VIVIENNE LOOKED AT the two gentlemen dressed in identical black tailcoats and breeches. The only difference really was in the colour of the breeches. The one who has spoken first wore a tanner colour while his companion sported a black one. She watched as the second gentleman also leaped off his horse, while taking off his top hat to reveal a shining mop of blond hair.

It was the blond-haired gentleman who spoke, his voice a dark and rumble contrast to his light looks. "Of course, he missed us Headfort, look how miserable he looks."

His companion the red head, whom she assumed was Headfort, smiled wide. "I reckon the air is much better with the two of us here now."

Vivienne continued staring with rapt interest, as James sighed and rubbed his temples while looking at the two gentlemen, "Bugger off. I don't remember inviting you over to my estate."

She let out a small cough at the surprise choice in the duke's words and three pairs of eyes swung towards her. Such casualness and familiarity was not something she had thought possible of the duke. She could see the curious gaze of the visitors lingering onto her, and Vivienne's skin warmed at the attention.

"Now," Headfort walked closer towards Vivienne, "who might this dashing lady be?"

Vivienne stopped herself from moving on Honeysuckle's back lest she fall and injure herself—again. Meanwhile, Headfort continued inspecting her, raising a hand to his chin to run his fingers through the invisible hair.

"The lady is none of your concern," James said tightly.

Her heart fell as she realized that the duke wouldn't be introducing her to what seemed to be his friends. She was his dark secret not to be seen until her debut in London. Vivienne wanted nothing more then to flee back to the manor away from their prying gaze, but she didn't know how to dismount. She gave James and equally tight smile to match the one he had bestowed on the gentlemen earlier, "Would you mind assisting me down from here?"

He didn't say anything as he simply held her from the waist, tugging her down from the mare in one fell swoop. Vivienne immediately took a step away from him to put distance between their bodies.

The blond-haired gentleman bowed, "Since James is being quite rude, I shall be the first to introduce myself. I am Viscount Berkeley."

The red-hair gentleman bowed as well, "and I'm Marquess Headfort,"

Vivienne curtsied, "Pleasure to meet you both. My name is Lady Vivienne."

"Are you visiting from one of the neighbouring estates?" Lord Berkeley asked her politely.

"No, His Grace has been kind enough to let me stay at his estate for a few weeks before I journey to London for the season," Vivienne explained, avoiding eye-contact with James as she did so.

Lord Headfort's eyes widened before he looked at the duke. "He's been that kind to you? Well, aren't I glad that we decided to make the journey to his estate because he seemingly forgot our annual invitation after meeting a beautiful lady?"

Vivienne skin pinked at the compliment. Nobody besides Agatha had called her beautiful.

"It is my estate in the end Henry. I was going to invite the two of you a little later on—"

"—But you got busy with the lady?"

The duke sighed, "No, there were other pressing matters for me to attend to."

"James, you do know that parliament hasn't opened yet right?" Lord Berkeley asked.

There was almost a growl from James, "Yes, I do know that. I don't need to be telling you everything that goes on at my estate."

"Like housing a beautiful lady for a few weeks?" Lord Headfort grinned towards Vivienne, and she blushed under his playful gaze. "I do hope you brought a chaperone Lady Vivienne. The duke can be quite charming when he wishes to be so."

Before Vivienne could respond, the duke did so for her. "Well, the two of you will be pleased to know that my great-aunt Esme is in residence, and she is serving as Lady Vivienne's chaperone for her trip."

She watched curiously as the gentlemen's grins slipped off. She couldn't quite blame them for being weary around the dowager countess. A couple of stable boys came forward and James motioned to the three horses, "Return the horses to the stables. Make sure they are fed before dark."

The boys bowed before taking away the two gentlemen's horses but also Honeysuckle. She felt a pang of sadness at watching the animal leave. She really liked the mare. Riding was such a different experience then she had imagined. While it was terrifying at first, it was also exhilarating. What she would give to have her hair free of its bonnet, rustling through the winds as she galloped through the countryside.

"Now that matter has been handled, shall we go inside gentlemen?" James pointed towards his friends.

"It was seeming more like the bloody day—"

"Language," James said sharply glancing back at her.

Vivienne didn't say anything as Lord Headfort gave her an apologetic smile before he continued. "—of us going inside your estate would never come."

"Henry," the duke sighed, "sometimes your acting skills are so great that I believe you should perform in the theatre for all of us."

Vivienne missed Lord Headfort's response as the two of them continued bickering. Meanwhile, it was Lord Berkeley who approached her. "May I escort you inside, Lady Vivienne?"

His eyes were kind and Vivienne gave a small nod and gently placed a hand on the elbow he offered. A gentleman except James had never escorted her before, and she felt quite special, even if the movement felt unnatural and a bit uncomfortable if she was being truly honest. Up ahead, she watched in horror as Lord Headfort rubbed his knuckles in the duke's hair. Expecting him to retaliate, she was surprised when all the duke did was slap his hand away.

Curiosity got the better of her and she turned to her companion, "Are they always like this?"

"Hmm, you mean James and Henry?"

Vivienne nodded, assuming that Henry was Lord Headfort's Christian name.

A small smile made its way onto Lord Berkeley's face. "Yes, Henry seems to have a passion for antagonizing James. The duke doesn't make it easier by reacting exactly how Henry wants instead of ignoring him."

"The duke is normally very calm and collected. I can't believe he would fall for something that simple."

Lord Berkeley gave her a gentle smile, "Do you have any siblings?"

Vivienne shook her head; she did believe that she was an only child. Maybe things had changed, maybe her father might have married, and she would have stepsiblings if she ever found him.

"Ah, it might be harder to explain then. Siblings have a way of getting under each others skin like nobody else in the world. Although James and Henry aren't related by blood, the bond still mimics that of true brothers."

Vivienne hadn't realized the duke had such close friends. At her time in the estate, there had been no visits from anyone else, seeing two friends who James held in such a high regard was truly astonishing.

"Are you both going to come in or continue walking at a snail's pace?"

Vivienne looked up to see both Lord Headfort's and the duke's attention was on the two of them.

Lord Berkeley responded, "We shall walk at the pace we choose too."

Nevertheless, Vivienne began walking faster and they entered through the door. Martin, if looking surprised at the extra house guests didn't say anything.

"Shall we go to your study and have a drink?" Lord Berkeley suggested as he handed his coat to the butler.

James nodded but his gaze drifted back to Vivienne. Realizing that she was getting in their way, she curtsied once. "My lords, Your Grace, I shall see you at dinner."

She didn't look back once, even though she felt three pairs of eyes boring into her back.

***

James entered his study before pulling the door back for Headfort and Berkeley. He shut the door with a soft click before pouring out three glasses of brandy. He passed a glass to his friends before taking the third for himself and settled into his armchair.

He leaned back to peer at the two of them, "Make yourself at home," he said sarcastically, knowing well enough that they had already done so.

Both lords ignored his jib before settling into the chairs across from him.

"What made you lot come to visit me?"

It was Headfort who spoke first, tossing down his brandy in one fell swoop. He shrugged his shoulder, "I was getting bored in the country?"

James turned his gaze to Berkeley, "and what excuses do you have?"

Calmly, Berkeley set down his drink and the contrasting behaviour between the two Lords did not go unnoticed by James. Berkeley had always been more level-headed than Headfort who was always chasing some form of excitement, be it women or cards.

"Henry asked, and so I came. We didn't know you had a guest over," the last words were said in a curious manner and James braced himself for the onslaught of questions he was set to receive.

Headfort gave him a devilish grin that matched his red hair, "Do tell me James, what exactly is such a pretty wallflower doing in your big empty manor?"

James was irked at the fact that Headfort called Vivienne pretty, but he also knew that his friend showered every woman he interacted with compliments. Ignoring the annoyance, he pondered on how much he should say to his friends. In the end, he decided to keep with the basics. "She needed a place to stay so I offered. My great-aunt has taken Lady Vivienne under her wing and she will come out in the current season."

Both his friends looked at him suspiciously, "The lady isn't the reason as to why we weren't invited this to your estate this year, is she?" Berkeley asked.

James didn't say it out loud because that had been part of the reason. He knew that Vivienne didn't feel comfortable around people, and she was already skittish. He didn't want her to feel as though she needed to hide especially because she was still learning the finer rules of aristocracy. Although he knew his friends wouldn't have said anything, Vivienne would be ashamed, and he didn't want her to every feel like that.

"No, she isn't. I've gotten quite a lot of alarming news lately, starting with the fact that I am betrothed."

Headfort spit his brandy and James narrowly avoided it swerving to the right, "Henry! Watch where you are spitting."

"You are jesting with us," Henry said, narrowing his eyes towards him.

Sighing, he pulled the drawer and removed the paper before passing it to Berkeley, and the pair began reading silently.

When they were done, Berkeley slid back the paper towards James. "Why have I never heard of Lady Selina?"

"This is where the story gets more interesting. She was the daughter of the previous Earl of Westmorland but went missing quite a number of years ago."

Headfort was uncharacteristically quiet, "Did the father have something to do with her disappearance?"

James momentarily paled, before shaking his head. "No, the Earl was a close friend of my father's and they both passed away in the same carriage incident."

He didn't think the previous earl would have harmed his own daughter.

"Have you tried the Home Office?"

"I'm going to as soon as I reach London. I've hired a Bow Street runner as well," James admitted.

"Any luck?" Berkeley asked.

James shook his head. The mood in the room had turned somber now making James wished he had never opened his mouth in the first place.

"This just doesn't make sense." Berkeley said quietly. "From what you've told us, the previous duke was a level-headed man who would never rush in something like this for you."

James leaned back into his chair and looked at the ceiling before sighing. "Welcome to the fucking club my friend."

***

Vivienne's hands hovered over the bottle she had sealed tightly nearly a week ago. She had followed the instruction listed in the book to produce a jasmine and honey scented fragrance but had yet to use it. Vivienne had been saving it for a special occasion, but she wanted to try it out tonight, while they actually had guests in the manor. Applying a little bit to the nape of her ear and wrists, she breathed in the scent.

A wave of calmness filled her.

Vivienne brushed her fingers down her gown—she had selected a finer dinner dress than usual because she knew that tonight was going to be different. She still did not know what to expect though. Looking at her figure once more in the looking glass, she brushed her hair away from her ears. They felt naked since she had no jewelry except for the emerald necklace at her throat, but she ignored that fact and pulled open the door as the clock chimed to the hour.

Once she arrived in the dining hall, she was surprised to see that all three gentlemen were already there, dressed in stunning evening coats and crisp cravats. They stood as she entered, and her eyes wandered over to James, seeing that his valet had chosen a golden-brown colour that went well with his eyes.

Berkeley, the ever polite one bowed first, "Lady Vivienne."

She curtsied as the other gentlemen bowed in suit. Vivienne walked towards the table, hesitating for a moment. She usually sat on the right of James, but it seemed tonight both the seats closest to the duke were occupied by his friends.

Noticing her hesitation, Lord Berkeley pulled the chair beside him, "please join us."

Vivienne smiled softly before settling into the new chair. The gentlemen were just about to be seated when Lady Torrington arrived in a formidable mauve coloured gown. If she looked surprised by the guests, she didn't say so, "Please, don't stand on my account gentlemen."

"And then receive a lecture afterwards?" James quipped, "I don't think so."

Lady Torrington's lips curved upward slightly as she took the seat beside Headfort.

"Lady Torrington I'm glad you were able to join us."

The dowager countess hmphed, "I'm surprised you took enough time to stop chasing skirts in order to arrive at the manor, Headfort."

Both the duke and Lord Berkeley nearly coughed out their drinks while Vivienne watched in amazement as Lord Headfort's skin nearly turned as bright as his hair.

He replied swiftly enough though, "Lady Torrington, you do know how to throw a dagger at a man's heart, don't you?"

"I supposed I do."

"Ahh, but your old age has you missing more often than not."

This time, it was Vivienne who nearly choked on her drink. Lord Berkeley passed over a napkin which she used to wipe the droplets that clung around her mouth.

"Boy, watch your tongue or I'll reveal secrets that even your own heart is unaware of."

Lord Headfort opened his mouth, but James cut in this time, "Henry," he warned.

Both friends exchanged a look, and the first course came in at the exact moment, preventing the lord from opening his mouth. They all ate in silence for a bit before Lord Berkeley's eyes turned to hers. "I must admit, I am curious as to how you ended up at Lennox's manor."

Lady Torrington's spoon slowed down as it was making its way to her face, but she didn't give any other sign that an inappropriate question had been asked. Vivienne swallowed the soup slowly, before answering. "I returned from America after a couple of years and Lady Torrington decided to introduce me to society, she thought it might be better for me to have some time to myself in the country before heading to London."

She took another sip so she wouldn't have to say anything else. This was the first time she had told the fabricated story the three of them had created and she knew she needed to repeat the same tale from now on to prevent anyone else from catching on.

"I've never been to America, how was it?"

"Different," Vivienne said tightly. "They say it's the land of opportunities, but I much rather prefer England."

"Speaking of opportunities," Lady Torrington cut in, "I think it would be splendid to host a house party here in the next few days."

"Aunt Esme, I already told you I didn't want to deal with the headache."

Lady Torrington was not to be deterred though. "Well, now that your friends have arrived, I do suppose they can help lessen the burden of a house party that gentlemen face."

Lord Headfort shook his head, but a smile was on his face. He as well as everyone else in the room knew that gentlemen only had to arrive at parties, and it was the ladies who took care of everything else.

"We would be delighted to offer you assistance in anyway," Lord Berkeley said graciously as the duke glared at him.

"The manor has been empty for years James. It deserves visitors besides Viscount Berkeley and Marquess Headfort." Lady Torrington said in a matter-of-fact tone. "A party will be good for all of us, the gentlemen can go hunting while other activities can be set for the ladies."

James sighed while rubbing his temples, "Fine, I concede. However, I will not be involved with anything to do with the party other than the hunt."

Lady Torrington answering smile was not reassuring at all.

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What are our thoughts on the charming new lords? The little battle between Aunt Esme and Henry?