Lady Be Reckless (Duke's Daughters #2)(47)

It was on the tip of her tongue to say of course she did, that she considered things far more than most people, but then Mr. Beechcroft had stepped into the room, accompanied by Ida.

“What are you doing here?” Ida asked, not sounding at all pleased to find her older sister at the house.

“I could ask the same of you,” Olivia retorted, only to realize how foolish that was—Ida was here, of course, because she wanted to be. Ida never did anything she didn’t want to, so if she was here, but was because it suited her in some way.

Olivia shared her sister’s single-mindedness, but Olivia’s own focus was not on books or philosophical conversation, but on what could, and should, be done.

Because if she didn’t, she didn’t trust that anybody else would.

Just thinking about what might happen to the poor and orphaned children if Olivia weren’t there to help them—well, it was enough to bring the sting of tears to her eyes. Not that she ever cried. But her eyes definitely stung.

“Mr. Beechcroft has asked me to help catalogue the library. The owners of the house have quite an impressive collection. Not that they likely know much about it,” Ida sniffed, since of course nobody could possibly be as well-informed as she was.

“I’ll be visiting the library after Mr. Beechcroft and Mr. Wolcott depart for the country. That way, when they return, the catalogue will be finished. I believe there are some unearthed gems hiding there.” She sounded excited, which startled Olivia. Her sister was so seldom enthusiastic about anything.

When they return. But from what Edward had intimated, they wouldn’t be returning. At least—Mr. Beechcroft wouldn’t.

She couldn’t keep herself from glancing at Edward, wishing there were some way she could ease his heartache. But that would require more than just arriving to do some good; this was literally about life and death, and the love a son had for his father.

That moved her as profoundly as seeing any type of injustice in the world. She’d never seen that kind of love before—after all, her father communicated in grunts and growls, and her mother didn’t communicate as much as unleash a steady stream of commentary. It humbled her.

Which was remarkable since, as Pearl was fond of saying, Olivia was never humbled. But now? Having realized that Lord Carson was not for her, that she would miss seeing Edward, miss being in his presence, and miss seeing Mr. Beechcroft’s clear pride in his son?

She was humbled.

“Ida, since you’re here, would you want to accompany me home?”

Ida looked surprised, likely because Olivia seldom asked for Ida’s participation in anything. But Olivia should try harder with her sister. She should try harder to understand people who weren’t her. She should try harder to figure out what it was she truly wanted also.

Because it wasn’t Lord Carson, and it wasn’t spending time at parties, and it wasn’t being more honorable than everyone else.

Although that did have its appeal.

She wasn’t certain what it was she did want. But she had a terrible suspicion it was a tall, strong gentleman with gorgeous curls, a devastating smile, and a wicked sense of humor.

A gentleman who was far beyond her in his honor, and yet would be seen as someone far below, were she to even imagine such a thing happening.

“Thank you for asking,” Ida replied, sounding honestly grateful. “I will just go get my things. Mr. Beechcroft, do leave that atlas if you can. I can send it down to you in a week or so, after I’ve had a chance to review it.”

Mr. Beechcroft smiled as he patted Ida’s hand. “Of course, my capable assistant. I am so glad we have made the acquaintance of the duke’s daughters. We will miss you when we leave town.”

“Oh, let me go get what I owe you, Lady Olivia,” Edward said. He walked into another room off the hallway, reappearing with a piece of paper in his hand. His draft for the thousand pounds, she presumed.

She took it from him and tucked it into her pocket without looking at it. Looking, instead, into his dark eyes and Mr. Beechcroft’s cheerful visage.

Olivia felt a lump rise in her throat and wished she were brave enough—yes, she wasn’t brave enough, at least not right now—to tell Edward that she felt something toward him. That it was more than just pique or natural curiosity or frustration.

But she didn’t know what it was.

Or who she was. Or what he thought about her.

It felt, suddenly, as though nothing mattered. That thought terrified her more than anything.





Chapter 15




Listen to your heart. And if your heart seems to be saying the wrong thing, listen to your sister.

Lady Olivia’s Particular Guide to Being Reckless



“It is unfortunate that we have to leave town, my boy,” Mr. Beechcroft said as the carriage pulled away from the town house. He leaned back against the seat cushions and placed his hands on his stomach. “But I do have to admit that I am feeling better about the decision. I worry that Dr. Bell was too hasty in his diagnosis. I am feeling quite well, if tired. But London will do that to you.”

Edward nodded without looking at his father; his attention was on the two kittens, both of which were trying to escape the basket they’d been put into for the journey. The housekeeper seemed to be perturbed at having been asked to provide a basket for this purpose. Edward shared her perturbation, but he couldn’t just abandon them. Not when she had given them to him.