Page 34 of A Duchess to Unravel (The Devil’s Masquerade #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

THREE DAYS LATER

“ B last it all!” Theo shouted, flinging the paint brush away from her.

Drops of red paint flecked free from the sailing brush, landing on Theo’s face and dress.

Ophelia and Rose looked up from their canvasses, alarmed. In her seat, Ophelia leaned to her left to inspect Theo’s painting and frowned. She had been trying to teach her friends how to paint flowers, but nothing on Theo’s canvas represented such a thing.

“It is quite all right,” Ophelia offered, setting down her own brush and going to Theo. “Mistakes happen. You can just start again.”

“No, in fact I cannot!” Theo shouted, shooting out of her stool.

She looked at the strange amalgamation of dark colors on her canvas, then knocked it onto the floor.

She had thought that gaining some space between her and Alistair would improve her mood, give her time to catch her breath and appreciate her newfound freedom, but it had soured instead, shifting back and forth from sadness to aggravation.

Seraphina had not been able to make the trip to the country, too wrapped up in her life with Hugo and their twins.

Amelia had also been unable to come, instead writing with the joyous news that she was now with child and experiencing heavy nausea.

Theo knew she should have been happy for her friend.

It was a blessing Amelia and Dominic had hoped for for several months, but the news had only worsened her mood instead.

This left only Ophelia and Rose available to come visit her at Alistair’s country home, and although she was grateful for their company nothing they partook in seemed to help Theo out of her foul mood.

“Ophelia, darling,” Rose spoke up, joining her to stand by Theo’s side, “While I am sure we both appreciate your willingness to teach us how to paint, I believe we should find something else to do.”

Theo did not miss this subtle hint in Rose’s voice, and she worked to soften her tone. She looked to Ophelia, her eyes begging for forgiveness.

“We do,” she agreed, taking Ophelia’s hand. “appreciate your teachings. I am sorry for my outburst.”

Ophelia looked at her with kind eyes as she patted Theo’s hand and nodded.

“I know you do. You have no need to apologize. But ...” she paused, sparing a glance toward Rose, “perhaps we should turn our focus to talking. I believe it is time you finally tell us why you called us here.”

“Yes,” Rose agreed, her tone insistent. “We have spent the last two days painting, playing lawn games, cards, and parlor games. And in that time you have broken your mallet, torn up several cards, flung marbles, and now splattered yourself red. It is time to address the issue at hand: what is wrong?”

Theo drew in a deep breath through her nostrils, feeling her heartbeat start to race as her friends oh-so-gently urged her to finally come clean.

Her shoulders sagged as she hung her head, and in her moment of resignation, her friends led her to the nearby table.

Norma then quietly approached with a wet cloth so she could wipe her face, but Theo waved it off.

“Come on, darling,” Rose gently urged. “What has happened? You are so very different since we last saw you in London just a week or so ago.”

Knowing it was time to share her troubles, Theo took a deep breath and told them everything, starting from when she first met Alistair at the Devil’s Masquerade.

Rose’s eyes went wide with alarm at her confession, but Ophelia, having already known that she’d been back at least once, only nodded as Theo told her tale.

She shared everything, including the lessons of pleasure Alistair had given her, to the last moment that had her deciding to leave.

When she finished, a still silence settled over the table. Theo slumped back in her chair, feeling exhausted by her confession, and covered her face with her hands.

“Well, darling. I believe it is obvious what the issue is,” Rose said, breaking the silence.

Theo peeked through her fingers, her brows furrowed.

“It is?”

Rose glanced at Ophelia, who nodded, as if silently urging her to continue.

“You are in love with him.”

Theo’s hands dropped to her lap and she sat up straight.

“That is preposterous!” she insisted, frowning.

“I am not in love with him!”

“We are not judging or attacking you,” Ophelia countered.

“Well of course you are not, because it is not true! I am not in love with Alistair,” Theo vehemently replied.

Rose delicately folded her hands together atop the table and raised a brow.

“You know how I felt about you marrying this man,” she began.

“I was not in support of it at all. I thought he was a brute and would not be good for you. However, I am willing to admit that I was wrong. Theo, ever since you met this man you started coming back to us. And last week in London, especially at Everett’s ball and then after, you were positively glowing with happiness. Why do you think that is?”

Theo floundered for an answer.

“I finally got what I wanted,” she answered, “I became free.”

“But you were not,” Ophelia cut in. “You became a wife. You still had responsibilities at the castle. You still had to put on airs for Alistair’s guests, you still had to be a lady. Yet you found happiness despite that. Because of him.”

Theo opened her mouth, ready to argue the point, but no words came out. It was true. She might have been free from London, but she hadn’t been free of her duties as a duchess. Yet she’d still felt more alive and happier than she had ever been. Because she’d had Alistair.

Alistair. Who had taken his lessons on pleasure seriously.

Who had not taken what he wanted for his own manly urges but chose to educate her on what her body wanted, what her body could feel and enjoy.

He had held her. Talked to her. Had never been afraid to push past her obstinance and find the root of whatever issue she was having.

“I do not wish to speak of this anymore. I am quite tired,” she said meekly, pushing such realizations away.

“Perhaps a rest would do you some good,” Rose answered in way of agreement.

“Give yourself time to think,” Ophelia added, both of them rising from their chairs.

Theo did not want to think. She wanted to sleep until the pain in her chest was long gone and wake up only when her memory of Alistair had completely faded. Still, she nodded and quietly excused herself from her friends.

“Pardon me, my lady,” Norma said, appearing in front of Theo at the door with two letters in her hands.

“Yes, Norma? What is it?” Theo asked, her eyes going straight to the envelopes. Her heart leapt as she recognized Alistair’s handwriting, and she had to stop herself from tearing it out of her maid’s hands.

“I have come with two messages,” Norma replied. “One is for you, and one is for Miss Gravesmoor.”

Rose stepped to Theo’s side as Norma held out the envelopes, and while Rose immediately opened hers, Theo took hers in both hands and pressed it to her stomach. She was anxious to read it but decided to do so in private. Not at all sure what the contents would be or how it would make her feel.

“Oh, bother,” Rose sighed as she read her letter.

“What is it?” Theo asked, turning to her friend.

“It is my mother,” Rose replied, folding the letter again. “She has decided to join us and has arrived at our country house. She insists that I come back and get ready for a ball at the Herrington’s Estate.”

She gave Theo a regretful look.

“I am sorry, but you know how my mother is. I really have no choice but to go.”

Theo’s lips twitched toward a smile and she nodded.

“Of course. Please do not be sorry. Go. Have a wonderful time,” she replied.

Rose stepped toward her, placing her hands on Theo’s arm.

“I do not suppose you would want to join me?” She asked, her tone hopeful. “The three of us could hold up the wall the way we used to.”

Theo let out a hollow laugh at Rose’s attempt at humor but shook her head.

“No, I really am quite tired. But Ophelia could go.”

She turned to Ophelia with the same empty smile.

“You should go,” Theo emphasized. “No need to have Rose face society alone. We all know how boorish that can be.”

Ophelia raised a worried brow as she stepped up to both of her friends.

“Are you quite certain?” She asked. “It does not feel right. Leaving you alone, I mean. I could stay. Be here for you when you wake up.”

Though grateful for the offer and care her friends were providing, Theo shook her head.

“I am going to take a tonic for sleep,” Theo answered, then nodded toward Norma.

Her maid nodded and curtsied, and left to fetch it.

“I have not been sleeping well and I believe I should catch up. I think I shall try to sleep through the rest of the day and into morning. You can come back tomorrow and tell me all about the ball.”

Though Rose and Ophelia both looked reluctant at the idea, they both gave a begrudging a nod, and the three of them hugged farewell.

“We will be back for lunch tomorrow,” Ophelia promised.

Theo nodded once more but said nothing else as her friends left the drawing room.

She waited a few more minutes, her thoughts churning on her friends’ idea of love, then, when she was sure they were gone, went upstairs to her room.

Theo lay the letter on her bed, keeping her eyes on it as she changed from her day gown into her nightgown.

She paused briefly when she realized she had pulled one of the few she’d had made for Alistair’s pleasure and looked in the mirror.

For a moment she thought of changing again.

Of taking it off and rumpling it up before putting on one of her new ones.

As she looked at her reflection though, touched the buttery soft fabric, she decided she could not bear ruining such a beautiful thing.

She might have had it designed for Alistair, but that did not mean she could enjoy it for herself.