“To what?” Athena carefully asked.
“To helping him overcome the loss he has suffered.”
“Good Lord,” Mama murmured, pressing her hand to her forehead.
“What loss?” Athena asked.
“His entire family died when he was child,” Sarah explained, “and I don’t believe he ever recovered.”
“And what exactly, pray tell, has led you to this conclusion?” Papa inquired.
“There was this—” Sarah waved her hand “—profound unhappiness about him. I dismissed it at first on account of his arrogance, but now that I know what happened to him, I would like to try and...and...”
“Fix him?” Athena prompted.
“Well, yes,” Sarah said with a smile.
“Let me stop you right there,” Papa said. “The Duke of Brunswick is not an orphaned baby squirrel or a bird with a broken wing. He is a man – a duke – and you would do well not to interfere in his personal affairs. To do so can only lead to trouble.”
Sarah held her father’s gaze for a moment while letting his words sink in. “To do nothing would be unkind.”
“Sarah,” Papa warned.
“I regret informing you of his past,” Mama murmured. “I should have known better.”
“Yes,” Papa agreed. “You should have.”
“Will you help me?” Sarah asked Athena. “You’ve been very good at bringing people together in the past, and achanceencounter with the duke would allow me to strike up a conversation without him realizing I’ve deliberately sought him out.”
“No,” Papa said. “Enlisting your sister’s help is a terrible idea.”
“On the contrary, it’s the perfect idea,” Sarah said. “And both of you need to stop haranguing poor Athena because she played a part in what turned out to be two excellent matches. Just imagine if she hadn’t. You’d be two grandchildren short.”
Mama pressed her hand to her breast. “Good grief, Sarah.”
“In any event,” Sarah went on, undaunted, “I can think of nothing else.”
“I can,” Papa said. “Abandon this mad-cap notion. Set your mind to something else.”
“I can’t,” Sarah said. “You know how I am. Once I get an idea in my head, it sticks until I have dealt with it in some way.”
“In that case, you leave me no choice but to forbid you from speaking with Brunswick again,” Papa said. He took a sip of his wine and promptly returned his attention to his food.
Sarah stared at him. He knew she’d heed his demand because in the end, he was acting out of love and concern, attempting to protect her from what he believed to be a terrible idea, and she was an obedient daughter. Somehow, she’d have to get around all of that.
“What if,” she slowly began while pondering her options, “Brunswick approaches me?”
Her father coughed, cleared his throat, and prepared to speak.
“If that were to happen,” Mama said before her husband was able to get one word out, “we would naturally expect you to conduct yourself with decorum.”
“Meaning?” Sarah pressed.
“Well, it would be bad form of you to ignore him,” Mama said, then glanced at Papa. “Would you not agree?”
Papa frowned. “Quite right. If the duke decides to instigate a conversation with you, then you must respond. But since he was turned away, first by you and then by myself, I very much doubt he’ll make any such attempt.”
“You’re probably right,” Sarah said.
