A Gentleman Never Tells(29)
Auntie Bethie laughed. “Quite true, Duke. My family never lived down the scandal of my sister’s marrying you.”
“Huh!” he huffed. “You best be glad she did. It has kept you in a fine lifestyle for many years.” He turned back to Gabrielle. “I expect Elizabeth to look after you and not allow you out of her sight. I don’t want to hear one more word of scandal concerning you, or I’ll banish both of you to Northern Coast of Scotland.”
“You’ll have no more trouble from me, Papa,” Gabrielle asserted.
“See that I don’t. And I’ll expect you to take care of your sister. You know how quickly her temperament can change.”
Without further words, the duke turned and went back inside.
Auntie Bethie stepped closer to Gabrielle and said, “Now that the roaring bear is gone, we can talk. You don’t look like you want to, but it would probably be good for you if you did.”
Gabrielle slightly shook her head and turned to watch Lord Brentwood close the gate without looking back at her. “It’s too difficult to explain, and even if I could, you wouldn’t understand.”
“You aren’t giving me much credit for having gained wisdom with my advanced years.”
Staring out over the garden, Gabrielle said, “I’m sorry, Auntie. It’s just that I did the wrong thing this morning, which turned out to be a good thing, which then caused another bad thing.”
Her aunt laughed in a low, gravelly voice. “That’s easy to understand, and it makes perfect sense to me.”
Gabrielle turned toward her aunt and smiled. “No it doesn’t, because it doesn’t even make sense to me.”
“Of course it does,” Auntie Bethie said, trying to convince her. “You did something you shouldn’t have, which must have involved the man who just went out that gate.”
“Yes.”
“It turned out all right because it canceled your wedding, and you are obviously happy about that.”
Gabrielle nodded. Auntie Bethie understood better than Gabrielle thought she would.
“But that something good caused a different bad thing to happen, which I’m assuming is the scandal your broken engagement is going to cause, not to mention your father is quite peeved that he’ll have to settle money and probably lands, too, for your breach of contract. And I haven’t quite decided where the viscount fits into all that, but something about him is bothering you, too.”
Gabrielle looked at her with awe. “You did understand. That’s a fairly close estimate of what has happened because of me and one mistake I can’t take back.”
“I understood because you sounded so very much like your mother when you were talking just now, the way you had that wistful look to your eyes. You want so desperately always to do the right thing, and if you do make a mistake, you must set everything right.”
“That is how I feel, Auntie. But did I really sound like my mother?”
Her aunt nodded and smiled sadly at Gabrielle. “Oh, yes. She always wanted to do the right thing, and it tormented the fires of hell out of her when she didn’t.”
“Auntie.”
“Well, it’s the truth,” her aunt said without apologizing for her indelicate language. “She was always coming to me and saying, ‘Oh, Bethie, what should I do about this?’ Or, ‘Bethie, I did this and such, or I said that and the other, and I shouldn’t have. What can I do?’ She was always in a dither about something. And I would always tell her, ‘Forget about it, dearie. It doesn’t matter.’ But she wouldn’t rest until she made whatever it was right. Now me, I’m a far different person.” She winked at Gabrielle and chuckled low in her throat again.
“Not so much, Auntie,” Gabrielle said.
“Oh yes, I am, and Rosa is more like me. I never cared a bluebell in hell if what I did was right or wrong. I only cared to do what I wanted when I wanted.”
“Shame on you, Auntie,” Gabrielle said with no real admonishment in her voice. “And you know Rosa is not like that.”
She gave her a curious look. “You don’t think so?”
“No, of course not.”
Auntie Bethie shrugged. “Everyone has their own opinion. So tell me what goes on with this handsome viscount who just left. From what little you’ve said and what your father told me about your being in the park this morning, it sounds to me as if Mr. Alfred Staunton is out of favor with you and Lord Brentwood is in.”