She rolled her eyes and teased back, “Yes, that.”
“Well, in any case, we have a purpose in going, to show the Prince how famously we’re getting along.”
“He’s going to be there?”
“He might. He’s been known to favor Lady Hewitt’s parties with an appearance. They are old friends. So no fighting tonight, Babble.”
He walked away. She barely even noticed, the excitement of her first ball already starting to fill her. She turned to tell Alfreda, “Unpack—”
“I heard. I thought you said his mother was ill enough to warrant your rushing to London with him.”
“She was, but your recipes appear to be helping. I haven’t been back to see for myself. My presence quite upset her, so I’ve stayed away. She didn’t like me a’tall.”
“I hated the woman who might have been my mother-in-law. My mother hated hers. You don’t need to follow suit. She’ll be the grandmother of your children. Make an effort to like her for their sake.”
Brooke hadn’t considered that. Harriet would be their grandmother, too, whom they would hopefully rarely see. So it would be nice if they had at least one grandmother to love and dote on them. She nodded and went straight to Anna’s room.
The lady wasn’t sleeping this time. As Brooke approached the bed, she saw that Anna was no longer quite as pale, and even her lips were smooth again. Her eyes were fully open and alert now, too. Maybe the doctor had misdiagnosed her. The woman definitely didn’t look as if she was dying now.
“I was wondering if you would visit your patient again.”
Was that a slight smile? “I didn’t think you wanted me to, madam.”
“I admit I don’t make a good patient. I do apologize for that.” That was a nice way to put those horrid circumstances. But Anna wasn’t going to just ignore it, either. “I hadn’t realized how preposterous the threat was, hanging over our heads, yours included. That the Regent would take everything we own, the title, the houses, the coal mines, Dom’s ships. He would leave us paupers, giving us no choice in the matter.”
“I believe he saw this as an opportunity for himself. For that to backfire on him, he would need to think he’s done us a favor instead.”
Anna grinned. “I like the way you think, girl. The same thing occurred to me. Indeed, that would stick in his craw, wouldn’t it?”
Brooke blushed only slightly when she admitted, “I can’t take credit for it. It’s your son’s idea for us to put on a good performance tonight at the ball he’s taking me to, if the Prince is there, to give the impression we are pleased with the match.”
Anna cleared her throat. “I’m not going to pussyfoot around the subject, m’dear. I’m sure you know that Dom did hope you would refuse him. He can unfortunately be excessively blunt. But you haven’t run home. So be it. I accept that neither of you really has a choice in this. So we must make the best of it, all of us.”
A kernel of doubt was in Brooke’s mind that those words were sincere, until Anna added, “And—and thank you for healing his legandme. I realize you didn’t have to do either, but you’ve helped us anyway. You have a good heart, Brooke Whitworth. Amazing, considering the stock you come from.”
Brooke laughed, couldn’t help it. A compliment and a backhanded slur. But considering her own feelings weren’t far off the same mark, she said, “We don’t get to choose our stock, more’s the pity.”
“I just want my boy to be happy. D’you think you can do that?”
“If he’ll stop blaming me for the sins of others, yes, I do think that’s possible.”
“Then as Dominic said, the burden is on him.”
Chapter Forty-Five
BROOKE HUGGED ANNA’S FINALwords to her as she hurriedly prepared for the ball. They gave her hope. Had she found the family she’d always wished for in the Wolfes?
Dominic said they would leave at eight o’clock, and she only had a few hours to bathe, dress, and have her hair styled, but with Alfreda’s help she managed it.
After combing the last lock of Brooke’s lustrous black hair into place, Alfreda stood back and gazed at her. “You look—” Alfreda didn’t finish. It even looked as if she might cry.
Brooke grinned. “That bad?”
That got a snort out of the maid. “You’ve never looked more beautiful. Your mother has done you proud.”
That got a snort out of Brooke. “All she did was pick the color of the gown. I got to choose the design.”
“I wish she could see you tonight” was said in a mumble, then louder: “I think I will mention to your husband that he should have you painted in this gown.”
