Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

“ M argaret, if you keep fidgeting like that, how are you supposed to dance with any gentleman tonight?”

“You are forgetting, Evelina, that no man has asked me,” Margaret hissed under her breath.

The last three days at her sister’s house had been somewhat pleasant, even if Margaret had put up with numerous whispers about her, and walking into rooms to find they suddenly fell silent, meaning they had to be talking of her mere seconds before. She had looked forward to this last night, as Gabriel had thrown a ball for them.

Not only were the guests from the last three days here, but many others, too, who had come especially for the occasion. The ballroom was filled with people; the fine-dressed ladies packed together like sardines on a fish stall, and the gentlemen laughing so loudly it was rather like the catcalls in a market.

In the middle of the hall, a space had been cleared for dancing. Hurriedly, ladies and gentlemen took to the floor, some bumping into one another for it was so busy.

It was quite the event of the season, and Margaret didn’t want to taint it for her sister. That was why every time someone came to talk to Evelina, she hid herself behind Evelina.

“This will not do, you know,” the sudden deep voice of Gabriel declared. He took Margaret’s arm and steered her forward. “Sister, for that is now what you are, you should not hide so.”

“I’ve been telling her that for too long, but she will not listen to me,” Evelina protested. “Margaret, please stop fidgeting with the dress.”

“I cannot help it. It keeps falling down.” Margaret tried to hide the fact she flicked up the sleeve again.

Something had gone wrong with the old gown, of that she was certain. It was an old dress of Evelina that Margaret had already worn more than once to balls and assemblies in London. Judging by the way Lady Sedgwick and other ladies cast glances at the dress, they all recognized it. She just prayed they could not see in the candlelight how much it was fraying, or the fact that the sleeve may have been broken.

“Come, let me introduce you to some more gentlemen. Perhaps they will dance with you.” Evelina tried to take Margaret’s hand again, but she’d had enough.

Her face instantly heated red, so badly so, that she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Evelina, you have been pushing me into the company of gentlemen for the last three days. It’s plain as day they want little conversation with me. It’s even plainer to me that they will not dance.”

Evelina chewed her lip, evidently wanting to argue with her, though she could not.

“Come, dance with your husband and enjoy yourself. Do not worry about me.” Margaret forced a smile to make her sister more comfortable. “I can look after myself. Now go, smile, and have fun!” She lightly pushed the two of them away.

Clearly needing no other encouragement, Gabriel took up Evelina’s hand and drew her toward the dance floor, though Evelina looked back repeatedly.

Dearest sister, do not worry about me anymore.

The guilt raged inside Margaret’s heart, practically making her chest ache.

It felt as if Evelina’s whole life had been spent looking after Margaret and their younger sisters. Though the bird had flown the nest, she was still doing it.

It’s time you live your life, sister.

Smiling to herself, Margaret turned away and reached for a glass of wine, but she was intercepted by Lady Sedgwick who took the glass from the table before Margaret could.

“Ah, there you are, Lady Margaret. I must say what a good sport you are for coming to support your sister. You have even made somewhat of an effort this evening.” Those beady eyes looked down at Margaret’s gown again. “Though I fear you may embarrass her yet.”

“Embarrass her? Whatever do you mean?” Margaret tried to take a different glass off the table but a passing gentleman snapped it up, seemingly not noticing what he had done before he swept off.

“I mean that your gown…” Lady Sedgwick looked around, apparently horrified at what she was about to say. “May be about to break, dear. Do you wish to reveal your stays to all who are here tonight?”

Margaret reached for the sleeve she had been fussing with all night. It was hanging on by a single thread. As she fiddled with it, she felt that thread snap.

Oh no…

Her dress was about to become undone!

Without another word to Lady Sedgwick, she swept away, heading for the nearest door in the ballroom, doing her best to ignore the cackling laughter of Lady Sedgwick as she followed.

The moment she was out of the door, the merriment and laughter from the ballroom faded a little, but it was not enough for Margaret to feel like she had truly escaped.

She hurried down the corridor, bumping into the walls in her distraction as she gripped onto the dress to stop it from falling down. She even made candles in their sconces shake as she headed as far down the corridor as she could and into a room where she presumed she would be safe.

The library.

It was hardly the first time over the last few days she had found refuge in this room. Had she not been so panicked, she might have noted that someone had already lit candles in this room. Had she not been so busy grasping at the sleeve of her gown, she would have lifted her chin enough to note someone was sat in a chair by the fire.

As it was, she only noticed them when she came to a stumbling stop in front of them.

“If this is some scheme, leave at once.” He closed up the book he was reading with a heavy snap and pointed at the door with it.

It’s him. The Duke of Thornfield.

Margaret was so stunned to be alone in his presence that she said nothing at first. She stared at him, dumbstruck, her hands still clutching her sleeve.

He stood in one swift movement, towering over her despite her height.

Evelina is right about him. He wears darkness as if it is a second skin.

With a perfect glower, he gestured to the door with his book again.

“I will not be caught alone with any woman. Leave. Now. Before you are seen.”

“W-what?” she stammered, realizing what situation they were in.

“Do not act the fool,” he said scathingly, his eyes narrowed to slits. Now standing so close to him, she could see he had blue eyes. They were annoyingly quite beautiful, the color of aquamarines.

“I am no fool. I came here to escape.”

“Oh, of course you did.” The sarcastic tone was as plain as if he had jumped up and performed a jig. “Because ladies often leave balls to come to libraries, don’t they?”

“You have a rather slim version of what a lady can be, I see,” she retorted sharply.

He seemed startled, his eyes widening a little. Margaret instantly felt bad for letting her tongue run away with her. Evelina had raised her to be proper at all times, to hold her tongue and not always speak her mind, but more than once in her life had her boldness erupted from her.

“You leave.” Margaret gestured to the door. “I am in need of an empty room, and you are not.”

“I have come to be alone. To read.” He gestured to the book.

“And my dress is falling down!” she snapped. “Now, which of us will make more of a scene by returning to the ballroom?”

“And you expect me to believe that?” His voice was much deeper than she had expected it to be that first night she had seen him arrive at Evelina’s. Over the last three days, she had managed not to talk to him at all. She hadn’t even seen him speak much to anyone. This was the most she had seen his mouth move.

“Would you rather I release my dress and have it fall down!?” she hissed.

“Pray, do not do that!” he barked.

“This is ridiculous.” She rounded the furniture, putting distance between them. “I have not come to intrude on your privacy, but to escape.”

“A likely story.”

“Your sarcasm is not helping matters.”

“On the contrary, it is.” He gestured to the door yet again with his book. “Leave. I will not be caught by your trap.”

“This is no trap!” She released the sleeve of her dress, watching as his eyes widened in shock. Looking down, she could see how the sleeve had broken off from the bodice entirely. Had someone just tugged at the bodice, the gown would have come undone completely.

When the Duke of Thornfield didn’t immediately look away, she snapped her fingers in the air.

“Do not be inappropriate.”

“Me? Who is the one with their clothes half undone?”

“I didn’t do this on purpose.” She waved her hand at her gown, trying desperately to fix it, though she had no power to fuse material together. She tried to tie the strap instead to the bodice, but it simply looked much worse.

“Well, that’s better.”

“Your sarcasm is still not helping,” she snapped back. He raised a single eyebrow. Infuriatingly, it was an attractive look. It shifted his features into something that wasn’t so dark but was almost… mischievous.

What the hell am I thinking?

She shut down the thought at once and turned her back on him, the better to hide the problem with her dress.

“That won’t do. If you’re going to go back into the ballroom, you’ll need to do something better than that.” The Duke had suddenly rounded the rococo chair and stood before her, his dark figure overbearing in the apricot light of the candles.

“What are you doing?” she hissed as he took hold of the strap. “Oh…” She gasped.

He had at once pulled the strap free.

“You –” she was ready to throw all sorts of curses and insults at his head when she found him re-tying it in a different way.

“There, that is at least a little better, is it not?”

“Better?!” She looked down. She supposed it was marginally better. Though it was still obvious how torn her dress was. “Oh, this is hopeless.” She turned away from him and walked around the chair again. To her surprise, she heard footsteps and looked back to see he was following her, his gaze fixed on her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“It still doesn’t look right. You’ll never get away with it like that.”

“You think!?”

“Now who’s one for sarcasm,” he muttered coolly, stopping and leaning against the back of the chair where he had been sitting.

“I’m well aware it will not work. All I need is for the dress to stay in place whilst I make it back to my room.”

“You’re not going to go back in?” His brows knitted together. “You’re Evelina’s sister, aren’t you?”

She blinked.

He knows who I am?

For some reason, this felt strange. It also made her stomach somersault, as if the organ had flipped around inside of her body. This dark man, this mysterious man who talked to few and sat in the shadows of every room, knew who she was.

“I am,” she said quickly, nodding.

“Then you’ll be missed if you don’t go back in.”

“They will not miss me.” She fiddled with the strap again. “Have you not read the scandal sheets?”

“I keep away from them on principle. My name is too often in there.”

“Likewise,” she muttered, then pulled on the frayed strap. A little more tore away.

“Oh, well that’s perfect.”

“You are not helping!”

“I tried to help, you made it worse.” He looked over his shoulder back at the door. For the first time, she saw full expression in his face.

A deep frown. He’s panicked we’ll be caught like this.

“Please, just go.” She threw a hand at the door. “Neither of us wish to be caught like this. Leave so I can try to fix this without being seen.”

“I was here first.”

“I do not remember saying we were to regress into being children,” she spat, turning her back on him once again so she could try to fix the dress.

“You’re making it worse.” He rounded her quickly. “Come, let me.”

“What the –” Her words halted as he took hold of her shoulder again.

She tried not to think of the strong hand upon her. She should be terrified, shouldn’t she? This man made of darkness, this man as cold as stone, had his hand on her…

Yet she didn’t feel in any danger. He tore the dress once again, tutting at what he had done.

“It will have to do, though it is no fine job. This dress… how many times have you sewn up the holes in it?”

“I do not remember asking for your judgment on it.” She whirled around to face him again, suddenly realizing just how close they were standing. “Maybe we cannot all have perfect appearance all the time, the finest clothes,” she waved a hand at his pristine suit. “For some of us, life is a little different.”

“It’s going to break again.” He shook his head.

“What?”

“The dress.” He reached out and pulled on the sleeve. She had not been expecting his touch. Startled, she ended up stumbling forward and fell into him. Her hand rested on his chest, his other hand coming up to grip her hip to steady her, just as the sound of a door swinging open sounded.

Horrified, Margaret jerked her head around, in unison with the Duke of Thornfield.

They both stood there, as still as statues, as in the doorway Lady Sedgwick, the three gossiping ladies, and Evelina walked in.

“Have you really not had a tour yet? There is nothing to see beyond the library…” Evelina broke off as she stared at them. Lady Sedgwick smiled maliciously, like the cat that had stolen a bowl full of cream, and the three young ladies looked dramatically shocked throwing hands to their faces.

“Oh, my dears…” Lady Sedgwick’s proud grin became very toothy indeed. Her beady eyes looked between Margaret and the Duke of Thornfield, drinking in the sight of them. “What scandal this is!”