Page 55 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

It was at that point that a sinking dread seeped into Alice. Judging from the young woman’s reaction, she must have seen or heard something extremely shocking for her to behave so.

“You… you heard?” she muttered weakly as Phoebe led Evelyn to the sofa where she and Scarlett still sat.

Evelyn nodded with a slight smile. “I suspected as much.”

Alice felt shame wash over her. When she had agreed to the farce with Colin, she had not met Evelyn and Lady Wellington yet. She had thought that it would be the hardest to lie to her family, especially when she saw how ecstatic her papa was with the Duke’s proposal.

She never took into account that she would have to lie to people like Evie and Lady Wellington, who had been nothing but good to her.

“Oh, Lady Evelyn, I am so sorry!” she moaned in abject misery.

To her surprise, Evelyn only let out a soft laugh and reached out to squeeze her hand in reassurance. “Oh, do not fret about it, Alice. My brother has been up to far worse shenanigans, so I already expected he would pull something like this.”

“How did you figure it out?”

Evelyn wrinkled her nose. “Well, Colin likes to think he is extremely smart, but he never really told us how the two of you met, and whenever I ask him about you, he only gives me such vague answers or dismisses me totally.”

“So, he is not a very good liar either,” Scarlett scoffed.

“True.” Lady Evelyn’s eyes twinkled. “But I could tell that something was underfoot, especially since Grandmama has been pestering him to find a duchess for the past year or so.”

The redhead let out a choked laugh as she fell back on the pillows. “Well, it is rather comforting to know that it is not only us young ladies who are compelled to find suitable matches whatever the cost!”

Phoebe shot her a wry glance. “I am quite certain that your brother has been hearing the same thing from your mama as well.”

“Yes,” Scarlett replied with a casual wave of her hand. “But with him always away on business, her focus have fallen on me, sadly.”

Alice smiled at her best friend. The line of her suitors banging on her father’s door practically stretched out to the street outside their estate. Scarlett certainly did not lack prospects, but she could not settle on a single one of them, much to her mother’s dismay.

Alice turned towards Evelyn with a worried frown. “What else gave it away?”

If Evie could figure it out on her own, then Alice was certain others could as well.

“I suppose it is because I have some idea of your first meeting with my idiot brother.” The young lady’s eyes sparkled and some of her earlier gloom seemed to have been dispelled. “Colin might be awful at making up stories on the spot, but the staff at the estate are completely honest with me. I spoke with the maid who chased you at Blackthorn Estate, and I made her vow that she would not tell a single soul!”

Alice let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you so much!” she breathed. “But… why would you do that? I mean, surely you must be disappointed with me for colluding with your brother…”

“Because you seem like a truly nice person, Alice, and I did not want to ruin our friendship before it could even start,” Evelyn told her warmly, a genuine smile on her face. “And ever since you came, my brother has been a lot more tolerable to be around with.”

“Somehow, I cannot believe the latter part of what you just said.”

The young lady laughed and shook her head. “I have to admit that he does take some getting used to. His temper has not always been the best since… well, since…” she trailed off, and that same haunted look surfaced in her eyes once more.

Alice reached out to grasp her hands, and she seemed to jerk in surprise. Evelyn had not even noticed how tightly she had clasped her hands together.

“Is something amiss, Lady Evelyn?”

Evelyn shook her head with a lot more fervor than was necessary. “No. Not really. And please, just Evie will do. After all, we are all friends now, are we not?”

The three young ladies all smiled at her in support.

“Naturally.” Phoebe beamed at her gently. “So, if something is bothering you, you can always tell us, and we will always do our best to help you. That is what friends are for.”

Evie smiled at them gratefully. “Well, I have never really had close friends, and you know how overprotective Colin can get…”

“Oh, I am well-acquainted with the feeling!” Scarlett sighed as she flipped her hair back dramatically. “I have an older brother as well, and he can get absolutely domineering at times. Sometimes,” she confided with a mischievous smile to Evie, “you just need to show a little more force.”

Colin’s younger sister was decidedly more reserved than her older brother, and she smiled shyly at Scarlett’s suggestion. “Perhaps I shall do just that,” she replied warmly. “In any case, it was just… well, the Duke of Ashton and I came across something in the library while we were searching for the treasure.”

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