A Scandalous Bargain (The Pretenders #2) - Darcy Burke Page 0,2
she heard him tell Mama he loved her and that he hated to leave her to go to his other home?
No, Beatrix had lost her family and that was absolutely the worst thing that could happen. She looked askance at Selina. Did she even have a family? Selina didn’t like to talk about her past. In fact, today was the most she’d ever shared about it.
“Did you really come from East London?” Beatrix asked. Having grown up in Bath, she didn’t know much about London, but she’d heard the East End was less desirable.
Selina withdrew her arm. “I did.”
Beatrix recalled the way in which Selina had threatened the horrible Deborah and the confidence she’d exuded. Envy swelled in Beatrix’s chest. “I wish I could be as brave as you.”
“You will be,” Selina said as if there were no question. “Remember, I have a few years on you.”
“How will I learn to be brave if you’re sent away?” Beatrix asked.
Before Selina could answer, Mrs. Goodwin, the headmistress, came into the dormitory. Both Beatrix and Selina straightened and greeted her as they’d been trained to do since the moment they’d arrived.
It was rare that Mrs. Goodwin came to the dormitory. Miss Everly was typically in charge of them outside of lessons.
Mrs. Goodwin smiled, her kind blue eyes assessing. Beatrix brushed at a speck on her apron.
“Miss Ledbetter informed me you stole her gloves.” The headmistress looked at Selina. “Is that true, Miss Blackwell?”
“It is, Mrs. Goodwin.” Selina spoke unflinchingly, her chin strong and high. “It was meant to be a prank. I regret that I had to put the gloves in Miss Linley’s drawer. She had absolutely nothing to do with any of it.”
Mrs. Goodwin appeared skeptical. She looked back and forth between Selina and Beatrix. Finally, her gaze settled on Beatrix. “Is that true?”
Beatrix swallowed. Selina gently nudged her on the back of the hand. “Yes.” The lie burned Beatrix’s tongue, but it seemed Selina wanted her to give it.
Pressing her lips together, Mrs. Goodwin’s gaze turned stern. “I like you girls. Miss Blackwell, you work very hard, and Miss Linley, you have a bright and lovely outlook despite your…troubles. However, you simply must work harder to get along with the other girls. You’re…different from them, and as much as I hate to say it, people will hold you to different expectations.” Her features softened. “I should know.”
Beatrix wanted to ask how, but Mrs. Goodwin inhaled deeply and continued. “Miss Everly will hand down an appropriate punishment, Miss Blackwell.”
“Yes, Mrs. Goodwin.”
The headmistress looked at them another moment. “Don’t fret, girls. I’ll see you at dinner.” She winked at them before turning and leaving the dormitory.
Beatrix let out the breath she’d been holding and turned to face Selina. “Why did you lie for me?”
“Because I know you steal things and can’t help it.”
“How—”
“I’m observant.” Selina’s pale brows pitched over her eyes. “You must try to help it—stealing, I mean. A pair of gloves or a spoon from the dining hall won’t bring you too much grief, but should you pinch something more valuable, you will find yourself in a trouble I can’t rescue you from.”
“I’m not even aware I’m doing it,” Beatrix whispered. “And I don’t think I did it before. Before I came here, I mean.”
Selina gave her an encouraging nod. “It will be all right. You must work on becoming aware. Then you must not do it. I’ll try to help you, if I can.”
“Why?”
Lifting a shoulder in a light shrug, Selina said, “Because it seems we’re both in need of a family.”
Tears threatened once more, but Beatrix decided in that moment that she would be brave. And that she had a sister to love.
Chapter 1
Beatrix’s backside was beginning to ache. After perching so long on the tree branch, she adjusted her weight to ease the pain. She exhaled as blood flowed through her hip and thigh. Much better.
She returned her attention to the house next door to the tree in which she perched. More specifically, she looked into the window in the corner of the ground floor where the Duke of Ramsgate sat in a chair near the hearth, one hand clutching a glass of brandy and the other a newspaper.
His brown hair had lightened over the past fifteen years and was now a bit thin on the crown, but his features were the same—the familiar warm brown eyes, slightly hooked nose, and strong, dimpled chin. There were some lines, and he was heavier than he’d been before, but