Because she had changed. Before knowing Peter, she hadn’t believed there was goodness in the world—not in her world anyway. And even though she deeply mourned the loss of him, something had shifted in her heart. It was as though the world was cast in a subtly different light.
Seeing all of it thusly was encouraging but also slightly terrifying. Because this vague sense of hope he left—hope that her life could be different than she’d imagined—left her open to the possibility of great disappointment.
With her walls beginning to crumble, invitations she received didn’t leave her feeling as suspicious as they had before.
Until, that was, exactly ten days after she’d kissed him goodbye, she received an invitation to tea from his mother, Lady Ravensdale.
But the timing was ominous. Did she intend to question Miranda about her association with her angelic son? That would be humiliating, indeed.
Staring at herself in the mirror, contemplating the gowns her maid had laid out for her to select from for the visit, she shivered.
In the past, she would have fortified her resolve, erected invisible barriers around herself before meeting with another lady like this. She would have gone prepared with sarcasm and rebuffs.
But this was Peter’s mother. She wanted the woman to… like her.
Not because she needed to impress Lady Ravensdale, but because Mirandawas tired.
And because in seeing the good in the world, she also sensed that there might be some goodness in the woman who’d raised Peter Spencer.
Miranda was aworthwhileperson. And she thought she might even be able to be a good friend. Perhaps putting Peter’s needs before hers had something to do with it. Perhaps the change came from knowing she wasn’t completely broken.
Shecouldlove.
Otherwise, she never could have set him free.
For this important visit, she settled on a simple mauve muslin with an embroidered bodice and puffed three-quarter sleeves. And of course, she wore the matching hat with silk roses, even though she’d have to remove it once she got there. No lady would deny that an elegant ensemble could do wonders in dispelling a little nervous trepidation.
She lifted her chin as she followed the Ravensdale butler and was ushered into the perfect withdrawing room.
“Welcome, Lady Starling! You are positively stunning in that gown!” Lady Hawthorne, the countess’s daughter, gushed before Miranda had barely entered the room.
From the moment she’d stepped inside, the visit proved to be most enjoyable and not at all uncomfortable. She was not Lady Ravensdale’s only guest. In addition to Lady Hawthorne, Lady Darlington—the countess’s daughter-in-law—sat prettily beside their hostess. Lady Hawthorne immediately demanded Miranda address her as Natalie, and the other woman insisted she be called Rose. The two ladies’ appearances contrasted in all ways except for their inviting smiles. Whereas Natalie had golden locks pinned atop her head and an upturned nose, Rose, who, before marrying Lord Darlington had been a lady’s maid, wore her sable hair in an elegant chignon.
Initially, they discussed the lateston ditbut quickly became bored with mundane gossip and moved to discussing gardening and shopping and their favorite recipes.
And when they’d tired of those subjects, Natalie shared the latest exploit of her oldest son. “Brody tried not to cry but I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was frightened. And Garrett and I were besides ourselves!” Apparently, the Sunday before, their six-year-old son had gotten a small toy soldier stuck in his nose. “And my child insisted he hadn’t placed it up there himself, but that he’d thrown it into the air and it landed in his nostril.“ Natalie rolled her eyes while she complained but it was obvious that she doted on all her children. “After hours of poking around up there, Garrett finally got it out by using a pinching device he’d devised with two of my crochet hooks.”
“My poor Brody,” Lady Ravensdale commiserated for her grandson.
“I doubt he’ll do that again.” Rose shook her head in sympathy.
Miranda bit her lip. This family loved children.
“You are welcome to laugh. And honestly, he truly expected me to believe the toy just fell into his tiny, barely-there nostril. The imp is lucky we got it out.”
“You’ll have to warn Benjamin. My poor little Brody,” Lady Ravensdale inserted yet again. She obviously doted on all of her grandchildren. “In fact, you need to have Nurse remove any other similarly sized toys from the nursery.”
Miranda met Lady Hawthorne’s gaze, and they both smiled. The children, it seemed, could do no wrong in the eyes of their grandmother…
Miranda glanced at the clock on the mantle. “I’ve had a wonderful time, and I refuse to outstay my welcome.”
“You could never do that, Miranda,” Natalie said.
Miranda smoothed her skirts and as she moved to rise, the countess’s next words turned her blood to ice.
“I understand you became acquainted with my middle child, my Peter, before he abandoned us to enrich his musical talents in Brighton.”
Miranda inhaled and then nearly stopped breathing altogether while she searched her mind for any of the appropriate responses she’d conceived earlier.
