quite good.”
“And the estate in Hampshire?”
Nicholas narrowed his eyes at their mother. He hadn’t liked discussing any matters of the estate with Patience. It looked as though he liked it even less coming from Mama.
“Brushbend is doing well. I assure you I am managing properly.”
“I never doubted that.”
“I’m not sure why you would have asked it if you hadn’t.”
“Nicholas,” Patience began.
Nicholas stood. “No.”
“We are just having a conversation.” Patience reached for his arm, but he pulled it away.
“This conversation is two years late. I will not have anyone looking over my shoulders pointing out what I should have done or how Father did it differently when I have done everything on my own.”
“I don’t think—” Patience started, but Nicholas was already across the room and yanking the door open. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
“No, he is right.”
“We used to discuss the estate with Papa.”
“And we will discuss it again with Nicholas. He needs time. I need time. But if you are willing to speak with me, I have some questions for you.”
Patience nodded, suddenly more understanding of her brother. Storming out seemed a lot more comfortable than speaking about her life.
“When I was a young girl, my first Season was spectacular. One of the highlights of my life. I loved every ball and each and every chance to show off a new gown.”
“Yes, Mama.” Patience didn’t like where this conversation was going.
“You don’t seem to feel that way. Not even a little bit.”
She wasn’t wrong. Patience had felt a fraud while meeting the Queen. She spent every ball looking for a man who was never there, and no man, no matter how flirtatious or eligible, had been able to turn her head. They were all too flighty. She was flighty enough on her own. She wanted someone serious to court her. Someone with piercing blue eyes and a face that transformed with a smile.
“You haven’t been the same since you returned from Bath.”
Patience picked at her smooth fingernails. How had Mama missed the conditions of her hands when she had returned? One night comforting each other. Was it enough for her to trust Mama with the most foolish thing she had done in her life?
“Patience, I know I have no right to ask, but what happened in Bath?”
Patience took a deep breath, threw her hands down to the sides of her chair, and sighed. “I never went to Bath.”
“You never went to Bath?”
“No.”
Mama’s eyes widened in alarm. “Where were you all that month?”
“It wasn’t a month, Mama, not quite.”
Mama raised an eyebrow like she used to when Patience had snitched an extra sweet. “Where were you, Patience?”
“I would rather not say.” Patience’s hands started shaking. She rubbed at her eye. That wasn’t true. She had wanted to tell her mother all along. Mama didn’t pry anymore. She just watched Patience and waited. “Nicholas always acts so superior just because he served in the army.”
Mama nodded but still didn’t say anything.
“I wanted to prove him wrong. All I did was create a huge mess.”
Mama scooted her chair closer and took Patience’s hand in her own. “Tell me of this mess, and we shall see if there is something we can do to bring the smile back to your eyes.”
Patience didn’t know where to start, so she started at Nicholas provoking her in their garden. When she told Mama about the man who walked in his garden every day at 11:15, Mama sat back as if she already knew the whole story. And even though she might have guessed it all, Patience told it all to her anyway.
Chapter 20
Anthony placed the sealed letter on the table by the front door. This one was sixteen pages long. Excessive? Perhaps. But it wasn’t as long as one of the ones he had sent last week. He had been writing the duke for two weeks now and had yet to receive a reply. Each morning when the mail was delivered and there was no response from the duke, he promised himself he wouldn’t keep degrading himself by writing again. But by the afternoon, he would find himself in his study, writing up plans to make a courtship work and reasons why the duke should allow it.
It was the only thing keeping him from going mad.
He rubbed his thumb over the red seal on his letter. Or maybe this was all proof that he actually was mad. He had bought new sealing wax, not wanting to use the last of the wrecked pieces Patience had left him;