a point of looking precisely as the daughter of a duke should and had since childhood—in dress, grooming, and demeanor. What Elizabeth saw now, however, was how colorless she was. Pale skin, pale hair. Pastel dress. Other than the red marks on her arms, she was utterly pale. Colorless. Invisible. Ironic, really, to be the daughter of a duke and feel invisible. But it was often how she felt, so it came as no great surprise to her that she felt that way now. She actually preferred it.
She found a spencer in the wardrobe that matched her dress well enough and would cover the welts on her arms. She put it on and checked her appearance once more. It was time to join the fete already in progress outside, the celebration organized for all the villagers to herald the return of Captain Lord Anthony Hargreaves, Earl of Halford, presumed dead not long after the death of his brother. The man her parents now expected to step into the marital breach left by the death of his elder brother, Alexander, despite the fact that Elizabeth had observed that Lord Halford was developing an attachment for Lady Ashworth’s companion, Amelia Clarke, and that Miss Clarke seemed to reciprocate.
And yet, if she was to obey Papa, marriage to Lord Hargreaves was what she was supposed to do. She loathed the idea—presenting herself once again as a marriage commodity to be had by another Ashworth son. She had done it once, innocent, naive girl that she’d been, and had no wish to do it again. She rubbed her arm—Papa could be a bully at times, but this had been worse than usual. Alarmingly so.
She heaved a sigh and left the room. Duty called.
There were events one experienced that ultimately changed the course of one’s life, she reflected as she walked down the corridor. She had faced enough of these events in her own life to know this to be an absolute truth.
The first event had occurred when, at but ten years of age, she had received her parents’ summons to her father’s study.
“Elizabeth,” Papa had said in that commanding voice of his that had always set her to trembling. “You are old enough now to know that you are intended for marriage to Lord Alexander Hargreaves, the Earl of Halford, son of the Marquess of Ashworth. It is necessary for you to know this and to govern yourself accordingly. It is your duty as my daughter.”
Mama had nodded in agreement.
And so, from the age of ten, Elizabeth had diligently worked to behave in all respects as the daughter of a duke and wife of an earl and future marquess. She’d practiced walking, sitting, and standing with a book atop her head. She’d practiced serving tea and drinking tea and taking tiny bites of food so as to not get crumbs on her lips. She’d practiced the harp and needlework and sketching. She’d trained her voice to use only the most refined tones.
She’d done everything she could to please her father and her mother.
The next life-changing event had occurred on Elizabeth’s fifteenth birthday. Lord Halford had been invited as a special guest to the celebration being held in Elizabeth’s honor at their London home. Lord Halford, with his raven-colored hair and twinkling, mischievous blue eyes and a wit to match, had been the stuff of a young girl’s dreams.
She had hardly been able to wait to be old enough to marry him.
Except that when she’d reached marriageable age, Lord Halford had been stubbornly unwilling to set an actual marriage date. The pressure he’d received from both sets of parents had not done the trick, and Elizabeth had chosen not to force the matter. She had wanted him to see her as his ally, not his gaoler—not if the two of them were to have any sort of marital harmony. Besides, he had always treated her kindly and even affectionately, and she had adored him and had wanted to see him happy.
And so, a Season had gone by and then another and then another. Elizabeth had ignored the looks of pity and derision she’d gotten from young ladies who had made their come-outs after she herself had and had managed to marry with very little effort. She had remained steadfast in her devotion to Lord Halford and completely obedient to the expectations of her parents.
The third life event had occurred on what had promised to be a sunny August day during her fourth Season. At the