“I don’t...wait,tricked?”
“Never you mind,” she said lightly. “I am simply worried, that is all.”
Papa sighed, leaning forward on his elbows. Elowen held her breath, half expecting another fit, but none came.
“My dear,” he said at last, “the only thing that would put my mind at ease is knowing that you are taken care of. That you have found a proper husband who will protect and cherish you when I am gone. That is all I wish for.”
“And if I do not?” They had had this conversation before—too many times—and she knew they would have it again. “Then what, Papa?”
“Then I have failed,” he said simply.
Elowen met his gaze until, at last, he smiled.
“Now,” he said, “tell me about your walk with your mother yesterday. I did not get the chance to ask.”
Mostly because, as she’d discovered upon returning home, he had collapsed not long before. He had been confined to bed until this morning, when he’d appeared at breakfast claiming to feel ‘right as rain.’
She bit her tongue to keep from reminding him of it. “It was fine,” she said.
“Onlyfine?Did nothing happen?”
“Nothing of particular note.”
Eric narrowed his eyes. She looked away.
To her relief, Mama entered just then with a maid carrying a laden tea service. Once the tray was set down and the maid dismissed, Mama said brightly, “It is time for tea, my dears.” She moved at once to her husband’s side. “You, especially, must eat something. You barely touched your breakfast.”
“And as luck would have it,” Papa said, “I am famished.”
“Luck?” Elowen echoed with a raise of her brow. “Or human nature?”
“Whichever you prefer,” he said with a chuckle. They all paused, waiting for another cough—but when none came, they each exhaled in quiet relief.
The baroness fussed over him as she helped him to the sofa, where he insisted on walking the final few steps himself. Elowen sat opposite them, content to let her mother dote.
“So, Elowen,” Papa said once settled, “you were telling me howunimpressiveyour walk through Hyde Park was.”
Elowen stiffened as her mother’s head shot up. “Unimpressive? It went far better than either one of us could have imagined!”
“Indeed?” The surprise in Papa’s voice was as manufactured as the sofas they sat on. “In what way?”
“Did she truly not tell you?” The baroness turned a look of reproach upon her daughter. “Oh, Elowen, surely your father would like to know about the invitation to the British Museum.”
“He certainly would,” Eric drawled. “And who extended this invitation?”
“The Duke of Beaushire, of all people.”
Eric choked on his tea. “Lucas?”
“He only did it out of pity,” Elowen interjected quickly. If she did not temper her parents’ expectations now, the conversation would run wild.
“And I suppose the dance you shared with him at his ball was also out of pity?” Margaret scoffed.
“Yes,” Elowen said. “Yes, it was.”
“Pity or no, it was a splendid opportunity. What better way to step back into society than through the Duke of Beaushire? Do you not know he is the most sought-after bachelor in England?”
“Not to mention the fact that he would just jump at the chance to court a disgraced lady who holds no place in society and has nothing to offer him.”
