Fairest of Them All (Marriage by Fairytale Book 4)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “Do they really talk about those things?” Viola had never been a part of a group, nor had she any friends her own age. She’d always been much too shy for that kind of thing.

  Lady Pruett chuckled. “I’d like to say they aren’t as shallow as he makes them sound, but I’ve overheard quite a few groups of marriageable ladies doing the things he mentioned.”

  Really? Viola scanned the room. She saw a couple of groups of ladies, and they were laughing and talking to each other. So they were either discussing fashion or gossip. She had assumed they were comparing gentlemen and trying to figure out the best one for each of them. But, perhaps, one could consider that to be gossip.

  “I’m not all that different,” Lady Pruett admitted. “I love looking at the gowns. I love seeing what’s fashionable. Don’t tell my cousin. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.”

  They were quiet for a minute then Lady Pruett said, “I suppose you have to sit at the edge of the room because you’re in mourning.”

  Viola hadn’t chosen to sit here because of that, but she would rather have the lady believe that than tell her the truth, that she was inept when it came to social activities. She had an easy time going up to people in order to fill up Tabitha’s dance card. In that case, she had a mission. It wasn’t about herself. When it did come to herself, however, she never knew how to interact with others. She’d had a terrible time speaking with the gentlemen she’d danced with in the past. It was no wonder none took an interest in her, except for the one who wanted to use her to cover up his adulterous affair.

  Her brother had often told her she was a lovely person, and if a gentleman ever took the time to really talk to her, he would understand that. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her brother had spent considerable time giving her topics she could talk about while dancing. It’d done no good. As soon as she was dancing, her mind would go blank, and she was left floundering through the conversation. She hadn’t had the heart to tell her brother his lessons had been for nothing. Instead, she’d lied and told him the dances had gone very well.

  “Is your husband here this evening?” Lady Pruett asked.

  Viola forced away the memories from her past so she could focus on the conversation at hand. “Actually, no.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “He’s at home.” She didn’t feel like telling the lady about the curse, so she decided to let her assume whatever she wanted.

  “I’m sorry I missed him. I’m sure he keeps busy. I hear he’s got more wealth than almost anyone in London.”

  If Lady Pruett had heard that, had she also heard of the curse? But if she had heard of the curse, she would know he stayed inside his house all the time, wouldn’t she? The ladies who’d mentioned the Duke of Sutherton on the day of her brother’s funeral had been frightened of him.

  Viola studied Lady Pruett. She didn’t seem to share in their fear. “Do you know anything about my husband?”

  Lady Pruett offered her an apologetic smile. “No. I’m afraid I don’t. I haven’t been in London that long. I’m still learning about people who live here. All I know is that Lord Cadwalader and his friends envy your husband’s wealth. It’s the talk of the Ton.”

  Oh, that explained it. Lady Pruett hadn’t had time to meet with people who knew about the curse.

  “If my cousin decides to send correspondence to Lady Tabitha, which townhouse should he address it to?” Lady Pruett asked.

  Viola’s eyes widened. “You really think your cousin is that interested in her?”

  “He mentioned how pleasant she seemed, and he hasn’t said that about anyone else. I can’t promise anything, but it seems like he wants to talk to her again.”

  This was good news. Actually, it was the best news she could receive this evening. She didn’t know how Tabitha had managed to get a gentleman’s interest so soon, but it was a very promising sign of things to come. Perhaps Tabitha might marry this Season! That would make Evander happy, and she could fulfill her part of the marriage.

  Viola told Lady Pruett where she lived, and for the next half hour, she and Lady Pruett discussed the activities that were coming up over the next couple of weeks.

  Chapter Nine

  “It was a splendid evening,” Viola told Tabitha as they rode in the carriage after the ball. “You have a couple of gentlemen who might be interested in you. I noticed the way two or three were dancing with you, and they seemed like they might ask you for more dances at the next ball.”

  “I was bored,” Tabitha said, her gaze fixed on the window next to her.

  “Well, I’ll grant you that some of the dances do get tedious. I’m sure you’re relieved to be off your feet—”

  “No.” Tabitha snapped her head in Viola’s direction. “It’s not the dances that were boring. The whole thing was boring. Do people really have nothing better to do with their lives than to engage in mindless chatter all evening? There were only two dances allowed for each gentleman. I didn’t have a chance to have a real conversation with any of them. All I could do was ask silly little questions like if he’d done anything interesting this Season or how he liked the weather.”

  “But those are all things people talk about when they’re just getting to know each other. A relationship doesn’t happen right away. You start with the basics and move your way closer to the other person as time progresses.”

  “Not all relationships are like that. My mother said when she met my step-father, she loved him right away. They spent the first evening they met talking while everyone else danced. She said no one else even seemed to exist.”

  Viola wasn’t sure how to answer that. Nothing like that had happened to her during any of her three Seasons, but she could understand how a lady might want to spend all of an evening talking with Evander. He had a way of making a lady feel as if everything she said was important, and what lady didn’t want to feel like she had something important to share? But that didn’t matter. What mattered was whether Tabitha would secure a marriage before the end of the Season or not.

  “Tabitha,” Viola began, “you can’t compare your mother’s experience to what you will have. You’re two different people. This evening was a great success. People know who you are now. We’ll be able to start establishing meaningful connections that could lead you to the gentleman you’ll marry.”

  “Why is it so important that I marry?”

  “Because a lady shouldn’t be alone. She should have a husband and children.”

  “That’s your opinion.”

  “You’re right. It is my opinion. I’ve seen most ladies marry and have children. Their lives seemed much better than mine. Mine was empty.”

  Tabitha stared at her for a long moment, and then she started to laugh. “Empty? You married my step-father because you worried about how empty your life would be? You’re married to a gentleman who will never take a walk at Hyde Park with you. You can’t eat a meal with him. You can’t even play a card game with him because he always has to be in the dark. And as if that’s not enough, you’ll never have children. I fail to see the difference between your life now and how it was before.”

  The carriage came to a stop, preventing Viola from responding. Not that she could think of a response. Her mind was blank. As much as she hated to admit it, Tabitha was right. Yes, she could go to Evander to let him know what was happening with Tabitha, and he touched her hand and kissed it, but it would probably never be more than that. She was only getting a sample of the things other wives took for granted.

  The coachman opened the door, and Tabitha hurried out of it.

  All of the excitement Viola had been feeling earlier departed from her. Gathering her composure, she exited the carriage, putting a smile on her face so that the coachman wouldn’t guess she was upset.

  Tabitha was already entering the townhouse, and the footman turned his gaze to her as if wondering what was taking her so long to climb the steps. A part of her was tempted to run back into the carriage an
d order the coachman to take her to the townhouse she’d grown up in.

  But she wasn’t a quitter. Ever since she was a child, she never gave up on something when she was duty-bound to perform a task. Evander had provided for her family. Now she had to follow through with her part of the arrangement, even if she didn’t particularly care for Tabitha at the moment.

  She closed her eyes and recalled what her brother had often told her, “One thing I admire most about you is that you get the task done.” He’d first said that when they were children, and she had been the first of the two of them to learn how to ride a horse while it jumped a fence. He had been too afraid to go through with it. She’d pushed past her fears and had accomplished the goal.

  “You can do this, too,” she imagined him whispering to her right now. “I believe in you, Viola.”

  She opened her eyes and released her breath. She promised Evander she would tell him how the evening went, and she’d promised she would visit him tonight. She glanced at her gloved hand, recalling the feel of his lips as they pressed against her skin.

  Her gaze went to the attic window, and she thought she saw a movement in it. She focused on it, but after a few seconds, she decided she’d imagined it.

  She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders back. Focusing on the steps ahead, she proceeded to the townhouse. If Oliver was here, he’d have such confidence in her that she wouldn’t doubt herself. She wished she could acquire some of that confidence now. All she could do was pretend he was beside her to cheer her on.

  When she entered the townhouse, the butler approached her. “Is there anything you need?”

  “No, I don’t need anything.” Except for her brother back, but there was no one who could make that happen. And if he was still alive, she wouldn’t be standing here right now. She wasn’t sure what would have happened when she found out about his financial position, but it would have involved her brother doing something to turn things around instead of her.

  The footman shut the door, and the butler wished her a good evening before the two headed down the hallway.

  She stood in the dimly-lit entryway for a minute, just taking in the atmosphere of the place. Once more, the heavy feeling in the place seemed to be descending on her. If she wasn’t careful, it would seep into her. There was no denying that the occupants in this place weren’t happy. They were all living under a blanket of fear. Except for the butler. He might be the only one unaffected by it.

  She was having trouble resisting it, and she knew it was because Tabitha had reminded her of all the things she’d never have. In this place, it was too easy to dwell on all the things that could have been but never were.

  She must not give into that temptation. She had to focus on what she had. She might not have Oliver. She might not have a real marriage. She might never have children of her own. But her aunt and sisters were still alive, and they were financially secure. She had a purpose. Even if Tabitha didn’t like her, she had to do her part to see that Tabitha married, just as she’d promised Evander.

  She went to the drawing room, which was also dimly lit, but she didn’t see Tabitha. She checked the den, and Tabitha wasn’t there, either. If she had to guess, Tabitha was already in her bedchamber. She didn’t know what she would have said to Tabitha if she had seen her, so it was just as well that Tabitha had already retired for the night.

  Since there was enough candlelight at the bottom of the staircase, she opted not to take a candle with her before she ascended them. She reached the top of the stairs and went to her bedchamber. Her bedchamber was dark when she entered it. She sighed. The maid wasn’t only too afraid to help her get ready for bed and dress for the day, but she was also too afraid to bring a candle up here for her? If she had known this, she would have grabbed one of the candles from downstairs and brought it with her.

  Thankfully, the moonlight coming in through the window allowed her enough light to see where her dresser was. She set her reticle and hat on it. Then she took off her gloves and set them down. As much as she wanted to slip into bed and put this evening behind her, she couldn’t. She had given her word to Evander. She had to let him know how the evening went.

  She left her bedchamber and took the stairs up to the next floor. It didn’t occur to her how dark this townhouse was at night until now. Shadows crept along the walls from what little moonlight was able to make its way through the windows, and there wasn’t a candle lit anywhere. She paused halfway to the door that led to the attic. Maybe she should go back and get a candle. She turned, ready to go back down the stairs when she thought she saw someone hunched down in the shadows of the hallway.

  “Who’s there?” she called out.

  No one answered.

  She held her breath and gripped her gown. She didn’t think anyone had followed her when she left the bedchamber. She hadn’t heard any footsteps. Certainly, she would have noticed footsteps since the floorboards creaked when she walked on them.

  The curse isn’t real. It’s a bunch of nonsense. And besides, the curse isn’t about the house. It’s only about Evander. All I have to do is avoid looking at his face.

  Strengthened by the reminder, she went down the hall to get a better look into the shadows. After a moment, she realized she was staring at a small table with a vase of flowers on it. She released her breath. No one was there. She was alone.

  She might have laughed, except some of the adrenaline was still rushing through her. She never should have come up here so late at night. She should have told Evander she’d see him in the morning. It was only her moment of weakness that compelled her to make the promise. She’d wanted so much to be with him again.

  She turned around and headed for the door. She told herself there was nothing to fear. She was alone. There was no one else up here with her except for Evander, and he was in the attic. Though she repeated this to herself, she couldn’t help but feel as if someone was watching her. It was her imagination. She knew it was her imagination. And yet, there wasn’t anything she could seem to do to squash the sensation.

  Then something creaked, and she couldn’t tell where the noise came from. She glanced back again. Once more, her gaze went to the table with the vase in the shadows. It was just a table and vase with flowers in it. She knew this. She’d seen it. But for some reason, she couldn’t make herself see the table, vase, and flowers a second time. This time, she could only see the shape of a person huddled in the hallway.

  Without thinking, she fled to the door that led to the attic. She threw it open. At once, she was assaulted by complete darkness. She stopped.

  It was just another staircase. She’d gone up this before. At the end was the attic, and Evander was on the other side of the door. She didn’t want to go up there. Not this late at night. Not when it was so dark and shadows were creeping in all around her. Not when her heart was racing so hard she wondered if it would leap right out of her chest.

  And to think she had to come back down here tonight.

  She grasped the knob of the door and glanced behind her. If she ran back to her bedchamber, Evander would understand. She’d explain that she’d gotten spooked. It happened to everyone at some point. There were moments when a person couldn’t hold onto reason no matter how hard they tried.

  She thought she saw a movement from the corner of her eye, and letting out a light shriek, she ran into the stairwell and slammed the door behind her. Then, without missing a beat, she ran up the stairs and pounded on the door.

  “It’s Viola,” she called out. She knew there was a series of knocks she was supposed to do, but she couldn’t remember how many taps to do. She pounded on the door again. “Evander?”

  The door opened, and a warm hand took her by the arm.

  Relieved, she closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “What happened? Did someone try to hurt you?” Evander asked, and she felt him lean toward the doorway so he could look down the stairs, though even she knew there was no way
he could make anything out in the darkness.

  “No, no one’s there. It was my imagination. There are so many shadows in the hall, and it’s night. I tried not to let my imagination run wild, but it did.”

  He shut the door and embraced her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think of how things are down there at night. I’m so used to the dark that it no longer has any power over me.”

  “How can you get used to this?” She could never get used to being in a place like this. She couldn’t see anything. Even if the shadows had scared her, at least she could see something.

  “It was hard at first, but after a while, it becomes a part of you.”

  It does? “How many years have you been living like this?”

  “Since my second wife died nine years ago.”

  Nine years? He’d been living like this for nine years? “I don’t understand. Why would you do this when you weren’t married?” If he believed the curse only hurt his wives, then why would he confine himself to this prison while he wasn’t married?

  The idea of the curse had too strong of a hold on him. It’d become too pervasive over the years. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the darkness did have power over him. He wouldn’t have hidden in an attic for nine years if it didn’t. He might not be imagining people hiding in shadows or someone creeping up on him as he climbed a staircase, but he was frightened of something that didn’t exist.

  “I know marrying me was a sacrifice you made,” he whispered. “I’m indebted to you, and it’s a debt I can never pay off.”

  He settled his head on top of hers, and at once, she felt all of her fears give way to comfort. She was safe. Yes, she knew she’d been safe the entire time. There hadn’t been anyone watching her. No one had been following her. But now she felt safe. Though it was unnecessary to close her eyes, she did, and she relaxed against him.

  After a moment, he cupped the side of her face with his hand, tilted her head back, and kissed her cheek. His lips were warm, and his jaw was smooth. She didn’t know why she hadn’t noticed that he didn’t have facial hair when he had kissed her hand, but she noticed it now. He never left the attic, and yet he shaved.