Chapter 20

"Is that how Scott always is?" Olivia finally asked Virginia, her voice barely above a whisper.

The two dances she had done that night could not have been more different. She was not stupid; she knew from the moment Scott asked her to dance that he did not wish to. The only reason she had accepted it at all was because she had to. She needed him to fall for her, and so she did what she had to do.

"How do you mean?" Virginia asked.

Brutish, for one. Uninterested and distant, as well as uncaring and unwilling to hear anything that was not about himself. None of those things were the sort of things that you would say to a friend about her son.

"I am not sure how to say it," she sighed, "But it was strange how he did not wish to be around me. You told me he was the sort to enjoy the company of anyone."

"Yes, he usually is. I am not entirely sure why he would have been anything but, but don"t fret too much."

"If I am to marry him, it is certainly something to fret about. He seemed far happier dancing with Margaret. The duke told me that he is a rake, and now I cannot help but wonder if that is the case."

"He might be seen that way. But marriage has a way of changing a man. He"ll settle down once he"s tied the knot, I assure you."

The mere mention of marriage sent a shiver down Olivia"s spine. She had been trying to bring herself some form of excitement to marry him, but each and every time either Virginia or the duke mentioned it it only made her less willing to be a wife.

"I... I need some air," Olivia stammered, rising abruptly from her seat.

"Are you alright?"

"I wish that people would stop asking me that," she huffed, heading to the door.

She did not make it to the safety of the garden in time, however, as she found herself face to face with Margaret in the hallway. She was glaring at her, and again Olivia was left wondering exactly what she had done to her.

"What do you think you"re playing at?"

"What now?" She sighed, exasperated, "What could I have possibly done to anger you this time?"

"Dancing with both brothers? It"s not exactly improving your image, is it?"

"I fail to see how my choice of dance partners is anyone"s concern but my own," she replied evenly, "Besides, you danced with three men at once, and so I do not think it is your place to discuss what is and is not proper."

"Perhaps not, but you have to admit that it certainly doesn"t reflect well on you," she retorted, "You"d do well to remember your place, Miss Staunton."

"I am quite aware of my place, thank you," she replied coolly, "It is as the duke told you, my place is right here. I live here, and you are a guest. Now, I do not know why you have decided to take issue with me, but I want no part in it. You would do well to enjoy your stay here, because unlike mine it will not last forever."

"You would do well to stay away from the brothers," she hissed, "Especially Scott. Nobody wishes to tell you this, but he is practically spoken for."

He was indeed, but it appeared that she did not know to what extent.

"I appreciate your concern," she replied, "But I assure you, I am quite capable of managing my own affairs."

"Yes, an affair. That is certainly an applicable word."

"Margaret, you clearly believe yourself to be the better lady for Scott, and do you know what? I would have to agree with you. You are every bit as self-centered and egotistical as him, to be sure."

"Do not speak of him that way."

"I will speak how I want of whom I want. You have no control over my actions."

"Do I not? Well then, perhaps your duke may wish to know the real reason why you are here to begin with?"

"Is that all that you have?" Olivia asked, "Truly, you cannot think that shall work forever. He is not my duke, and even if he was, if a story from someone that he does not know is enough to change his mind then he was never worth my time at all."

"So you want him to know?"

"I want you to know that you will not silence me. He is in the garden. Feel free to tell him yourself right now. See for yourself whether or not he listens to you."

"You do not mean that."

"Oh, but I do. I cannot do it anymore, Margaret. I will not be someone meek and mild and willing to do anything you say simply because you are threatening me. Now, are you going to tell him or not?"

They held each other's gaze for a moment, neither willing to back down, and as no surprise to Olivia it was Margaret who backed away first.

"I have a gentleman waiting for me," she huffed, "I should return to him, rather than entertain such childish behavior as yours."

"If believing that helps you sleep at night."

And with that, she was gone.

Stepping outside, Olivia found herself able to breathe at last. She closed her eyes, letting the cool breeze wash over her.

Olivia wandered aimlessly through the garden, her mind consumed. She had challenged Margaret, and whether or not she made good on her threat it would be something on her mind. Not only that, but she had given her permission to do so. Now, if she did tell everyone the truth, she would have nobody to blame but herself.

Would the duke care? She told Margaret that he would not, but how could she know for sure? He already thought of her a certain way once before, after all. Either way, why did she care in the first place? He was a friend, and he was finding a suitor for her, but that was all there was to it.

Then she turned a corner, and there he was. Startled, Olivia froze for a moment before regaining her composure. He was looking at the moon, and perhaps it was the light of it but he seemed quite pale.

"Your Grace?"

He turned to face her, clearly as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Miss Staunton."

For a moment, they stood in silence. Olivia struggled to find the right words to say. There are only so many ways that one can tell a person that they are under duress.

"I... I didn"t expect to find you here," she finally managed to say.

"I could say the same for you," he replied, "I am surprised my mother has allowed you out of her sight at all, given that your suitor is in the room."

"She has certainly taken our plan and ran with it," she laughed emptily, "She must truly wish to keep me around after all."

"I cannot say that I blame her."

"Hm?"

"Well, the two of you have certainly bonded, and she is quite concerned about the sort of lady my brother will eventually find."

"If Margaret is anything to go by, I have to agree."

"You certainly do not like her, do you?"

"Do you?"

"Not at all. She is insufferable, and if she thinks that anyone has fallen for her act around gentlemen, then she is clearly not too intelligent either."

"It seems we have a talent for running into people that we dislike," she said gently, "Perhaps that is why we find each other so often, even when we"re not trying,"

"You dislike me?"

"No! No, what I mean is-"

"It is quite alright, I know what you mean, and I happen to agree." he teased.

"I can leave you to enjoy the solitude if you"d like," she offered, "If you do indeed dislike me."

"You and I both know that I do not."

"I must say that I am questioning it less and less, to be sure. Even so, I know you prefer your peace, and so I can leave you to it if you wish."

"Actually," he began, "Would you mind staying? I find... I find your company rather comforting. More so than solitude."

"That cannot be the case."

"I am as surprised as you, but yes. It is indeed the case."

Olivia softened at his words. All of the stress induced by Margaret melted away, and it was just the two of them.

"Of course," she replied softly, "I"d be happy to stay."

And so they wandered through the garden for a while. Neither said a word, but neither had to. Frankly, Olivia welcomed the silence; she had not had a moment of it since their guests arrived and she had missed it more than she ever thought she would.

"Margaret seemed rather... displeased earlier," he said suddenly, shattering their peace, "Did something happen between the two of you?"

"No, not at all."

"Are you sure? The moment the two of you were left alone, you changed. You withdrew into yourself, and even I did not make you do that."

"It is nothing, Your Grace."

"Will you stop saying that?"

"Saying what?"

"That your feelings are nothing. They are not. They actually mean a great deal to me, and it is terrible that you do not see it the same way."

"I am choosing not to listen to her," she explained, "Has she been pleasant to me? Not at all. Am I used to that? Of course."

"That is no excuse."

"I know, but it is my way of handling it."

"It never was with me."

"Because you did not use my past against me."

She had spoken too quickly. She hadn't wanted him to know anything about it at all, but he had at last worn her down.

"What did she say, Miss Staunton?"

"Nothing of importance."

"Olivia," she sighed, and her breath caught in her throat, "Please, just tell me what she did to you."

Olivia hesitated. He was not forcing her to tell him out of control, that much was clear. He was concerned for her and she knew that and she truly did want to trust him.

She had to trust him.

"She said some... unsettling things," she began, "About my family... things I would never want anyone to know. Then when I spoke with you and she saw it she threatened to tell all of you about it."

"What did she say to you at first?"

"She insinuated that I was undesirable, damaged goods," she admitted, "And she mentioned something about her being promised to a suitor, though she refused to reveal who he was. It was quite clearly your brother, however."

"That"s completely inexcusable," he murmured, "Say the word and she will be gone."

"Scott likes her. It would be unfair, especially when she doesn't know anything that your mother doesn't. It is you that I did not wish to know about it, but I am already here, and so…"

"Olivia," he asked tentatively, his voice soft, "You do not need to tell me anything that you do not wish to."

"No, you deserve to know," she sighed, "Honestly, looking back, it is quite ridiculous."

"It is not ridiculous at all. If it is on our mind, then it is important to me."

Despite his reassurance, Olivia hesitated. She wanted him to know, and to understand why she had to leave her life behind and implant herself in his place, even if he did not seem to mind that anymore.

"I appreciate that, it"s just difficult to put into words. The only other person that knows everything is your mother, and she is sworn to secrecy. Not only that, but I… I have lied to you, and you may not forgive me for that."

"That is nonsense," he promised, "You could say we are even, given that I kept the problem with Scott from you. I assure you that I will not be angry with you no matter what, but if you are not ready to tell me then I will not force you to do so."

"Thank you," she said gently, steadying her breathing, "But I think it is time for you to know."

She took a deep breath, looking down at the ground so that she did not need to look at him. He had promised that he would not see her differently, but how was she to know?

Then again, there was only one way to find out.