Lady Be Reckless (Duke's Daughters #2)(49)

“Well, you certainly have a great number of contributions,” Olivia said.

“Yes, well, it seems that many ladies are desirous of assisting the society with their good works,” the matron replied, her tone indicating that Olivia was just one among many.

Naturally, Olivia felt like bristling. But did the next best thing, which was withdraw Edward’s draft from her pocket. “This is one good work that I believe will be unique,” she said, unable to keep a smug tone from her voice.

Even she knew she sounded pompous, and she wished Edward were here to take her down a peg.

Perhaps kiss her as well.

But mostly take her down a peg.

Even though she was lying to herself about her preferences for what he might do.

“Gracious, that is a generous donation.” The matron looked at Olivia with a newfound admiration in her gaze. “We will be able to do so many good things with these funds. Thank you so much, Lady Olivia.”

Olivia began to speak as she felt Pearl’s furious nudge in her side. She frowned at her twin—of course she was going to mention Mr. Wolcott, she didn’t need Pearl to remind her—and returned to the matron. “I am merely an emissary for this good deed, Miss—” And then she paused, because she always forgot the woman’s name.

“Miss Pettyworth,” Pearl supplied. Pearl was always better at paying attention to things like people’s names and what they did and their favorite foods and the like.

Did that mean Olivia was more like their mother?

The thought—the near truth of it—made her want to shout and proclaim how very much unlike her mother she was, only—only she wasn’t.

“Miss Pettyworth,” she echoed instead, promising herself she wouldn’t forget the name. “A friend of mine, a Mr. Wolcott, is actually the benefactor. He would be here himself, only—”

Only he returned to the country to ensure his father would get the best care, leaving Society’s whirl and the promise of an advantageous marriage to do so.

Even though, she had to admit, those things never seemed to hold an appeal for him.

“Mr. Wolcott.” Miss Pettyworth nodded. “He seems a most excellent and generous gentleman.”

Olivia’s throat got thick. “He is.”

“I will ask the children to work on a thank-you card to send him. We’ll be able to afford more pencils and paper for them now.”

Olivia felt even worse at those words—that these children didn’t have pencils and paper, things she took for granted, just because of who they were born to. That she did have such things because of whom she was born to, not who she was as a person.

It made her angry, that same righteous anger that had begun to consume her when she saw things as they were, not as she wanted them to be. But that anger was tempered now, now that she knew that people born into unfortunate circumstances could be just as flawed and wonderful as anybody else.

Because of him.

“That is lovely to hear,” Pearl said, taking Olivia’s arm. “And we’ll be leaving so you can return to helping the children.”

“Yes, of course.” Olivia allowed Pearl to pull her down the hallway and out into the street, where their father’s carriage waited. One of the footmen opened the door, and she got inside, wondering just what was happening to her.

“Are you all right?” Pearl asked as she climbed up to sit beside her twin.

It seemed Pearl was wondering what had happened to her too.

“I don’t know.” And she didn’t, but she did. Although she didn’t want to admit it all to herself.

“Are you feeling sick? We don’t have to go to the party tonight, we can just stay home. We haven’t done that in such a long time, not since the Season began, and we can have supper sent to our rooms and play with the kittens.”

It sounded heavenly, which was not something Olivia would have said three months or even three weeks ago. Then she would have been too consumed with finding a way to run into Lord Carson, to impress upon him how responsible and civic-minded she was.

Now she just wanted to stay home with Pearl and nuzzle kitten fur. Given that the thing she most wanted to do—the person she most wanted to see—was in the country, and she wasn’t likely to ever see him again. Her sister and kittens were an adequate substitution.

“Yes, please,” Olivia said, taking Pearl’s hand in hers. “And perhaps tonight we can talk about something you want to talk about. Like shirred eggs or being outdoors or if there are any gentlemen who have caught your fancy.”

Pearl’s eyes widened, and she blinked rapidly, as though staving off tears. “That sounds wonderful. I never thought you—” And she stopped talking, shaking her head in surprise, holding Olivia’s hand tight in her own.





Chapter 16




Think about others as you think about yourself.

Lady Olivia’s Particular Guide to Being Reckless



“Olivia!”

Olivia dislodged Snapper from her lap when she heard her mother’s voice.

It had been a week since Edward had left London, and although Olivia continued to be as busy as ever—overseeing all the tasks her mother did not wish to (which were most of them), visiting her various charities to make sure that things were going as she thought they should be, and spending time out of doors with Pearl—she felt as though she had lost a fragment of her interest in, well, everything.