Harriet muttered something under her breath, before turning her face away.
“You must speak clearly. I do not see what you are trying to say here…” Frances furrowed her brow.
Harriet had a habit of being blunt, and she was not one to keep her opinions to herself. It was something that landed her in hot waters often with their mother. But between the sisters, Harriet had always spoken freely.
“I just do not want to say something that would upset you,” Harriet sighed and went to sit down on the sofa.
“Since when have you been so considerate of that?” Frances asked, surprised.
Her sister was mincing her words in front of her. It was a rare sight, and it only made Frances more curious to know what was going on in the mind of the youngest Cooper daughter.
“I just…” Harriet hesitated. “Well, the wedding itself was quite a whirlwind, and I never got a chance to process my feelings about it. But now that some time has passed, I have been thinking that you took a gamble marrying a complete stranger. I did not expect you to do that, ever, is all.”
Frances felt herself grow defensive, but before she could answer, Esther came to her rescue.
“Christopher is not a complete stranger, Harriet. He’s Philip’s friend and a good man.”
Harriet did not look convinced. “Sure, he is not astrangerin the strictest sense of the word. But I know Frances. Do you remember when we would play with our dolls, and Frances always had the girl doll fall in love? I thought that was something she wanted to experience, as well.”
“Well, have you married for love, Frances?” Now Esther was curious, too. “I suppose I never got the chance to ask you that. I know Christopher has always been firmly against arranged marriage, so he be fond of you.”
Frances felt that she was being put on the spot with her sisters’ questioning. It came from the right place, sure. But there was a lot that she did not have an answer to yet.
Love.
The idea was lovely. Inviting, even. But Frances knew that their marriage had nothing to do with it.
She folded her hands in her lap. “Well, I made my decision for the children’s sake. Ernest and Edwin need someone who cares about them, and I believe I can be that person. They are more important than anything else right now.”
“But is that not unfair to you?” Harriet pressed. “I am sorry, I do not mean to overstep, but you have always spoken so highly about love. I just wish that you have it in your life, in abundance.”
“The children seem to love me.” Frances smiled, and then added under her breath, “Or so I hope.”
Harriet looked like she was about to protest, but Esther gently stopped her.
“Look at her, Harriet,” Esther said softly. “She has that same look I had when I found my own family. Frances has found her place, even if it’s not the traditional love story.”
Frances smiled gratefully at her older sister. “That is precisely it. I wish I could answer all of your questions right now, but truthfully, even I am navigating these new terrains.”
She did not mention anything about the deal she had with Christopher. Surely, that would make her sisters worry too much.
Harriet sighed, her concern still evident but tempered by Esther’s words. “I just want you to be happy, Frances. But I can see that you care deeply for those boys.”
“I do,” Frances replied firmly. “They’ve already been through so much. If I can provide them with any sense of stability and love, then that’s what I’ll do.”
The sisters settled into easier topics of conversation, and Frances felt a wave of relief wash over her that her love life was not the main topic of conversation anymore.
“How are Mother and Father?” she asked.
Harriet rolled her eyes. “Oh, they’ll visit you soon enough, I am sure. You know Mother will never waste a single opportunity for atête-à-têteat a duke’s estate. Wouldn’t you agree, Esther?”
Esther laughed but then shushed her sister nonetheless. “Do not talk about Mother like that.”
“I am only telling you what is true.” Harriet shrugged her shoulders, “Though, at the moment, she is quite busy trying to find a suitable husband for me. You know she likes to waste no time in these matters.”
“How is the search going?” Frances asked, feeling a mix of curiosity and concern.
“By Mother’s standards, truly awful. It is like no one is good enough for her. I blame both of you for setting the bar so high by marrying dukes.”
