“What’swrong with Grace tonight?” Oliver asked Lady Hope as he took her into his arms for the waltz.
The pretty blonde, who was Grace’s exact duplicate only in appearance, frowned slightly. “How can you tell tonight from any other night with the way you two talk to each other?”
“You said she was in a rotten mood,” he urged. Not that he needed Lady Hope’s admission to know the truth for himself. Something was not right with Grace, he could feel it as he approached the pair. She seemed anxious, worried about something. And Oliver had itched to pull her into his arms and take away whatever was troubling her. Not that she’d allow that, and not that he could even do that; but he wished it all the same.
“She would kill me if I told you.”
“Me?” Oliver stumbled slightly, though he righted himself.
“Anyone,” Hope amended. “Though I’m fairly certain she wouldn’t want you to know in particular.”
Him in particular? Certainly Grace had never told Hope or anyone else what had happened between them. Of course, they were triplets and were closer than his own sisters were. Perhaps shehadsaid something. “Why me in particular?” he asked, afraid of what the blonde might say to him.
“Because the two of you antagonize each other so terribly. She’d never want me to give you the upper hand.”
Was that all? Oliver breathed a sigh of relief as he led Lady Hope into the next turn. “On my honor, I will not antagonize her, my lady. Perhaps I can even be of some help. If you could tell me what is wrong with her.”
The pretty blonde sighed. “You were at Danby Castle for Christmas.”
Indeed he was. And he’d found the invitation from the duke to be quite peculiar, which was probably what led him to accept the invitation and abandon his own family to travel to the wilds of Yorkshire during the holidays. That, and no one in their right mind would refuse the Duke of Danby. Of course, Oliver had been quite happy to discover Grace and her family were in residence at the castle for Christmas. Then again, he was always quite happy for any time he was able to share with Grace. If only he could share his life with her, he’d want for nothing else as long as he lived. “As were you.”
“Honestly, she hasn’t been the same since Patience married Doctor Campion during the holidays.”
Campion seemed a decent fellow, actually. Sudden as the pair’s marriage was, they seemed a good match. “She’s worried about Patience?”
“She’s worried about the duke,” Lady Hope replied as Oliver led her into another turn.
“Danby?” If he’d found the duke’s Christmas invitation peculiar, he’d found conversing with the old man to be even more peculiar, as though His Grace was after some bit of information under the guise of a gaming hell investment opportunity. It had been slightly unnerving.
Lady Hope nodded. “He has a history of securing matches with no notice, and he even had a special license with Patience’s name just waiting in Yorkshire. Odds are he has one with each of our names on them too, and Grace is adamant His Grace will not select a husband for her. But she knows the clock is ticking, so to speak, and if she doesn’t have a fellow picked out for herself before Christmas, there’s no telling who Danby will have selected for her instead.”
What the devil? Oliver stumbled again, but he was slower to right himself this time. Grace was searching for some fellow to set her cap for? His stomach twisted at the thought. Not that it should have. He knew, he’d always known, she’d marry someone else, but…He hadn’t ever wanted to truly think about such an outcome actually happening. Just the suggestion would keep him up for nights to come. “Has she found someone?” he managed to ask without his voice cracking.
“The season just began,” Lady Hope replied. “And with it, the beginning of Grace’s great husband hunt.”
And she’d find some fellow too, the luckiest damn fellow in the world, whoever the devil he might be. “Has she anyone specific in mind?” Anyone Oliver could call out for some reason or run over with his coach, perhaps?
Lady Hope shook her head. “I don’t think so, but she doesn’t tell me everything.”
No, apparently she didn’t. Oliver forced a smile he didn’t feel to his face. “Aren’t you worried who Danby will select for you?”
She shook her head again. “I lost the love of my life, Lord Prestwood. With Henry gone, it doesn’t matter one way or the other what happens to me. There’s no one else like him in the world.”
Oh, there were plenty of scoundrels if that’s the sort of fellow she preferred. It was honestly amazing to think that the late-Earl of Kilworth had been the love of anyone’s life. Oliver had always found him to be a smug, black-hearted jackass. Yet, the lady did seem to still be mourning the blackguard. “I am sorry for your loss.”
She smiled softly. “I do believe you are the first person who has said that to me.”
Black-hearted jackass or not, he was gone. And Lady Hope had loved him. And loving someone he couldn’t have was certainly something Oliver understood. But lightening the mood was most definitely called for. “Well, whatever you do, don’t tell your sister. She likes to think me the worst sort of cad. I’d hate to break her illusion.”
Lady Hope laughed, like he’d hoped she would. Then she grinned up at him. “Your secret is safe with me, my lord.”
“I am relieved.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?” she asked.
“Anyone in mind?”
“For Grace? Someone you went to school with, someone she might not know, someone she might fall quite desperately in love with?”