Page 26 of A Duke's Unwanted Bride
“I should not have let my temper get the better of me like that. Duke Scarfield seems to have a rather frustrating gift for bringing out the worst in me.” She grimaced.That is an understatement.“I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”
Bianca clasped her hands in front of her and nodded. “I accept your apology and will, of course, forgive you. Though, perhaps in future it would be best to restrict your dance partners to ones with less mutual animosity.”
“I shall bear that in mind.” Adele smiled at her sister, and though Bianca returned it, Adele felt that there was something lacking about it. “Though who knows, with any luck he will not be at the next ball I attend.”
“I would not count on it. The Duke is a very important man; he will receive countless invitations.” Bianca glanced back towards the ballroom.
“I suppose.” Adele leaned against the cool stone of the banisters. “It seems rather unfair.”
Silence settled between them, broken by the sound of rustling leaves in the wind. Adele shifted, feeling the absence of noise acutely. Her sister gazed at her, utterly nonplussed.
“At least the weather is good.” Adele gestured to the night sky above them. “Not a single cloud in sight, and the moonlight makes the estate look almost magical.”
“Thank you. We work rather hard to keep the grounds and such looking proper.” Bianca smiled that same thin smile.
“Your work clearly has paid off. You must be very proud.” Adele fiddled with a loose thread on her glove.I must see to that when I get home.
“I am. And I am pleased that you seem so enamoured of the estate. Feel free to enjoy as much of it as you wish.” The formality of Bianca’s words stirred something within Adele.
She forced herself to keep smiling, even as an ache spread through her chest. “I will.”How can my own sister feel more like a stranger to me than the Black Widows?
“Good. And aside from that little… encounter… have you enjoyed the evening?” Bianca glanced once more towards the door of the ballroom.
“It has been lovely, thank you. Are Geraldine and Katherine hiding upstairs?” Adele smiled fondly as she thought of her nieces.
“Not hiding, they are with the governess. A ball is really no place for children.” Bianca’s tone was patronising, as though Adele really ought to have known better.
She bristled but forced the anger down.Why does everyone seem determined to treat me like a child?“I suppose not though they are not so young as that.”
“But they are not yet out. And it would be improper for them to attend. I am sure you know that.” Bianca gave her a meaningful look.
Silence settled between them, and Adele tried to think of something to say, but her thoughts kept turning back to Duke Scarfield.Push people away.
He knew nothing about her life, nothing about her. How dare he say something like that to her? “He knows nothing.”
“Who knows nothing?” Bianca asked, and Adele realised with a start that she had said it aloud.
She swallowed. “Duke Scarfield. I can count on one hand the number of times we have met, and yet he feels like he can just say what he likes to me. And what? I am supposed to simply accept what he says because he has said it?”
“You could have chosen not to dance with him,” Bianca pointed out. “And if you dislike the man so much, then why do you feel the need to speak of him so often?”
“I am not, I mean I do not. He is just… He gets under my skin.” Adele shrugged.
How could she explain to Bianca the complications with the Duke?
“So it would seem. Yet you continue to engage with him.” Her sister made a vague gesture with her hands.
“So, it is my fault?” Bianca’s brow furrowed.
“That is not what I was saying.” Her sister glanced over her shoulder. “I should probably get back to the party. Please do feel free to take some time to recover; that was quite the argument.”
“You are leaving?” Adele shook her head.
“Yes.” Bianca arched an eyebrow at her.
“That is it? We have some banal conversation, and then you just leave to go back to your party?” Adele gaped at her sister, taking a step towards her.
“I am the hostess, after all; you cannot expect to monopolise my time, Adelaide.” Bianca turned from her, but Adele grabbed her upper arm and spun her around to face her.
