Of course, they would paint me as the villain. Well, I will see that this story is set straight.
“I have no idea what the papers say, only what the man told me.” Her mother sniffed noisily and put a hand on her chest. “He had a handprint on his face—a handprint! You slapped him so hard that he might lose a tooth.”
“Good, he deserves it.” Vivian shifted in her seat, flexing her fingers.
“Must you be so petty? The man has made mistakes, but no one deserves this. You are both married after all, so what need is there to bring up old grudges? Much less resort to physical violence. It is so uncouth.” Her mother shuddered.
Uncouth. That is her problem with this; it is uncouth. Vivian gaped at her, a wild urge to laugh tearing through her body.
“How could you believe that? I have no grudge against him; in fact, with every passing day, I am more grateful that he broke off our engagement. It has spared me a lifetime of pain and misery.”
“And yet you decided to accost him on the street?” Her mother crossed her ankles and gave Vivian a pitying look.
“He came tomyhouse.” Vivian gritted her teeth.
“And why would he do that?” Her mother arched an eyebrow at her as though humoring a child telling a particularly tall tale.
“To ask me to run away with him. To be his mistress or something of that sort. Apparently, he is convinced that we belong together.” Vivian rolled her eyes, the memory like a foul taste in her mouth.
Her mother shook her head. “That is a horrid lie.”
“It is the truth.”
“It is not. It cannot be. He has a beautiful wife of his own whom he loves dearly.” Her mother’s eyes drifted across Vivian, and she heard the hidden meaning in her words.
You are not as pretty as she is.
“He thinks she is ugly now that she is with child.” Vivian folded her arms across her chest. “He kept prattling on about it, so I slapped him.”
She smiled at the memory.
“And did you not stop to think what effect this might have on your father? On me? On our lives?” Her mother glared at her. “Of course not; you think only of yourself, as you always have done.”
“And why would I think of you when you have never once thought of me? You promised me to a man who is a spineless coward. He tried to abandon his pregnant wife simply becausehe was tired of the responsibility.” Vivian was on her feet, her voice echoing around the room.
Blood pounded in her ears, her rage even more potent than when she had slapped the Viscount. Her mother gasped, face reddening as she stood.
“How dare you say we have not thought of you? Have we not clothed you? Did we not ensure you were fed? That you had a roof over your head? What is it that you think we have denied you?” Her mother shook her head.
“Love, kindness.” Vivian thought of the way the Dowager Duchess had brushed her hair, the way Charlotte and Andrea had helped her find the perfect wedding dress. The way Thomas had welcomed her ideas, her thoughts. “All my life, you have treated me like an inconvenience. I have tied myself in knots trying to be the daughter you want, and nothing I have ever done has been good enough.”
“Goodness, Vivian, must you be so dramatic? You make it seem like we were villains in a fairy tale.” She rolled her eyes. “You are not the center of the universe, you know. Your father and I do not exist to dote on your every whim.”
“I do not expect to be the center of your universe, but I wanted to at least be a part of it!” Vivian shouted, anger getting the better of her.
“What are you talking about? We arranged a match for you the moment you were born. Notoncehave you had to worry about finding a suitable husband.” Her mother gestured around them.
“Except when that suitable husband left me for another woman,” Vivian retorted. “Is it really so difficult to believe that he is the kind of man who would shirk his duties as soon as he could? That he would pursue me? That perhaps he deserved the slaps he got?”
“Why would he, Vivian? It makes no sense.” Her mother’s words hit Vivian like a slap to the face. “Be reasonable; who would choose you?”
The words rang in her head, and Vivian shook. Her mother put a hand on her arm, mistaking her silence for compliance, for submission.
“You will apologize to the Viscount for your behavior and then we can put this unpleasantness behind us once and for all.” Her mother looked at her.
“I will do no such thing. The man tried to convince me to be his mistress, but even if he had not done that, it would not change the fact that he threw me over as soon as he could.” Vivian shook her head, wrenching free of her mother’s grasp. “He discarded me like I was little more than cheap perfume, threw away his agreement with you, dishonored your friendship, and yet still, you defend him at my expense.”
“Let us not be hyperbolic. It is so common. I simply wish for you to apologize to him, as a proper lady should.”
