Page 48 of The Duke and the Runaway Bride

“I know as much as you do, Edwin. I waited for you to come down because I’m sure whatever is happening there”—she pointed down the hallway leading to the drawing room—“is something you are better equipped to deal with than me.”

Edwin smiled and snorted. “So, you are leaving me to deal with whatever mess I find in there?”

“I would have gone in there eventually, but now that you are here, I can take a walk in the gardens. I would only be in the way.”

“You think too lowly of yourself, dear sister,” Edwin told her.

“It is only that I think so highly of you, dear brother,” she replied with a sly smile. “Now, go and fix whatever has happened, and I look forward to hearing all about it later.”

Elizabeth practically skipped away from the commotion. Edwin shook his head, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. It was hard to be in a bad mood after what he and Beatrice had done the previous night and what they would do that afternoon.

He proceeded down the hallway, trying to imagine what might have caused the loud crash. He was almost at the drawing room when he received a startling fright.

A creature that looked vaguely human but had battle paint drawn across its face emerged from the drawing room. Smears of red, blue, brown, and white covered most of its face, and its hair was sticking up at odd angles. It held in its hand a paintbrush.

When his fright subsided, Edwin realized he was staring at Modesty.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Whatever do you mean?”

Edwin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Your face, Mother. You have paint all over it.”

“Do I?” she asked. She pulled a rag from her pocket and wiped her cheek, then looked down at it. “Oh, yes, I suppose I do. Yes, that is where I was going. I need to clean up before I go back in there.”

“What is going on in there?” Edwin asked.

“A painting class!” she announced proudly. “All of my friends are here, and we have hired an instructor—it will be ever so much fun! I have not painted in years, and I fear I might have lost my touch, but I am sure I will soon pick it up again. I mean, how hard can it be? All you have to do is put the colors in the right places.”

Edwin didn’t have an immediate response. He placed one hand on his mother’s shoulder to stop her from going anywhere and leaned past her to see what was happening in the room.

Inside, he did indeed find many of Modesty’s friends, and he saw a man with a rather sheepish expression standing in the middle—he must be the instructor. Numerous easels and canvases were set up. Some of the ladies had small stains on their dresses. In the middle of the room, near an empty canvas, three maids were cleaning the carnage on the floor. There was paint, utensils, food, drinks, and other messes.

Behind it all, outside the window, Edwin saw Elizabeth looking in, amused.

The ladies greeted him collectively, and the instructor bowed deeply, worried he might be the one in trouble. Edwin leaned back so he was not visible from inside the room anymore and looked Modesty in the eye.

“What happened in there, Mother? It looks like a bull was set loose.”

“Yes, well, they will have it cleaned up soon, and there was no harm done. There was no damage except for maybe a couple of broken cups.”

“And how were they broken?” Edwin asked.

“It was a most unfortunate event,” Modesty relayed. “I had only just ordered refreshments to be brought, and I had no idea the maids were bringing the trolley in with the tea and cakes when it happened. Lady Hamilton mentioned a piece of music I am very fond of, and I had to hum it for Lady Mitchell, who had never heard it before. And you can’t hum a piece of music without also dancing to it. So, the next thing I knew, I was crashing into the maids and knocking into my paint table. It went up in the air, and a million things came crashing down. I managed to get almost all of the paint on myself, thank goodness. That brings us to this moment, where I need to go and clean off as much of the paint as possible.”

Edwin sighed. “Are you hurt, Mother? I hope the morning is not ruined.”

“Oh, goodness, no!” Modesty exclaimed happily. “Oh, no, my dear. It is only just beginning. We will have the entire morning to learn how to paint beautiful pictures. Oh, my goodness!” She placed a hand on her chest, leaving a multicolored handprint. “I have just had the most wonderful idea. You and Beatrice should join us. You must call her down from her room, and we will all paint as a family. Will that not be wonderful?”

“We already have plans,” Edwin said quickly.

“Oh, you do?” Modesty asked.

“Yes, unfortunately,” Edwin replied, happy to have thought so quickly on his feet. “Yes, we must go into town on important business, and I was on my way to check if she was awake when I heard the commotion down here.”

“Well, that is unfortunate,” Modesty said. “Still, if you are back early, you can always join us.”

Edwin sighed. “We will be gone for most of the day.”

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