Page 24 of My Secret Duke
Furiously, Olivia kicked at some innocent flowers encroaching on the garden path and strode on toward the house. It occurred to her that she should look for the prince, and repair whatever damage she had done by sending him off with Roberta, but the thought of making polite conversation made her want to scream. The rivalry between herself and Ivo had grown more intense the longer the contest had gone on. It didn’t even make sense why she had wanted that victory so much. She had felt as if nothing else mattered. And he hadn’t even been apologetic about beating her. He’d laughed in her face and suggested she needed to practice before their next challenge. It seemed that these days, they could not be together without trying to injure each other with their eyes and their words.
Olivia clenched her hands and wished shecouldscream. The man was infuriating. It was his fault she was behaving in a manner she knew was unbecoming. Right now, she needed to be on her best behavior for Prince Nikolai, and instead, she had palmed him off on her sister. What was it about Ivo that made her act so thoughtlessly?
But worst of all, and even more confusing, she had felt morealiveduring their game than she had felt forages. As if he had lit a spark inside her and it was burning bright.
Someone was hurrying up behind her, and with an effort, she arranged her face into a more ladylike expression and turned, only to find it was Ivo again. She scowled.
“What do you want?”
He laughed, as if her foul temper amused him. He didn’t seem to care if she was out of sorts, he simply accepted that as a normal part of her character—he acceptedher—and suddenly, she felt as if she might burst into tears.
“I was going to suggest we play that game of billiards we never finished,” he said cheerfully.
Despite knowing that agreeing to such a thing would be a terrible mistake, Olivia hesitated. What sheshoulddo was go and find the prince. But Ivo was grinning at her, daring her, as if he knew how conflicted she was. Howinfuriated, so that she could hardly think straight. He sent her emotions into a topsy-turvy spin, and she needed to stop it right now.
“No,” she bit out.
He looked surprised. Had he really expected her to agree?
“Did you listen to me at all last night?” she said, trying to keep her voice low and level. “I can’t risk another scandal. My future depends upon it.”
His green eyes searched hers, and she almost believed him to be sincere. “Olivia, you are making a mistake. You are trying to turn yourself into someone who isn’t remotely like you.”
“How do you know what I’m like?”
“I do know. We have a great deal in common.”
She blinked up at him, feeling that odd, teary emotion again.
“Perhaps you do,” she said, her voice scratchy.“Perhaps I am a little like you. But I can’t let that side of me win, Ivo. You must see that. I must fight it. I can’t let my family… my sisters… myself down.”
His mouth quirked up into a humorless smile. “And you think marrying Prince Nikolai will give you everything you want?”
“Of course.” Could he not see that? “A title, wealth, an entrée into the best houses. Sometimes I remember my life here at Grantham, before Grandmama, before Gabriel… We were hungry, Ivo, we were cold. There was no one who cared. Who knows what would have happened to us if they hadn’t come to our rescue? I don’t want that time back again.”
He took an impulsive step toward her, as if to comfort her, but Olivia took a step back. She shook her head.
“Olivia…”
But she was already hurrying along the path, putting as much distance between them as she could. This was not the time to be close to the man who made her feel so confused and vulnerable. It was far too dangerous.
Once Olivia had tidied herself, washed her face, and gone downstairs again, she found luncheon surprisingly enjoyable. She believed she had redeemed herself with the prince, who had seemed a bit wary of her when they first sat down but was now all smiles and flattering glances. Perhaps turning him down for that walk in the garden had been a good thing—not many people opted to do other than what he wanted, so her refusal to stroll with him made her unique.
“The countryside around Grantham is very pretty,” he said, with a glance at her. “But I think you will find Holtswig superior. If… when you visit.”
That sounded promising despite his haughtiness. Olivia smiled back. “I would enjoy that, sir.”
No more was said, the subject was changed, but Olivia caught her grandmother’s approving gaze and felt very pleased with herself.
Vivienne asked her to help with the decorations in the afternoon, and they swathed the staircase and doorways with greenery and took down the draperies over the windows, shook them out, and then replaced them. The orchestra Grandmama had arranged for the occasion was practicing, its music drifting through the house.
“This is a great deal of work for a newlywed,” Olivia said with a glance at her sister-in-law, who was trying not to sneeze. “Aren’t you a little daunted?”
Vivienne thought for a moment and then smiled. “Not at all,” she said. “Well, perhaps a little, but I love being part of your family. It was awful after the lessons were finished and I no longer was. I missed you all so much, and I am so glad that now I belong to you for real.”
Olivia shook her head. “How can you say that?” she said in disbelief. “I would like nothing more than to escape Grantham forever.”
Vivienne seemed to be considering whether she meant it. “You’d miss your sisters,” she replied at last.
