Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"You cannot blame this on me!" Lady Elizabeth snapped. "You are just as guilty as I am!"

"You twisted my arm into this entire game in the first place!" the viscount argued against her.

Mark joined his mother's side again as he watched the chaos unfold. Already, guests were leaving the party, uninterested in getting involved in such politics.

"I don't understand how this could have happened," the dowager duchess said quietly.

"You have always been easily swayed by a pretty face," Mark explained. "You have made the mistake of believing that someone as well-mannered as Lady Elizabeth could never be responsible for something so terrible. "

"I could never have imagined," his mother said quietly. "Is Miss Fairchild alright?"

"I hope that she will be," Mark answered. "Although I am sure you can imagine this has rather swayed her trust in people."

His mother nodded quietly. Mark could see how shaken up she was by it all. In the background, Lady Elizabeth and Viscount Starling had broken out into a loud argument for all to see. It was petty, ugly, and embarrassing.

Soon, Mark couldn't stand to hang around there either. Lady Elizabeth and Viscount Starling had turned on each other.

"Is there anybody trustworthy left in this world?" Mark's mother asked as he walked with her to their carriage.

"Of course there are," Mark assured her. "But you need to be more careful."

"I'm sorry," his mother said. "I feel like a fool. I should have listened to you."

"Do not blame yourself for anything," Mark assured her. "There is still time to make things right. However, I must ask that I never hear a bad word spoken against Diana ever again. Have I made myself clear?"

"Perfectly," his mother said with a blank stare.

Mark had a troubled sleep that night. With every toss and turn he thought about Diana and wondered if she was doing alright.

*

The house was quiet since Diana had kicked most of her family out. She liked it that way. While she had not slept well, she welcomed the morning eagerly. It was a new day, and she knew that she would start to feel better in no time.

Anna had stayed the night with her. Diana appreciated it. And so, as soon as she was ready, she headed downstairs to find Anna in the kitchen and join her for some tea.

"Let's take it in the garden," Anna suggested.

Diana accepted that happily. The warm tea flowed down her throat and comforted her. The women headed towards the swans where they made themselves comfortable on the bench.

"How are you doing?" Anna asked.

"Better," Diana answered. "Although, I don't think I ever want to go to another party again. I don't think I'm cut out for the theatrics of it all."

Anna chuckled. "I must admit, they do seem to get worse every time."

"How did you know to come looking for me last night?" Diana asked.

"It was the duke's idea," she said. "He knew how Lady Elizabeth feels about you, and he didn't like that she'd called you away like that."

"Well, he's clearly a better judge of character than I am."

"Nobody could have predicted what would happen last night," Anna assured her.

"The party was ruined, that's for sure," Diana said. "I'm sorry you didn't get to spend time with Mr Winterbourne."

Anna brushed her off. "There will be time for that I'm sure," she said. "Besides, I think the duke needs his company at the moment."

"I just don't understand how someone could do such a thing," Diana said. "And it wasn't just Lady Elizabeth. My own family had come up with the same scheme against me. Makes one wonder how often it is really happening out there."

"New rule," Anna said. "We never take conversations in the garden without the other one present. Let's just go everywhere together. It's safer that way."

"Agreed," Diana said with a nod. "Although, I don't think I'll be attending any more parties ever again. I just don't have it in me."

Anna gave a quiet nod.

Everything at home felt different now that Diana wasn't worried about her family members anymore. She could truly sit and unwind and not worry that they might be spending money or arguing with each other.

Or that perhaps they were angry at her for some reason. Her home felt like her safe space again. And it hadn't felt that way in a very long time.

She watched as the swans glided on the lake and broke the serenity of the water. All her life, Diana had been somewhat jealous of the swans. Their lives seemed so simple and elegant in comparison to hers.

Even the ugliest of chicks would turn into a majestic and graceful creature. It was inevitable in their world. Nothing was inevitable in her world.

"What do you think happened after we left?" Anna asked.

"I have no way of knowing," Diana answered. "The duke might have been too late to stop the gossip. My reputation might already be ruined."

"What does that mean for you?" Anna asked.

"I don't know."

Diana didn't want to think about it. She already disliked leaving the house for any reason. Now, she worried about what people would think or say on top of it all. She simply didn't have the energy for something like that.

"What if the duke was too late and the stories had already spread?" Anna asked, causing a knot in Diana's stomach.

"I don't know about that either," Diana said. "I fear I'll have to take this as it comes."

Anna nodded, and the women fell quiet a moment. They had been so invested in their conversation that they had not noticed the figure approach them from behind.

"You should have a little more faith in me," the duke spoke with a laugh.

The women turned to greet him happily. Just seeing him there made it seem as if all Diana's worries would simply melt away.

She got up to greet him.

"I'll go feed the swans," Anna excused herself, flashing Diana a knowing look.

"May I sit with you?" the duke asked.

"Please do," Diana said kindly. "I'd like nothing more."

His presence so near to her made her feel at ease again. Diana did not know what she did to deserve such kindness from him, but she knew that she would do anything in her power not to lose it.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm as alright as I can be," she answered. "And I am very happy to see you."

Mark smiled at her, and it felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. He truly was the only thing she cared about through all of it. Her greatest fear was that the rumour had spread, and her reputation was ruined so badly that Mark would no longer be interested in courting her.

"What happened?" she asked. She was agonizing over it and needed to know so that she could sort out her mind.

"The truth has been told," Mark explained with a smile. "Lady Elizabeth and Viscount Starling's plan has been exposed. Dare I say it caused quite a scene."

"Oh goodness, did anybody at that party have a good time?" Diana asked.

"I don't think so," Mark answered. "But that is what happens when people are lured to an event under false pretences."

"So, it really is true?" she asked. "The party was just a way to get me in trouble?"

"It was," Mark informed her. "But it had the opposite effect if you ask me."

"I'm so sorry that any of this has happened," Diana said. "How did you get them all to believe you."

"I had help," Mark explained. "Viscount Starling confessed in front of everyone."

Her eyes widened as she turned to look at Mark. Part of her wondered if he was not making a joke with her. One look at him told her he was being deadly serious.

That was the last thing she would have expected from a man like Viscount Starling. He was many things, but honest, he wasn't. Besides, reputation was everything to the viscount. Why would he risk that?

"How did you get him to do it?" she asked.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Mark said. "But here is where I need to apologize to you."

Diana frowned. "Apologize?"

"As part of my effort to get the truth out there, I told everyone that we are courting," he confessed. "The truth is out there now. When the viscount heard this, I guess guilt got the better of him."

Diana tried to imagine what that might have been like. To watch the viscount confess his sins to a room full of people. She might have liked to see it, actually.

"That is surprising," Diana said.

Mark nodded, and they sat there in silence for a while, contemplating all that had happened.

"I'm sorry," Mark said. "This should not have happened. If I had known Lady Elizabeth could be capable of such insanity, I would have done something, I swear it."

"Please, do not apologize," Diana answered. "None of this is your fault. Nor is it mine. Bad people merely exist, don't they?"

"And unfortunately, sometimes they find each other," Mark added.

Diana wished that she could sit at that pond with him forever. They would just watch the swans come by and wait as time passed them by. It would be a quiet existence. A perfect one, at that.

"What do you think will happen to them?" Diana asked.

"Well, they'll be the talk of the city," Mark said. "Which I suspect Lady Elizabeth might enjoy. Despite the negativity of it, she'll gain some popularity."

Diana chuckled. What he said made sense. Even with the little she knew of Lady Elizabeth, it was clear that she needed and wanted a lot of attention.

"And the viscount?" she asked.

"If I were him, I'd be leaving the city by now," Mark explained. "What little good reputation he had left has been badly squandered now. I don't think Lady Elizabeth will ever host a successful ball again. I fear nobody will arrive."

That seemed like a suitable punishment to Diana. While she did not want to see either of them get hurt, she wanted to make sure that they could never do the things they did to her to anybody else ever again.

"And how is Eva?" Diana asked.

She was eager to change the subject. Mark had helped, and they could do nothing more anyway. Diana wanted to get back to the very important part of her life, which was being courted by the Duke of Blackwood.

"Eager to see you again," he answered.

Diana thought of young Eva and how similar she had been to her as a child. For a brief moment, a pang of worry flooded her. That perhaps Eva's life would take the same course. Diana would do anything to stop her from feeling such fear and heartache.

"We will host a dinner here," Diana said. "The usual crowd will suffice. Why don't we make it formal? That way, Eva has an excuse to wear her best dress."

"She'd like that a lot," Mark said. "I'd like that even more." Diana took a deep breath, leaning slightly closer to Mark, then.

He made her feel as if nothing bad in the world could ever get to her.

"I'm glad you came to see me today," she said softly.

"I couldn't possibly stay away," he said. "Not after what had happened last night."

Diana smiled. "Tell me you'll stay for lunch?"

"Absolutely," he promised her. "Better yet, we'll get Miss Dubois to play the piano. That way, we can share the dance we missed last night."

Diana smiled. "I'd like that," she said. "That is only fair, isn't it?"