She was still smiling in bed when Edith pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Oh, my lady, it’s good to see you smiling again.”
Fable sat up and stretched. “I was just thinking of His Grace.” She leaned forward, closer to the servant and still wearing her gleeful smile, spoke in a low voice.
“Have you seen him this morning?”
The older woman nodded and took her hand. “He rode to Harwich with the earl of Sudbury earlier for a meeting of high ranking noblemen or some such thing. It’s been planned for a month and His Grace couldn’t get out of going. He grumbled about it but he promised to return and eat with you.”
Fable smiled and sighed then dropped back upon her pillow and closed her eyes. If he wasn’t here then she’d dream of him all day.
Edith left her alone after she drew the curtains back and filled the room with sunlight.
Fable didn’t get a chance to think about her beloved before there came a rapping on the door.
“Come in,” she called out from the bed. When no one entered, she slipped out of bed and padded to the door. She opened it. No one was there. She was about to close the door when she spotted an envelope on the floor. She bent to take it and looked up and down the hall.
Closing the door again, she went back to her bed and sat in it, then opened the envelope. Was it a love letter from Ben? No, he knew she couldn’t read, and besides he didn’t seem the type to write love letters.
The handwriting was light and pretty and the paper even smelled nice. But she had no idea what it said.
Someone knocked at the door again. Before Fable could call out though, the door opened and Ben’s sister, the villainess of her adventure, entered the front room, and then the bedroom.
“Miss Ramsey,” she said standing at the foot of the bed, “if you can rouse yourself, I would like a word with you.”
Fable didn’t know why Lady Prudence’s snappish retorts made her want to giggle. She kept her chin to her chest to hide the smile threatening to appear and got out of bed.
“Um, since you’re here, did you write this?” Fable held up the note.
“What is it?” Lady Prudence took it from her.
“Someone left it by my door a few minutes ago. If you didn’t write it, can you read it to me?”
Lady Prudence stared at her for a moment as it dawned on her why Fable couldn’t read it herself. She looked a bit ill, then opened the envelope.
“Dear Miss Ramsey,
We are writing to request your presence at our afternoon tea. We believe His Grace the duke will likely take you as his wife. Being so influential, we would, of course, covet yourfriendship. If you would accept our invitation, we will be completely open and honest with you, as we are now.
The tea will be held at the house of Lady Witham at two. Just tell any one of the carriagemen outside Colchester House where you want to go. He will take you.
You will no doubt notice that Lady Prudence will not be in attendance.” At this, Ben’s sister paused and clenched her jaw before continuing. “That is because we decided not to invite her. We would like to get to know you without her hateful prejudice against you overshadowing our time together. It is best not to tell her about this. She hates you. But, of course, you understand why. Still, we hold nothing against you and would like to take you into our fold.
We do hope to see you,
The Ladies Tea Club.”
Lady Prudence crumpled the note into a ball and threw it toward the fire. “Do you believe a word of that?” she sneered. “They want to take you into their fold? It’s more like they want to laugh at you. I know them, and their fold is poison. Don’t meet them. They mean you nothing but harm.”
“And yet,” Fable said softly as she went to retrieve a robe one of the servants had given her, “you would push for your brother to be bound until he dies to one of them.”
Lady Prudence didn’t answer with words, but her face grew deep red. She turned and went to sit in the front room. Fable followed her.
“My brother is quite taken with you. In fact, he’s decided to take you as his wife.”
Fable didn’t really know what she should say. She knew how to try to put people at ease. It was an important trait to learn on the streets, where the same laws didn’t apply and fights broke out over nothing.
“I can see why he’s fond of you. You’re an enchanting little being when more closely observed.”
Fable blinked. Did the villainess say she understood why her brother was taken with her? Was she calling her enchanting?
