Richard’s words stung her like a hard slap to the face.
Kitty almost shot to her feet, but her head nearly banged on the low carriage ceiling. “You cannot be serious!”
Jane flinched at her outburst, but Richard didn’t even register it. “We are beyond discussion.”
“The devil we are!” Kitty raised her voice, her chest heaving rapidly as she turned to face them both. “Nothing did happen! It seemed unusual I suppose, but we did not do anything wrong! I simply tripped and now I’m supposed to marry someone I barely know? I am not a prisoner, and I refuse to be handed over as such.”
“It does not matter,” Jane whispered, furrowing her brows, almost as if in pain. “You were seen.”
Jane knew her better than anyone—she had entered their lives thirteen years ago, when Kitty was a mere twelve-year-old child. She had been given the responsibility of shaping her into a befitting young lady.
Year after year, Jane slowly became more than just a governess—she had become theirs. When lessons ceased to be a necessity, having to send her away had never been an option for Kitty. Her father had pleaded with her to stay, and she had done so.
How could she not take my side?Of all people, Jane should have understood.
Kitty clenched her fists in rage—blood rushing to her head. “Then let people gossip! Let them chatter until they talk themselves into their graves! I will not?—”
Kitty steadied herself against her seat as the carriage lurched to an abrupt stop.
She glanced out the window, her head spinning at the sight of the lavish manor rising in front of them.
Its elegant Georgian facade gleamed even in the muted light of the overcast sky, the symmetrical rows of tall windows framed by pristine white shutters. A wrought-iron balcony adorned the first floor, its intricate scrollwork softened by cascading ivy, while the front door stood flanked by two stone urns overflowing with vibrant flowers.
It was undeniably beautiful, but Kitty refused to let herself be impressed.
Richard stepped out first, offering her a hand she barely acknowledged.
They both hurried up the stone stairs, Richard slightly ahead while Kitty lifted her skirts just enough to keep his rapid pace.
The door was opened before he could take hold, though, and their butler stood in front of them. He ushered them inside with silent competency, but his presence did little to dissipate tension between them.
They entered in awkward silence into the golden drawing room. The scent of polished wood and a hint of perfume lingered.
And there, standing beside the hearth like a queen surveying her court, was Lady Mulberry.
“You have quite the audacity,” she said to them before any of them could say a word.
Kitty lowered her lashes at the older woman’s sweeping, disapproving glance.
“Coaxing my grandson into matrimony,” Lady Mulberry continued, her voice as slick as cream on a blade. “Quite the ambitious stroke, I must say.”
Kitty stepped forward, her pulse pounding in her ears. “I did no such thing!”
Lady Mulberry arched an eyebrow. “No? Then explain to me, how is it that you find yourself alone with him, your reputation conveniently in tatters?”
Despite the sheathing flames of embarrassment in her cheeks, Kitty refused to back down. “It was an accident. We were trapped!”
“And yet,” Lady Mulberry sighed, “here you are, demanding marriage like some seasoned huckster.”
“I am not demanding anything!” Her voice rang out louder than she had intended.
“Enough,” Richard broke in. His good nature seemed to have soured. “We are not here to squabble, Lady Mulberry. We are here to lay the matter to rest with some decency. The Duke of Wharton will marry her.”
Lady Mulberry’s face froze. “You are confusing me with someone who cares a fig about your definition of honor, Lord McGowan. His Grace owes this girl nothing.”
“He owes her everything,” Jane flashed, surprising them all with her steel. “And you know it. You have a granddaughter, do you not? Tell me, Your Grace—were she in Kitty’s position, would you be so quick to dismiss her ruin as mere consequence?”
Lady Mulberry opened her mouth to retort, but before she could fire back at Jane, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
