She turns to Mother, who looks between the two of them for a long, painful moment. “When Lord Tisend began courting me, he told me that Captain Daniels had a... reputation, and I ought to stay away from him. As should you.”
Mother hesitates, looking to Aunt Genevieve, who sighs loudly. “He seduced me,” she says, and it comes out too loudly, echoing off the walls.
There’s a very uncomfortable silence.
“You were fifteen,” Mrs.Pine says, aghast.
Rosalie squirms. She hadn’t actually done the math. Catherine winces beside her.
“And very naïve,” Aunt Genevieve agrees. “George found out and tried to intimidate him into making me an... honest offer. But Captain Daniels was so wretched, he decided it wasn’t worth it. Instead, George paid him off to stay quiet, and whisked me up north so rumors couldn’t spread.”
“But Captain Daniels never left town,” Mother says. “And George couldn’t go around warning everyone he knew, because he’d—”
“He’d have had to explain how he knew,” Mrs.Pine deduces slowly. “Lady Jones, I am terribly sorry that happened to you.”
So that’s where Catherine gets her kind heart.
Aunt Genevieve waves her off. “I was fine. Silly, and young, and impressionable. A few years with my very strict cousin, and I bounced right back, met Walter, and everything worked out. No one told me that in the interim you suffered on my behalf.”
Mrs. Pine’s warm regard melts quickly away as she turns toMother. “You didn’t think to simplytellme this? Instead you told the whole ton I’d fallen to him too?”
Mother meets Mrs.Pine’s angry gaze, her face cracked, and hurting, and vulnerable in a way that makes Rosalie want to shrink against the wall. She knew it would be painful, but she didn’t know howmuchit would hurt to watch her mother live through this.
“George made me promise,” she says, her voice brittle.
“I wouldn’t have told anymore,” Mrs.Pine insists hotly. “I’d have taken that to the grave,” she adds, glancing at Aunt Genevieve.
“I know,” Mother whispers.
“Then why?” Mrs.Pine demands, her cheeks pink, hands fisted. “Why didn’t you trust me?”
“Because I was young, and silly, and in love with a man who said he knew best,” Mother exclaims. “I did what I was told.”
There’s a pregnant pause as those words settle over all of them. Rosalie wonders how many friendships have ended, how much hurt has been wrought, because women are meant to do as they’re told.
“I wasn’t as headstrong as either of our daughters, it seems, even if I thought I was,” Mother continues.
Rosalie glances at Catherine, who shoots her a tentative smile. The sick, twisted feeling in Rosalie’s stomach eases just a little.
“You never wrote to explain,” Mrs.Pine says. The tone of her voice breaks Rosalie’s heart. So much hurt and anger and sadness laced through each word.
“Would you have read a letter if I had?” Mother asks.
Mrs.Pine opens her mouth to snap out a retort, and then pauses. “I don’t know,” she admits.
“There was no apology I could make that would justify whatI did,” Mother says softly. “I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I did it anyway. I did it because I wanted to protect you, and I had no other way, not without breaking George’s trust, and jeopardizing Genevieve’s future.”
“I wouldn’t have told anyone,” Mrs.Pine repeats, almost plaintively.
“I know,” Mother says, reaching up to swipe at her cheek.
She’s crying. Rosalie hasn’t seen her mother cry in...
Catherine’s hand slips into hers, squeezing. Rosalie squeezes back, the two of them watching their mothers crack themselves open. It’s beautiful, and horrible, and she’s glad she’s not alone.
Aunt Genevieve glances at them, eyes falling to their hands. She opens her mouth—
“I am sorry I took the choice from you. That I forced your hand,” Mother says softly. “It was wrong. I had my reasons. I—God, I loved you both,” she continues, looking between Aunt Genevieve and Mrs.Pine. “There hasn’t been a day I didn’t regret how I went about protecting you.”
