Page 84 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

“Sometimes…” he told her achingly. “Sometimes it is better to hurt a little than to inflict a greater pain in the future.”

She smiled sadly at him. “And sometimes, Colin, things are not always what they seem.”

Before he could ask her what she meant by that, she had already exited his study and closed the door firmly behind her.

For the better part of half a decade, his grandmother had borne the pain of being one of the last people to have seen his parents alive. Colin had never asked her what happened, back then. He had never wanted to hear just how badly his father had hurt his mother before their demise.

Sighing, he applied himself once more to the documents before him. He had no desire for the opera. Besides, he had heard that the star of the show was Daniel’s latest mistress. Thinking of that, his lack of enthusiasm plunged even lower.

As he made some notes on the request submitted by one of his tenants, however, he recalled that in the brief duration of their betrothal, he had not been able to accompany Alice to an opera. He wondered if she liked it as much as she liked her books and then shook his head.

There was simply no point in dwelling on things that could never be.

* * *

Alice did not like going to the opera, and she had even less of a desire to attend a show about a tragic romance. She had had enough of romance and tragedy and saw no need to add more of either into her life. However, Phoebe and Scarlett would be attending as well as all of the other marriageable misses of the ton.

How could she avoid it without setting tongues wagging all over London? It was impossible.

She sighed as she set out the first suitable gown she could see—an elegant, champagne-colored number with capped sleeves and matching gloves. Despite her newfound popularity, she was not in a hurry to find a new betrothed. One might even go so far as to surmise that she had no desire to find a suitable match this Season.

Or the next.

All the way up to eternity.

She was rather fortunate that her failure of a betrothal had her papa reconsidering a match for her in the near future. Alice had no doubt, though, that he still wanted to see her wed. He was simply giving her a chance to recover.

Recover? It sounds more like a nasty fall than an event that potentially ruined all that was good and wonderful in this world.

Still, operas must be attended. Balls must be danced in. And suitors, as vexing as they were now proving to be, must be entertained.

Life must go on whether she cared for it or not.

* * *

Colin managed to finish dealing with the infernal paperwork later in the evening. He had just finished having his supper when the butler announced the arrival of the Duke of Ashton.

Before Richmond could step aside, though, Daniel walked into the dining hall, looking for all the world as if he owned the place. Underneath his arm, he held a rectangular package.

“No need to announce my arrival, Richmond,” he told the butler in his usual brisk fashion. He sat down on the chair opposite Colin with a grim smile. “Is your sister around?”

Colin was confused. “Who? Evie?”

“I was not aware you had another sister, Thorn.”

Did Daniel come over to see him or Evie? And if it was his sister, why the hell was his friend looking for her?

Colin narrowed his eyes at the man seated across him. “If you have any designs on Evie?—”

“I would not dream of it,” Daniel drawled. “Your sister is possessed of a tongue that rivals the sharpest razor and absolutely zero inhibitions in wielding it.”

Colin crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his friend. “I had no idea that you were so affected by Evie’s barbs. You never seemed to care about them before.”

If one were to sum up the relationship between Daniel and his younger sister in one word, it would simply be adversarial. The two of them had been at odds ever since they first met, with Evie declaring emphatically that she had never met a more odious man than Daniel Stanton.

For his part, Daniel showed a drastic lack of understanding for the young girl and had absolutely no compunctions in withholding his rapier wit from her.

Having them both in the same room was an absolute nightmare.

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