Chapter 18

The silence did not last long.

"Your Grace, are you feeling quite alright?" The young lady inquired, her voice clearly not her real one; it was too light to be.

William offered a weak smile in response, though it failed to reach his eyes. He did not like this girl. He knew exactly who she was, and her role in his brother's life, and he did not like it one bit.

"I"m fine, but thank you for asking," he replied politely.

But apparently undeterred by his aloofness, she pressed on.

"You seem rather quiet today," she observed, "You seemed rather strange yesterday evening, too. Is there something on your mind?"

"It"s nothing, Miss- Miss…,"

"Margaret, Your Grace."

"That is your first name, yes, but your second?"

She simply giggled at him in response. This was precisely the sought of debutante that he had been hiding from. He hated them, hated how they would throw themselves at him only to act astonished when he saw through it.

"Well, Your Grace, if you ever need someone to talk to, I"m here for you," she said softly.

William nodded, but only because he thought it would be enough for her to go away.

"I"ll keep that in mind."

There was something oddly satisfying about witnessing the duke's indifference towards the other lady, though Olivia couldn"t quite pinpoint the reason behind it.

Watching from a distance, Olivia found herself intrigued by William"s demeanor, his guarded expression. It was rather similar to how he had been when they met, and even though she disliked it when it was against her, she couldn't deny that she felt quite different about it now that it was not directed at her.

Perhaps it was the realization that William"s attention was not easily captivated by just anyone, at least not in a positive way. It appeared that Virginia had also noticed the tension between them, as she seemed uncomfortable but couldn't look away.

"Perhaps we could play a game?" Virginia asked rather suddenly, "Scott has brought our nine pins game, if you like."

"That sounds delightful, Mother," William smiled, immediately moving away from Margaret.

She wondered if Margaret would follow after him, but she remained still and watched him go.

"Are you not coming, Margaret?" Virginia asked.

"Oh, no thank you, Virginia. I would prefer to stay with Olivia."

"Are you not joining us either?" Virginia asked her.

She would have wanted to, of course, but she was also rather tempted to know what Margaret wanted. They had hardly spoken to one another, so for her to suddenly want her alone was quite the surprise.

"Perhaps another time," she nodded.

"Very well. If you change your mind, we shall be just over there."

As soon as the group departed however, a noticeable shift occurred in Margaret. Gone was the facade of softness that Olivia had seen through immediately, and it was replaced by something else. Olivia couldn"t help but feel a sense of unease wash over her. She knew that she was not being herself, but to see it fade so quickly was certainly something to witness.

"And here we are, left to entertain ourselves," Margaret remarked, "You would think the duke would at least attempt to have you join, wouldn't you?"

"He tends to respect my wishes," she explained as kindly as she could, "It is not out of unkindness."

"To be sure. In any case, I suppose we"ll have to make do with each other"s company."

Olivia blinked. Had she not specifically wanted her to stay with her?

But Margaret seemed uninterested in pleasantries, her attention already fixated on Scott, who stood with the others, though he was paying far more attention to his older brother than anyone else.

"In which case," Olivia joked, "Did the duke's brother ask you to join them?"

It was a low blow, for of course he had not. Any fool could see that all Scott would have to do is click his fingers and she would be at his feet.

"He said I would do better to spend time with you. Allegedly nine pins can be quite frightening in their family."

Olivia was quite sure that they had not played any game at all in many years. She didn't say as much, though; she was quite sure that Margaret had already come to such a conclusion.

"It was quite an entertaining thing for him to say," she laughed coldly, "I mean, why would he think I would lower myself to your standards?"

"Excuse me?"

"You think you are just so wonderful, don't you?" Margaret sighed, "You think you"re better than me, simply because you have the dowager duchess under your thumb. Well, let me tell you, you can find yourself a dowager, but you"ll never have what I do."

"And what exactly do you think you have that I don"t?" Olivia asked, her tone carefully measured as she met Margaret"s gaze head-on.

Margaret smirked, a glimmer of triumph dancing in her eyes as she tilted her head to the side, her expression smug and self-satisfied.

"Options" Margaret replied, "It"s a gift, really. One that I'm rather aware that you lack."

"You also have a wealth of kindness, I can see," Olivia sighed, "If all you have for me is this sort of comment, then I shall join the others."

"You will not. You wouldn't leave a young lady alone, would you? Whatever would Virginia say?"

Virginia would probably laugh in her face. Then again, with how irritable the duke had been the night before, it was easier to keep the peace. She knew that she was a friend of the mother of the man Margaret was quite in love with, and promised to that very man no doubt, and so Margaret's anger was manageable.

"And what about talent?" Margaret continued, ignoring Olivia completely, "I have yet to hear of any of your accomplishments, which knowing how highly Virginia thinks of you must mean that you do not have any of note."

"And yourself?"

"I am an accomplished singer, and I have been told by my tutor that I am the most naturally talented player of the pianoforte that he has ever taught."

"He is paid handsomely, I assume?"

"Indeed, but not to compliment me. He is one of the most expensive in London, but you would not know anything about such things."

There was something wrong with what Margaret was saying. She seemed all too confident in her words, but it didn't sound true at all.

"As for charms, the Queen herself told me when I debuted that I am flawless and shall no doubt find a husband quickly."

"Those charms didn"t seem to work on Scott, now did they?" Olivia countered, "Let's not play this game."

"You would be surprised. Scott has fallen far more than you might think."

She should have been territorial here, with him being her soon-to-be betrothed, but she frankly did not care. She hardly knew the man herself, and had no interest in him nor in this lady that seemed all too interested in him herself.

"So you pride yourself on your ability to fool men? That is rather improper of you."

She was quite proud of herself for that comment; with any other battle of wits it would have won easily, but instead of backing down Margaret laughed at her.

"Do you truly wish to speak of proprieties, Olivia?" Margaret sneered.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I believe you know exactly what I mean."

"Enlighten me, because I truly do not know what you are referring to at all, nor would anyone here."

"You do have them all wrapped around your finger, don't you? Well, what I would like to know is whether or not you think it will save you from the poorhouse? After all, no man will ever want a damaged good like you, especially not a duke."

Olivia"s heart skipped a beat. Nobody was supposed to remember what happened anymore. Virginia promised that by the next season they would have all forgotten about it, having chosen some other poor fool that had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and-

"How dare you," Olivia replied without thinking, "You have no right to speak to me in such a manner. You do not even know me."

"Oh, but I think I have every right," Margaret replied, her voice dripping with condescension as she looked Olivia up and down with disdain, "As for knowing you, I know of you and that is all that is necessary. Besides, it"s common knowledge back in London. Everyone knows about your scandalous past."

"There was no scandal."

"Do you believe it will be true if you continue to tell yourself that? I hate to be the one to tell you, but it will not work. You cannot show your face there, not ever. Not even with your darling duke. He cannot protect you from that, you know."

"I would never ask him to."

"No? Then tell me, why do you make it so blatantly clear that you are in love with him?"

She was not, of course.

"The duke and I are friends, nothing more."

"And that is all that you can hope for. Remember where you"re from, Olivia," she taunted, "Your parents won"t be coming for you a second time, and someone of his status would never be allowed to show his face in London with something like that – someone like you."

Olivia was positive that she had never met Margaret, but that did not change the fact that she seemed to know everything about her. Even her parents and how she would never see them again. She had never felt burning hatred for someone so quickly, but she had to admit that that was partly because she was right.

Whether it was what she wanted or not, she was not the sort of lady that would marry into a family like that. She was not fit for purpose; damaged goods, just as Margaret had said.

"Is everything all right, Miss Staunton?" William asked softly, though with how suddenly he had appeared in front of her it surprised her.

"She has been like this for a while now," Margaret replied for her, "I believe she is unwell. That is why I offered to stay with her."

"That is not what my mother said."

"She likely did not wish to cause her any embarrassment. It is quite alright though, as we are all friends here."

"If that is what you wish to call it," he replied before turning back to Olivia, "Are you alright? I can return home with you if you like."

"It"s nothing, Your Grace," she replied, "Just a momentary lapse, that"s all."

"She is fine," Margaret answered for her again, "But I can return with her if you like. I believe that would be the more proper way. Do you not agree?"

"Given that it is my house, and she lives there whilst you are but a visitor, no I do not believe so."

Frankly, Olivia liked the way he spoke to Margaret a lot more than she perhaps should have.

"Now," he continued, "Miss Staunton, if you tell me yourself that you are happy to stay, then I shall continue the game. Otherwise, you and I are going home."

Olivia hesitated, her gaze flickering uncertainly between William and Margaret. For the first time in a long time, she did not have the power to have a sharp tongue. All that Margaret had to do was reveal what happened to her and the duke would never look at her the same again, and that was not a risk she was willing to take.

"I am perfectly happy here, Your Grace," she said brightly, "Although I thank you for your care. Should my situation change, I shall tell your mother. Then we will not risk lacking any proprieties."

"Ah, so you care for such silly things now?" He asked, a wicked grin on his face.

He meant well, and she knew that, but it made her feel uneasy all the same. Unknowingly, he was tempting Margaret and she needed him to stop then and there.

"Will?" Scott called suddenly, "Are you giving in already?"

"I do believe that I am winning," he called back.

"Are you really?" Olivia asked.

"Come now, Olivia," Margaret interjected smoothly, "There"s no need to burden the Duke any further. I"m sure he has far more important matters to attend to. Winning his game, for example."

"Yes, of course," she answered quietly.

"You are free to join the next game," he suggested.

"She doesn't wish to, do you?" Margaret asked brightly.

She was issuing her challenge. Olivia was free to tell her that she did, actually, very much wish to join the game and leave Margaret far behind, but that would risk her revealing everything to the duke, and she could not let that happen. Could she?

"No," she shook her head, "Perhaps another time, Your Grace."

This seemed to be enough for him, and he nodded his head to her before turning his back on her and returning to the others.

"See?" Margaret said gently, nudging her, "Isn"t it much better when you keep quiet?"