Page 62 of The Duke's Stubborn Wallflower
“Well, what about a walk in the garden? You have not left your room since we returned home yesterday.” Jane’s voice was worried.
“And I do not intend to. Leave me alone, Jane. Please.” Olivia rolled onto her other side, facing the wall.
There was a moment’s silence, and Olivia assumed that Jane had done as she asked and left her alone. But she was wrong. She heard the door to her room open and the sound of footsteps.
The curtains were flung open, and Jane stood at the foot of her bed. Olivia blinked in the light, squinting until her eyes adjusted to it.It seems some horrible irony that my heart is broken, and the day has the audacity to be as beautiful a this.
“You cannot stay in here forever.” Jane gave Olivia a worried look. “I know that this hurts right now, but it will get better.”
“Will it? I fail to see how.” Olivia rolled onto her back, staring up at the canopy of her four-poster bed. “You know, I thought this season would be different. Better. That with your mother’s help, I would find the perfect husband, and I would live out the rest of my days happily and in love.”
“This season has been better. And perhaps there is still some hope that you and the Duke could reconcile.” Jane was clearly trying to sound encouraging, but it was lost in the numb emptiness in Olivia’s heart.
“There is no hope of that. He is dying, and more to the point, he did not tell me the truth. How can I forgive him for that?”Not to mention he did not even try to stop me leaving.The thought almost broke through the numbness within her.
They lapsed into silence, and Olivia listened to the sound of birdsong in the garden. It reminded her of the waltz with Nigel, and the numbness threatened to give way to something darker and sadder.
“You know what the cruelest irony of this whole thing is?” Olivia asked Jane as she forced herself to sit up and look at her friend.
“No.” Jane shook her head.
“Before I came to stay here, I overheard your mother and mine talking. And your mother said she had already found the perfect match for me. And it made me so hopeful because your mother’s matchmaking skills are unparalleled. And now here I am, heart broken and alone because I did not follow her direction. Though I do not think Lord Briston would ever have been a good choice.
“In truth, I am rather baffled that your mother thought we were at all suited.” Olivia caught an odd look on Jane’s face. “What?”
Jane bit her lip, looked at the door, and then back to Olivia. “Lord Briston… he was never meant to be your match.”
“What?” the numbness within Olivia loosened its grip, and she sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean? Your mother directed me at him all season. How can she have not meant us to end up together?”
Jane took a steadying breath and met Olivia’s gaze. “Do you remember when you found me in the drawing room, the day we took a promenade in the park?”
Olivia scrunched her face up as she tried to recall it. “Yes, you seemed… sad? But you told me it was nothing. And I did not want to press you.”
“The truth is, well, I was sad. And ashamed.” Jane gave her a sad smile. “Mother was spending all of this time on you, all of herenergy, everything was devoted to finding you the perfect man. And yet, here I was, her own daughter, thrown to the wayside.”
“Oh Jane!” Olivia took Jane’s hand in her own. “How selfish I have been; can you ever forgive me?”
“There is nothing to forgive, my dearest Olivia.” Jane’s eyes were warm. “I asked my mother about it. Although, confronted her may be a rather more accurate description. I… I actually raised my voice to her.”
Olivia gaped. “My dear Jane, I did not know you had such fire in you.”
“In truth, nor did I.” Jane flushed. “Well, anyway, once I had confronted my mother, she explained the situation to me. You see, my mother will not match unless she has the perfect match before her.
“In my case, there had been no such man, and she did not want me to end up with the wrong husband, so rather than rush things, she focused on you.” Jane shrugged. “She apologised for making me feel neglected.”
“I am glad of that. And I am glad that she did not want to rush you into a marriage that ill-suited you. That would be awful.” Olivia felt her heart twist as she said it.
“It would. Which is why I asked her why she seemed to be guiding you to Lord Briston when you seemed so wrong for each other,” Jane explained.
“And what did she say?” Olivia’s heart sped up, and she leaned forwards in anticipation.
“Well, she laughed and swore me to secrecy, but I feel she would not hold me to that vow. Not now at any rate.” Jane gave Olivia a small smile. “The reason she directed you to Lord Briston was not so that you would woo him but that you might woo another.”
“Another?” Olivia canted her head towards Jane. “Who?”
“Nigel. The day he was discovered um… well that day at Emberly Castle, she heard the truth of his protests. The Duke was not worried about marrying you, no quite the opposite. It was clear that his main concern was you being forced to marryhim.” Jane gave Olivia a knowing look.
“I take back everything I said, your mother truly is an uncanny judge of people.” Olivia shook her head in wonder. “After all, it was not until Nigel himself told me that that I made that connection.”
