She let out an annoyed huff. “Of course I’m certain.”
I set my needlework aside and rose to my feet. I refused to entertain the absurd notion that Clifton had decided to pay a call. “Who would be visiting?”
“Your friend. Honestly, she was married just yesterday. Why is she calling on you?”
“Caroline is here? She said nothing about it yesterday.” A horrible thought occurred to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if my aunt had instructed the staff to turn away anyone calling on me. “Is she still here?”
“She is waiting in the drawing room.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying to infuse my voice with humble gratitude.
I moved past my aunt, hoping she wouldn’t follow. But of course she did. This was the first caller I’d had all season, and Aunt Matilda would want to oversee it.
When I reached the drawing room, I found Caroline sitting on one end of the settee. She smiled when she saw me, and it was impossible not to be struck by her beauty. But even more surprising was the fact she was equally lovely on the inside. It wasn’t normally a given, but Caroline had proved to be a good friend to me since we’d met at the beginning of the season.
I rushed to her side, and she rose to hug me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, stepping back. “I figured you’d have other things to occupy yourself with.”
A hint of color touched her cheeks, and I felt my own cheeks heat in response when I realized how that statement could be taken. It didn’t help that my aunt was hovering only a few feet away.
“Lady Kendrick,” Aunt Matilda said, greeting her with a slight nod. “This is definitely a surprise.”
Caroline’s smile widened. “I wanted to thank you for allowing Diana to attend the wedding yesterday. I’m so happy you were able to change your previous commitments.”
My aunt inclined her head but didn’t reply.
“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” I said.
Caroline turned back to me. “I came by because I wanted to take my leave.”
“You’re leaving London?”
I could hear the relief in my aunt’s voice.
“Tomorrow morning. I know it’s not conventional, but I wanted to spend the day saying goodbye to my friends. I don’t know when I’ll see Diana again, and it was important for me to tell her how much I’ve appreciated her friendship this season.” Aunt Matilda made a soft scoffing sound, but Caroline continued as though she hadn’t heard her. “At any rate, I promised Kendrick I wouldn’t be long, and I have a few other people to see today.” She tucked her arm into mine. “See me out to the carriage,” she said.
Caroline was always warm and friendly, but there was something overly bright about her today that didn’t seem genuine.
“Everything is well between you and Kendrick, is it not?”
Her eyes warmed as she smiled at me. “Oh yes, he is absolutely wonderful. I am so happy.”
I let out a breath of relief. “I am glad to hear that. And thank you for coming to see me again.”
“I’ll see you next spring?” Caroline asked.
Aunt Matilda was quick to jump in. “Unfortunately, no. We’ve decided that Diana won’t be having a second season.”
“Oh, that is too bad,” Caroline said, her tone unnaturally formal. If my aunt wasn’t here, I knew she’d have a few choice words on the injustice of the way I was being treated. But there was nothing she could say in front of my aunt that wouldn’t make the situation worse.
“You should be going. You said you had other calls to make before returning home.”
Caroline kept a firm grip on me, her arm linked through mine as we left the drawing room. “Thank you for indulging me today.”
A footman opened the front door, and we made our way down the front steps. Her carriage was waiting at the end of the short walkway. When we reached it, she turned and hugged me again.
“It is a pity that we won’t see each other again next season, but I will write to you.” She handed me a folded piece of paper. “Here is the address to Kendrick’s townhouse. You can write to me, but we won’t be returning for another month. We’ll be staying at his estate in the country.”
