Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Evan cleaned himself up so he no longer looked half-crazed with sleep deprivation. He was not surprised when a message came so quickly, accepting the invitation from the sisters.
Marina, Lilly, and the nanny waited with the duke in the drawing room near the front door. Lilly stuck her head out the window, craning her neck to get a view of the driveway. She grinned. “I see the carriage!” she shouted in excitement.
The little girl bounced up and down with excitement as she started to run out of the drawing room. Evan gently caught her arm before she could go too far. “We will wait here,” he said. “Carlson will show them in.”
“Why?” she asked. She was shouting, but with excitement. “I want to meet them!”
“You will. But first, you need to show patience and let Carlson escort them and announce them.”
She sighed. “Fine.” She went to the couch and sat down next to Marina. His wife caught his eye and smiled at him with approval. He tried to ignore the rush of warmth that gave him, but he couldn’t.
Careful, Evan, or you will start getting attached to her. If you indulge yourself in irrational feelings, then you will get distracted, and you will just be setting yourself up for heartbreak later.
He had to remind himself of that.
Carlson stepped into the room and announced Miss Amelia Shirley. Despite his formal tone, Evan could tell the man was happy there were guests in Pemberton Manor again. Just because Evan enjoyed his privacy did not mean that everyone else did not find it dull.
The eldest sister, Amelia, came in first. Her smile lit up when she saw Marina. “I’ve missed you! It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you!”
Marina leaped to her feet and hugged her sister, a huge grin on her face. “It is wonderful to see you again. You have already met His Grace, of course, but may I present to you Lady Lilly?”
Lilly shrank back slightly as the attention turned to her. Even though she was excited to be meeting Marina’s family, she suddenly grew shy in the company of the guests.
Amelia bent down and held out her hand for Lilly to shake. “It is so nice to meet you,” she said softly. “My sister has told me all about you.”
Lilly smiled shyly as she shook Amelia’s hand. Evan relaxed slightly at the sight of them.
Bethany came into the drawing room next, after Carlson’s announcement, grinning.
“Nice to see you looking healthier than we last saw you. Although that is not a difficult standard.” She hugged Marina before introducing herself to Lilly.
“Hello, Lady Lilly. Has my sister tried to turn you into a bluestocking yet?”
The little girl giggled. “A stocking? I cannot be a stocking!”
Amelia rolled her eyes and gave Evan and Marina an embarrassed look. “Forgive her. Bethany is currently amusing herself by not filtering her thoughts at all.”
Marina looked amused. “I believe she will be the death of our dear Mother if she talks too much about bluestockings in front of her.”
“The thought of my daughter being a bluestocking does not offend me,” Evan said. “There are worse ways to spend one’s time.” In fact, I would prefer it if she chose the company of books over some of the people in society.
Just then, there was a small crash in the hallway before twin girls, with arms linked, came stumbling into the room, giggling with each other. Carlson did not get a chance to announce them. “You are not dead!” one of them said. “That’s good. We were taking bets after we last saw you.”
“Louiza Shirley!” Amelia gasped. “You are old enough to know better than to say such horrid things. Besides, you knew perfectly well that she was alive! She wrote to the two of you as well as to us.”
“Well, we could not know for sure it was her,” the other twin said. “His Grace looks like he has remarkable penmanship as well.”
Evan stiffened at the insinuation that he would do something so cruel.
Marina glanced in his direction before casting a stern look at her younger sisters. “Both of you know better than to say such cruel jests in front of company,” she said.
Louiza looked exasperated. “He is your husband, Marina. Therefore, he is not company. He is family.”
I almost feel sorry for Lord and Lady Shirley.
They will have their hands full when these girls debut in society.
The girls were only sixteen, so they had a couple of years before their debut, but he doubted they would mature enough to keep from threatening a minor scandal or two in their debut Season.
Marina recovered first with a bright smile.
“I am so glad that all of you were able to make the journey out here. Please, make yourself comfortable while I ring for some tea. The cook has prepared a variety of sweets to go along with the tea. He prepares a wonderful spread, and I am sure all of you will enjoy it. Bethany, I believe you mentioned some books in your last letter. How are you enjoying them?”
Bethany started to talk about the latest book she was reading.
Normally, such a subject would be at least a little interesting to Evan, but at the moment, he could not take his eyes off his wife.
Marina rang for tea while she listened attentively to her sister, but she also glanced at everyone around her, making sure no one was getting bored with the conversation.
When Bethany stopped to take a break, Marina said. “That sounds so interesting! Evan, do we have that book in the library? I would love to read it.”
“I do not believe so,” he said. “I’ll make a note to purchase a copy.”
She beamed at him. Meanwhile, Lilly spoke shyly to Olivia, the other twin devil, “I like your necklace,” she said.
Olivia touched the small, simple locket that rested on her collarbone. “Thank you! I bought it from a darling little jeweler in Cheapside. They had all sorts of pretty charms in all sorts of shapes with different jewels.”
Lilly’s face brightened. “Did they have fish necklaces?”
All of the sisters chuckled, and for a moment Evan braced himself for a snide remark. He was ready to defend his daughter for taking an interest in fish, but he did not have to.
“I did not see any on display,” Olivia said, without a hint of mockery in her voice. “But I did see a pocket watch with a ship’s anchor engraved on it.”
Lilly made a face. “That is not a fish.”
“No, but it’s nautical,” Louiza offered.
“What is not-call?”
“Sea themed,” Olivia said as maids brought in the tea spread. “Ships, the ocean, and the like. Regardless, the jeweler does take custom orders. I daresay a fish charm is within their abilities.”
“We took Lilly fishing down by the river,” Marina explained. “Amelia, you should try the chocolate scones.” She waved off the maid, who gestured to pour the tea. “Allow me. I always pour tea with my sisters.”
The maid nodded and curtsied before standing at attention at the edge of the room. Marina started pouring tea, not only for herself, but for everyone else. She worked quickly, adding just the right amount of milk and sugar to each cup, as if she had everyone’s tea memorized.
Amelia picked up a scone and nibbled delicately on it. “Oh, this is delicious. I have been craving a chocolate morsel like this for weeks. I am surprised you remembered me mentioning it in my letter.”
Marina smiled. “I am glad you like it. I asked the cook to make it specifically after you mentioned it. Lilly, dear, try to take smaller bites. You can savor the pastry more, and you will not accidentally choke.”
Lilly, whose cheeks were currently puffed out as if she were a chipmunk, quickly took a sip of her tea to wash down the scone. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Tell us about the fishing,” Louiza said. “Did you catch a lot of fish?”
“I love fish for dinner,” Olivia chimed in. “I have always wanted to learn, but Papa will not let me. So I am envious. How was it? How many fish did you catch?”
Lilly looked overwhelmed at the rapid questions, and Evan opened his mouth to rescue her, but Marina beat him to it.
“All three of us had a lot of fun,” she said. “We caught one fish and named her Princess Delphinium the Third, and we certainly did not eat her for dinner.”
With all the twins’ attention off of Lilly, the little girl started to relax again, and Evan also felt some of the tension easing out of him.
This tea could have been an awkward encounter, but Marina had a gift for smoothing out bumps in the conversation.
He felt envious because he certainly could not navigate conversations with such ease.
It is easy to see how she feels invisible.
Such grace has a way of going unnoticed in a selfish world, where everyone is vying for attention.
Meanwhile, Marina keeps everything seamless without trying to draw attention to herself.
In a more just world, she would have had a dozen suitors calling on her the moment she debuted.
“How is married life treating you, Your Grace?” Amelia asked pleasantly.
Evan realized, with a pang of guilt, that he had been silent far too long. Here I am making Marina do all of the hosting. “I daresay it is very agreeable,” he said. He looked at Marina. “I could not have chosen a better wife, even if I courted all of the ladies in London.”
Marina looked startled at the praise. Her cheeks turned pink, and she gave him a small, flustered smile. Why would she be so surprised? She must know that I view our marriage favorably. She must feel the same.
He knew she was comfortable with him because he saw the differences in the way she acted with her family.
Even with her sisters, who loved her dearly, Marina kept the attention off herself while taking pains to engage everyone in the conversation and keep everyone happy.
But she certainly had no problem speaking her mind with him.
He was glad that she felt comfortable enough to express her views.
She even tried to provoke him to get a reaction out of him.
Bethany grabbed her sister’s hand. “You must come visit us in London,” she said. “We can go to the theater together and tour the tea shops.”
Marina bit her lip. “Thank you for your offer, but I cannot. Not any time soon, at least.” She sounded regretful.
“Of course you can,” Evan said, frowning. He did not like hearing how sad she sounded. He thought he had already made it clear that he had no intention of imprisoning her in the manor simply because he was a recluse himself. “Perhaps it will do you some good to spend time with your sisters.”
“Yes, as I am doing right now,” she said, a hint of impatience in her voice. “Tell me news of London. Bethany, I am sure you have acquired some fresh gossip since you last wrote to me.”
Of course, she does not want to go out. We have already established that she does not feel comfortable in London society … but she did look truly sad about not seeing her sisters more often. Maybe she isn’t being as honest as I thought she was.
He took a sip of his tea as he struggled to keep up with his spiraling thoughts.
Perhaps she was not as comfortable around him as he liked to think.
She has already stated that she feels invisible in the marriage.
Perhaps she did not speak her mind because she felt safe.
Perhaps she was just trying to be seen by him.
She speaks with so much heat because I am … cold.
His tea tasted like nothing to him now as a heavy lead settled in his stomach. He set the cup down on the table and watched the ladies talk. Now and then, he would throw in a small remark, but he generally stayed quiet.
He was relieved no one expected him to say much. He was too busy grappling with his shameful revelation to even attempt to keep up with the conversation.