Read Online The Duke Diaries by Sophia Nash - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sophia Nash
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reached for Mary’s hand and squeezed it gently with affection.
“Don’t worry, dearest, I refuse to become bitter, you see. And now I’ve had more than a week to take a decision and yet again a new path,” Mary said, the barest hint of a smile forming on her face finally.
“Indeed. What is your plan, pray tell?”
“We both of us are in need of husbands, are we not?”
“And why would you suggest I am in need of . . .” Mary Haverty was usually the most brilliant schemer but—
“A letter from Hope reached me before I left the Highlands. She wrote that she and your sisters were leaving for a house party at the Duke of Kress’s crumbling landmark in Cornwall—all ordered there by the Prince Regent. But she also noted cryptically that you alone returned to Derbyshire by direction of your brother. It made little sense to me. You and your sisters walk lock-step. And then I wondered”— Mary examined her closely—“why Abshire was not ordered south with the rest of the entourage, too. Surely this is some stupid misunderstanding. Your brother is more of a tyrant than my father used to be.”
“He’s on a fool’s errand, I assure you.”
Mary looked at her expectantly.
Verity hesitated.
“You’re not going to violate the golden rule of intimate friendship, Verity, are you? Because truly I’m not certain I will hold up under the strain of the guilt I might feel, attempting to wheedle information you do not want to impart.”
And with that, the veil of secrecy came crashing down, and for the first time in a very long time, Verity felt the relief of confiding that she had awakened to find Rory Lennox in her bed.
Mary looked at her transfixed. “But do you love him?”
“Of course not!”
Those sly green eyes, which were not at all spring pea in color, deduced otherwise. “How long have you been in love with him?”
Verity exhaled heavily. “Far before cheetahs began preying on panthers.”
Mary chuckled. “Does he know?”
“Of course not. Look, the truth of the matter is that while I might have had a tendre for him when I was much younger, then I grew up. And I have seen enough of life to know that an on-the-shelf spinster will not find happiness with a charming rake.”
“Thank the Lord you’re so sensible, Verity. More sensible than I.”
“All I know is that I cannot marry him. It would be unbearable to live the rest of my life beside a man who wed me against his will. And it’s beside the point. I decided long ago that I would most likely never marry. And much as James blusters on and on about marrying his sisters off and offering staggering dowries as inducement, he has already agreed to Hope and Faith’s request that they end their annual suffering through another Season. They are to remove to his estate in the Lake District this autumn.”
“Your feelings are perfectly reasonable,” Mary agreed.
Verity rushed from her seat and knelt on the hearth to accept the arms Mary offered. “Finally, someone who understands. I’m so tired of the false hope and encouragement offered by other females.”
“You misunderstand, Verity. Your sensibilities are understandable, but you might have to reconsider. I know you would not ever do anything to hurt the future chances of any of your sisters. If a breath of scandal floats to your corner, you know very well it might tarnish their eligibility even with their immense dowries. Since we are in similar but different situations, I believe we must do what I suggested. We must find proper husbands in very short order despite your previous vow. And I have devised a strategy that will ensure that we find gentlemen who will fulfill all our requirements—love not being one of them. In your case, we will find someone who will offer you the protection of his name but not intimate presence in your life, if that is what you truly wish.”
Verity sighed inwardly. She could not tell Mary Haverty why she had no desire to marry anyone in her
“Don’t worry, dearest, I refuse to become bitter, you see. And now I’ve had more than a week to take a decision and yet again a new path,” Mary said, the barest hint of a smile forming on her face finally.
“Indeed. What is your plan, pray tell?”
“We both of us are in need of husbands, are we not?”
“And why would you suggest I am in need of . . .” Mary Haverty was usually the most brilliant schemer but—
“A letter from Hope reached me before I left the Highlands. She wrote that she and your sisters were leaving for a house party at the Duke of Kress’s crumbling landmark in Cornwall—all ordered there by the Prince Regent. But she also noted cryptically that you alone returned to Derbyshire by direction of your brother. It made little sense to me. You and your sisters walk lock-step. And then I wondered”— Mary examined her closely—“why Abshire was not ordered south with the rest of the entourage, too. Surely this is some stupid misunderstanding. Your brother is more of a tyrant than my father used to be.”
“He’s on a fool’s errand, I assure you.”
Mary looked at her expectantly.
Verity hesitated.
“You’re not going to violate the golden rule of intimate friendship, Verity, are you? Because truly I’m not certain I will hold up under the strain of the guilt I might feel, attempting to wheedle information you do not want to impart.”
And with that, the veil of secrecy came crashing down, and for the first time in a very long time, Verity felt the relief of confiding that she had awakened to find Rory Lennox in her bed.
Mary looked at her transfixed. “But do you love him?”
“Of course not!”
Those sly green eyes, which were not at all spring pea in color, deduced otherwise. “How long have you been in love with him?”
Verity exhaled heavily. “Far before cheetahs began preying on panthers.”
Mary chuckled. “Does he know?”
“Of course not. Look, the truth of the matter is that while I might have had a tendre for him when I was much younger, then I grew up. And I have seen enough of life to know that an on-the-shelf spinster will not find happiness with a charming rake.”
“Thank the Lord you’re so sensible, Verity. More sensible than I.”
“All I know is that I cannot marry him. It would be unbearable to live the rest of my life beside a man who wed me against his will. And it’s beside the point. I decided long ago that I would most likely never marry. And much as James blusters on and on about marrying his sisters off and offering staggering dowries as inducement, he has already agreed to Hope and Faith’s request that they end their annual suffering through another Season. They are to remove to his estate in the Lake District this autumn.”
“Your feelings are perfectly reasonable,” Mary agreed.
Verity rushed from her seat and knelt on the hearth to accept the arms Mary offered. “Finally, someone who understands. I’m so tired of the false hope and encouragement offered by other females.”
“You misunderstand, Verity. Your sensibilities are understandable, but you might have to reconsider. I know you would not ever do anything to hurt the future chances of any of your sisters. If a breath of scandal floats to your corner, you know very well it might tarnish their eligibility even with their immense dowries. Since we are in similar but different situations, I believe we must do what I suggested. We must find proper husbands in very short order despite your previous vow. And I have devised a strategy that will ensure that we find gentlemen who will fulfill all our requirements—love not being one of them. In your case, we will find someone who will offer you the protection of his name but not intimate presence in your life, if that is what you truly wish.”
Verity sighed inwardly. She could not tell Mary Haverty why she had no desire to marry anyone in her
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