Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lydia had waited in that office for longer than she cared to admit in order to compose herself. It pained her to think that in just a matter of hours, Weston was going to be gone. She knew that he was packing and readying his things in his room. She was rather proud of herself that she did not immediately go find him in those rooms and convince him to finish what they had started.

Instead, Lydia went in search of her sister. When she located her, Kitty was alone in the gardens. She sat on a bench under a large tree, flipping through the pages of a book on botany that Kitty must have read at least a dozen times by now.

“Have you truly not memorized those pages, sister?” Lydia asked, moving to sit on the bench beside her. Oh, she could still feel the ghost of Weston’s fingers the moment that she sat back down. There was a delicious strain in her inner thighs that she hoped would not fade anytime soon. Of course it would, but it would be nice to have a lingering reminder of him to tide her over in his absence.

“I like to compare the pictures with the flowers here, just to make sure that everything is thriving properly.” Kitty said with a smile. She seemed so much lighter on her feet the last few days, Lydia hated to be the one who was going to dim that light she had found. Lydia wished that it did not need to be her, but if the news came from anybody else it would not be as gentle.

“You ought to have taken Jacob up on his offer to have a greenhouse put in. You have such a green thumb; it would have been a lovely pastime.” Lydia mused, leaning back against the tree.

“It was just such an expense. I could not justify it when I would only do it for amusement. Not to mention I would be cooped up in there day and night. It was better that he did not.” Kitty sighed. “I would have been a terrible layabout if he had. Spending all of my time in the company of plants. It would not have made me a very good aunt.”

“The girls love you, no matter your hobbies. You know that.” Lydia answered easily, for it was the truth. She reached over and took one of her sister’s hands in her own, holding it on her lap with both of her hands. “I love you, sister.”

Kitty’s brow furrowed. “What is it?”

“I cannot tell you that I love you?”

“Of course you can, but you do not. So, I shall ask you again, what is it? Tell me what has happened, or I shall automatically assume the worst and I have a very expansive imagination.” Kitty said urgently, shifting her position so that she was oriented toward Lydia.

How to say it? How to inform her that something terrible could possibly happen? The very thing that Lydia had promised to spare her from all of those years ago.

Inhaling a deep breath, she squeezed Kitty’s hand for courage and started to speak. “You well know when the duke came to claim our home? Well, another man had come before him… one pretending to be His Grace and wishing to take advantage of a vulnerable situation.”

Over the course of the next half hour, she told her sister everything. Normally, Lydia would hold back details about certain things in the desire to protect her sister’s sensibilities from the often-harsh real world. But as she had shown so much growth as of late—she left out nothing.

She explained how she had tied him up, and how the duke had saved the day but that it all ended up in blackmail… and that the wretched man seemed absolutely intent on stealing their home and money through any means necessary.

There was absolutely nothing worse than seeing Kitty cry.

Her distress sent Lydia into a panic. She wished that she could fix each and every issue that her sister had ever had. She never wished Kitty to feel the weight of the world or the panic of that horrible incident coming back into her life. She quickly pulled her sister into her arms, holding her tightly against her chest as she bit down on her bottom lip.

“His grace is going to fix this, he promised. I will fix this.” Lydia promised, knowing that she possibly could not uphold that same promise. “Things will happen as they are meant to. We shall pray and expect good results. I have never steered you wrong before.”

“If this was all going to happen anyway, then what was the point?” Kitty sobbed into Lydia’s shoulder. “You never would have had to do any of this! You would not have had to pick up my pieces and be married if it was just going to come out and ruin me anyway! I am so sorry!”

In spite of herself, Lydia laughed. “Silly girl, that is what I mean, everything happened as it needed to. I would not have my beautiful girls if things had not happened this way. I shall never regret the choices that I made. I would do them all over again. Besides, I am a countess. I could have done far worse for myself.”

Kitty laughed, sitting up on her own and wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. “I just feel so very foolish. I should have just endured the scandal. The duke has been very pleasant while he has been here, but what reason does he have to help us? Would it not suit his ultimate goals?”

“Our goals might be more aligned than you think.” Lydia said softly, feeling her face flame uncomfortable. She averted her gaze, knowing that her attraction would be abundantly obvious, and she tried to delay the realization, but her observant sister picked up on it right away.

Kitty slapped the top of Lydia’s thigh playfully, the tense mood from a moment before breaking as a smile overtook her. “I knew it! I have wondered! William and I have been speculating but you were acting so coldly toward him for so long I feared that it was merely a one-sided interest!”

“Oh? You and William are close enough to gossip with one another, hm?” Lydia accused, watching her sister’s face blush as well. “Do not be embarrassed, sister, I think that the pair of you seem to be exceptionally well matched. It is well overdue for you.”

“I have not told him of my affections yet, I do not wish to have misunderstood our friendship or… well, I do not wish to be rejected.” Kitty admitted nervously, twisting her skirts around her anxiously.

“You truly believe that this is a normal friendship between the pair of you? I think not.”

“Well, he is to head to London with His Grace, is he not? What if he meets somebody else there that is more appealing, or younger? He is such a handsome man. But I do have a hope…”

“A hope?”

“I hope that he is accompanying His Grace to London to meet with father. How lovely would it be if he asked for father’s permission to propose to me? As much as I do not wish to leave such choices in the hands of our father, what other option do I truly have?”

Kitty could not seem to stop moving, and Lydia could easily see just how badly she wanted such a thing. Another version of the future that she had never allowed herself to think about. She had never lived without Kitty before. Of course, she was not going to hold her sister back from anything, but it would be an adjustment.

Lydia flung her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly with a bright smile. “I am overjoyed for your happiness, sister.”

“Thank you, knowing that I have your support means absolutely everything to me.”

“But you cannot start your relationship based off of deceit, we will have to tell him everything that is happening. Do not fear, I shall be with you to hold your hand if you desire it. It is the moral thing to do, and if Cassian does make good on his threat, he might not ever forgive you for it.”

Lydia rubbed her hands supportively up and down Kitty’s upper arms.

“You have grown into such an exceptional woman. Do you know how proud I am of you? This last thing shall hopefully be the only bump in the road between here and your future.”

Kitty nodded somberly. “Everything must happen the way that it is intended.”

“That is right. If your feelings for one another run true, you will have to trust that William will marry you regardless of the past.”

“I’ll go now.” Kitty declared. “I will not be able to sit here and toil over his reactions for however long he is going to be in London. I have to do this now before I lose my nerve.”

With that, Kitty went off to seek William.