Page 19 of Her Scandalous Pursuit

How could it be so arousing to hear him say her name? It was such a pleasant thing that she returned the gesture. “Desmond.” She reached up to brush back the strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead, and his face changed subtly in response. How odd, how exciting that her touch should have an effect on him. Experimentally she laid her hand against his cheek, and this time she could feel the rise of heat on his skin.

Desmond laid his hand atop hers, holding it to him for a moment, then took her hand and lifted it, turning to place a soft, sweet kiss upon her palm. “I—we—should probably leave.”

“No doubt you’re right.”

He nodded, but he didn’t step back. Instead he bent his head and kissed her another time, slowly, lingeringly, before he pulled away and thrust his hands into his jacket pockets. He was quiet as they walked through the shop and out the door. Thisbe was, too. There was nothing and at the same time entirely too much to say, the emotion between them too fragile to break with words.

Desmond walked her to the omnibus, where she went through the same charade, finally ending up back in her carriage, heading home. She hugged the knowledge of Desmond’s kiss to herself all the way home. This moment was too private, too new, to share, even with her sisters. Later, perhaps, she would analyze it, consider what it meant. But right now she wanted only to revel in it.

When she walked through the door of Broughton House, Thisbe found her mother standing beside the foyer table, frowning down at a sealed letter on the table. Tall and ramrod straight, one had only to look at the duchess to know what Kyria would look like in middle age. The flame-red hair was now sprinkled with gray, and her figure had thickened a little around her middle, but the bone-deep beauty was still there. She was the most intimidating woman Thisbe knew. Stalwart in her beliefs and firm of purpose, Emmeline rarely let anything get in her way. It was unusual, therefore, to see her looking indecisively, even warily, at a simple letter.

“Mother? Is everything all right?”

“It’s the dowager duchess.”

“Ah.” Thisbe understood now. The duke’s mother was an irregular correspondent, and she rarely wrote her daughter-in-law except to criticize or deliver unwanted advice, usually both. She was also the only person Thisbe had ever met who could fluster Emmeline. “You may as well get it over with.”

“I know.” The duchess sighed and broke the seal. “It was just that today has been so pleasant. Kyria and Olivia spent much of the afternoon chasing Alex and Con around the grounds in back and thoroughly wore out the boys so that they went straight to bed after their supper. It may have saved me having to hire a new nanny. But now here is this letter.”

“At least it’s brief,” Thisbe pointed out as her mother unfolded the single piece of paper.

“There is that,” her mother agreed, holding her hand out a little farther to read the missive. It was one of the duchess’s few vanities; she had so far resisted acquiring spectacles for close work. “She wishes us all a merry Christmas, and then, yes, I knew this would be the case... She bemoans the fact that she was all alone in Bath for the holiday.” Emmeline grimaced and looked over at her daughter. “As if I were the one who made her stay there. I invited her to join us in the city. Thank goodness she didn’t come.”

“Grandmother likes a bit of drama. I’m sure she had a grand time with all her cronies.”

“Of course she did. Oh! Oh, blast!” Emmeline stared at the piece of paper in horror. “She has changed her mind.”

“She’s coming here? I thought she hated the city.”

“She does. Its air is ‘insalubrious.’ Well, to be fair, one cannot deny that. But look!” The duchess waved the note at Thisbe. “It’s worse. She’s coming for the Season! I didn’t invite her for the entire Season.”

“Oh, my.”

“She is positive Kyria is not being properly brought out, given my ‘inexperience in social activities.’ As if Lady Jeffries wasn’t one of the leading lights of the ton as well as a generous supporter of my campaign against child labor. It was quite considerate of Lady Jeffries to offer, and Kyria adores her. I am sure she is doing a far better job of introducing Kyria to society than the dowager duchess, who will, mark my words, alienate half of them within days after arriving.”

“Kyria will hate it,” Thisbe agreed. “I’m sure Grandmother will carp at everything she does.”

“Of course she will. That is her intent. With the added advantage of making my life more difficult,” Emmeline added darkly. “I am able to deal with her, but your poor father... She never fails to upset Henry. If it’s not complaining about his shirking his duties as duke to ‘play with his pots,’ it’s comparing him to his ‘sainted’ father—of whom she is a good deal more fond now that he’s dead than she ever was when he was alive. She always finds some opportunity to point out to him that he married beneath him. That never fails to put your father in a temper, and you know how he dislikes being angry.”

“Uncle Bellard will bolt as soon as she arrives.”

“Yes. He’ll probably hide the entire time in his rooms. Poor man, he’s dreadfully scared of that woman. I don’t know what he thinks she can do to him—she is only his sister-in-law.”

“I think it was her saying Uncle Bellard was mad as a hatter and ought to be locked away in the attic.”

“Yes. It was most unkind of her, but Uncle Bellard must know that Henry would never allow that. Even the old duke would have balked at it, no matter how much Cornelia complained. Henry is convinced that his father was always flitting off chasing this cure or that because it was the only way to get away from her.” The duchess heaved a sigh. “I am sorry, dear. I should not criticize your grandmother to you. She loves all of you. In her own way.”

“I know. Especially Theo. He and Reed can keep her out of Papa’s hair a good bit. And the twins will be happy to see her again.”

Emmeline chuckled. “True. She doesn’t intimidate them.”

“Little does. They love the multitude of shiny things she wears. It’s Olivia she frightens, with all her talk of Olivia inheriting Grandmother’s ‘gift.’”

“Yes, Olivia will probably join Uncle Bellard in his books-and-battles room. But you know Livvy—she’ll be happy doing that. And she can make sure that Uncle Bellard doesn’t skip his meals.”

Thisbe went up the stairs, pausing when she reached her twin brother’s door. Theo was seated at the small writing desk in the corner, a book open before him as he scribbled on a piece of paper. She watched him for a moment.

All her life, Theo had been the person closest to her; it wasn’t that she loved him more than the rest of her siblings, for each of them was essential to her life. But there was an additional bond with Theo, a certain unspoken awareness and understanding. However different Theo’s interests were from hers, she was able to share what she felt and the other way around. She hadn’t any desire to travel to Egypt, but last year when Theo went, she had understood and felt his excitement. And if an experiment failed, she could tell Theo and know that he would take some of that disappointment on himself.