Page 56 of Her Heartless Duke

She had thought she had come to terms with the reality of her condition. She thought that all she had to do was win Lady Willow’s dance competition and her life would be complete. That she would finally be able to accept her fate without complaint.

Butno—she wanted to live, if only just a little bit longer. If she could only spend just one day more with Isaac.

And that was when she realized that it would never be enough, that eternity itself would never be enough for her, if she could spend it with him.

But she was running out of time herself and he… well, he desired someone else.

As she sobbed bitterly, Olivia could not help but wish she was Lady Vivian—to have all that time and Isaac’s affection.

But she was merely Olivia Bennet, and she was already doomed to die.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

Meals at Bennet House were usually informal affairs as long as one was not tardy, for Aunt Joana despised such a habit. Breakfast was no different, which was why when Olivia woke up feeling rather lightheaded, she pushed back the discomfort and proceeded with her morning ablutions as she usually did.

“Milady, are you sure you want to go with the yellow today?” her maid asked her fretfully.

Olivia glanced at the pale lemon-yellow gown that she had selected earlier. Normally, she would find the color cheerful, but a quick glance at the mirror told her that it would only serve to highlight her unusual pallor.

“I think I shall go with the pink one today, Jane,” she told the maid. “It would go well with the new rouge and lip salve that I got last week.”

Jane nodded and swiftly went to work, helping her into her gown and then styling her hair simply before assisting her in the application of the rouge and lip salve.

Normally, she did not require much cosmetics as she naturally had rosy cheeks and her lips were a nice enough pink. Today, however, her pallor was even more noticeable and she did not want to call attention to it.

When she was done with her preparations, she joined the rest of the family for breakfast at the dining hall.

“Oh, there you are, dearest!” Fiona beamed at her, her knife hovering in the air as she buttered her toast generously. “There is some ham and eggs, too!”

Olivia forced an equally cheerful smile as she sat down beside her cousin. “It seems that Cook knows precisely what I want to eat today,” she said with a slight clap of her hands.

As she helped herself to an egg and some ham, she saw Daniel put down his newspaper and look at her a little more intently.

“Is something amiss, dear brother?” she asked him sweetly.

He frowned. “You are wearing rouge.”

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. “I thought it might make me look a bit more lively.”

“Lively, huh?” he snorted.

She nodded. “All the young ladies are wearing them now. I thought I might as well try it out.”

“And it suits her rather well, I might say,” Aunt Joana beamed at her from across the table. “You should wear it more often, my dear—not that I think you need them to look presentable, but they do so enhance your natural attributes excellently.”

“Thank you, Aunt Joana.”

Fiona smiled at her as she sipped a cup of hot chocolate. “Mama is right, Livvy—you look very pretty today.”

“Hush now. You are all going to stuff me before I have even taken a bite of Cook’s ham!” she giggled.

Fiona joined her in laughter, while her aunt looked at the both of them affectionately. If it was not for Daniel looking at her rather oddly, they might have presented the perfect picture of a family enjoying a meal together

Despite the events from the previous day, Olivia managed to eat a good portion of her breakfast, as Aunt Joana warned both her and Fiona not to eat too much or they would both have an upset stomach.

“We would not want either of you to feel ill while we are at Bond Street,” Lady Bennet reminded them.

Both girls reassured her that they would moderate their appetites as they eagerly began to chat in anticipation of their shopping trip.