“How did this happen?” The Duchess flailed her arms at her children. “I had all but extracted an agreement out of him for a betrothal, and then somehow, he leaves my Midsummer Ball engaged to Lady Eugenia Calthorpe.”
The Duchess wagged her finger at Catherine furiously.
“I am trying to ensure a good future for you with an acceptable suitor—”
“Acceptable for who, Mother? For me, or for you?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Catherine, be sensible!”
“I don’t want to be sensible. I want a love match, and Lord D’Asti certainly wasn’t that.”
“You didn’t seem to hate him.”
“No, I did not hate him, I will grant you that. I’m sure he would make a perfectly pleasant friend, but nothing more. I could not love him, could not marry him, could not bear the thought of trying to have children with him. He is betrothed to someone else, so I really don’t see the point in pursuing this conversation any further.”
“I simply wish to know how his betrothal to Lady Eugenia transpired, as it most certainly must have happened at my Ball, or shortly thereafter.” The Duchess sat up in bed, her eyes narrowing and her expression going uncomfortably feline. “Lady Eugenia arrived with Lady Seabury, did she not?”
Catherine pressed her lips together, reluctant to answer her mother, unsure of where the conversation was going, but fairly certain she wasn’t going to like it. Gabriel gave his head a small shake, as if to say that it was useless not to answer, and their mother sat up a little straighter.
“Answer me, Catherine.”
“Yes, Mama. Lady Eugenia arrived with Lady Seabury.”
The Duchess threw back her covers, throwing the bulk of them onto Gabriel as she did, and slipped her feet into her slippers so that she could pace around the room, trying to bleed off some of the frenetic energy which gripped her body. She was like a bloodhound on a scent, now.
“I made certain that Lady Seabury could hear me announce that I expected Lord D’Asti to propose to you at the Ball.” The Duchess crossed her arms and scowled, her expression darkening.
Catherine winced. “Mama, please—”
“I thought she would be clever enough to recognise a boundary when she heard one, and I thought perhaps she would encourage Lady Eugenia to reduce her hopes and focus her marital designs elsewhere, but clearly I was mistaken.” The Duchess was fuming now. “Lady Eugenia was shy and would not have proceeded at all without Lady Seabury’s guidance and encouragement. This is her fault.”
Raphe cleared his throat. “From what I’ve heard at my club, D’Asti and Lady Eugenia are a love match, Mother. I do not think Lady Seabury’s interference was truly as significant as you believe it to have been.”
“No.” The Duchess crossed her arms and went preternaturally still, her eyes hard and glittering with fury. “It is my job to secure the futures of my children and see to it that all of you live well and safely, in the kind of comfort and with the kind of connections that your father and I would wish for you to have. Lady Seabury actively worked to see Lord D’Asti and Lady Eugenia Calthorpe matched, which means that she actively worked to interfere with my plans to see Lord D’Asti betrothed to Catherine, which means that Lady Seabury has crossed me. She and all her connections must henceforth be strangers to us.”
“Mama, you cannot mean that!” This outburst, surprisingly, came from Raphe, who was usually the most obedient and dutiful of all of the Stewart children. “The young lady whom you and Gabriel both championed so kindly and with such ferocity at the Midsummer Ball, the one Lady Camilla Fitzjames attacked so viciously about her weight, is Lady Seabury’s sister.”
The Duchess gave a haughty sniff but shook her head, and Raphe could see by the hard set of her mouth that he was not going to like what she was about to say.
“As much as I enjoyed meeting the youngest Miss Wingfield at the Midsummer Ball, it is unfortunate for her that she has such a meddlesome sister, for it is Lady Seabury’s meddling that has cost Miss Wingfield our company, our friendship, and even our notice. I shall not associate with Miss Eliza Wingfield any further, and neither shall any of you. All of Lady Seabury’s connections will feel the weight of my displeasure at her interference.”
“Mama, that is absolutely ridiculous!” Catherine balled her hands into tight fists at her sides and her face lost all its colour. “I cannot believe you are actually thinking of punishing Miss Wingfield for her sister’s actions when she likely had nothing to do with Lord D’Asti’s betrothal to Lady Eugenia. I would also like to remind you that I never wanted to be betrothed to Lord D’Asti in the first place.”
“Watch your tongue, Catherine. Is that any way to speak to your mother? I love you and only want the best for you, and this is the thanks I get?”
“If you truly want the best for me, why will you not allow me to choose my own husband?”
“Choose your own husband?” The Duchess snorted and shook her head. “Such things simply are not done. And how will Lady Seabury learn that it is best not to meddle with a mother who is trying to do what is best for her only daughter if I do not make it clear that she is an upstart and she has crossed a line?”
Gabriel cleared his throat and stood, leaning heavily on his cane, raising his free hand in a placating gesture.
“Really, Mother, none of this is Miss Wingfield’s fault, and I rather liked her. She was kind and honest and funny, not to mention quite easy to converse with. I agree with Raphe and Catherine. I do not think you should snub her for her sister’s mistakes when she could very well have had nothing to do with them at all.”
Raphe nodded vigorously, his heart racing with panic at the way this conversation was spiralling out of control. “Miss Wingfield is the furthest thing from meddlesome that I can imagine, Mama. Surely she is nothing like Lady Seabury. She didn’t even want to be noticed before we were introduced. I very much enjoyed our conversation, and dancing with her as well.”
The Duchess planted her hands on her hips and glared at all three of her children in turn.
“Let me tell you something, my dears. One bad apple can and will spoil the whole bunch, and solidarity is important in situations like these. If you want to send a message, you send that message as a unit, from one family to another. That is why we do not — and will not ever — associate with Lady Bitterwood and her tainted spawn, no matter how nice they may seem on the surface.”
