Chapter 9 Mutual Friends Or Foes

This time she laughed lightly, her hand still over her mouth. "I suppose one does, for your sake." She leaned again on the railing, this time, putting up enough distance between them. "The view from up here is beautiful."She commented, he said nothing. After a while, "You are Carlisle." He looked to her. "On the hill, why did you say you were an only child?"

He looked away. "Because I am. "

"You mentioned both parents. You only have a Mother."

Nothing.

Maybe she had been rude. The silence that followed was at first unnerving and scary, but soon it brought comfort, as they listened to the music flowing in from the ballroom and the gay laughter of men and women. Beth closed her eyes and nodded her head slowly to the beat, enjoying it as much as she couldn't when she was in the ballroom. The breeze swayed the garden's trees again, but she was content enough to not care about anything.

He tapped the railing twice. "How is your wound?"

She opened her eyes. "What wound?"

"From this morning." She looked at him. He returned her gaze. "You were favouring your right leg for a while." He murmured.

"My bruised knee?" Instinctively, she touched her right knee over the dress. "It is all better now. It will get even better in the coming days. It is not the first time."

"And as it stands, I am very doubtful it would be the last."

She laughed while slowly nodding in agreement. And then she remembered. "Did you find the place you were to go?" He simply stared. Beth was starting to realize that he did that a lot. He did the same on their chanced meeting earlier on. "This morning, I mean, you said you had–"

"I know what you mean." He looked away.

She rubbed her palms together and furthered. "So did you?"

He thought for a while. "I'm not entirely sure yet."

"I see." Although she didn't. His vague answer was both disturbing and intriguing to Beth. The Duke of Carlisle sounded mysterious, and she was slowly becoming curious as to the sort of man he was. Was he trying to be enigmatic or did he really not know where he was headed?

"How is it that you don't know me?" His voice invaded her thoughts again. "Not to be boastful, but it is a surprise."

She took in his full form in one long look. "I know of you. I have heard of you." Then, "Are you well known because you are the Duke?"

"I am well known because my Mother hosts these sorts of balls regularly in hopes to see me wed. Now she stands to do so soonest. It won't be too long now, I suppose."

She tittered. "My family hopes to get me married to 'a wonderful gentleman'," she noted with her fingers in the air, "before the year ends. Or early enough next year. Who the gentleman in question is, I do not know yet." She shook her head at the thought of her family's desperation. "I'm simply glad for the few more months in the year." She paused. "But no matter how much time I have, I know deep down that I can't be free, not of marriage, or of their wishes at the very least." She did not wish to marry, they knew. She would not be able to evade them, she knew. Someday, she would be a wife and a mother.

"You are free right now." He noted.

She blinked slowly with a smile. "Not for long, I tell you." She took in the view again and exhaled sharply. "But you are right. This moment is good enough." The tempo of the music from the ballroom slowed down again. "I guess it is slow dancing again, glad to be out here." Beth gave the Duke an once-over again and said. "You are breaking the hearts of both your intended and many young debutantes as you stand out here half-hidden in the shadows conversing with me, when they could take turns dancing with you. You know everyone loves you greatly."

He waited. "Everyone loves my title, my position and my wealth. The debutantes and my intended only wish to dance with that." He searched through his pockets and produced a lighter and cigar. Lifting to his mouth and securing with his lips, he lighted the cigar and puffed into the open space, soon the clear air was filled with the rich, strong smell of the Duke's cigar. "Strip me of it and they all would flee." He continued.

That was a hopeless thought. Beth did not want to agree. "All of them?"

He puffed and expelled again. "My Mother would stay, as would my truest friend."

This time, she nodded. "That should be sufficient then." His truest friend? Wouldn't that be the King according to rumours? Again, wouldn't all Mothers stay? "I reckon all Mothers would stay."

"Not all would, Fair Lady. Not all Mothers would." He dragged another from the cigar while Beth could do nothing else but look at him. The Duke's thought process, she realized, was sad and painful. What had happened to him to sour his mind towards marriage and friends? She wasn't keen to the institution herself, but she thought her dislike better than the Duke's. She continued to watch him as he watched the rings of smoke from his mouth disappear. "You are staring."

Beth couldn't help herself. "You are pessimistic."

He took his time turning to her. "You are beautiful." She blushed and quickly covered her cheeks, surprised. Why was she blushing? "What is your name?"

Good gracious! She was with the Duke of Carlisle and she had forgotten to let herself known after his introductions. Quickly, she cleared her throat. "Forgive my manners, My Lord. Bethany Fitzgerald, daughter to Radclyffe and Victoria Fitzgerald." She bowed fully.

The Duke angled his head. "I don't think I know your Father."

She shook her head and waved. "We don't live here. My sister and I are visiting our Aunt and her family. We reside with my parents in Ireland."

"Hmm." He grunted. "I see."

She continued. "My Aunt is Marrily Gallagher and her husband, Fitzwilliam Gallagher."

"I know of them." He said nothing further.

There was nothing more to say in response. She clasped her hands and rubbed her palms together. Beth feared he would think her silence as a result of his position being a deterrent, she quickly asked to rid them of the silence. "Who is your intended?" Her eyes bulged. Why had she inquired so? Now he would think her nosy.

He dragged and expelled, the rich smell was starting to build. "Lady Harriet Cossington."

Her initial shock quickly became astonishment. "Lady Cossington?!"

He must have taken notice, for he turned to her immediately. "Do you know her?"

Beth shook her head and tried to gain an ounce of composure. "I...I know of her. Sister to Geoffrey Cossington, Viscount of Sorway." Her archenemy. She added in her head.

He continued to look at her. "You know the Viscount then."

"We had our parts cross once, a very long time ago." She rasped. "I know he is to be your brother-in-law, but please spare me tonight to not pretend to like him. If we are to meet ever again, I won't hesitate to act like I can tolerate his existence." She bowed.

"What is your grievance against him?"

"He is such an unpleasant man." She blunted out almost immediately. "I apologize."

He hesitated. "From what I hear, so is his sister. She is just as unpleasant as Cossington." From what he had heard? Had he never met her? "You hate the Viscount." He said, looking into her eyes.