Page 20 of My Secret Duke
“Whatever you are saying, stop it.” The dowager glared at the two of them.
That was when Olivia noticed the confused expressions on the faces of those around her. She picked up her fork. “This fish is delicious,” she said, and this time when Ivo laughed under his breath, she ignored him.
Slowly, the meal progressed, and they had come to an end before Humber returned. He looked a little grim as he approached the dowager and bent to whisper close to her ear. Olivia’s grandmother stiffened in her seat in reaction to whatever he had to tell her, and her dark eyes closed briefly. Olivia wondered if she was counting to ten. “Bring her to me in the blue sitting room,” she said in a quiet, steely voice.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Everyone was waiting, eyes on the dowager, who seemed to be wrestling with her emotions, before years of training came to the fore and she once more slipped into her role. “If you would like to make yourselves comfortable in the drawing room, coffee and tea will be served. There is a matter that requires my attention.”
The guests rose and began to make their way to the drawing room, but Olivia followed her grandmother. When she realized Vivienne was following too, she felt a wave of relief—Vivienne could be relied upon to smooth over a difficult situation, something Olivia had learned when her new sister-in-law had given the six Ashton girls lessons in the proper way to behave in society.
The dowager noticed them trailing after her, but after looking as if she was about to send them off, she chose instead to wait until they entered the sitting room and then closed the door.
“Grandmama, what is it?” Olivia burst out. “The prince’s horse—”
“Stallion,” her grandmother retorted sourly. “Something you should know about Nikolai is that he is a stickler for protocol. He was brought up by his grandfather after his father died at a young age, and his mother was too busy with her own pleasures.”
Olivia thought that sounded a little like her own circumstances, with a dead father and an absent mother. Something she and Nikolai had in common.
There was a tap on the door, and Humber appeared, and when Olivia saw her sixteen-year-old sister, Roberta, at his side, everything became clear. Roberta’s dark hair hung down her back in tangled skeins, and her skirts were muddy, as were her boots. There was a scratch on her cheek. But when she lifted her chin and glowered at the three women, it was obvious she was more resentful than apologetic.
“Robbie, what have you done?” The words tumbled out of Olivia’s lips.
Her sister’s eyes met hers before they darted away again. “I was only gone a moment,” she said, as if to excuse herself. “If the stupid stallion hadn’t taken me through a thicket, I could have returned him to the stables, and no one would have been the wiser.”
“That is not the point,” the dowager spoke through bared teeth. “That animal is valuable, and it belongs to Prince Nikolai. You took it without his permission. You will apologize. Immediately.”
Roberta looked as if she was about to say something they would all regret, when Vivienne stepped into the fray. “Maybe not immediately, do you think, Your Grace? An apology is always better spoken when it comes from a heart that is sincere. Roberta is not feeling remorse just now. She could do with some reflection.” Her gray eyes swept over the younger woman. “And perhaps a wash and a change of clothing. The stallion is not damaged, is he?”
“No!” the girl cried, clearly mortified at the suggestion that she would ever cause such a thing to happen.
“Then tomorrow will do.” Vivienne met hergrandmother-in-law’s gaze head-on. “Both Roberta and the prince will be less… fraught by then. You can set the scene, Your Grace, and I am sure Roberta will be more than happy to follow your instructions to the letter.”
It sounded like a solid plan, and Vivienne was right. If Roberta was forced to apologize right now, when she believed she had done nothing wrong, it would only make things worse. Olivia had been embroiled in enough squabbles with her sister to realize that.
After a moment of reflection of her own, her grandmother gave a stiff nod to Vivienne. “Very well. But, Roberta, think on this: You have just added to the gossip about your family and possibly jeopardized my plans for Olivia’s future. If Prince Nikolai packs up and leaves tomorrow morning, I will hold you entirely responsible.”
She swept out of the room, and Roberta’s shoulders sagged. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” she muttered. “I was just—”
“You never do,” Olivia retorted bitterly. “Grandmama is right. If you ruin my chance of making a brilliant marriage, then I will… I will…” But she couldn’t think of any punishment bad enough for her sister, and with a huff, she followed her grandmother.
She stopped outside the door, taking deep breaths to try to hold back her temper and her tears. From inside she could hear the murmur of Vivienne’s soothing tones interspersed by her sister’s complaints. Had she really once been as rebellious as Roberta? So eager to ignore the consequences? What on earth had she been thinking to flout society’s rules like that? She had well and truly learned her lesson even before this moment, but if she was ever tempted to backslide, then Roberta’s behavior had reminded her of the cost.
She turned toward the drawing room and paused. The guests would be waiting and, no doubt, eager to hear about the latest scandal in the Ashton saga. Olivia couldn’t face them. Neither could she face the prince, although he was probably busy with his stallion, and she was unlikely to gain anything by trailing around after him in the muck and mud. And then there was Ivo. How he must be enjoying this Ashton drama after all the things she had accused him of that day!
As if her thoughts had brought him forth, the Duke of Northam stepped through the door and closed it behind him. When he looked up and saw her, Olivia found she had nothing to say.
“Who took the stallion?” he asked, moving toward her. “Everyone is agog.” He nodded toward the drawing room. “We thought your prince might order the culprit’s head to be chopped off.”
He spoke with amusement, but she was in no doubt he was enjoying her discomfiture. She considered brushing the question off, but what was the point? Everyone would know tomorrow anyway.
“Roberta.”
He smiled. “Ah, the hoyden sister. You told me about her.”
Did she? It seemed she had been very forthcoming during their trysts, but then Ivo had gained her trust. It was something she had liked about him from the first, how he seemed genuinely interested in her. One of his particular skills. Whenever she had been feeling outof her depth in her new role as sister of a duke, she had known she could rely upon him to make her feel better. Or laugh. They had laughed an awful lot during their trysts.
“I assume her head is still attached to her body?”
