Roarke folded his arms. “What if I find that the lady is innocent of the charge that she has taken a secret lover?”
All three of his cousins scrunched their faces as if in disbelief. “There is no way she isn’t,” Philip said. “Not with her beauty.”
Roarke’s stomach turned as Thomas flashed his brother a salacious grin. “What if it’s not true?” he insisted.
Thomas threw up his hands. “Then you get the rest, I swear it to you.”
Roarke wasn’t certain he believed that, but for now it would be enough. “Fine,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “I will do as you ask. I will look into the activities of the dowager.”
“Excellent,” Thomas said with a smug expression. “You will find her on Kent’s Row. At least she knew enough to deposit herself there with the other dried-up crones.”
Roarke sighed. First the woman was a flagrant whore with a siren’s beauty, now a dried-up crone. It seemed there was no consistency here except for their hatred of the woman. Which meant he had to be extra careful in any of his own judgements of her.
That was the least he could do under the circumstances.
CHAPTER 2
Flora crossed the parlor, teapot in hand, and smiled as she freshened the cups of Valaria, the Dowager Duchess of Gooding, and Bernadette, the Dowager Duchess of Tunbridge. She had known both women for some time, Bernadette since she had come to Kent’s Row and joined the widowed duchesses who had made themselves somewhat of a conclave, and Valaria for about six months.
They were her dearest friends and she felt so incredibly lucky to have them in her life.
“The necklace Callum bought you is gorgeous,” Bernadette said, and reached out to finger the beautiful sapphire that rested against Valaria’s skin. “He does spoil you.”
Valaria all but glowed, and it was wonderful to see. She had been so closed off when she arrived on the Row months ago, just after the death of her abusive husband. She had been opposed to the idea that she could ever risk love, but Callum, the Duke of Blackvale, had earned her trust and her heart. Until the end of her official mourning period, though, they could not be public with their engagement. Not that it stopped them from outwardly showing their affection amongst friends.
“He does,” Valaria said with an even deeper blush. “I never could have imagined this, but it is better than any dream I ever had. To find someone who so entirely understands me is…” She cut off with a gasp of breath and the brightness of happy tears in her eyes.
As Bernadette leaned over to hug their friend, Flora retook her seat and smoothed her skirts, carefully keeping a warm smile on her face. She didn’t want her two friends to see the darker emotions that Valaria’s joy brought and ruin their day. She, too, remembered the bliss of having a solid and steadfast partner at her side. She missed that kind of easy happiness that she had felt during her marriage. And she hated herself for being even the tiniest bit jealous of Valaria’s glowing future.
“That is enough of my foolishness,” Valaria said, laughing as she wiped a few tears from her cheeks. “Honestly, you must get sick of me waxing poetic about how content I am.”
“Never!” Bernadette declared without hesitation, and Flora nodded her agreement as she shoved all those harder emotions aside.
“You deserve all your happiness and all that will come in your life,” Flora agreed, and meant those words wholeheartedly.
“Well, I thank you. And I know we wouldn’t have reached this point without your support,” Valaria said. “I shall tell that to everyone I meet that once I can be free to go out again. Just two more months!”
“I cannot wait,” Flora said. “I always feel so dreadful when Bernadette and I go out to parties or teas and have to leave you behind.”
“Not always alone, though,” Bernadette said with a little knowing look.
Valaria ignored the teasing about Callum sneaking into her house to see her regularly and sipped her tea before she said, “So what are your plans tonight?”
“There is a ball,” Bernadette said.
Flora jerked her gaze toward their friend, who was suddenly worrying a thread on the sleeve of her gown, her dark eyes turned down. “And who is hosting the ball?” she encouraged.
Bernadette glared at her, though there was no real anger or heat to the expression. “Oh, stop.”
“No, tell her.” Flora folded her arms.
“I’m sure I can guess,” Valaria said with a laugh. “If Flora is making such a fuss and Bernadette cannot make eye contact, then it can be only one man who is holding the ball, and that is the Duke of Lightmorrow.”
Bernadette made a little sound of frustration in her throat and turned away from them a fraction.
“Yes. Theo is hosting the ball,” Flora said in a little sing-song voice as she drew out the duke’s given name. “And Bernadette and I received the same invitation a few days ago, but do you know whose had a special little note scrawled across it?”
Valaria straightened. “What did it say, Bernadette?”
Bernadette pursed her lips and ground out, “I hope you come, Etta. Theo.”
“You see,” Flora said with an arch of her brow. “The man is fascinated by you.”
Bernadette pushed to her feet and paced away. “You two are daft! I know the duke from childhood—we are old acquaintances, that is all. There is no way he would ever possibly want me when he could have, and gossip says he has had, practically any other woman in this country. Goodness, you two need a hobby.”
She stomped off to get another biscuit and Flora exchanged a brief look with Valaria. They could both see what Bernadette refused to acknowledge. And though Flora had every intention of pushing and helping what could be a happy union along, she did appreciate the anticipation. Another thing she had missed in her life.
Another thing she feared she’d never see again. It had been almost three years since her own husband’s death—there was only a month before that sad anniversary. Still, she had long been free to pursue or be pursued, yet there had been no attracted parties, or at least none that turned her head. No flutter of desire. No hint of interest.
Perhaps there never would be. Perhaps hers was a once-in-a-lifetime love and that was all there would be.
“Don’t look so troubled,” Valaria whispered as she squeezed Flora’s hand. “You know Bernadette pretends half her upset when it comes to Theo.”
“Oh, I know,” Flora said, bringing herself back to the present. “And don’t think for one moment that I won’t push our girl a little closer to the man if I have any chance to do so.”
“I can hear you, you know!” Bernadette said as she pivoted from the sideboard and returned to their circle, a plate of biscuits in hand. “You two are menaces.”
“And you love us for it,” Flora insisted as she wrapped an arm around Bernadette and squeezed her. “But we won’t tease you anymore.”
“Wouldn’t that be a change,” Bernadette muttered, though not darkly. “Please, let’s talk about any other subject. The weather, the roads, the fact that you look so ridiculously pretty in that dress, Flora. Anything but this.”