Page 2 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
They all settled at the table, waiting for the Earl. William, however, was still mumbling under his breath about his missing top hat.
“You are the heir and the eldest, William. How do you suppose to lead your brothers and sisters when you act so childish over a hat?” the Countess asked.
“Indeed, William! Perhaps, getting a wife would help you grow up,” Rose continued.
William seethed as he clenched his fist tightly and glared at his sister.
“And you should get married with haste lest you become an old spinster that no eligible bachelor would spare a gaze upon,” William bit back.
The Countess shuddered. “Rose will not become an old spinster. She will catch the eye of an eligible bachelor, and they will get married and have a lot of babies.”
“If only Rose had gotten betrothed to Lord Glastonbury,” Cassian lamented.
Rose’s eyes narrowed in anger.
“I would rather go to a ball every day than marry him. Lord George is simply a blubbering fool,” Rose stormed.
Lord George was an eligible bachelor who was absolutely smitten by Rose. Rose, on the other hand, did not seem to care for the Lord. He had paid visits to the Thornhill house to no avail. Jasmine believed that Lord George would make a fine husband for Rose, but Rose was simply not interested in being betrothed or married.
“Lord George is from a noble home, and he cuts a fine figure for a gentleman. It would be best if you thought about it, dear,” the Countess suggested.
“Rose will marry whomever she loves,” a booming voice that Jasmine immediately recognized as the Earl’s decreed.
“I do not wish to love anyone, Papa,” Rose replied. “Especially not the blubbering Earl.”
Jasmine could not understand why Rose was simply adamant about not getting married. Ever since Jasmine had read her first romance book, she had been daydreaming about the time when she would finally meet a man who would give her butterflies in her belly like she read about.
“Thomas, dearest,” the Countess breathed as the Earl took his seat beside her.
“I am finally done with the morning paperwork, darling,” he responded, gazing lovingly at his wife and taking her hands into his.
For a moment, Jasmine felt her heart tighten as she looked at her parents and the open admiration they had for each other. Theirs was a love so pure that Jasmine knew she could only be lucky to experience it. It was such love that she only read about in her romance books. The Earl of Thornhill was well-known for adoring every single one of his wife’s quirks, the greatest of them being her love of flowers. This was why he had indulged her when she had insisted that they named their children after her favorite blooms: William, Rose, Jasmine, Cassian, and Daphne.
“I too used to think I could not love anyone, Rose, but that changed when I met your mother,” the Earl related. “Her beauty struck me like an arrow to the heart, and her lovely face was the only thing I could think about. I knew at once that I had to make her my wife. And you know she is not an easy person. Have I told you the story about the lilies and the lake?”
“Papa, you have told us this story so much, we all can recite it by heart,” Rose complained.
Jasmine did not quite agree with Rose. Her parents told the story of their meeting every other day, but she never got weary of hearing it in the same manner that she never got weary of reading romance books.
“I enjoy hearing your stories, Papa,” Jasmine quipped.
The Earl smiled at Jasmine. “And you know I love to tell–”
“Father! Daphne pulled my hair,” Cassian cried out, interrupting the Earl. Jasmine fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“Leave your brother be, Daphne.”
“But, Papa, he pulled my hair first,” Daphne protested while their parents tried to appease the twins.
“Cassian! Daphne!” the Counted said sternly. “We are at breakfast! You should comport yourself in a proper manner. Daphne, you will make your debut next year, yet you act like a toddler. And Cassian, you are almost a gentleman now; why do you not take the example of your brother and start behaving like one?” Rose snorted loudly, and both William and the Countess turned a sharp eye on her that made her stifle whatever she was about to say.
“You are all to escort your mother to Bond Street later today, and I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Have I made myself clear? We do not need people starting to gossip about us,” the Earl concluded his reprimand to Cassian and Daphne then turned his attention to his morning paper.
Jasmine’s eyes fell at how quickly she had lost her father’s attention. It had always been this way. Her parents never gave her attention, and on the rare times when they noticed her, one of her siblings would cut in. She was used to being quite invisible after so many years.
“Can I buy a new pretty dress, Mama? Cassian has ruined all my dresses because he always makes me walk out when it rains. He wants to look for flowers for…Agh!” Cassian kicked Daphne under the table so that she would not uncover his secret, but their mother cut in once more.
“I am afraid not, Daphne. We need to buy some warm clothes for our travel up North. And do not even imagine getting out in the rain when we get there. I shall not have you both catching your deaths in the freezing cold.”
