Page 41 of A Baron's Disguised Lady
“Would you really want to be like her?” he asked, and now it was Lavinia who shook her head.
“No, I suppose I wouldn’t. Though I’ve surprised myself by how much I enjoyed dancing—with you, at least,” she said, a slight blush coming over her face.
Archie did not know what to say. Was she being flirtatious? He thought again of the bracelet. There could be no question of her not having other suitors, other men whose attentions she had caught. She was far too beautiful not to have found herself the subject of a dozen men’s attentions…
“Really? But surely… you’ve danced with other men,” he said.
“But not with any men I wanted to dance with,” she replied, and Archie blushed.
“No, that can’t be true. You must have had suitors. Other than Lord Bath, I mean,” he said, but again, she shook her head.
“No, I assure you… I prefer… well, as a maid, it wasn’t easy. There were the other servants, of course. The boot boy used to follow me around like a lost puppy, and the second footmen was forever leaving small tokens of his affection for me. But nothing ever came of it. I suppose I was…” she said, her words trailing off.
Archie could hold back no longer.
“But… “T”?” he asked, fearing at once he had said the wrong thing, the expression of Lavinia’s face changing.
She sighed, pulling back the sleeve of her dress to reveal the bracelet with the engraving. Archie’s heart skipped a beat, and he feared she was about to get upset. But instead, she took a deep breath, removing the bracelet and holding it out to him.
“It stands for “Theodora.” My sister,” she said, and Archie’s eyes grew wide with astonishment.
There had never been any mention of a sister. His mother had told him Lavinia was an only child, raised by her parents, and brought back into the folds of society by her grandfather, who had sought her and her mother out after learning of the death of Lavinia’s father.
“Your… sister?” he asked, and Lavinia nodded.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. It was wrong of me not to do so. Theodora died. She was my twin sister. It was consumption, you see. She was very young—just five years old. I was ill, too, but she bore the brunt of it. I recovered. She didn’t. But I… I don’t know why I didn’t tell you. If anyone could understand, it’s you,” she said, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
At previous moments, it had been Lavinia’s hand slipped into his—an offering of comfort at a difficult time. But Archie now did the same, slipping his hand into Lavinia’s and squeezing it. If she thought he was upset, she was wrong. He was not angry with her for keeping a secret so personal as this. She had every right to do so, and now she looked up at him and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
“I do understand, yes. And I understand why you didn’t want to tell me. You carry her with you wherever you go. I know the bond between brother and sister, but as for twins? To lose her must’ve been the hardest thing imaginable,” he said, and Lavinia nodded.
“I was so young, but it felt as though a part of me had been lost—like a part of me had died, too. I thought I’d never stop crying. She meant everything to me,” Lavinia said, and Archie nodded.
He had felt the same way about Gwendolene, and he could only imagine the grief of a child, wrenched from their lifelong companion. His hand was still clasped in hers, and again he squeezed it, wanting to reassure her of his understanding.
“I understand—all too well. And I’m sorry for thinking… well, I don’t know what I was thinking,” he said, blushing, and it seemed as though a new intimacy now existed between them, one Archie could only be grateful for.
He felt guilty for having assumed something other than the truth. It had never occurred to him to think of “T” as anything other than a suitor, a lover, but now…
“It doesn’t matter what you were thinking. You know the truth now. And I really am very sorry for concealing it from you. I just find it difficult to talk about. My mother hardly ever mentions Theodora. I don’t know why. I suppose she’s like your mother, too—grieving in her own way. How I wish I had a painting of Theodora like you do of Gwendolene.
I don’t have anything belonging to her. That’s why I had the bracelet made. I saved my wages for three months and went to the jewelers. It’s just a simple band. But it means everything to me,” Lavinia said, holding up the bracelet for Archie to see.
He smiled, reaching up to run his finger along the edge, meeting Lavinia’s own, their eyes locked in a gaze of understanding. He smiled at her, still with his hand clasped in hers. He could not help but feel an ever-deepening tenderness towards her—the shared experience of grief giving way to an ever-deeper intimacy between them. She moved forward, as did he, their lips about to touch, just as the drawing room door burst open.
“Oh, and I thought I could talk. We were lucky to get away when we did. She doesn’t get out much, that’s the problem—and when she gets someone in, well… she won’t let them leave,” Archie’smother said, as Archie pulled back, and Lavinia slipped the bracelet back onto her wrist.
He turned to find his mother and Octavia standing in the doorway of the drawing room, both of them looking exhausted.
“How was luncheon?” Lavinia asked, glancing at Archie and blushing.
“Exhausting. Horatia’s right. The woman never stops. And always about things neither of us knew anything about. She knows everyone in the county… and further afield. Lady so-and-so was doing this, and her grandson was this, but her granddaughter was that.
Then there was Lord somebody else, and he was connected to Sir someone, whose marriage was falling apart, and she was living here, and then someone else… I got quite lost by that point,” Lavinia’s mother said, shaking her head.
Archie rose to his feet, ringing the bell for tea to be brought for them. His mother slumped down into a chair, loosening her bonnet, and tossing it to one side. Archie smiled.
“It’s always the same with Lady Bingham. I must say, I was rather surprised when you said you were going to dine with her at luncheon,” he said, and his mother groaned.
