Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Much to her disappointment, the viscount joined them for the remainder of their shopping trip. She wasn't sure he had much of a choice. Every time he tried to veer off, one of her family members dragged him back into what they were doing.

The bookstore was a quaint little place. Shelves, filled to the brim with books, created narrow passageways. It was easy to disappear in there between all the things that inspired Diana.

Even the ceiling of the store was painted with a scene of the night sky. It was a deep blue with bright stars painted on it. Diana took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the paper, and exhaled slowly.

There was hope for her then that she would find some small amount of peace.

Her family and the viscount had not stopped talking since they'd met, and Diana had no idea what they had been talking about. She'd been paying them little attention in her attempt to remain invisible.

Diana separated herself for a while as she looked through some of the books she hadn't read. But it hadn't been far enough. The more time she spent in that man's presence, the more irritable she became. He oozed falsehood and pretence.

While her cousins were distracted, the viscount made his way over to her. He startled her when he spoke; she was busy reading the first chapter entry of a book that interested her.

"It was kind of you to give that child a coin," he said. "Most people won't do that."

She shrugged. "I've always given to the poor," she explained. "I am able to, so why shouldn't I?"

She wasn't lying. A portion of her money was given to orphanages every year with strict instructions to make sure that no children needed to live on the streets and that no child would go hungry.

It had been a while since Diana had checked in on those orphanages, and she made a mental note to do the rounds again soon. Seeing that child look so hungry and tired made her worried that her contributions were not being spent well enough.

The viscount was standing near to her. In the narrow passageway between the shelves, she could not move past him. When he spoke, he oozed an arrogant tone. It reminded her a little of her aunt. Diana had no choice but to have a conversation with him. She only had to be careful that Jane did not see them.

Her cousin had a jealous streak. Diana recalled one time when Jane had destroyed one of her dolls because it had been the better one. And she'd seen the way Jane had flaunted herself at the viscount. Her cousin was clearly interested in him, and the last thing Diana needed was for Jane to get the wrong idea.

"That's very charitable of you," he said.

"Well, My Lord," Diana said plainly. "I think it should be a requirement for all households that earn over a certain amount. But I'm certain that opinion would not be popular with everyone."

"Probably more than you know," he said. "And my name is Colin Fitzgerald. Viscount Starling seems so proper for a bookstore."

Diana gave a weak smile. Just as she did, Jane rounded the corner, clearly in search of the viscount. Jane's expression soured as Diana averted her eyes from both of them.

"I've seen nothing here of interest to me," Jane snapped.

Diana could hear the bitterness in her cousin's voice.

"We're leaving. Viscount, would you care to join us as we visit our last stop?"

Much to Diana's disappointment, he kept his eyes on her. "I'd love to," he said, not turning to look at Jane.

Diana had to do something if she wanted to avoid an unnecessary argument. She was in no way interested in Colin Fitzgerald despite his interest in her. And she needed to make sure that Jane understood that in some way.

"You lot go on ahead," she said. "There are some books I'm interested in here. I'll join you again in just a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" Colin asked. "I don't mind waiting for you."

Diana made sure not to look at her cousin. She didn't want her to get the wrong idea. But she could feel the burning of her gaze on her.

"Positive," Diana answered. "I won't be long."

"Well, we're going for tea. You can meet us at the tea house," Jane said before turning on her heels.

Colin gave Diana one last eager glance before following Jane out of the bookstore. Diana breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have long, but she could take a few minutes to herself and away from the madness.

In those few minutes, she chose a few new books to read and headed as slowly as she could towards the tea room. Some glanced at the damage to the hem of her dress that she'd got from running into the street after the street urchin.

She didn't care much about that. Other people's opinions had never bothered her much at all. Diana had a way of shrugging them off. When the tea house came into view, she slowed her pace again.

It was packed, and she was certain that her family had ordered a table full of cakes and tea. Diana wasn't hungry, and she wasn't in the mood for any kind of polite conversation, either.

Mostly, she was in no mood for her cousin's jealous stares and snarky remarks. By the time Diana made it to the table, the conversation was in full swing. Colin stood up to greet her as she took her seat.

"Do not let me interrupt the conversation," Diana said, making sure not to look the viscount in the eyes.

"I was just telling the Viscount Starling here about our trip last year," her aunt said.

"His name is Colin Fitzgerald," Diana announced.

Her family shot her a horrified look as if she had said something horrendous.

"Diana's right," Colin said. "You may address me by my name."

Jane looked as if she'd eaten something sour. Her mouth turned into a pout as she pushed her cake away. Diana tried not to look at her on the off chance that her looks might be misunderstood.

"Do you enjoy the theatre?" Colin asked.

It took Diana a moment to realize that he was talking directly to her. Diana put down her tea and gave him a fleeting glance.

"Not particularly," Diana lied. "But I know Jane has hardly ever missed a production. The ballet is her favourite."

That was just what Diana needed to say. Jane took over the conversation happily then, recounting all her favourite theatre productions. Jane could talk about it for hours, and it wasn't long before Colin looked as if he regretted ever mentioning it.

It didn't matter. Jane was a perfectly charming woman. She puffed out her chest and fluttered her eyelashes. Then, she laughed at the right moments and never too loudly. Jane knew exactly what she was doing.

If Diana cared enough, she might have asked her for some pointers. Perhaps then she would have made a better impression in front of the duke the day before.

"Do you enjoy the theatre?" Jane asked him eagerly.

"Oh yes," Colin answered. "I adore the drama."

His eyes flicked over to Diana again, and she heard Jane audibly sigh. He had no idea what kind of trouble he was causing for her when he looked at her that way. Colin also didn't realize that as long as Jane showed him any interest, he would be off-limits to the rest of them.

Her aunt jumped on board quickly, making sure that her daughter came across as the most fitting young woman ever to have walked those streets. Diana fought against rolling her eyes. She focused rather on the cake in front of her, which she happily ate.

The world around them was a buzz, and the conversation was in full swing, and Diana barely knew what they were talking about. She dreamed of her spot in the garden and the new books she had bought for herself.

She'd never been more eager to get home so that she could read and spend time on her own. It was as if she could already smell the flowers and feel the breeze on her face.

Diana also knew that when they got home, her aunt and cousins would make themselves busy going through the items they'd just bought and recalling every word spoken between them and the handsome viscount.

"Diana," her aunt said sternly.

When she looked up, her aunt was staring at her with an agitated look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was elsewhere, and I've lost track of the conversation."

It was an impolite thing to have done, but she couldn't help it.

"The viscount was asking you if you've ever been to the children's theatre on the other side of town," Jane said bitterly.

"Oh," Diana said. "I go every year. The performances are rather remarkable, aren't they?"

Colin smiled knowingly at her. "Yes, they are. I was just telling your family about it all."

Diana nodded and smiled and was careful to pay attention to the rest of the conversation. Every now and then, her mind still pulled her away, but she clung to the conversation as if it were life itself so that she would not embarrass her family again.

Finally, the tea came to an end.

"Ladies, this has been lovely, but I'm afraid business awaits me," Colin said as he prepared to greet them all.

"I think there are still hours worth of conversation to be had," her aunt commented. "Why not come for dinner later this week? It will be our pleasure to host you."

Colin smiled uneasily. He kept his eyes on Diana then as if to read her response to the invitation.

"Yes, you must come!" Jane said, stepping between them to avert his eyes.

"It's the least we could do to thank you for your bravery today," her aunt continued.

Colin shook his head. "It was Diana who showed true bravery today."

Jane looked as if she wanted to be sick. "Without you, they both would have been trampled by the traffic. It was your bravery that saved them both. Come to dinner."

It was sounding less like an invitation then and more like a demand. Her aunt looked at Diana with pleading eyes.

"Yes," Diana said. "You are most welcome at our home."

That seemed to be the response he was looking for. Colin straightened his back and his jacket.

"I'd be happy to," he said.

"I'll send word with the details," her aunt added before dragging her daughters away.

Diana was the last to follow him, giving Colin a meagre smile as she made her way to the door of the tea room.

"I look forward to it," he said in a low voice just as she passed.

It was quiet enough that Diana was the only one who heard it. Her cheeks threatened to turn pink, but she turned her mind to thoughts of something else to stop the blush from setting in.

As far as Jane was concerned, Diana was uninterested in Colin. And that was the truth, but she knew it would take some convincing anyway.

For their entire trip home, her aunt and cousins spoke about the handsome viscount and how he had not only saved the day but stumbled into their lives like a knight in shining armour.

By the time they got home, the other women rushed to tell her uncle all about it while Diana retreated to her sanctuary in the garden with her new books and tried her hardest to forget it all.

And that was where she stayed until the sun hung so low in the sky that she could hardly see the words before her. When she finally went back inside, she did not miss Jane's silence.

Despite all her attempts to avoid it, Jane was jealous.