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“I only do so because I need him to know that you have family who will not condone any mistreatment of you.” Ava sniffed. “Yes, I may have exaggerated, but I still do not trust him. After all, he should have known better than to kiss you in that chamber. You wouldn’t have been married to him if you two hadn’t been caught in a scandal.”

Eveline was surprised that her sister still hadn’t forgiven the Duke for the scandal that brought them together. While she understood it was fear guiding her sister’s judgment, she couldn’t understand why they didn’t believe she was happy. She dreaded to imagine herself still navigating ballrooms in search of a husband.

The thought caused her to shudder.

It had been traumatizing, being paraded in the hope of securing a marriage to a nobleman who might have treated her worse than the Duke, like a broodmare.

“That is because you have not given yourself the chance to get to know him,” Eveline stated. “He really is good to me, Ava. If he was unkind to me, you know I would not have kept the truth from you. You have to remember that it was I who asked him to kiss me, so I am as much to blame as he is.”

Ava sighed, bowing her head. “I know you will be well, but I cannot help but worry. I have cared for you since you were little. I cannot help but fear for you,” she admitted. “I should apologize to the Duke for my behavior today. It was unseemly of me.”

“You should,” Eveline affirmed. “But he holds no grudges. I am sure he thought nothing unkind about your horrid behavior.”

Ava laughed, wrapping her in a hug.

“The house hasn’t been the same without you.” She pouted. “Even Father feels your absence. He is more quiet than ever. He hasn’t even scolded Stella for missing her lessons. He is finally paying for a piano tutor, yet she has refused to be a good student.”

“Only because Mrs. Florence is dreadfully boring and too strict,” Stella complained.

Eveline smiled fondly at her sisters, remembering the dynamics of their household. Nostalgia brought tears to her eyes, but she swallowed down the feeling, not wanting to ruin their visit.

“I will extend your apologies to the Duke,” she told Ava. “And I will ask him to recommend some suitable gentlemen for you.”

Her eyes flicked to Stella, who smiled brightly.

She honestly pitied the ton when her youngest sister finally made her debut. They will be grossly unprepared for the storm that was Stella.

“We really must be on our way if we are to arrive before nightfall,” Ava announced.

After one last hug, they were helped into the carriage.

Eveline stood on the front steps, waving them goodbye until they were mere specks in the distance. Her tears spilled over as loneliness seeped into her heart again. She had tried not to feeljealous when they had been regaling her with their stories, but the ugly feeling had only waited to rear its head. It hurt that they seemed to be living well without her, when she was barely coping without them.

“You must have missed them dearly,” the Duke said suddenly from beside her.

She started and wiped her cheeks and nose with her hands, turning away to hide her tears. Through her blurry eyes, she saw him hold out a kerchief to her. She took it gratefully and cleaned up her face.

When her emotions finally settled, she tried to hand it back to him, but he shook his head.

“Keep it,” he said. “You look like you will still need it.”

She chuckled weakly, wiping her eyes again as another tear fell.

“Thank you.” She sighed before hastily adding, “I do not weep because I am unhappy. I just…”

“I know you miss them dearly,” he said. “I almost feel guilty for taking you away from them. You three seem to love each other very much.”

“We do.” She nodded. “When my mother died, my father retreated into his study, so all we had was each other. It strengthened the bond between us.”

He nodded in understanding, holding out his arm to her.

“The weather is pleasant this evening, and it would be a shame to spend it indoors,” he began. “I would like to take a turn about the gardens. I hear you have made improvements to my mother’s garden. It might do you good also to enjoy a pleasant stroll with a handsome gentleman.”

While his words were full of humor, she tried to discern whether he was upset by the fact that she had tampered with a place that held significant value to him, but she glimpsed no anger in his gaze.

“I am sorry I took the liberty of doing so without asking you,” she offered, taking his arm.

“You do not need to be,” he assured her, leading them at a sedate pace. “I gave you free rein of the house because I trusted your judgment. I only want to enjoy what you have spent time and effort working on. The other parts of the estate look beautiful. I can only expect the gardens to be much the same.”