in rage. She opened her mouth, ready with what Thalia knew would be a scathing retort.

"What on earth is going on in here?"

Closing her mouth and then opening it again, Selina turned toward their father as he strode into the drawing room. "Father, please inform Thalia that she is not to tell me what to do. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself."

"You and I both know that she is not," countered Thalia, all but gritting her teeth to keep from lashing out even more. All her life, Selina had been the only person who could draw Thalia into a temper. Selina always managed to pull out the small, petulant child within Thalia in their arguments, making her shout and scold as if she were five years old once more.

"Goodness," sighed their father, eyeing them warily. "Tensions are high today, are they not? Whatever is the matter?"

Thalia closed her eyes as Selina began to justify herself. All these matters, Thalia had indeed already explained to their father. But Jerome Fletcher, the Earl of Windham, never seemed to be able to keep such matters straight. He had probably never expected to be sucked into such matters; had their mother still been alive, she would have managed Selina's entry into Society.

"She does not even know the man," Selina protested. "How can she dismiss him as unsuitable if she does not know him?"

Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Jerome looked between his two daughters. It was clear he was out of his depth. "Well, Selina, I can see that you are disappointed. And though, I confess, I do not quite understand what this is about, I am sure that Thalia knows what is best in this situation. She always does."

Uttering a cry of pure outrage, Selina threw up her hands. "Father, you always take her side!"

"Now, now, I am not taking sides. I love my daughters equally," he assured her in that soft, gentle tone that Thalia knew all too well. "But Thalia knows more of these matters. She is older. She has looked after these things on your behalf for many years. Dresses, and all matters of society, and such," he added with a vague wave of his hand.

Though she knew he meant no harm, it hurt Thalia to hear her years of work - years of carrying what should have been her mother's and then her father's burden - summed up into nothing more than dress shopping.

What made it worse was that she did, indeed, need new dresses for Selina.

"Father, will you at least remind Thalia," Selina pressed, narrowing her eyes at her older sister, "that she is not my mother . We still have one parent, and that is more than enough. Even if he refuses to engage in such matters."

With a huff, Selina swanned from the room.

Thalia sighed. As her father turned to face her, she could see that Selina's words had hurt him.

"Father, she is angry with me," Thalia murmured, crossing to place a hand on his arm. "And she is taking it out on you. She does not mean what she says."

"No, no she is right. I do not like to get mixed up in these matters. I know very little of how such things should be, and you, you do it so well," he added with a warm smile.

Thalia watched as their father pressed her hand lovingly in his. He was showing the mark of the passing years. His brown curls were now peppered with grey, as was his beard, and he seemed to take a little more time as he stood or sat, favoring his right leg instead of his left.

"Speaking of dresses and society," Thalia began gently, "I shall need to purchase another few dresses for Selina. She has already worn most of her wardrobe this Season, and to repeat any of the gowns so soon would be in poor taste."

"Oh? Why?"

"Well, it might make others think that our finances are out of order and that we are eager to marry Selina off for money."

"Is that not the point of these matches? Dowry and all that?" her father asked.

Thalia tried not to sigh. Her father was indeed ignorant of such delicate matters. "I suppose. But to be seen as belonging to a family of money-grabbers would make Selina an undesirable choice for most bachelors. They do not wish to marry only to have their money sunk into an already sinking estate."

"Well, if you put it like that…" He frowned, thinking. "Are you certain that we can afford her a new dress?"

Thalia tried not to show her impatience. "Indeed. I have gone over the ledgers just last week."

Jerome continued to frown. "Are you certain? We must not live beyond our means."

"No, Father, that is true. And we did struggle when it was my time to enter society. But I have been very strict with our finances since then, for Selina's sake. Perhaps I can show you the ledgers –" she began hopefully, but her father cut her off.

"No, no, that will not be necessary," he replied. "I trust you to manage them. If you say that Selina must have new dresses – and that we can afford them – then new dresses she shall have."

Nodding, Thalia briefly considered when she might be able to visit the dressmakers. Selina would need the dresses soon, and her sister could not afford to miss any of the Season's events. Not if she wanted to make a good match before the most eligible bachelors were snatched up. But now that the duke was showing interest in Selina, Thalia did not trust her sister to go anywhere without her watchful eye.

Certainly not a ball where the duke might use darkened corners or quiet rooms might tempt Selina into besmirching her good name. Thalia shivered at the thought.

"Well, Thalia, tell me, what have you been up to these days?" her father mused, the skin beside his eyes quirking into a myriad of little wrinkles as he smiled. "Aside from keeping your sister out of danger."

Thalia allowed herself a small smile. "Well –"

"Ah, I have not told you about the new colt!" her father interrupted, his eyes lighting up, his previous question already forgotten.

Biting her tongue, Thalia shook her head. "No, you have not."

"It was ever so thrilling. I was present at the birth – did I tell you?" He shook his head in wonder, not waiting for his daughter's reply. "I knew at once, I tell you, I knew that he would be an exceptional steed. You can tell, just by looking at them, whether they have the makings of a proper racehorse."

"Indeed?"

"And in the week since its birth, the colt has been showing exceptional ability. I dare say it will be one of the fastest horses in the county in a few years." Jerome settled into an armchair with a satisfied grunt. "Thalia, dear, hand me that book, will you?"

Silently, Thalia picked up the book in question from the shelf to her right and passed it to her father.

"Thank you, dear."

"Of course, Father."

Thalia stood watching him a moment as he settled in further, content to escape into the literary world laid out before him. She felt sad, all of a sudden. Tired.

She wished she could ask her father why he had entrusted her with so many of these responsibilities. With his responsibilities. Other fathers were deeply invested in the marriages of their children. But Jerome seemed unable to take up such a burden.

He was too kind, she reminded herself. Jerome's gentle nature made it difficult for him to deal with such taxing, challenging issues. That was why Thalia had to step in. For his sake, she took on whatever she could.

But there was little time that Thalia could allow for such musings. There was much still to be done. And finding her sister a proper suitor in place of that disgraceful duke was at the top of the list.

As she made her way from the drawing room, a sudden rush of heat washed over her. She stepped to the side, pressing up against the wall, her head spinning. Unbidden, the memory of the duke's nearness came upon her.

Ink mingled with cologne that smelled richly of musk and a spice she could not quite place. That was what he had smelled of. It had nearly overpowered her.

Now, recalling the brush of his lips on her ear, Thalia found herself blushing all over again. Furious, she turned and hurried toward the front door. It looked like it might rain at any moment, but she did not care. She needed fresh air and a hearty walk to clear the duke from her senses. Perhaps a bit of cool, steady rain would help.

He had said that he would see Selina soon. When did he plan on doing that? Would he call again? Would Thalia be able to send him away before Selina tried to intervene?

She knew better than to believe that Selina would simply reject Benedict because Thalia said so. No, Selina would continue to allow his courtship. All that Thalia could do would be to stay by her side and ensure that the duke's behavior was suitable for a man of his status. That, and she would hope that, with time, Selina would become aware of the man's true nature. Not until Selina saw the duke for who he was herself, would she consider Thalia's warning.

The sky above her rumbled with angry forewarning. Thalia paused, halfway to the gardens. All at once, she was overcome with the strangest sensation. She was on the precipice of something big, something dangerous. How she proceeded forward would change not only Selina's life but hers as well.

Thalia turned her face skyward as the heavens opened.