Page 50 of The Duke's Indecent Match
Tiffany.
Looking quite splendid in a navy-blue dress with silver trim and embroidery covering the hem of her skirt and sleeves.Tiny diamonds sparkled around larger sapphires in a ring around her neck and hanging from her ears.Her hazel eyes were wide and assessing as she watched Kalina appear.
Kalina’s chest tightened at the sight of her friend on the other side of the small opening.
“Hello,” she said in a low voice, unsure of how to greet the other young woman.
“Can we speak?”Tiffany blurted out the words like she was feeling just as uncertain as Kalina was, which helped a little.
Nodding, Kalina stepped back, opening the door wider to allow Tiffany entry into the room.Tiffany swept in, walking quickly, and she wondered if the duchess did not wish to be seen consorting with Kalina.It was entirely possible.Sighing inwardly and steeling herself for another scolding akin to the one Lady Astrid had delivered, Kalina closed the door behind her.
Rather than speaking immediately, Tiffany went over to Kalina’s bed and turned, sitting down on the edge and staring at her.Since the duchess was sitting, Kalina decided to return to her meal.It was the first thing she’d been able to stomach eating all day, and she was ravenous.
Tiffany watched her, waiting until Kalina was seated before she spoke.
“I am sorry it took me so long to come and speak with you,” Tiffany said, folding her hands in her lap as she watched Kalina.
Of course, once she’d said that, Kalina did not bring the bite of fish to her mouth, too startled that Tiffany was beginning with an apology.
“I needed to think, because I was very confused by the events of this morning.”
Well, she was not the only one, so Kalina could hardly blame her for that.She put her fork down, trying to think of how to reasonably respond without betraying her father.But should she protect him?It was one thing with her mother, but if she could have a least one friend who understood that she truly had not meant to trap the Duke of Hereford into marriage with her…
Looking down at her hands, Tiffany took a deep breath.
“My problem is that I am struggling to believe that you would trap someone into marriage, even though I know you have been aiming for a duke.You have always been open about that aim.I cannot reconcile someone who is so open with someone who would hatch such a plot.”Tiffany looked at Kalina again, her brow furrowed, obviously questioning.
“If your aim had always been to trap a duke, you would have been wiser to hide your desire for a duke from the beginning.Similarly, if you were going to trap a duke, Christian would have been the wiser choice, especially after the way he was dancing attendance on you the past few days.There are several dukes you could marry, including my own brother.At the moment, there has been no reason to rush to the altar… unless you are with child?”
“No!”Kalina’s shocked rejection seemed to reassure Tiffany, whose shoulders relaxed slightly.Kalina’s fork clanged against the dish as she set it down, shaking her head.“Absolutely not.”
“Then I have to ask myself.Why last night?And why Nathanial?”
Pressing her lips together, Kalina fought against the instinct to tell Tiffany everything.But her friend was observant.And she had spent the day thinking about everything rather than jumping to conclusions.
Tiffany nodded at Kalina’s silence.
“There.See?You are angry.You are very good at hiding it, but it is there.You do not have the answers to those questions, either, and if you had been part of the trap, you would.”
“Iamangry,” Kalina finally admitted, sagging.“I am sad and furious.”
“Why did you not say something?Why did you let Astrid think that you were a willing participant?”Tiffany asked.“She told me of your conversation.She said you apologized.”
“Because itwasmy father.”Kalina bent forward, giving up all pretense of formality.She buried her face in her hands, so she did not have to look at Tiffany as she spoke, the guilt and shame welling up inside her.“My father trapped Nathanial.I reacted exactly the wrong way.She was correct when she confronted me; if I had been quieter, if I had not screamed, I might have been able to waken him and sneak him out of my room with none the wiser.I might not have known, but I did participate, out of surprise and ignorance.”
“Oh… my dear…” Tiffany got up from her seat on the bed and came over to embrace Kalina about the shoulders, pressing Kalina’s face to her midriff.The firmness of her stays was not entirely comfortable against Kalina’s cheek, but she did not want to move.At least one of her friends did not hate her.One of her friends had seen the truth, even before Kalina had tried to explain it.She would tolerate far more than a little discomfort for that.
Tiffany released her, crouching down so she could look up into Kalina’s face, their hands held together in Kalina’s lap.The ache in Kalina’s chest was growing again.She could have sworn she had no tears left after this afternoon, but her eyes were beginning to sting.
“You are not to blame for your father’s actions,” she said firmly.“Unless you knew what he planned ahead of time and did not stop him, there is no fault to you.”
Kalina shook her head, too afraid to try to speak because she might start sobbing over Tiffany’s compassion if she opened her mouth now.
Tiffany’s voice dropped to a mutter.“Trust me, if anyone has learned we are not responsible for how our parents behave, it is me.”
Though she was uncertain why Tiffany would claim such deep knowledge, though she was beginning to suspect that the Dowager Duchess of Bolton’s retreat to the country might not have to do with a desire for fresh air, Kalina nodded.She took a deep breath, steeling herself against the threatening tears.
“I do not want my mother to know,” she admitted.“She is so angry with my father already.If she thought I was unhappy with the outcome, she would be even more so.”
