Page 56 of Duke of Storme
“What encounter?” Diana asked, panicking for a moment, thinking she had missed something.
“The engagement dinner,” Jane said with pointed meaning. “When he announced his intention to whisk you away toScotland with barely a week’s notice and showed about as much warmth as the stones in this very castle!”
“He can be... reserved with strangers,” Diana said carefully.
“Reserved, perhaps,” Lydia said thoughtfully. “But tonight was entirely different. The man who came to your engagement dinner barely acknowledged you as a person. Tonight, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
“And--” Jane added with a knowing look, “Tonight he kept glancing at you throughout dinner. Not in a possessive way, but as though… as though he was checking to ensure you were comfortable, that you approved of how he was handling himself with us.”
Diana felt warmth creep up her neck. “I’m sure you’re imagining–”
“I’m not imagining anything,” Jane interrupted firmly. “Diana, the change in him from that cold, dismissive man at your wedding to tonight is remarkable. He watches you the way Richard watched me when he thinks I’m not looking. Like you’re something precious he’s afraid to break.”
“Or lose,” Lydia added softly. “And entirely unlike the man who abandoned you on your wedding day. There was something almost… protective in the way he looked at you tonight. As though you’re something he’s not quite sure he deserves to keep.”
Diana was quiet for a moment, thinking of Finn’s confession about being his hope. “Perhaps he isn’t sure. Perhaps we’re both still figuring out what we deserve.”
The sisters exchanged one of their meaningful looks, and Diana felt the familiar flutter of being observed and analyzed by minds sharper than her own.
“What?” she asked defensively.
“Nothing,” Lydia said with a gentle smile. “It’s just... you’ve changed, Diana. More than we even realized during our earlier conversation.”
“How so?”
“The way you spoke to him tonight,” Jane said. “You challenged his opinions, asked pointed questions, and disagreed with him about the road improvements. At the engagement dinner, you barely said a word. Tonight, you held your own in every conversation.”
“Heaskedfor my opinion,” Diana protested.
“Yes, and you gave it,” Lydia said warmly. “Clearly and confidently, without apologizing or hedging. You spoke to him as an equal.”
“Aren’t we equals?” Diana asked, surprised by the question.
“In worth, absolutely,” Jane replied. “But in confidence? In believing your thoughts matter as much as his? Diana, six months ago you wouldn’t have dared express an opinion that contradicted a gentleman’s, let alone a Duke’s.”
Diana considered this, remembering her old habit of agreeing with whatever opinion was expressed and shrinking from conflict or debate. “I suppose... I suppose I’ve stopped being afraid of being wrong.”
“Or of being right,” Lydia observed. “Sometimes that’s even more frightening.”
“Is it?”
“Oh yes,” Jane said with feeling. “Being wrong is embarrassing but being right when someone else is wrong... that can make people uncomfortable. The Diana we knew would have chosen embarrassment over making others uncomfortable.”
“And the new Diana?” Diana asked, genuinely curious about her sisters’ assessment.
“The new Diana,” Lydia said with obvious pride, “chooses truth over comfort. Authenticity over approval. It’s remarkable to witness.”
As the evening progressed, Diana found herself reflecting on her sisters’ observations. When had she stopped seeking permission to have opinions? When had she begun to value her ownthoughts enough to express them, even when they differed from those around her?
Perhaps the answer lay not in any single moment, but in the accumulation of small choices. The choice to speak up during her first dinner with Finn. The choice to explore the sealed wing despite his prohibition. The choice to challenge his assumptions about her capabilities.
“We should probably retire,” Lydia said eventually, stifling a yawn. “Tomorrow, I want to hear more about this formal dinner you’re planning. Twenty-four Highland landowners sounds delightfully terrifying.”
“It is rather daunting,” Diana admitted. “But also... exciting. I’ve never planned anything so significant before.”
“And how does Finn feel about your taking charge of such an important event?” Jane asked casually.
“I think he’s surprised by how well I’m managing it,” Diana said. “And perhaps a little proud, though he’d never admit it.”
