Page 27 of The Duke and the Runaway Bride

“I am sure she will not,” Beatrice stated.

“Then you do not know her,” Elizabeth countered.

Great start, Beatrice!

“It was all the talk about the flowers being beautiful,” Elizabeth admitted. “She got it into her head last year that the gardener would be able to grow the flowers to all bloom at the same time, and no amount of convincing has changed her mind.”

Beatrice was unsure if she should laugh or not, so she took her cue from Elizabeth, who was not laughing.

“A crocus popped up amongst the roses two years ago, and Mother was convinced that the gardener had done it on purpose to sabotage the garden. I mean, why would someone do such a thing? And to what end? The gardener pulled it out of the ground and replanted it elsewhere in a minute.”

Again, Elizabeth did not laugh, so Beatrice kept a neutral expression.

“You must get used to her,” Elizabeth advised. “She can be a little eccentric at times and overdramatic most of the time. If you accept her quirks, she will be your best friend.”

“I will,” Beatrice assured her. “Who amongst us does not have little quirks?”

“Oh, and what are yours?” Elizabeth asked curiously.

Beatrice was stunned—she had put her foot in it again. She hesitated, considering her answer. Elizabeth did not seem like the type to gossip with the ton or be extremely malicious. She was wary and cautious, but she was protective of her family.

“When I was younger, I used to sneak out of my house at night,” Beatrice admitted.

Elizabeth stared at her.

My goodness, why am I saying such things? Why is she not stopping me?

“As a man,” Beatrice added. “I would dress up as a man so no one would know who I was, and I would go out and meet people.” She felt she should stop talking, but she had dug a hole for herself, and the only way was down. “There are some amazing people out there—awful ones too, of course. But if you know what you are doing, you can avoid them. I used to walk the streets and sometimes stop for some food, and I found that people are much more real with you when they don’t know you have a title. It is so much different from being at social events in London.”

She paused, and she felt her cheeks become warm again. She hoped that Elizabeth would not notice.

“Oh, my goodness, that is amazing!” Elizabeth squealed. She looked around conspiratorially before taking Beatrice’s arm. “Do you think I should do that?”

“No, definitely not,” Beatrice stated immediately. She shuddered to think what the Duke might do if he caught his sister sneaking out at night.

“We could go together?” Elizabeth suggested.

“No, we must not. I talk too highly of it, and if you want the truth, I have gotten myself into far too much trouble. No, you must not aspire to be like me. My only wish now is for a life free of conflict and hurt.”

Elizabeth let go of Beatrice’s arm upon realizing she was gripping it too tightly and gave her a sympathetic look. She looked around again to see if they were being watched or overheard.

“I apologize for my question this morning,” she said.

“You don’t have to.” Beatrice shook her head. “It is only natural to want to know when we will start a family.”

“No, not that one, but the other one. When I asked you about Miss Jennings.”

“Oh,” Beatrice murmured. “I am sure we can all be civil toward each other.”

Elizabeth held Beatrice’s gaze, and frustration flickered in her eyes. Beatrice wondered if she would ever say anything right again.

“I shall not say this to my brother, but I am glad he did not marry Miss Jennings,” Elizabeth admitted.

“Oh,” Beatrice breathed, before repeating a little louder, “Oh!”

“I don’t know how much you know about her, but I am convinced she is not a good person,” Elizabeth continued. “I spoke to her about my debut at a ball not so long ago, and she only told me how unprepared I was for the Season and that I would surely fail without her guidance, and then she started gossiping about many of the other women of the ton, as if I were expected to agree with all of it, and the way she spoke about my brother told me everything I needed to know about her. She did not love him, and I am not even sure she liked him, and of course, you were caught in a scandal with Edwin. But it must have been his plan to get away from Miss Jennings, and it worked. She came for supper once and criticized all the food, even though I thought it was all delicious.”

She seemed to panic when she realized she had been venting for so long.

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