“Your Grace,” Prim curtsied.
“There, propriety kept. Now, from now on, you will call me Abigail.”
“I am happy to meet you, Abigail. I am Prim.”
“Sugar? Milk?”
“A splash, thank you.”
They drank their tea, and Prim looked at the gardens.
“You must be wondering why I invited you,” Abigail said.
“These days, it all boils down to one thing,” Prim sighed.
“The sheet,” Abigail said softly. “It is actually the reason I invited you.”
Prim held the cup with such force, she was afraid she might snap it.
“How are you?”
Prim looked at the Duchess as if she were a rare creature. She was. Ever since that sheet circulated, there hasn’t been one person to ask her that simple question. Not even her sisters, who assumed that she would be fine as always, shouldering the burden without complaint.
“I am not sure.”
“I understand,” Abigail said. “Not long ago, I was in the same position.”
Prim had a hard time believing that the Duchess would ever come this close to ruin.
“It is a very long story. But I know how it is to have the ton watching at the worst moment for their amusement. And still, I survived.”
“I would call that thriving, but that is just me.”
“I am thriving. But before that,” Abigail thoughtfully, “I wasn’t sure even about my survival.”
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“I am sorry this happened to you.”
“You believe me then?” Prim asked, hopefully.
“I do. First, if you look decent and sincere. Then, even if you were the witch you are described to be, you would have chosen someone less… everything rather than Leo.”
“Someone said it!”
They talked and laughed for a while, Prim’s heart settling, her mind off the opera. Abigail did everything to make her feel comfortable, and Prim felt at ease for the first time in a while.
“I am told you have twin sisters.”
“Camilla and Myrtle. They debuted this season.”
“This must be difficult for them. People do things without regard for people’s lives.”
Prim came almost to tears. Abigail’s voice and understanding were the blanket she needed in this dire situation. From the moment she debuted, she had this knot, the muscles on her back constantly coiled.
But here she was, this radiant stranger who said the things she needed to hear. Simple things, compassionate things. Prim looked down at her tea, swallowing the tears that came over her.
“I have been there. And I was alone, too. I am determined not to allow this to be the case for you as well.”
