‘Too proper!’ Sophie replied, wrinkling her nose. ‘Everyone knows fictional heroesdo notexist in real life. The most any of us can do is find a gentleman who tries to behave heroically for our benefit.’
‘Are you speaking of Rotherby?’ Phoebe smiled. ‘He does seem suited to aspiring hero status.’
‘Well, I do not see why we cannot be our own heroes and be done with it!’ Matilda exclaimed, rolling her eyes. ‘All this talk of wanting gentlemen to adopt fictional hero behaviour for our benefit makes me want to vomit!’
They all started to laugh again, while Josephine thought of Fitzwilliam and flushed: she’d so yearned for a fictional hero she’d written to one every day. Should she have had more contentment within herself, like Matilda? She closed her eyes and Huntingly’s haunted eyes swam before hers, tightening her chest and stealing her breath until her senses swam.
‘Lastly, at our meeting at Ebcott, I asserted that “if I had my way, I wouldn’t marry at all!”… Yet, the truth is you changed me at our very first meeting, and I have found myself feeling differently– selfishly, perhaps– and of desiring a life that is lost. And still, I am increasingly mindful of your happiness and will not impose a union that is so clearly unwanted as ours.’
It seemed he wasn’t referring to Eliza after all, yet what did it matter that she hadchangedhim,when she was certain he had stolen her heart entirely? She swallowed, watching her sisters laugh together in the reflection of her mirror. And how could she expect any of them to understand? She herself had called the match a practical arrangement and made no secret of her admiration for Dashton. She’d worn her indifference for Huntingly too well, so why would any of them understand that shehadfounda real-life fictional hero? That he’d been hiding in plain sight?
Except now he was gone.
She caught her breath silently, the thought of never seeing Lord Huntingly again too painful to contemplate. Swiftly, she stole a glimpse at Matilda, her burnished hair already escaping, and a flicker of warmth stole through her limbs. She knew what she had to do. Just because she was the author of her own downfall didn’t mean Matilda couldn’t hope for happiness. She might not be betrothed, but she was still a sister, and above all, she was a Fairfax.
She stood up and turned to face her sisters. ‘I think it’s high time we all made an appearance.’
* * *
It seemed Thomas’s claims really did had some foundation, for Knightswood shone like a jewel tonight. Gone were the threadbare carpets, dusty silverware and homely scent of Cook’s shortbread; and in their stead was a sparkling Knightswood that Josephine had only ever glimpsed through family stories. The floors gleamed with polish, the silverware flickered in the candlelight and the scent of roasted joints, exotic sauces and rich, sophisticated puddings reached into every corner and crevice. Matilda sniffed the air hungrily, as they paused on the grand staircase landing to watch the mingling crowds below.
‘Well, Thomas wanted a crush,’ Phoebe observed.
‘Told him gilt-edged envelopes never fail,’ Sophie mused. ‘I used them for all my invitations until Lady Hampton started doingexactlythe same! Of course, I stopped immediately,’ she added, her eyes narrowing.
‘Lord, what a cheek!’ Matilda chuckled. ‘I wonder you didn’t urge Dominic to call the General out!’
‘Oh, just you wait, Matilda Fairfax.’ Sophie grinned. ‘You have all this to come, and how I shall laugh then!’
‘Wager you my fringed parasol I don’t worry about it then, either!’ Matilda smirked.
Phoebe and Josephine groaned.
‘Done!’ Sophie nodded with a gleam. ‘And, now my dearest sisters, I shall depart before my distinctly unheroic husband discovers I have not been resting at all! Enjoy yourselves… and have a waltz for me, all of you?’ she added wistfully, before gathering her skirts and disappearing back upstairs.
‘Poor Sophie,’ Josephine sighed. ‘She does so love a ball.’
‘She does.’ Phoebe smiled. ‘But she should rest while she can. Birthing an infant is not easy, no matter what she says. Now, it must be nearly announcement time so I’ll go and find Thomas. You two wait here and try to be prepared, I doubt he’ll wait too long…’
Josephine nodded and watched their eldest sister part the crowds with her authoritative stride, before turning back to Matilda.
‘Good luck tonight, Matty.’ She squeezed her sister’s gloved hands. ‘It’syournight now and, truly, you deserve it. I will be right here until the announcement is over, and then I’ll find you, I promise.’
‘I would you were still sharing this night, Jo,’ Matilda replied in a small voice. ‘We’ve always done things together, and I can’t help but think that soon enough we’ll change, just like Phoebe and Sophie.’
‘And become old ladies?’ Josephine teased softly.
‘No… become part of a new family,’ Matilda replied.
Josephine gazed for a moment, before embracing her sister tightly, knowing at last that this was the reason Matilda had seemed particularly fiery around Lord Huntingly. She’d never mourned a husband: she’d been mourning her sister.
‘Well, I’m not going anywhere,’ Josephine reassured, though her heart ached. There was little doubt Matilda would marry and leave Knightswood, while she remained alone, a Fairfax spinster until her dying day. It was she who would be left behind in the end.
‘Ladies and gentlemen!’ Benson bellowed in a statesman-like tone from the bottom of the stairwell. Instantly, the crowd fell into a respectful hush. ‘Sir Thomas Fairfax!’
A trickle of applause spread through the crowd as Thomas made his way through the crowd and onto the bottom step, before turning and smiling congenially.
‘Esteemed guests,’ he began in the tone he reserved for non-family members, ‘what a pleasure it is to watch Knightswood Manor come to life tonight, and for such a special occasion too. Those of you who have known the Fairfax family for longer than you care to admit—’ he paused to acknowledge a tinkle of laughter ‘—will recall wealwayshosted the biggest and brightest Ball at the end of the season! Well, I am delighted to reinstate that tradition this year in honour of one very particular young lady: a Fairfax who knows her own mind, never fails to inspire me and I am proud to call my sister. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you…’
