Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

A llan didn’t see Lady Edwina for the rest of the day, and it occurred to him that perhaps she had decided to retreat to her room and not come out. He wouldn’t have blamed her. The moment of tension between the two of them had been so powerful and palpable that he was rather tempted to hide in his own room. He didn’t know what to make of it either.

However, the expectations placed upon him were different than those upon her. He didn’t resent her for that—it was simply a fact. He needed to continue the search for his duchess. She was established as a spinster and would not surprise or disappoint anyone by withdrawing from the party for a while.

The treasure hunt reached its conclusion without him having any idea what had happened or who had won. The event simply no longer held any interest for him, and he was hard-pressed to give much attention to anyone at dinner that night either. He excused himself as soon as he could politely do so—but as the sun came up the next morning, he knew that he was going to have to compose himself and resume the search for his duchess. It would be best if he could find her quickly. Then, he would be able to put this messy affair with Lady Edwina behind him for good.

“Here you are, Allan,” his grandmother said. “I hardly saw you last night.”

“I went to bed early,” Allan explained.

“You shouldn’t have done that. Everyone was up quite late socializing, and people wondered where you were.”

“Well, I was tired,” Allan said. “I’d had a very busy day, and I didn’t feel up to staying up late.”

“You didn’t have a busy day,” his grandmother countered. “You were nowhere to be found during the treasure hunt. Where did you go?”

“I fell in the river.”

“What!”

“Yes, I stumbled.” He hoped that Lady Edwina hadn’t told anyone of her own misadventure at the water. If anyone heard both stories and pieced them together, they would easily realize that he and Lady Edwina had been at the water together. And though that wasn’t the worst thing imaginable, given that it was known they had been partners for the scavenger hunt, it would beg the question of where they had each disappeared. And that was a question he wasn’t prepared to answer…perhaps he shouldn’t have told his grandmother anything at all.

But she didn’t appear to be hung up on the particulars of his tale. “So, I take it you went to change,” she said.

“Yes, Grandmother.”

“Why did you not then emerge and return to the festivities?”

“Well, I did,” he told her. “I’m sure you saw me at dinner.”

“For a very short time, yes. Just long enough to eat your meal—and then you were gone. What was anybody to make of that? You do understand, do you not, that people wish to socialize with you?”

“Marriage minded ladies and their scheming mothers, you mean.”

“That’s precisely who I mean, and what of it? Aren’t you in search of a duchess? Don’t you wish to be in the company of the very people you describe, Allan? I can’t see how you would choose solitude, given that option.”

“Well, I’m here now,” Allan said. “There’s no reason to dwell on last night.”

“I only mean to say?—”

“Enough. The subject is closed, Grandmother. Now, tell me of your thoughts on today’s events.”

His grandmother clearly wanted to say more, but she restrained herself. “There’s going to be a picnic,” she told him. “It will be the perfect opportunity to socialize. I’m sure every young lady will stop by your table to spend time with you. You must keep a seat open at all times, if you can, so that as many young ladies as possible will feel welcome to join you and to spend time in your company. It’s the clear way to make the most of the event.”

She was right, even though Allan had no interest in behaving according to his grandmother’s instructions. “I suppose you’d like to join me out at the picnic?”

“In fact, I believe I will spend the day inside,” his grandmother said. “You enjoy yourself, Allan—I’m sure you will. For me, the air is a bit too warm. But I look forward to hearing all about your exploits.”

“If you wish to know about my exploits, I suggest you come along,” Allan argued. “I highly doubt I’ll have any interest in recounting them later.” He had grown weary of this conversation with his grandmother. She would know, of course, when he found himself a suitable match, and she would be kept apprised of any courtships or engagements, but he wasn’t going to allow himself to be continually questioned by her about his romantic affairs. If she wanted to know what was going on with him, she was welcome to accompany him to the picnic and see for herself, but he was not going to be questioned about it later.

She looked rather taken aback. “You refuse to discuss these matters with me, then?”

“I’ve grown tired of our conversations on this subject,” Allan said. “And the answer to your question is no—I don’t mean to indulge them any further. I understand, Grandmother, that you care for the future of our family and the title that was once my father’s. I care for those things too. But they are my responsibility, not yours. Your only duty is to respect my title and support me in making the choices I must make. So, join me at the picnic.”

“Very well,” his grandmother relented with some dignity. “I will join you. And together, we shall see what manner of young lady we can attract to become your future duchess.”

It was a beautiful picnic, with tables on the lawn and blankets for those who preferred to sit on the ground. Allan took a seat at one of the tables far from the center of the action. His grandmother frowned as she joined him.

“That table there is available,” she said, pointing it out. “Don’t you think it would suit you better?”

“I can’t think why.” He feigned ignorance. “You were worried about the heat, Grandmother, and this table is in the shade. You’ll be much more comfortable here.”

“Perhaps I will, but look—all the young ladies are clustered over there.”

“They’re still making their way around the grounds, Grandmother. Surely, you wouldn’t have me chase the pack.”

He relaxed into his seat, a part of him hoping for the very thing he knew his grandmother feared—that he simply wouldn’t be noticed here. It would be wonderful to have a few hours to himself, to sit in the shade and ponder the events of last night. He had been up all night thinking about the way that gown had clung to Lady Edwina’s frame and the way it had felt to carry her in his arms.

They were most ungentlemanly thoughts, and though he had thought similar things about other ladies before, it felt very different to harbor these ideas about Lady Edwina. A part of him felt sure she wouldn’t like it, and that made him want to control his mind. Another part of him recalled the way she had looked at him just before they had nearly kissed, and he thought that perhaps she would like it after all.

The thoughts couldn’t be dispensed with anyway. They held sway over his mind, and as he leaned back in his chair, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to daydream.

“Your Grace?”

He opened his eyes. His heart sank at the sight of the familiar face—it was Miss Catherine. And she wasn’t alone.

“Everyone,” she said, “this is my acquaintance, the Duke of Harbeck. Your Grace, these are Miss Georgina and Miss Olivia. They asked me to introduce them to you.” There was pride in her voice, and Allan could see that she liked being the person who could introduce her friends to a duke. She was proud of the fact that they were already acquainted.

He tried to indulge her. “It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you,” he said. Then, because he knew he ought to, he added, “Won’t you join me?”

They giggled and pulled up chairs. As they settled in, Allan’s grandmother looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

He thought he probably knew what she was thinking—and if so, she was correct. He hadn’t thought much of Miss Catherine when he’d met her, but Miss Georgina and Miss Olivia seemed to be a cut above. They settled gracefully into their chairs, lowered their gazes, and then looked back at him demurely. They sat straight-backed with their hands folded in their laps. They were lovely, both with dark hair and pale skin. And though he hadn’t gotten to know them yet, it occurred to him that barring some disqualifying factor, either lady might make a suitable candidate in his search for a duchess.

He was hardly ready to offer a proposal, of course, but he could understand that this assessment might merit getting to know them a little better. If nothing else, he should be pleased that they were sitting at his table.

And yet, he didn’t feel that way. He felt nothing at all. He had no desire to talk to either lady, and he wouldn’t have minded a bit if they had simply gotten up and left. As a matter of fact, he thought he might have preferred it.

How could he take them seriously? Neither of these ladies was going to be his duchess. You might as well have put a bird before him and asked that he consider the bird as a possible duchess—that was how certain he felt that it would never happen. It was through no fault of their own. They simply weren’t what he was looking for.

As he pondered this, nodding along with their chatter and pretending to listen, he saw her.

Lady Edwina.

She emerged from the house in a gown of pale gold and hurried down the steps and out onto the lawn. At once, Allan found that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. It wouldn’t have mattered how beautiful the ladies in front of him were, how witty or charming or well-spoken. To look away from her at all felt like a crime against his very nature, and he knew he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Your Grace?”

Miss Georgina was speaking to him. He managed a quick glance in her direction. “I’m so sorry, Miss Georgina. You were saying?”

“I was asking you whether you were enjoying the party,” she said.

“Oh, yes, very much. The weather is lovely.” A foolish turn of conversation, but he felt himself incapable of keeping to any other topic. It was disappointing, but he thought this was likely the best he could do.

And his grandmother had noticed, he realized. She was watching him carefully, the shrewd expression that he liked least of all on her face. He wished he could do something about it, but what was there to do?

He was surrounded by beautiful young ladies—but he only had eyes for one, and she wouldn’t look his way. Especially after what had happened yesterday, there was no chance of his drawing her attention. He needed to find himself a way to let Lady Edwina go—to truly let her go and to stop thinking about her once and for all.

Unfortunately—as he was well aware—that would be far easier said than done. He had no idea how he was going to get Lady Edwina out of his mind—especially now that she was more powerfully fixed there than ever.