Amelia sniffed as she settled into an armchair next to Marina’s bed. “A reputation wholly undeserved. You do not get into trouble.”
“Yeah,” Bethany said, smirking. “If anyone deserves the title of being a peculiar troublemaker, it’s me. You’re too boring.”
Marina smiled, feeling comforted. Her sisters always knew what to say to make her feel better, but the comfort was thin, knowing there was no way she was coming back from this scandal. “Unfortunately, boring is the last thing I am now, as far as society is concerned.” She looked at Amelia. “I just hope I did not ruin your betrothal. I am truly very sorry about that.”
Amelia waved a hand dismissively. “I never cared for Lord Heeway anyway. If he has a problem with my sister, then I do not want him.”
Just then, the door opened up, and their mother entered. Lady Shirley’s face was tearstained, but her expression was full of rage as she looked at Marina.
“You have gone too far!” she shouted. “I have to endure your constant incompetence even as you do your absolute best to ruin this family, and I think I usually handle you with remarkable patience. But you have finally succeeded in your goal: you have destroyed yourself. And now you have destroyed your sister.”
She took a deep breath, her expression one of long-suffering, before looking at Amelia. “A message just came from Lord Heeway. Thanks to your sister, the engagement is off.”
Marina’s stomach dropped. She hated that her actions had ruined Amelia’s future. “I am so sorry!” she said.
Lady Shirley scoffed. “Spare us your false apologies. You have always been jealous of Amelia because she is far prettier, kinder, and downright more lovable than you.”
This was not much different than what Lady Shirley would say to Marina on any other day, but the words stung. She stayed silent, knowing there was nothing she could say to appease Lady Shirley.
“I never cared for that man anyway,” Amelia said. “Marina did me a favor. Besides, if he cannot handle me having a sister who saves drowning dogs, then I do not want to marry him.”
The feeling of guilt and shame in Marina eased slightly, but she still felt horrible. Despite her sister’s assurances, she knew that Amelia’s reputation would suffer from this, despite being practically perfect. And Marina … well, she was ruined. There was no hope for her in respectable society.
Amelia put an agreeable look on her face as she stood up and went to comfort their mother. “Let us see this as an opportunity instead of a setback. “It simply was not meant to be with Lord Heeway, but now that he is out of the picture, I can find someone that I truly love. Perhaps he will be even more influential and powerful than Lord Heeway.”
Her mother’s gaze softened as she looked at her eldest daughter. She patted her hand. “Of course, dear. You will have no trouble finding another suitor, I am sure of it.”
Amelia smiled triumphantly. “See? It’s not the end of the world.”
Marina felt a pang of envy. Her sister was always so good at managing their mother’s volatile moods. Amelia had always been Lady Shirley’s favorite.AndI am her least favorite.
Her mother turned to look at Marina, and her scowl came back. “You are lucky that Amelia will find herself another suitor. She cannot stay too damaged by your actions, no matter how hard you try to ruin her. However, I cannot say the same about you. You are ruined. You made a fool of yourself in front of everyone, even the Duke of Pemberton!” She shuddered.
“Making a fool out of myself in front of such an odd man is the least of my worries. He had no regard for social pleasantries with Lord Heeway, his own neighbor.”
“His manner does not matter!” her mother said. “He is a duke and can do as he pleases, even if he wants to be a recluse for the rest of his life.”
Marina nodded. “So he’s a recluse. That explains it. I have only vaguely heard his name before, but I do not know who he is.”
Hewas a strange man. He was matter-of-fact in his manner and spoke of her recklessness in saving a dog, but he showed genuine concern about her health.And he had touched me so gently.Her cheeks warmed, and she shoved the thought away.
Bethany raised her eyebrows. “You really do not know?”
“Why would I know?” Marina asked. “I have never seen him in London, and I do not read the scandal sheets.” She honestly could not care less about most of the people in the ton, with the exception being some family friends and acquaintances who deigned to trade pleasantries with her at social gatherings before ignoring her for the rest of the night.
“The man is as rich as a king and is as cold as a marble,” Bethany said. “He is known as the Heartless Duke. Most people stay away from him if they can help it, but luckily, he does not make himself known very often. He never comes to London if he can help it. He takes no pleasure in society.”
“I do not blame him,” Marina said. He must be quite reclusive if he even stayed away from his neighbor’s engagement party, despite being invited.
Lady Shirley huffed. “Well, do not worry. You are certainly not fit for society any longer, so you do not have to worry about whether you take pleasure in it or not. You are not to be seen with the family any longer. Amelia might be safe fromyour maliciousness, but what about Bethany? I cannot have you hurting her chances of finding a suitor.”
Bethany rolled her eyes. “Suitors are the last thing I want anyway. It is only my second Season, Mother. Let me have fun before I have to think about dreary things like marriage.”
“I know, dear,” her mother said, her tone softening once again. “You still have time, but it is never too early to think about your future. If Marina were allowed to cause as much trouble as she wanted to, then even Louiza and Olivia would be spinsters.”
“Where are the twins, anyway?” Amelia asked, referring to their youngest sisters. “We have not had a chance to greet them. Perhaps we can pick up this conversation after we have tea with them?” The rest of her sentence was left unsaid:after you have calmed down and let rationality prevail.
But there was no luck. Lady Shirley tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “The twins are having tea with some friends. They will not be back until tonight. At least they are only sixteen. Hopefully, everyone in society will have forgotten about Marina before they debut.”
