Page 15 of Duchess By Accident (The Matchmaker’s Scheme #5)

Chapter Fifteen

“ N ow I know I am not imagining things, that is the third group to stop talking when we entered the room.” Natalie frowned at the group of women who had fallen silent as soon as her and Peter had walked into the coffee shop.

Her brother shrugged. “What does it matter?”

Natalie had suggested the pair of them venture into town together, wanting some time alone with her twin. Throughout the day, she had felt as though people were watching her yet whenever she looked, they seemed immersed in conversation with their companions. Somewhat too immersed to be convincing.

“I do not know. It makes me uneasy. Surely you have noticed the way people seem to be watching us, Peter.” Natalie gave her brother a meaningful look, expecting him to make a joke or one of his usual quips.

Instead, he ran a hand absentmindedly through his hair and gave another shrug. “People talk. People watch us. It is not like it is any different than we are used to. All our lives people judge us.”

“You are in rather a dour mood.” Natalie frowned. “You have been all day.”

“Am I? I think it is just tiredness. That is all.” Peter gave her a smile, but Natalie saw a tightness in it.

“You do look a little tired. Have thoughts of your lady-love been keeping you up at night?” Natalie teased, grinning at her brother.

“There is no lady love, not anymore.” Peter’s face darkened, and he looked away from her.

“What happened?” Natalie canted her head towards her brother.

Usually Peter was a little melancholic when he ended one of his romantic entanglements, but it would last a few hours at most. Natalie took in her brother, seeing him in a new light. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair was mussed and he had a dishevelled air about him.

“The heart is a fickle thing.” Peter made a dismissive gesture. “It is as easy to fall into love as it is out of it.”

“Then her affections have waned?” Natalie asked.

“No.”

“Have yours?”

Peter jerked his head. “No. But no doubt they will. There is no future between us.”

“How can you know that?” Natalie tried to take his hand in hers but Peter jerked it away.

“Because she is not the one. You were right, is that what you want to hear?” He smiled that same brittle smile, the teasing tone that he was attempting falling miles short. “This woman was no different than all the rest. No doubt my heart will flit to another soon.”

“Peter –” Natalie began but she was distracted by the tinkling of the bell as the door opened and two women walked in, their conversation loud enough to be heard clearly.

“I heard that she was having an affair with him the entire time.” The taller of the two women, with hawkish features and the expression of someone smelling something rotten gestured to her friend.

The second woman, a short, plump woman with beady eyes, exclaimed, “No! Surely not?”

“Well how else do you explain it? She probably led the man on for weeks, only to humiliate him like that.” The tall woman tutted.

Her companion frowned. “He is not wholly innocent.”

“Every man has a secret or two. Men keep mistresses all the time. From what I hear, she was the one who orchestrated the whole thing anyway. I suspect the money those women got went to her.” The woman sniffed and made a dismissive motion with her hand.

Natalie’s stomach twisted. It took all of her willpower not to look at the two women, but the effort made her shake. Please, please let them be speaking of someone else.

“But why would she need it? She will hardly want for money now.” The short plump woman rubbed her hands together.

“Indeed not, given the wealth of her husband. I mean, to hear talk of it, her dress cost so much it might as well have been made of gold.” The taller of the two said decisively. “I suspect she married him for his fortune.”

“I wonder what he sees in her?”

“She is pretty. And amiable if you catch my meaning. What man can refuse such a combination?”

“But Duke Blackwell could have any pick of women.”

“And he picked her. A woman who is so wanton with her affections that she was caught flirting with Lord Bolton mere weeks before marrying another man.”

Natalie dropped her spoon, her cheeks scarlet with shame and anger. The clattering of the metal hitting the ground jerked the two women’s attention to her. They stopped talking, but Natalie could see hostility in one woman’s gaze.

“I suddenly do not feel like tea.” Natalie stood up and gestured to Peter. “Are you coming, brother?”

Peter who had been staring into the distance gave a start, and stood as well. If he had heard what they had said… He is like a shell of himself. Natalie left the tearoom, tugging Peter alone behind her as they stepped out into the dazzling sunlight.

It was a mark of the peculiar mood that Peter was in that he simply followed her without bothering to ask a question. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders slumped. Some part of her felt irritated that he did not seem to care about her own discomfort. Another, larger part was simply worried for him.

Natalie glanced over her shoulder; the two women were watching her and talking amongst themselves. All around her, it felt like there were eyes on her. Hostile, judgemental eyes. She felt suffocated.

“I think I would like to return home.” Natalie made her way towards the carriage.

“Whatever you wish.” Peter replied, dully falling into step beside her.

“Peter, if you are this upset about things ending between you and your lady, then you must do something about it.” Natalie shook her head.

“I am not upset. I… I am just tired. That is all. I have not been sleeping very well.” Her brother replied.

“You are so distracted it is like you are living on another planet. You scarcely seem to hear a word I am saying or notice anything that is going on around you.” Though perhaps that is a good thing given what I just overheard. Natalie was not sure how her brother would react to the women, but no doubt anything he did would make the situation worse.

“My lady and I are… a possibility no more. It hurts a little, but I am sure I will make a swift and full recovery in no time.” Peter sounded as though he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince her.

“If this is what hurts a little looks like, I dread to think what hurts a lot is. It is not like you to give up so easily. I am sure we can think of a way for you to be together.”

“There is no need. Whatever was between us… It is nothing special.” Peter gave her a smile so brittle that Natalie feared one breath would break it. “Like you said, there is scarcely a woman in England I have not fallen in love with. Perhaps I should try Scotland next?”

“You are trying to joke but I can tell you are upset.” Natalie gave him a frank look.

Peter scowled. “I do not live in some novel. This is the real world, Natalie. Please, just leave it alone. There is no future between us.”

“You keep saying that, but I see no reason for it.” She grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her.

Pain flashed across Peter’s face and he tugged free of her grip. “Her father… He does not think I am good enough for his daughter and there is nothing I can do to change that.”

“Why ever not? You are hardly some gallivanting rake. Your brother is a duke!” A sneaking suspicion began to form in Natalie’s stomach. Is this my fault?

“But I am not. I am the youngest brother of a Duke. That is hardly enough to be a fitting husband for her.” Peter chewed on his bottom lip.

“I hardly see why not. You are also Marquess of Briggs.” Natalie pointed out.

Peter scowled. “Just leave it be, please, I do not want to discuss it.”

“I will not. You are my brother and-” Natalie began but he cut her off.

“-I am going to go to the gentleman’s club. I need a drink and have no desire to be badgered by you about this.” Peter turned from her and stormed off in the direction of the club, leaving Natalie to clamber into the carriage alone.

Natalie clenched her fists, half tempted to go after her brother and smack some sense into him. But she knew it would only make things worse. She climbed into the carriage – she needed to find out exactly what had happened between Peter and his mysterious woman.

“Rose! I wondered if I might talk to you about something?” Natalie called out as she ran after Rose who was taking a walk in the garden.

“Of course. What did you wish to talk about?” Rose asked, canting her head towards Natalie.

Natalie took a deep breath. “It is about Peter. Well about Peter and his latest love. I am worried about him. I do not think I have ever seen him like this. And he will not tell me what has happened. At least not all of it.”

Rose nodded, biting her lip as she surveyed Natalie. “What has he told you?”

“That the young woman’s father does not think he would be a suitable match. Though I can hardly see why.” Natalie swallowed. “Rose, tell me the truth. Is it my fault that the man will not give his consent?”

Rose sighed, her face falling in a way that was like a knife in Natalie’s heart. “I had hoped that your marriage to Duke Blackwood would be a sort of salve for your reputation. But if anything, it seems to have worsened it.”

“I overheard some women talking in the village. The things they were saying…” Natalie pictured the women in her mind, remembering the disdain in their voices. “How has it gotten so bad? Why will they not simply leave me alone?”

“It is hard to say. Some scandals catch the tons fancy in a way that others do not. And it would appear that these… rumours are particularly appealing.” Rose shook her head, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

“I just do not understand how I am the villain in all of this. Especially when Lord Bolton has behaved as he has done. He sired multiple children with different women for goodness’ sake!” Natalie clenched her fists tightly, scowling as she did so.

Rose gently placed a hand on Natalie’s arm, and squeezed reassuringly. “The world is rarely just, and when it comes to a woman’s reputation it is even less so.”

“But what am I supposed to do about it? It would be one thing if it was just me. But it is affecting those I love as well.” Natalie felt a lump form in her throat. “Peter clearly loves this woman deeply, and now I am standing in the way of his happiness. I cannot bear that my foolishness is causing him pain. I should never have been so blindly trusting.”

“You did not do anything wrong. None of this is your fault.” Rose said emphatically.

“And yet still I am the one being punished.” Natalie shook her head. “I do not know what to do.”

“You must take control of the narrative somehow. Though I suspect for that to be effective you would need the aid of your husband.” Rose gave Natalie a significant look.

“I do not know if he would give it to me.” Natalie glanced over her shoulder towards the house, a spike of nerves flaring to life in her chest.

Rose nodded. “I am surprised he does not already know. The man does have rather a lot of informants throughout England, Scotland too if some of the tales are to be believed.”

“If he knows, that would surely be worse. Because he has chosen to do nothing.” Natalie’s eyes widened. He would not really do that to me, would he?

She pictured Adrian with his cold grey eyes and felt a shiver travel down her spine. She had to assume he did not know – after all, her reputation would likely affect his daughter. And he would not stand for that.

“That is true. I cannot really imagine him knowing and choosing inaction.” Rose gave her a sidelong look. “Though he would hardly be the first man to be a little distracted on his honeymoon.”

Colour rushed to Natalie’s cheeks. “Our marriage is not… We do not… I mean… He probably has been distracted but not in the way you are suggesting.”

Rose arched an eyebrow at Natalie. “And what does that mean?”

“Well… I did not want him to think he could control me as he seems to do so much of the ton. So I have been… Well, just doing the odd thing here and there to demonstrate this.” Natalie chewed on her lip. “Though perhaps if I had not behaved like this, he might have noticed sooner and my reputation might not be so bad.”

Rose shrugged. “Perhaps, but punishing yourself now will help no one. You need to come up with a plan and I think you need to enlist your husband’s expertise.”

Natalie swallowed. She did need a plan. But the thought of asking Adrian for his help stirred something within her that made her chest squeeze and heart race.

After all, she was still paying the price for her last plea for help.