Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
It had been several days since the unfortunate events at Hyde Park, yet the scene would not cease repeating in Evelyn’s mind. Her nights had been filled with nightmares of crawling, hopping toads that had woken her in a cold sweat, but they were not quite the nightmares she had grown accustomed to.
This time, Hugo was there. Sometimes, he just stood by and watched as the toads overwhelmed Evelyn, regardless of whether or not she called for his help.
Sometimes, he fought his way through them to get to her, pulling her into his arms and carrying her to safety.
Sometimes, they were both swamped by those awful, slimy creatures.
She was not certain which manner of dream perturbed her more.
“A physician should be sent for,” Luke remarked at breakfast, dark crescents apparent beneath his eyes. “This has gone on too long. It was at least understandable when she was a child, but she is a grown woman; she should not be having such dreams.”
Evelyn blinked in surprise, a forkful of eggs halfway to her mouth. Although it was no surprise that she was being spoken about as if she were not there.
“Physicians cannot do anything,” her father replied from behind the shield of his morning newspaper. “They have all tried.”
“Yes, well, I cannot sleep when she keeps waking up screaming,” Luke said, casting a hard look at his sister. “I have important meetings to attend while we are in London, and I cannot show up looking as if I have been at the gentlemen’s club all evening.”
Matthew snorted into his teacup. “As if anyone would ever think that was where you had been, brother. I would not worry too much. Her nightmares will pass, as they always do.”
Setting down her cutlery and dabbing her mouth with a napkin, Evelyn rose from her chair. She had lost her appetite.
“I should begin my preparations for this afternoon,” she announced.
At that, her father folded down one corner of his newspaper. “For what reason?”
“The garden party, Father,” Evelyn said, trying her best not to sound exasperated. She had spoken of it at least five times by now.
With a sniff, her father flipped the corner of his newspaper back up…
and Evelyn paused for a moment, unable to believe that that was the end of it.
But when her father did not continue to speak or make comment, she pushed her chair in and headed out of the breakfast room, eager for the peace and solace of her bedchamber.
At the top of the stairwell, she halted at the sound of footsteps behind her and turned to find Luke on the stairs.
“Did I leave something?” she asked.
Luke proceeded toward her. “I should make preparations too, since I am to join you at this afternoon’s party.”
“Join me?” Evelyn stared at him.
She could not remember the last time her brothers, or her father for that matter, had accompanied her to a society event. Indeed, it was the one benefit of a disinterested family, that she was allowed to venture out with just her chaperone.
Luke nodded and moved past her, though there was not much room. “Father does not want you going out alone anymore. He does not believe that you are seeking a husband, as you claimed to be. As such, I must now take time away from more pressing endeavors to accompany you to society’s events.”
“There really is no need,” Evelyn urged, her heart missing a few awful beats. “Margery is perfectly capable of ensuring I do not get into any trouble.”
Luke hesitated at the door to his chambers.
“Apparently, that is not good enough.” He cast her a strange look as if, somewhere very deep down, he might pity her.
“Father is searching for a husband for you. He is tired of waiting for you to find one of your own accord. So I must ensure nothing occurs to thwart that.”
He stepped into his room and closed the door behind him, robbing Evelyn of her opportunity to protest, to wail, to cry out at the injustice of it.
She could well imagine the sort of gentleman that her father would choose for her, and she would rather have her name plastered in the scandal sheets a thousand times over than accept his selection.
I will not obey, she promised furiously, her hands curled into fists. If you force this upon me, you shall have no pawn of a daughter at all.
In that moment, she was almost sorry that there had been no mention of her and Hugo in the scandal sheets. She had looked, but it appeared that even in public, even in an unexpected embrace with a duke, she remained invisible to society’s interest.
Nevertheless, if pushed, she would make certain that society could not ignore her, even if that meant obliterating her own reputation.
The gardens of Throckley Manor sprawled on the edge of London, where the city gave way to rolling green fields, offering the most breathtaking view of the countryside.
Evelyn stood on the terrace with a full glass of lemonade in hand, just staring at the promise of all of that freedom, while feeling as if shackles were tightening around her wrists and her heart.
She did not even like the countryside that much, unless she had a favored book in hand and a nice tree to sit beneath on a warm day, but she would have done anything to be running free across all of that greenery right now.
And she would not stop until she was far enough from the threat of an arranged marriage as possible.
“I can well understand why you have not been successful since your debut,” her brother said coolly, as he came to join her. “You do realize that everyone is inside?”
“It is a garden party,” Evelyn replied dryly. “I am in the garden.”
He cast her a sharp sideways glance. “You will be able to run your own house, Evelyn. That is something to look forward to.”
“I am sure you think so,” she said, her tolerance for her family wearing even thinner than usual.
“Everyone must marry, Evelyn. Do not be so precocious about it.” There was a scolding note in his voice that sounded so like their father that an unpleasant shiver beetled down the back of her neck.
“I do not see your bride, brother. Please, do gesture in her direction.”
Luke expelled an annoyed sigh. “I have time, Evelyn. You do not. You are two and twenty.”
“I might be mistaken, but I would think that your marriage would be of greater importance, considering you are the heir,” she pointed out, surprised by her own defiance.
“Whether I marry or not is of no real importance; it is just of value to you and Matthew and Father because it gets me out of the way, and you can be a family of men, as you have always wished to be.”
He stared at her as if she were a stranger, a faint flush of color coming onto his cheeks as anger radiated out of him.
It must have been a shock to him, to hear his sister speak so bluntly, but she was tired of pretending she was invisible, tired of making herself so small that everyone believed they could just step on her.
Fortunately, any chiding she might have received was silenced by the arrival of Selina.
“I have been looking for you everywhere!” she crowed, sliding her arm through Evelyn’s. “I might have known you would be out here, enjoying the remarkable views. Oh, it does make me long to be at the manor instead of in the city.”
Luke bowed politely, his entire demeanor shifting from disgruntled brother and guardian to courteous gentleman.
It was not merely because of Selina’s particular beauty either; he would have behaved that way no matter who had interrupted, for Evelyn’s brothers had no problem being civil to everyone but her.
“I was just taking in some fresh air,” Evelyn said, and took a sip of her lemonade, just the right amount of sweet and sour.
“There is a dance floor in the courtyard,” Selina said excitedly, tugging on Evelyn’s arm. “Come, I must show you. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
Grateful for the reprieve, Evelyn allowed herself to be dragged away from her brother, though she had no doubt that he would follow at a polite distance. After all, he had been given his orders by their father, and he was nothing if not dutiful.
“You see, Selina, this is another reason why you must set your ambitions higher than Sir Anthony,” Evelyn said as they walked across emerald lawns and snuck through walled gardens that were bursting with color and fragrance, the blooms out in force.
“He will not be able to give you a residence like this. I do not even think he has a townhouse.”
Selina groaned and cast her friend a withering look.
“He is a man of business, Evie. When his next fleet of ships comes in and all the cargo is sold, he will be as rich as any gentleman here. Richer, no doubt. Besides, I do not care for material things when I shall have the kind of love that every woman dreams of.”
It sounded like foolishness to Evelyn, but she did not want to be left alone at the garden party if she annoyed her friend too much. So she held her tongue, even though Sir Anthony’s promises and reassurances were undoubtedly deceit, more tricks to keep Selina’s heart on his hook.
“Well, my father is seeking a husband for me,” Evelyn said, barely able to force the words out of her throat. As if by speaking them aloud, it would make it too real.
Selina stopped abruptly and whirled around, staring wide-eyed at Evelyn. “An arranged match?”
Evelyn nodded.
“But… that is… No! He cannot do that,” Selina said, shaking her head. “I realize it has been some time since your debut, but you are not at all on the shelf yet. Why would he do such a thing? Oh, Evie, that is awful!”
Evelyn shrugged. “I should have expected it. Everyone is impatient to see me married and… I am not very good at attracting attention by myself.”
“Nonsense. I am always catching gentlemen looking in your direction,” Selina insisted. “I daresay it is because you are so beautiful that they lose their nerve before they can come and speak to you.”
Evelyn laughed. “I think you are mistaking me for you.”
“Not at all!” Selina began to pull on Evelyn’s arm again.
“I shall show you. We shall have you dancing with someone within the hour; I promise. And though that someone may not end up being your husband, it will certainly show the more anxious gentlemen who are here today that they ought to gather some courage and ask you to dance too.”
It was a lovely fantasy, but it was not the truth. Somehow, it was like the gentlemen of the ton could sense how small and insignificant she was and, as such, their eyes skimmed over her. That was before she had even become friends with Selina.
Evelyn did not think she was unfortunate looking, and had often wondered if she might be considered pretty, but she was just one among many; she did not stand out.
That was the difficulty, for she did not know how to stand out, when her entire life had been spent trying to blend in and go unnoticed, so she would not be scolded for one thing or another.
Lively music was playing by the time they reached the sizable courtyard that had been transformed into a temporary dance floor.
A small crowd had gathered to watch the couples who were brave enough to dance in such an unusual place, and Evelyn and Selina joined the spectators, making room for themselves on the periphery.
“Now, let us see who might be taking a peek at you,” Selina said, searching the courtyard with brow-furrowing determination.
“There will be more people inside,” Evelyn argued.
And even then, you will be unsuccessful.
In truth, she just wanted to distract her friend, for the disappointment of not being able to catch anyone’s attention would be too much. A crushed hope that she could not afford.
At that moment, a familiar face began to weave through the guests, headed straight in the direction of the two women. The only gentleman that Evelyn really did not want to see.
What is he doing here? It was not one of the arranged outings, though she supposed it should not have been so strange that the most eligible bachelor in England would be attending a popular garden party.
“Miss Parsons.” Hugo came to a halt in front of them, bowing courteously. “Lady Evelyn,” he added, almost like an afterthought, when he raised his head again.
Selina crinkled her nose in mild disapproval. “Your Grace. I did not know you would be here today.”
“I did not think I would be here today, but my sister decided she would like to attend and I could not allow her to come alone,” Hugo replied.
Warmth rushed into Evelyn’s face as she noticed his gaze lingering on her, as if searching for an answer in her expression. There was, perhaps, some pity in his eyes, though she could not look back at him for long enough to be sure.
It was most peculiar, for she had never had such difficulty before. Indeed, she had had no qualms whatsoever about looking into his eyes when she had spoken to him at the opera, but now… Each time she tried, her stomach twisted into knots and she began to sweat, thoroughly flustered.
Because you embarrassed yourself in front of him, you dolt, she scolded herself, as his gaze finally turned back toward Selina, granting Evelyn a moment to catch her breath.
“However, since we both find ourselves in the same place, would you do me the honor of dancing the next set with me?” he asked.
Patting Selina lightly on the arm, Evelyn made her excuses. “I am just going to fetch refreshments. I shall not be long.”
She darted away before Selina could use her as a reason to avoid a dance, and before her face could get any hotter.
With her head down and her mind swirling, she hastened away from her friend and Hugo so fast that she did not see the figure standing in the shadow of the manor’s doorway until it was too late.