Page 68 of Wedded to the Scottish Duke

“I’m sure it suits some people very well.” Celia laughed as she took her seat beside Grace.

For a second, she thought a lady in a chair nearby stood up and moved chairs, increasing the distance between them, but perhaps she was being a bit dramatic. She ignored it.

“It’s not the life I want. Running around and wiping runny noses? I think I’ll leave that for the rest of you.”

“Is that what you truly feel?”

“Of course.” Celia fixed her gaze on the violinists in the bandstand, hoping this conversation would end soon.

“Then why won’t you look at me as you say it?”

Celia sighed and shifted her focus to Grace, forcing a smile. “I’m quite content not being a mother, Grace.”

“Very well. I just wanted to check on you.”

“You’re sweet for worrying, but there’s no need to concern yourself with me, truly.”

As Celia looked back at the violinists, she had that flash in her mind, the image that had only appeared once before.

It was of a boy with her red hair and the grayest of eyes. Such eyes she had only seen on one man before, the Duke of Hardbridge. She cleared her throat and looked away, realizingthat all the people in the other seats weren’t watching the musical performance, but were instead staring at her.

“Grace,” she whispered, “you may be right about them looking at us.”

“Oh my.” Grace sat straight and looked around the green. “They’re hardly making any effort to hide where they’re looking, are they?”

“They’re quite unashamed,” Celia acknowledged with a nod. “Well, let’s find out what’s going on.”

Nearby, she could see a group of young women whom she knew in passing.

Standing up from her seat, she marched straight toward the women. Grace hurried after her, tripping a little, though she managed to catch herself and hurry forward again.

“What are you doing?” Grace tugged on the back of her sleeve in panic.

“Confronting them. I do not believe in taking such things without putting up a fight. What else could be causing these stares other than gossip?”

“But do we have to cause a scene in Hyde Park? Celia!”

Celia heard Grace panicking behind her, but Grace gave up as Celia halted in front of the women. Some of them had the decency to turn away, others just stared back at her. One poor lady blushed the color of a tomato and refused to look Celia in the eye.

“Well, what a beautiful day we are having. Don’t you agree, Lady Annabella and Lady Teresa?” she confidently addressed the two ladies she knew the most from the group.

Lady Annabella turned her eyes to the ground as Lady Teresa stared back, lifting her chin. “No answer? Perhaps you’d prefer to tell us why you are all staring at us instead?”

Grace poked Celia in the back and cleared her throat.

“What is it?” Celia looked at her, then at the people she was nodding toward. Just like Grace, she was beginning to realize exactly who they were all looking at. “All right, why are you looking at me?”

“Humph!” Lady Teresa lifted her chin higher. “You do not know? Can you truly pretend to be ignorant of the news that has broken this morning?”

“What news?”

Celia looked between them all, but still, no lady was forthcoming. They just gawped at her, and one or two of theladies actually inched away, as if they thought to be caught accidentally by the hem of her dress might stain their clothes.

“Come on then. What is it you think I have done?”

“Ahem.”

“Not now, Grace.” Celia tried to ignore Grace as she cleared her throat and repeatedly poked her in the back.