And in that moment, he knew that unless he was very careful, he was in great danger of liking her far too well.
Chapter Thirteen
“They look splendid together, do they not, brother?” Jack queried as she and Alexander watched the Duke of Stone and Olivia take to the floor in a spritely dance.
Much to her pleasure, her brother ground his teeth.
It was a remarkable thing to see, indeed.
He must have seen Olivia in passing before. But until recently, they had never had a chance to converse.
In all her life, she had never seen her brother so taken by a lady, and she wondered why the exchange at Hyde Park had proved so interesting to him.
Perhaps it had been the fact that Olivia had not flattered him or batted her lashes. No, she had been honest. And direct.
“Yes, they do look very well,” Alexander ground out.“But Stone will never ask her hand, if that is what she is hoping.”
“Why not?” she demanded.“Olivia is beautiful and capable and interesting.”
“She is all of those things,” he agreed without hesitation, folding his gloved hands behind his back. “But Stone has no interest in marrying anytime soon, and I pity any poor lady who hopes that he will offer.”
She winced inwardly.
She was quite glad that she did not hope for such a thing, but it was a rather difficult thing to hear. In her heart of hearts, she had once upon a time dreamed of being the Duchess of Stone, but it had been the dream of a little girl. Didn’t every girl dream of being a duchess?
She’d quickly abandoned such foolishness not long after he had gone to Eton.
She pursed her lips. “I am certain that being in the arms of the Duke of Stone shall make my dear friend very appealing to many. She’ll have many callers tomorrow, indeed.”
“I am glad for her,” he said tightly.
“Will you be one of them?” she ventured, trying not to sound too eager.
“I beg your pardon?” His voice held a strangled note.“That is a rather bold question.”
“When have I been anything else,” she pointed out remorselessly. “Olivia is lovely and has a fortune. You should consider her.”
He ground his teeth together again.“I am not worthy of someone like Miss Olivia.”
She blinked and studied her brother, stunned by such a self-deprecating statement. “Of course you are worthy.”
His mouth tightened, and there was a heaviness to his shoulders than had not been there before. “I have no fortune. In fact, I have debts. And I am struggling with the idea of having to ask a young lady to rescue us. It was not supposed to be like this.”
She let out an exasperated sound. “I hear you, my dear brother, but I too must find a gentleman with a vast fortune. Olivia—”
“It is different,” he cut in tightly.“As you well know, ladies are supposed to rely on their husbands. I am supposed to be the one to be relied upon. Father was a remarkable husband until…”
Her brother’s voice died off as emotion washed over him.
For a long moment, neither of them said anything.
The truth was their father’s mistake was going to haunt them both for years.
He had been such an admirable fellow, a man they had loved dearly, who had raised them well. And they could not judge him on that one decision alone. It did not seem fair. And yet, that one moment had crushed the family.
She took her brother’s hand, a strange gesture she knew for a public space, but she couldn’t deny the aching of his heart.
She turned to him and stated earnestly, “Any lady would be lucky to have you, no matter the circumstance. I mean this with every bit of my heart, Alexander, even if you drive me mad.”