“Are you ill? Feverish? A headache?”
Claire closed her teary eyes and moaned, “I will never be Mrs. Franklin Brewster.”
Rose feared as such but still asked, “Why do you say that? Franklin dotes on you.”
Claire’s free hand slammed upon the lace counterpane. “He hasdotedlong enough, and I am sick of it! It is humiliating,” she fumed. “He should declare his intentions or release me to find someone who will. Don’t you think?”
Yes, Rose did think exactly that, though this didn’t seem the time to confirm it. Nor was it the time to tell Claire of her own mother’s imminent marriage; it might be like rubbing salt in a wound to know that even an aging widow could secure a proposal.
“Franklin may be slightly slower than another man, yet I still think he intends to ask for your hand, and I think I am correct in believing you would like to be his wife.”
Claire sighed mightily and lowered her hand from her forehead. She fixed Rose with her red-rimmed green eyes.
“I would like to be his wife, and, truly, it is not because of his unhurried courting that I say I will never be Mrs. Brewster. No, it is because of the current Mrs. Brewster, his dragon of a mother.”
Rose would have smiled if it weren’t so serious.
“What has happened?”
“It is what hasn’t happened. She has not taken to me. Not one whit.”
Rose nodded, wishing more than ever that she’d been able to get some insight from her mother. “I don’t think that has anything to do with you though. In case you haven’t noticed, Franklin’s mother is like buttermilk, sour beyond belief. Why, I doubt there is a female in all of these United States whom she would deem good enough for her son.”
Claire remained silent a moment longer. At last she said, “Still, it is I whom she has snubbed.”
“How so?”
Drawing herself up to sitting, Claire rested her back against her white-painted headboard.
“The dragon is holding a tea for young ladies at her home and did not invite me.”
Rose felt her eyebrows rise involuntarily and her cheeks grow warm in anger on her friend’s behalf. Still, she hoped and prayed it was unintentional — though doubted that could be the case.
“Maybe this is a special group? Individuals to do with a particular cause, perhaps?” she asked. “After all, I had not heard of this tea, nor was I invited.” Rose didn’t point out that, as a Malloy, there was not usually a gathering of young women to which she wasn’t included.
“I think the only thingspecialabout this tea is that you and I have not been invited. Maeve was, of course.”
“She’s Franklin’s cousin, so she doesn’t count,” Rose offered. “Perhaps she is serving as hostess and these are friends of hers.” Puzzled, she decided to delve further. “I’m sure if we put our minds to it, we can find out more. In any case, how did you learn of it?”
Claire’s face clouded over. “That’s the worst part,” she confessed. “Franklin and I were out riding yesterday, with Robert chaperoning of course, and he mentioned that he hoped to see me at his home next week and would do his best to find a reason to drop into the gathering.”
“I see. You had not the foggiest idea to what he was referring.”
“Precisely,” Claire said. “I felt like a fool when I explained I had no knowledge of ‘the gathering’. Franklin’s face became quite flushed. Naturally, it put rather a damper on the rest of the ride, and soon, we parted. If he has true feelings for me, he should make his mother aware of her utter insufferableness and demand she treat me better.”
Rose was taken aback. This was the most heated she’d ever seen and heard Claire, who was normally so easygoing and, to her mind, a tad too passive, especially when it came to Franklin.
“Good for you,” Rose said. “It’s about time you took a stand.”
“Whatever can you mean?” Claire asked. “I’ve done nothing except give up the idea of becoming the wife of the man I love.”
“If he lets you give up, then he was certainly not the man for you. Besides, your strength will show when we go to this tea party.”
“What do you mean?” Claire’s cheeks colored. “We were not invited.”
“I mean, dear friend, that you will take a stand against Mrs. Brewster treating you disrespectfully, and I will certainly stand with you. Then, whichever way it goes, you shall have your answer. If Franklin behaves badly, by which I mean does not stick up for you, then you will know that it is best to break off any association with him. Because if that is the case, he will always be a mama’s boy and too weak for you.”
“Oh Lord,” Claire said, perhaps not wanting to bring about such an ultimatum.
