The confrontation between Richard and Victoria was the only noise in a series of silences that had taken Hawksford House hostage before Penwike could even breathe on it.
For Victoria, Richard had become a phantom. She thought that perhaps it was the best thing. She didn’t want to see him, not right now. However, she was also suffocating in the house’s tension. She needed to be let out.
“We are going out,” she declared, while standing in the nursery with her hands on her hips and her head held high.
“Out, Your Grace?” Mrs. Hughes asked. The nursemaid was in the middle of folding linens while one eye kept watch over the babbling Melody in her bassinet.
“To Hyde Park,” Victoria replied defiantly. She already had her pelisse with her. It was purple with hints of green. “I need tobreathe fresh air. The house is becoming, uh, suffocating. It will also be good for Melody’s health to be out under the sun for a few minutes at a time. We can’t be prisoners in this house.”
“Your Grace,” Mrs. Hughes protested, her eyes wide with what looked like fear. “Do you think it is a good idea at this point? We have several men watching the house, and we are going to leave it? I—I, pardon me, have also heard about the scandal sheet. The duke also gave orders about your and Melody’s security.”
Victoria huffed at that. How dare he act as if he cared about her well-being? She ground her teeth in frustration.
“Mrs. Hughes, if we hide here, we are telling the world that we have something to hide or something to be ashamed of. It is like completely surrendering to every false word that has been written against us. I will not let them win by staying inside. Have Hawthorne call the coachman.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the nursemaid replied, curtsying before she rushed off to find the butler.
So, they went. For a moment, Victoria felt a sense of peace as the carriage rolled out of Hawksford. It was not exactly an escape, but the next best thing. It was a sunny day, and the bright colors all around them gave her some temporary reprieve.
When they reached Hyde Park, however, things became chilly immediately. While some gave them polite nods, it was clear that most people were trying to either avoid them or to gawk at them.
Chin held high, Victoria walked while Mrs. Hughes followed with the baby in her arms, covered in thick wool. The trio did not even get some time to relax. A group of ladies, including a particularly mean Lady Smythe, blatantly eyed them from head to toe. They made a show of pulling their skirts aside as if they were afraid Victoria would graze them.
“Do you see that?” Lady Smythe asked, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. “The Duke’s ward. His dead cousin’s child. Can you imagine using the name of the dead for their own lies?”
“Absolutely reprehensible!” her friend exclaimed. “One look at that child and one can see her resemblance to the duke, not because of his cousin. Now, I wonder which tavern girl it was he chose?”
“You act as if it only happened once. A baby was born out of it, one that he let into his house! He was away for a year. No. It is probably some widow or tarnished debutante he housed away from London.”
“Poor duchess,” Lady Smythe said snidely, not looking like she was sorry for Victoria at all. Even if she were, Victoria did not need her pity.
The duchess’s blood had turned to ice while her heart felt like it would leap from her chest at any time. It would have been easy to just leave Hyde Park, but nobody would drive Victoria Brighton away from any place. She would not let them. They were merely a huddle of senseless silk and lace, driven only bywhat the ton said and not their own intelligence. They were only good at acting virtuous while condemning those they considered to be fallen.
“Lady Smythe,” Victoria addressed her tormentor. She managed a regal calm that shook herself with surprise. “I notice that you had to pull your skirt away from the path. Is it so difficult to find someone to wash your dirty gowns? Do you not have an immediate replacement if ever it gets soiled? Or perhaps you have merely forgotten how to stand in the presence of your betters?”
The other lady bristled, snapping her fan shut with one quick movement.
“We were merely concerned about how some people present themselves as good when they are not honest and transparent about their family’s lineage. It is a tragedy that affects not just one noble house.”
Victoria walked closer to the cluster of ladies. She kept her back straight and her gaze direct.
“Transparency? Oh, yes, we have tried our best to show everyone that this child has a place in our hearts. Do you not see her outside here trying to get some sun? The duke protects her not because she is his illegitimate child but because she is precious and needs all the care a child should get. Before anyone casts the first stone, however, please look more closely at your own households. Lady Mercer, I have noted of late that your youngest child resembles your neighbor, Lord Faustin.”
A collective gasp erupted from the group. Lady Mercer looked pale, and Lady Smythe was red with anger.
“How dare you?” Lady Mercer cried.
“Of course, I dare. Let it be known that I have nothing to hide,” Victoria retorted. This time, she could not control the tremble in her voice. “Look at this innocent child. If you have an issue with the duke or me, do not include the child in your malice, or I will be forced to fight back with my own observations.”
The tension was escalating, and a few people began to crowd and listen to the confrontation. Then, a familiar figure appeared by Victoria’s side.
“I believe Lady Smythe and her friends were about to leave,” Jonathan declared. He was still smiling, and his voice was light but firm.
The women just stared at him, possibly daring him to say more.
“All right then. You can stay, but I would be persuaded to talk about the Hereford ball wherein a certain garter went missing and ended up in one young man’s pocket.
Lady Smythe gave a strangled goodbye and turned on her heel to go, but not before Victoria saw her face turn a bright red.
