Wendy Soliman by Duty's Destiny

minutes later.
    “You have had a difficult day, my dear. I just wish I were strong enough to give you more assistance.”
    “Oh, Aunt Serena!” Saskia was appalled. She was responsible for reducing her aunt to this sorry state of affairs, but she felt the need to apologise to her. She was too good! “I can manage perfectly well, Aunt. Pray, don’t make yourself uneasy on my account.”
    “As you managed the logs today?”
    “You know about that?”
    “The twins.”
    Saskia rolled her eyes. “Ah, of course.”
    “It was very kind of Mr. Beaumont, Saskia.”
    “I expressed my thanks.”
    “I have no doubt that you did.”
    Aunt Serena smiled but said nothing more. She had a disconcerting habit of knowing when silence would serve her purpose more eloquently than words. Never had she put the trait to better use, and Saskia felt herself blushing under the older lady’s close scrutiny.
    “You like Mr. Beaumont, do you not, Aunt?” It was a statement as much as a question, one which was answered in the affirmative without the slightest hesitation.
    “Very much.”
    “Do you think that’s wise? I mean, we know so little about him. He makes me uneasy, although I admit that I’d be hard-pressed to say why. But there’s something about him. He’d be a dangerous foe, I think.”
    “He’s handsome enough for that not to matter,” Aunt Serena said, chuckling.
    Saskia sighed, too tired to pretend. “Yes,” she said, smiling “he’s very handsome.”
    “But not handsome enough to partner you in a dance?”
    So that was what this was about. Fiery anger coursed through her. How dare he enlist her aunt to further his cause?
    “He frightens me, Aunt,” she said, avoiding a direct reply.
    “Is it Mr. Beaumont that frightens you, Saskia, or are you afraid of your own feelings?”
    “Aunt Serena, what a thing to suggest!”
    “Or perhaps it’s the thought of being observed in Burton Bradstock that’s unsettling you?” Without waiting for an answer, Aunt Serena continued to speak her mind. “I worry about you, my love. You work much too hard, you’re far too thin, you spend all your time worrying about the twins, about our future in this house, and…oh, about everything. You’re still young, but never find time for yourself.”
    “I’m perfectly content.”
    “Saskia, Mr. Beaumont is a gentleman. You’ll come to no harm with him, and I have his assurance that he’ll not let anyone connected to your father anywhere near you.”
    “You’ve discussed my father with him?” Saskia’s question was expressed sharply. She couldn’t comprehend her aunt’s incaution, and was furious at her lack of discretion.
    “Only in the most abstract way. I could hardly discuss specifics with him, for you’ve never enlightened me as to the reason for your estrangement from your father. Mr. Beaumont merely wishes to take you to a ball, and it would give me the greatest possible pleasure to see you accept his invitation.”
    The anger drained out of Saskia as quickly as it arrived. Not once in six years had Aunt Serena attempted to persuade her to do anything she’d prefer not to. So how, in all conscience, could she deny this simple request now? Dancing! It was an age since she’d graced the floor, but she’d once adored to dance. But with Mr. Beaumont? She shivered, anticipating the moment when his strong hands would lay claim to her body in a manner that made her feel inexplicably weak at the knees. She could already imagine the envy on the faces of the other ladies, for Felix Beaumont was most assuredly a cut above the type of gentleman who attended such parochial assemblies.
    No one had ever unsettled her before in quite the way he was able to manage. She heartily wished she’d never set eyes upon him. She wished even more that she’d gone with her instincts and told him there were no rooms available.
    “Yes, Aunt, you’re right, I suppose. I would accept Mr. Beaumont’s invitation, if you wish me to, but it