Lady Be Reckless (Duke's Daughters #2)(58)

“I think I should leave England and go help people somewhere.” She blurted it out before she could think, but as soon as she thought about it, it made perfect sense.

“Help people somewhere?” Pearl rolled her eyes. Apparently it didn’t make perfect sense after all. “Are you running away?”

“Absolutely not!” Olivia replied sharply.

And then she took a deep breath and spoke again. “Never mind. I am. That is, I’m not. I had a momentary weakness, but I will not.” She heard her voice tremble. “Pearl, what I am to do?”

Pearl didn’t answer, but instead got up from her chair and sank down on the rug in front of Olivia’s chair, resting her arms on Olivia’s knees. She looked up at her with an expression that managed to convey both compassion and “I told you so.”

It was a remarkable gift her sister had.

“You always know what to do. You will figure it out. What does your heart say?”

“My heart.” Olivia felt her throat get thick. “My heart tells me I love him.”

Pearl smiled, a warm, loving smile that made her whole face light up. “That is the Olivia I know.”

“But I was so adamant about marrying Lord Carson! And I don’t even know if Edward would want to marry me.”

Pearl shrugged. “Why don’t you ask him?”

Olivia blinked. Ask him? Ask him how he felt about her? Ask him if he wanted to marry her?

Well, it couldn’t go any worse than the last time she had asked someone to marry her. Could it?

What if it did?

But what if it didn’t?

“I will. I’ll ask him.” And if he said yes? Well, then, she would already be engaged, and Lord Carson wouldn’t even have the chance to propose.

But on the other hand, if he didn’t feel the same way.

Her heart hurt. Her lungs hurt too from all the agitated breathing she was doing.

Because Lord Carson was arriving tomorrow, and everyone—possibly including him—was expecting her to want to marry him, not this Other gentleman who wasn’t truly a gentleman.

And the ways in which he wasn’t a gentleman were so very lovely. She let her mind wander back to that kiss in the office, how she’d felt, quite clearly, the result of it just under her bottom.

If she were as ladylike as she’d always thought, the idea of all of that should terrify her.

Instead, it had quite the opposite reaction. She wanted to explore more, she wanted to explore him.

She wanted.

“Olivia?” Pearl’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. “What are you thinking about? Because you have the most interesting expression right now.” Her sister’s wry tone let her know that she had a strong suspicion of what Olivia was thinking about, and Olivia grinned in reply.

She would ask him.



“Mr. Wolcott, the other party has arrived. Lord Carson is in the drawing room, and I have taken the liberty of showing the marquis his rooms. He wanted to rest after the journey—he said he would join everyone for tea.”

Edward rose from his chair, wishing he weren’t conflicted about Bennett’s arrival. Bennett was his best friend, his only friend, truth be told, and Edward should not have presumed with Lady Olivia.

Even though she had, in fact, presumed first.

But it was the gentleman’s responsibility to maintain decorum, and he had absolutely not.

He would have to ask Bennett if his feelings toward Olivia had changed. If he should push all his own feelings about the lady to the back of his mind, to lock them down and never think of them again.

It was the right thing to do, even though he dreaded the answer.

“There you are.” Bennett stepped into the office, the very same room where—but he could not think about that.

“Your butler told me to wait in that drawing room, but I knew I would find you here.”

Bennett, damn him, looked as though he’d stepped off the House of Commons floor—perfectly clothed, looking refreshed with no outward signs he had journeyed several hours from London, and traveling a lot faster than the other guests.

“I was just told you were here. I am sorry I wasn’t at the door to greet you.” Edward sounded awkward and stiff to his own ears, and Bennett raised an eyebrow in reply.

“At the door to greet me? What nonsense are you talking about?”

He couldn’t let these questions drift around his mind any longer. He had to know.

“Why are you here?”

Bennett didn’t reply right away, but his eyebrow rose even more. He unbuttoned his jacket and sat down, gesturing for Edward to sit as well.

“I am here, you blockhead, because your father invited us.” Bennett crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you saying you wish we hadn’t come?”

“Did you know”—he took a deep breath, knowing he was about to start this conversation and find out for certain—“that the Duke of Marymount’s family is here as well?”

Bennett’s eyes widened, and Edward felt a sagging relief.

“No! Oh no, that is not good,” he said, jumping up from his seat and beginning to pace around the small office. “Edward, why would your father not tell us? Unless my father knows—I wouldn’t put it past him to have planned all of this. He is still determined to marry me off to one of the duke’s daughters.” Bennett shook his head, his expression haunted.