At that moment, Rhoda studied the starburst of wrinkles around the corners of her mother’s eyes, and the lines at the corners of her mouth from smiling too much. Her mother, more than anybody in the world, ought to have frowned more than most.
There had been times when Rhoda thought her mother laughed too often, too loudly. When she’d been embarrassed by her.
Now, reflecting on her father’s behavior, she wondered how her mother had ever laughed at all.
“How did you do it, Mama? How did you cope with such a husband?” She’d never asked her mother anything like this before.
Her mother turned her head to stare out the window, the same as Lord Carlisle had a few minutes ago.
And then she exhaled loudly. “We do what we need to do, Rhododendron. Our decisions won’t always be popular. People will not always appreciate us for them. But we survive.” She glanced over her shoulder and winked. “And if we’re lucky, we thrive.”
This explained why Emily had cheated at Sardines and perhaps why she’d ridden off to Gretna Green with Lord Blakely. She wanted some independence in life. She did not wish to live her life as her aunt’s servant.
The desire to thrive explained why Cecily had fought to escape her bitter union with Lord Kensington and why Sophia had married so quickly again after the death of Lord Harold.
And it explained the strength inside her mother, a woman with three daughters and an unfaithful spendthrift of a husband.
Thriving and surviving.
Except a thousand pounds would not be enough for her and Carlisle to be prosperous. It likely wasn’t even enough for them to survive. Not with a failing estate.
Rhoda wanted tothrive! She was so tired of feeling guilty. Of feeling ashamed! And now she had to cope with that idiotic wager. Last she’d heard, a winner, depending upon who they bet on, could walk away with close to seventy thousand pounds.
An astronomical amount of money! Of course, she’d make certain that there would never be a winner.
She’d never allow it.
But a bet on a long shot could win one person seventy thousand pounds! What would a gentleman do for seventy thousand pounds? The memory of what Lord Kensington had attempted illustrated the answer quite adamantly.
A shiver of fear nearly made her hands numb.
Seventy thousand pounds, and she, Rhododendron Mossant, was the key.
I am the key!
Surely, the answer couldn’t be as easy as that? The seed of an idea took root.
Lord Carlisle needed to wager upon himself.
But would he? The notion quite went against everything such a gentleman represented. Could she even bring the subject up with him? He’d already become angry with her once for being manipulative. And he certainly must doubt her integrity after everything she’d told him.
But seventy thousand pounds! Lord Carlisle could take care of his new estate. His new wife.
Her sisters and mother would never be dependent upon Father again.
But how? Oh, she wished her friends were here. Even Cecily would likely go along with such a scheme.
“Rhoda?” Her mother’s voice drew her back into the present.
Rhoda jumped. “Um. Yes?”
“I’m quite certain I don’t like the look on your face. I’ve known you too long to misread it. It portends trouble.”
Emily was not here. Nor was Cecily or Sophia.
Her motherwas, however. And her mother had just revealed an entirely different dimension of herself.
“Women ought to thrive?” She tested the waters.
