Chapter 10

Ten

R uth waited until her aunt had fallen asleep for her morning nap, curled up in the wedding dress on a settee in her private sitting room, before slipping off towards the library. She wanted to know more about this matter of Lady Cecelia’s past, and she assumed the best place to start was his relative.

She found Lord Darnley in the library, sitting at a desk that pulled out of one of the bookshelves, looking over a rather thick and dusty manuscript. He heard her step and looked up, the light from an open window falling on his face.

“Miss Selwyn, to what do I owe this honor?”

She paused in the door and looked around. The room was a heavy and dark one, like much of the rest of the house, but with the shades open as they now were there was a brightness and sense of adventure in it. She’d always felt that way in libraries, even ones filled with dull and boring textbooks as this was. Her eyes fell on the book in front of Lord Darnley, and she smiled.

“That looks like heavy reading, my Lord,” she said, coming closer.

He nodded and leaned back, motioning her to sit in a nearby chair. “Somebody told me that there was wisdom in learning about the particulars, even when one deals in lofty matters.”

She peered over at the title on the top of one of the weathered pages. “ A General Treatise of Husbandry and Gardening ,” she smiled. “Riveting.”

“You have no idea, Miss Selwyn.” He crossed her arms as though preparing do dive into a deep discourse. “I have learned much about the fungal spore germination and the pollination of plants by insects. Richard Bradley was rather an expert in such matters — cutting edge research in the stuff. There is also the matter of pond ecology, but I do not wish to bore you with that matter.”

She pretended deep interest. “No, my Lord. After regaling me with the topic of fungal spores, you would not wish to descend into matters of pond ecology.”

He laughed, and closed the book, leaving a marker in its place. “In truth, I think my education must include some in-person training as well as book-learning. I know that some of the tenants on my father’s farms would be happy to help me, if not a bit taken aback that the son of the Duke was wandering around their grounds asking questions.”

“It is a good thought,” she said.

“You did not come here today to learn the improvements in planting and gardening,” he said. “Why did you come?”

“I have some questions about your aunt,” she said. “I do not wish to overstep my bounds, but if you will allow me some—” she paused, her tone serious, “— investigation into the matter, I suspect her history accounts for much of her current malady.”

“I am not sure how much I can help you,” he said. “I am not as well-acquainted with her history as I ought to be. Still, I can try my best to be of service.”

She crossed her hands, thinking a moment before proceeding. “Do you know much of your mother’s childhood? I assume she and Lady Cecelia grew up together?”

“Not precisely together,” he answered slowly. “My aunt was a good deal older than my mother — a good eight years removed, and my mother saw her enter adulthood while Mother was still a child. Still, she remembers a peaceful early childhood. She said they used to go down and play by the ponds in the evenings, running about and making up faerie stories. My aunt was kind to my mother, though she was much older. Still,” he frowned, “I know that my aunt grew rebellious when she was older. She didn’t like the rules her parents inflicted on her, and went about spurning them at every turn.”

Ruth frowned. “I had thought her way of dress and behavior was a symptom of her malady, but I wonder if it finds its roots in a deeper place — a desire to fly in the face of what society asks of her.”

“It is a thought,” he answered.

“How did she meet her husband?” Ruth asked. “Her late husband, that is.”

Lord Darnley ran his hands along his beard in thought. “I don’t know how they originally met, but I’m not sure it matters. It was not a love match, I believe. It was a marriage of convenience, as so many are. I am sure they first met over some arranged introduction on some dance floor in an assembly room that is long forgotten. He was a rich, titled nobleman. Her parents wanted her to marry well, and in the end it was one area where she did not rebel. She’s lived here at his manor ever since.”

“Were they happy together?” she asked quietly. I wonder what possessed her to give in, at last, on something as important as marriage, she thought. I wonder if this man she speaks of, Scott, was involved in the matter at all.

He shrugged. “How is one to know such a thing? He died shortly after they were married — a few years, I believe — and long before I was born. I never met the man; I’d never even met her. According to my mother, she hid herself away from society, refusing even to see her own family.”

Ruth’s heart hurt at the thought of it. It had been years and years of isolation for Lady Cecelia. That could change a person. “Such behavior speaks of great love,” she said. “Perhaps she cared for James more than your family thought.”

“I really have no idea,” he answered her quietly. “It is not something we discuss in my family. Affection is not expected with marriage.” He shook his head quickly. “No, for us everything is arrangement and convenience. I believe it has always been that way. My own parents have grown to care for each other over the years, but even that was a rocky and uncertain beginning.” He frowned. “I do not think my aunt would have been very happy in such an arrangement. Perhaps I am wrong, and she was strangely lucky, but if I look at the facts I see a woman with a wild and passionate soul. Such a woman would not be happy to make a nest in a cage that was not of her own choosing. She would not want to be bound like that.”

Ruth had a strange feeling he was not just talking about his aunt. Are you in a cage of your own choosing, Lord Darnley? She tilted her head to the side, and risked sounding improper to ask, “You speak as one with experience.”

His gaze had fallen to the desktop as he spoke, and he did not raise it to answer, “You know well enough that I speak from experience. In fact, Miss Selwyn, I speak altogether too much when I am in your presence. It seems you bring out an honesty in me that would be better left undiscovered.”

“I disagree.” She smiled. “Your honesty is a gift, my Lord.”

He ran his fingers through his hair and raised his eyes to hers. “Then I will say that I can never imagine giving myself up to an arranged match the way Aunt Cecelia did. I do not wish to be trapped, and though my parents continually pressure me into just such a situation I intend to hold firm.”

Ruth nodded. “Your ideals do you credit, sir, but do not forget that a woman is not always as free to pursue her wishes in these matters as a man. Your aunt may have wanted to avoid being trapped in a loveless marriage, but she may not have had the necessary power to stand up for herself. What other recourse did she have?” She smiled at Lord Darnley. “You always have the option of being a bachelor forever, keeping your millions and your title. Certainly, you would receive some social ridicule for never settling down, and there would be the confusing matter of your inheritance, but those are things that you would have sorted out in time. For a woman in your aunt’s position, it was very likely that, had she not married the Duke, she would have been disowned or otherwise not compensated beyond a pittance.” She shrugged her shoulders and smiled wryly. “Women like that can even find themselves reduced to pursuing a position as a governess, or else a lady’s companion.”

He looked at her in mild surprise. “Are you telling me you are a disowned heiress, Miss Selwyn?”

She laughed. “Hardly. My beginnings were much less grand. I am only poking gentle fun at my profession in an effort to make you smile.”

He looked at her soberly, his eyebrows drawing together as though he were studying something quite interesting on the pages of a book.

“It is not a hard thing, Miss Selwyn, for you to make me smile.”

What did he mean by that? She could not tell if he was rakishly charming, completely unaware, or genuinely complimenting her. Just as the things he’d said the night before still played in her mind, this most recent phrase battered her resolve. You make me smile. She looked down at her hands.

“I can see that you have a wild soul,” she said simply. “I imagine an arranged match is not in your future.”

She stood up, smoothing the front of her dress and giving him a more professional nod. “I will not keep you from your text any longer, my Lord. This conversation has been interesting in the extreme, and enlightening as to my future investigation.”

“I have not given you any answers, Miss Selwyn,” he said, opening his book back up. “Only more puzzle pieces.”

“I love puzzles,” she said brightly.

“Of course you do,” he retorted, smiling again into the book.

I love it when he smiles. She hurried out of the room before her emotions, so unwieldy despite her best efforts, betrayed her.