Rosalie wonders whether Father has been paying any attention at all to their goings-on over the last month.
“Bad blood?” Christopher asks, giving Rosalie quite a look.
They had more pressing matters to discuss earlier.
Mother sighs and looks across at Christopher, her face softening. Sure, tellhimwhat happened. Forget that Rosalie’s been asking her for over a month. Mother will always give in to baby Christopher.
“When I was a young woman—”
“You’re still ayoungwoman,” Father cuts in.
Mother rolls her eyes, but it does soften her just a touch. “When I was in my first official season here, Mrs.Pine and I were friends.”
“The best of friends, actually,” Father says.
“Are you going to let me tell this story?” Mother asks.
Father puts up his hands, leaning back in his chair.
“We were dear friends, and then we started being courted by the same man—a Navy captain. And of course, we promised that we’d stay friends, whoever won him,” Mother explains.
Rosalie’s stomach clenches. She’d hate to think that allthis drama, all the hatred—an entirely lost dear friendship—happened over a man.
“Soon enough, I met your father, and well, you know there was never anyone else for me,” Mother continues, smiling over at Father, who blows a kiss back in return.
He may often be rather harsh with Christopher, but Rosalie’s never seen him be anything but loving toward their mother. Rosalie wonders if Mr.Dean would ever be half so affectionate with her. She rather doubts it.
“If you married Father, surely your rivalry with Mrs.Pine couldn’t be the source of so much animosity. She didn’t end up marrying some Navy captain either,” Christopher interjects.
“No. No, she didn’t,” Mother says slowly.
She has the same look on her face right now as she does whenever she tells Rosalie something for her own good. “Because you stopped her,” Rosalie says. “You knew better, so you stopped her somehow.”
Mother meets her eyes. “Your father knew things about the Navy captain. Horrible things. I kept hoping Eleanor would simply fall for Mr.Pine, the far better option, but the captain was... persuasive. He left me little choice but to intervene.”
“She’s angry you saved her from a dangerous man?” Christopher wonders.
Rosalie watches the way her mother’s face shifts. She glances back at Father, who’s no longer playful, and is instead looking down at his plate, frowning.
“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Rosalie asks. “You just chose for her.”
“I made sure that Mr.Pine was her only option,” Mother replies firmly.
“How?”
“Your father encouraged him to propose, and given her situation, it was a swift marriage and they left Bath.”
“What was her situation?” Christopher asks, before Rosalie can suggest something far more accusatory.
“I suggested the captain had taken certain advantages, which scared him off,” Mother says.
There is a long, awful pause.
“You ruined her?” Rosalie asks, aghast.
“Mr.Pine swooped in not two days later. It was hardly ruin. And he’s a wonderful man. Isn’t he, dear?” she asks Father, refusing to meet Rosalie’s eyes.
“He is indeed. I think if you ask Mrs.Pine and MissPine you’ll find them happy with their lot in life.”
