“Of all of us sisters,” Clarity said, her tone disbelieving, “I must admit you are the last one I would think to end up in such a predicament.”
Their mother was sipping her tea, watching her eldest daughters.
“Your sister may very well be correct,” Lady Diamond said, looking at Purity. “Sometimes these situations do work out exactly as hoped and very well to boot. Your Grandmother Diamond, for instance, was,” she coughed and cleared her throat, “shall we say, compromised by your grandfather.”
“What?” both girls exclaimed at once.
“Grandmother Marianne?” Clarity asked.
“With Grandfather James?” Purity added. “Are you sure?”
Their mother laughed. “Without a shade of a doubt.”
“How is it neither of us knew about this?” Purity asked, retaking her seat on the sofa.
The countess gave a gentle shrug. “No one thinks of it now, which is the point of my telling you.”
Clarity smiled. “Are you saying by the time Purity is a grandmother, the rumors will have died down entirely?”
Purity wanted to stick her tongue out at her older sister.
“Long before then,” said their mother. “When I was marrying your father, he was the one who told me of the rumors of his parents’ past. I promise, any unpleasantness dissipates quickly, especially if the couple is in love and has a strong marriage.”
Purity’s stomach twinged with worry. She was about to mention her doubts regarding both those points when her mother spoke again.
“Besides, a little scandal is practically a family tradition. Your father and I married at Gretna Green.”
Purity turned open-mouthed to look at Clarity, seeing her expression mirrored.Utter speechless shock!
Their mother laughed. “I am delighted to be able still to surprise my daughters.” Picking up her cup again, she leaned back and sipped with a satisfied smile.
“Mother!” Purity said at last. “Are you saying you and Father slipped over the border to Scotland for a hasty wedding?”
Her mother nodded. “If anyone ought to be shrouded in a blanket of appalled whispers, it should be us. Yet no one ever makes mention of it or even remembers.”
“But why?” Clarity asked.
“Because we are the Earl and Countess Diamond,” their mother said. “Most who recall, wouldn’t dare bring it up in case we cut them. And the rest simply don’t care.”
Clarity shook her head. “No, I mean why did you elope? Did Father compromise you? Do you think our brother will behave in a similar fashion?”
“Compromise me!” their mother repeated, sounding rattled, but she didn’t gainsay her daughter. Moreover, her cheeks went a pretty shade of rose. “Your brother will find his own way. And if Adam must abscond with his future lady-love, then I shall wish them well, as long as they make each other happy.”
“Were Grandmother and Grandfather Chimes displeased by your elopement?” Purity asked.
“My parents were at the wedding, as were your father’s. All four of them traveled to Scotland. But that’s a story for another day.”
“Are there any other surprises?” Clarity asked.
“I don’t believe so,” Lady Diamond said. “If there are, I shall save them for it is great fun not to be all out of new tales for my beloved girls. The point is that your father and I were not shunned by society, nor did anyone think any the less of us. Or if they did, it made no matter. Haven’t you girls always been allowed access to the finest families?”
Purity considered. “To be honest, what you’ve told us does make me feel better.”
“It’s not that I recommend such a path, mind you,” their mother continued. “In the case of your father, we loved one another, and I knew he was a good man. Hence, we took matters into our own hands. However, Clarity’s wedding ceremony was truly perfect, and I would like you to have the same, just as you deserve. And so you shall!”
Purity might not become a social outcast after all. Even if she and Foxford married with no one bearing witness to any true courtship prior to their engagement — since there had, in fact, not been any.
Sniffing, she felt tears prick her eyes. Either from relief or the stressful feelings she had bottled up, Purity didn’t know. Yet she did resent having strictly adhered to the rules all her life, only to have it all possibly have been for naught.
