Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
“Iam so delighted that you could join us, Miss Nora.”
At the earnest words of Penelope’s mother, Nora beamed happily, squeezing the older woman’s hand gently.
“The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Waverly. I am thrilled to share this wonderful experience with you.”
“Leave her, mother. We must find our seats before the show starts. You can fuss over the daughter you wished you had afterwards.” Penelope complained, ushering her mother down the aisle.
Mrs. Waverly tutted in annoyance but complied, not without complaints of her own.
“I wish you would not be so callous with your manners. Why can’t you be more ladylike? Look at Nora, ever poised and calm. Or even dead Jane! One would think she was mute with how rare it is to hear her speak. All you do is snap at everyone.”
Penelope sighed, clearly used to such remarks from her mother.
“If everyone did not act so ridiculously, I would not need to snap, would I? Father, please get Mother to settle down quicker. We’ll hold up other people if we don’t sit down soon.”
Mr. Waverly paled, clearly not wanting to be involved in yet another argument between his wife and daughter. But with his wife’s attention now on him, he gently steered her in the direction of their seat.
“You can sit here, my darling. I know you find the seats closer to the aisle more comfortable.”
“Why, thank you, darling,” Mrs. Waverly smiled at her husband, letting him lead her to her place.
“I wish we could have come by ourselves,” Penelope sighed tiredly, taking her own seat.
“I am glad we came at all,” Jane whispered. “I heard that the aria is renowned for the spectacular delivery of her ending notes. I feel as though it will be an unforgettable experience.”
Nora agreed greatly with Jane. They had looked forward to this opera performance for days now. But with everything that had followed her brother’s departure, she had nearly forgotten about it.
It felt good to finally be out and about, indulging in the highlights of the season. Nora only hoped that things would remain this peaceful.
A gentleman a few rows below them turned, seemingly searching for someone. But his eyes fell on her, and he went still, his lips splitting into a charming smile.
Nora’s cheeks filled with heat, and she offered a smile of her own, nodding slightly. Someone waved at the gentleman, and he shifted his attention to them, lifting his hand in acknowledgement, but his gaze wandered back to Nora, and he gave her one more smile before he turned to face the stage.
“I saw that,” Penelope grinned discreetly. “Look at you, attracting suitors so boldly. Thank goodness your conversation with your guardian seems to have gone well.”
Nora sighed with resignation. “As well as it would have. But I suppose it is better than having him follow me everywhere —”
A sudden wave of excited whispers cut Nora off, and at first, thought that the aria had arrived and the performance would soon start. But then, people began to glance in her direction, their eyes darting back and forth as they chattered in fascination.
“Is… is there something on my face? Why are people looking this way?” she questioned, nervous and confused.
Jane tapped her shoulder gently and pointed her fan over her own.
“They aren’t looking at you. They’re looking at him.”
Nora followed the direction of the fan to the upper left side of the audience, towards the box seating that was usually reserved for the wealthy and highly ranked.
Her heart sank as Godric took a seat, his position giving him a good view of Nora and her friends.
“Is that really the Duke of Ironwell? I had heard that he made an appearance at a ball the other night, but I thought those were only rumors! He was never one for such public appearances! What a treat.” Mrs. Waverly gasped in excitement.
“I thought he said he would be discreet,” Penelope hissed, glaring up at him.
“It would seem we have very different understandings of the word.” Nora fumed, tearing her gaze away and facing the stage.
She was very upset, not only at his sudden appearance, but also with the fuss that surrounded his presence. It was out of character for the duke to attend social events — much less an opera show — so their fascination was warranted.
But Nora had hoped for a peaceful evening away from the problems that had arisen since Cecil left, wanting to feel eager to participate in the season once more.
This Duke seemed intent on ruining her life, making her angry until she was plotting ways to get him away from her for hours on end in her mind.
She has never disliked someone so much, and it was exhausting.
The lights in the theatre were turned off as the performance began, but Nora could not seem to concentrate. Gone was the eagerness to witness the performance, replaced by the feeling that she was being watched keenly.
“Perhaps he just couldn’t stay away,” Jane whispered after the aria had taken to the stage.
“Or he wanted to prove that he is a man of empty words,” Nora grumbled.
“In any case, it seems as though he is quite dedicated to his role to protect you. How noble,” Penelope sighed, causing Jane to laugh.
Nora huffed, willing herself not to look back at him.
“I am certain he merely wished to get under my skin. He does not care about me or my well-being, only about making things difficult for me.”
“Perhaps that is his way of showing where his attention lies,” Penelope teased.
Jane hummed thoughtfully. “It certainly is an obvious tell, at least. Who knows what might develop with you both being so close for the rest of the season?”
“I hate you both so much. Be quiet and focus on the performance,” Nora chastised, ignoring their delighted giggling.
Much to her dismay, she could not concentrate on the beautiful show the aria was putting on, her mind and heart swirling with anger over the duke’s presence. She could not stand that he had gone back on his word so soon — even after making a fuss that he needed to keep his word to her brother.
Perhaps it was his promise to me that did not matter as much, Nora thought.
After a few minutes, she felt her chest constrict, and she grew restless.
“I shall be outside,” she whispered to her friends, quietly rising to her feet.
“Would you like us to come with you?” Jane offered softly.
Nora shook her head. “That should be unnecessary. Enjoy the performance. I shall return shortly.”
She rose out of her feet and quietly slipped out of the theatre, feeling as though she could only breathe once she could no longer feel the duke’s gaze on her.
Nora found a spot in a hallway with no people, and luckily, there was a spot where she could sit, so she settled down. A few deep breaths did not seem to calm the anger she felt at the duke, much to her annoyance, and she clicked her tongue.
“He really is the most vexing person I have ever met,” she muttered under her breath.
She did not understand why her affairs had gone so beyond her control so quickly. And as much as she wished to point the finger of blame at her brother, she had to admit that things had been going wrong long before he involved himself so deeply.
Nora had dreamt of a love like the one her older sisters had found. She had prayed that she would meet someone who made her feel as special and adored as the dukes who swept her sisters off their feet.
Instead, she had somehow encountered a very selfish man who was not concerned about the implications his actions had on her. And in her bid to move past it, she had somehow been saddled with another man whose sole goal seemed to be to make things as difficult as possible for her.
She only wanted to be loved. She desired to build a home away from the cold walls of her childhood. She wanted to absolve her brother of the duty of watching over her.
But it seemed as though her failings remained prevalent.
“There you are,” a voice called as footsteps approached her. “I was hoping that I would see you tonight. I am glad my efforts did not go to waste.”
Nora’s spine stiffened as she recognized who the voice belonged to, and she spoke up in a stern voice.
“Leave me be. I have nothing to say to you.”
The man did not listen, still coming to a stop only when he was standing before her.
“Don’t be like that, Miss Nora. Do you have any idea how devastated I have felt these last few weeks? You suddenly dissolved our engagement without a single word, and all my efforts to contact you have been thwarted by your bothersome brother —”
“Do not speak about my brother that way. You have no right,” she snapped, rising to her feet.
Tobias Crane swallowed and nodded quickly.
“I did not mean to upset you, Nora. My deepest apologies for my callous words. And for whatever else I did that upset you so much that you refused to speak with me again. I thought I would run mad with despair.” He said earnestly.
“Perhaps you should have,” she told him quietly. “Then you might have understood how I felt.”
He stared at her in shock. “Surely, you do not mean that. Please, Nora. Please reconsider breaking our engagement. You are unlike any other woman I have ever met. You are the love of my life, and every second we’re apart threatens to kill me with heartbreak. Do not do this to us.”
Nora shook her head and stepped aside, moving to walk away.
“Unbelievable. Even now, you delude yourself into believing that you are the victim.”
Tobias grabbed hold of her by her wrist and pulled her back towards him.
“Please, Nora. Just — just say you’ll think about it.”
“Absolutely not! Do not touch me!” she tugged her hand out of his grasp and hurriedly walked away.
But she had barely gotten far when she realized that only a dead end lay ahead of her. He had her cornered.
“Dear Lord,” she mumbled, whirling around and gasping as she came face to face with him.