Page 69 of His Stolen Duchess

“I don’t want dramatic,” Georgina commented.

She knew she was the last person who should ask for such a thing after running away from her wedding to Lord Abbington,then falling into a lake and being saved and claimed by the Duke, all in the same day.

“You are the talk of the town. That is all we know about it,” Isabella said.

“That’s not the only thing we know about it,” Beatrice corrected.

Georgina sighed and lowered her head before looking back up. “Please tell me everything you know so I won’t be surprised by anything.”

“It’s not as dramatic as my sister makes out,” Isabella said. “I mean, the part with His Grace at the ball is very dramatic, but there’s nothing else quite as dramatic.”

“We obviously know that you were promised to Lord Abbington, and the betrothal was broken, and we assume there was a good reason for it,” Beatrice said. “We don’t need to pry into your personal life. The only addition we know is that Lord Abbington has left the country, and there is a rumor that he might never return.”

What are you running from? From the shame of me abandoning you at the altar, or from your unborn child? It wouldn’t surprise me if you had more than one.

“Do you know where he has gone?” Georgina asked.

“No, we don’t,” Beatrice replied. “With any luck, the drama will cease in the wake of his departure. Lady Eastbeck is connected to him in some fashion, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Georgina agreed. “I hope it is the last I have seen of her.”

“We hope so, too,” Isabella sang. “I don’t mind some drama in my life or someone else’s, but not when it puts someone in physical danger. How have you been feeling since the altercation?”

“I’m safe with Lysander.”

“Good,” Beatrice said.

“How about both of you?” Georgina looked around but didn’t see anyone else she recognized. “You are not here alone, are you?”

“No, Father is still in the enclosure talking business with some men from London. It was rather boring stuff,” Beatrice noted.

Isabella nodded. “We thought we might find some eligible lords if we took a stroll.”

“And the lords from the ball?” Georgina asked.

“No, they were not right for us,” Isabella said.

Georgina was glad. Not because her friends hadn’t found someone to fall in love with and marry, but because neither of them had succumbed to the first lord they’d encountered.

“You are both beautiful young women,” Georgina said. “And I am enormously proud of the way you conduct yourselves. God help any lord who gets close to either of you, because they will get double what they bargained for. No one will do you wrong when you are watching out for each other.”

“All of your sisters were married when it came time for you to find a husband, weren’t they?” Isabella asked.

“Yes, but I had Uncle Francis,” she said. “He was always there for me. You always have each other, and don’t let that go.”

“We won’t,” they said together.

“It is always pleasant to speak with you, Georgina,” Beatrice said. “We will continue on our stroll, but we will be forever on the lookout for lords who do not mean to treat us well.”

“Have a pleasant day,” Georgina replied.

“You too,” the twins chimed in unison.

Georgina thought about Lysander.

Does he treat me well?

Her mind went straight to the other morning at the lake. The swimming part had been fun, and she had learned a lot, but what happened afterwards knocked that event out of the water.