"Sorry, just thinking about work," she managed, which was possibly the least true thing she'd said all week.
"Ah yes, work," Lady Alexandra said, fixing Victoria with a sharp gaze. "Well, you are Senior Vice President. Quite impressive for someone your age."
Victoria's stomach dropped. "Yes, well…"
"I do hope they're not working you too hard," her grandmother continued. "Though I suppose that's the price of success these days. Not like when I was young and people understood the value of a proper work-life balance."
"The banking industry is certainly demanding," Victoria said carefully, taking a large gulp of wine.
"Indeed. Though I imagine the opportunities must be quite exciting. International postings, perhaps? I heard the Bank of England was recruiting senior talent, and, of course, these days a move to New York has to be considered part of a solid financial services experience, doesn’t it?"
Victoria nearly choked. "I'm not sure where you heard that…"
"Oh, you know how these things circulate. Lord Paddingham mentioned it over dinner last winter. Said they were looking for exactly your sort of expertise." Lady Alexandra smiled. "But then how thrilling it would be to have a granddaughter working internationally, I can’t stand those that are fussy about the Americans, I’ve always found them quite lovely people."
"Right," Victoria said weakly. "Thrilling."
"Of course, it would mean relocating, wouldn't it? Quite a commitment. Though I suppose at your age, with no particular attachments…" Her grandmother's eyes barely flicked toward Sasha, who was making conversation with Sophie about veterinary training.
"No particular attachments," Victoria repeated, her gaze following her grandmother's. Sasha was laughing at something Sophie had said, her face bright with interest, and Victoria felt that familiar flutter in her chest.
She managed to take a breath, trying to think of a way to change the dangerous subject. In desperation, she turned to her brother.
"—absolutely fascinated by everything," Archie was saying, his voice carrying the sort of enthusiasm that suggested he was completely besotted. Again. "She's never been in a house like this before."
Victoria turned her attention to Archie's latest acquisition. Liza was perhaps twenty-five, with perfectly straightened blonde hair and the sort of wide-eyed wonder that gave at least the initial impression of being quite charmingly naïve. She was staring around the dining room like she'd stumbled into a museum.
"It's just so… grand," Liza said. "Like something out of Bridgerton, innit? All these paintings and fancy bits. Must be worth an absolute fortune."
"The Reynolds is a particularly fine example," their father said mildly, gesturing to the portrait above the sideboard.
"Is that the one with the lady in the blue dress? She's gorgeous. Bit old-fashioned, but gorgeous." Liza turned to Lady Charlotte. "Must be mad expensive to keep up a place like this. All the staff and that."
Lady Charlotte's smile was quite genuine. "We're very fortunate to have such dedicated people working with us."
Victoria wondered if perhaps, just perhaps, her brother might have finally found someone that the rest of the family could actually stand.
"Oh yeah, absolutely," Liza was saying. "That girl who helped me park earlier, what's her name? Katie?"
"Cathy," Archie supplied.
"Right, Cathy. Lovely girl. Very helpful, even if she did get a bit snippy about where I put the car." Liza laughed. "I supposethe help don't always understand how expensive cars work, do they? Can't blame them, really."
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Victoria caught her father's expression, the way his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Her mother's fork paused halfway to her mouth.
"Cathy's been with the family for years," Lady Charlotte said carefully. "She's extremely knowledgeable about the estate."
"Oh, I'm sure she is. Probably knows everything about, you know, gardening and that. But cars are a bit different, aren't they? I mean, my Porsche is worth more than most people make in a year. Can't expect someone like her to understand that sort of responsibility."
Victoria winced. So much for Archie having a girlfriend the family might like then. She shook her head slightly. This one wasn’t going to last long at all. "Actually," she said, her voice perfectly pleasant, "Cathy's one of the most capable people I know. And she's been driving estate vehicles since she was sixteen, so I imagine she's quite familiar with expensive machinery."
"Oh, of course," Liza said quickly. "I didn't mean anything by it. She seems lovely. Just, you know, different worlds and all that."
Ambrose glanced at Victoria, who raised her eyebrows at him, and cleared his throat. "Speaking of different worlds, Sasha was just telling me that she was thinking about doing some volunteer work with urban garden projects. Quite fascinating, the way communities can transform unused spaces."
Victoria nodded. Trust Ambrose to redirect toward safer territory. There was no point in picking at the poor girl, she’d be gone soon enough, dumped by Archie himself from the look on his face. They might be rich, but they weren’t spoiled, and they certainly weren’t about to take insults aimed toward the verypeople who helped sustain the huge responsibility of running a house like this one.
"Really?" Lady Alexandra turned her attention to Sasha. "How interesting. I wasn't aware you had experience with horticulture."
