“Never mind. Saddle a horse. And someone find my damned jacket.” He had little idea where Violet and Ivy had gone to, and he didn’t much care. If she had decided to investigate the Doyles and his father’s whereabouts without him, they could be in grave danger.
Chapter Ten
Ivy flattened a palm against the window of the carriage and leaned closer. “Now why have I never visited Duke’s family home before? It’s so beautiful.”
Violet peered around her sister at the house as the carriage followed a curving road through a grand estate dotted with huge trees and the occasional sighting of a herd of deer. The animals bolted away at the sound of the carriage rumbling down the well-maintained road.
Thank goodness. Her stomach did not enjoy the rutted roads from Bath even if the journey only took two hours. With any luck, they could get their answers and be home before supper.
The carriage rocked and she grimaced. Perhaps she would forgo supper. She never did travel well, most especially in winter when the roads were at their muddiest.
Swallowing, Violet focused on the house. It swept across the countryside, a huge building that had to be twice the width of their own country home with adjoining wings on either side. The columned front of the house mirrored smaller clusters of columns at either corner of the building and spire-like adornments upon the roof drew one’s eye upward.
“It’s truly spectacular,” Violet murmured. “But Duke prefers Bath and London, I believe.”
“Pfft, I wouldn’t be anywhere near Bath if I owned a house like this.” Ivy jabbed a finger at the glass. “Look at the gardens. Can you see how elegant they are?”
Violet nodded. Even in the depths of winter, the neatly hedged gardens on either side of the building were perfection. She couldn’t make out all the detail but even from the approach the house, the symmetry of the gardens was impressive.
“Well, Duke deserves his name,” Ivy commented. “We always knew he was richer than our uncle.”
“He’s probably richer than the Prince Regent at this point.”
“Not difficult,” Ivy snickered. “Did you hear how big the extension to the Brighton Pavilion is getting to be?”
“I am grateful for a father who is judicious with his money I must admit. Hopefully our brother shall follow in his footsteps.”
Ivy thrust a thumb toward the house. “You should marry Duke. Then one day this shall be yours.”
Violet fixed her sister with a cool look. It wasn’t the first time someone had implied she and Duke should wed, however, she had never heard it from her family before. There were plenty of people who could not fathom how a man and woman could be friends and not wish to eventually marry. She’d thought Ivy might have more sense.
“I hardly need a grand house, Ivy. We do not live in poverty.”
Her sister pressed her face up against the glass, muffling her next words. “Yes but look at this house.” She turned and waved a hand. “Just look at it.”
“I know, I know. It is beautiful.”
“Makes one wonder why Duke works at all. He really does not need to.”
“He’s not the sort of man to be idle,” Violet explained.
“From what the scandal sheets say, he is never idle.”
Violet snapped her head around and eyed the interior of the carriage. Her cheeks were warm, so she forced herself to take a slow inhale. Everyone knew of Duke’s reputation and as much as the scandal sheets enjoyed exaggeration many of the tales were true. Duke was intelligent, funny, and an excellent friend. He was also a rake of the highest regard, and she didn’t know why the insinuation gave her even the most fleeting flash of pain.
“You shouldn’t be reading the scandal sheets, Ivy,” Violet snapped.
“I’m hardly a child, Vi.”
Swallowing, Violet risked a look at her sister. “Yes, I know. Forgive me.”
“You know, you have been acting strange since Duke came to stay. Are you no longer friends with him or is it...something else?”
Violet glanced down and fiddled with one of the three buttons on her white gloves. She avoided Ivy’s gaze. How could she explain to her sister something she herself did not even understand? She’d been content to be a good friend with Duke and to enjoy his company, but something had changed.
It was that stupid kiss. She should never have let it happen. What person in their right mind could expect things to stay the same when said person had experienced a kiss that would persuade even the most hardened heart to soften?
She swung a swift peek at her sister. She couldn’t tell her. She couldn’t tell any of them. They relied on her too much. If Violet Musgrave did not know what she was doing then the world might well fall apart, especially for the sisters who relied on her to be, well, reliable.