“Katherine, the duke?”
“I’m the blackguard. Everything is my fault. He couldn’t tell his family in London about me. Too many were against him claiming his ducal peerage and to have a Black woman on the arm of a man who could pass as white was too much. What would Torrance’s heir look like? Jahleel wanted time. I had no time. I tossed him away. Marrying Tavis was both redemption and punishment.”
“Keep talking, Kitty.”
She tugged on her shawl. “I was too frightened of his world and being rejected, so I rejected him first.”
“And he never knew about the children in your womb.”
“Never. Mama took care of hiding my pregnancy. Tavis wanted to marry me then, but I refused and came back here and drowned in everyone’s scorn.”
The pieces started to fall into place. “So when Tavis comes back into your life two years later, still wanting to marry you, you accepted.”
“He was a viscount then. Mama loved that title. When he asked in front of her, she accepted for me.”
“And the duke . . . You didn’t marry Tavis until later. Were you waiting for the duke to come back?”
“I don’t know, but he arrived at the chapel after the wedding had taken place. I told him I had a husband who wasn’t ashamed of me. One who’d take me to London with pride. I never saw him again until I wrote the duke to come to Tavis’s deathbed.”
Katherine leaned on the doorframe. “You are me, Georgina. You’re going to run from love because you are frightened. I’m telling you that it’s fine to do so. If you think, for one moment, Sebastian will leave when things get tough or he’ll run to his parents because he’s afraid of failing, run. Run as quickly as you can. If Dr. Carew is a safe harbor, stay there.”
I did run, straight to Katherine, and I held her. Pulling her into my arms, I let her be weak. Then I was weak. We clung to each other through our tears.
I should tell her to fix things with the duke, but there was much more at stake than those puzzle pieces fitting together. A powerful wronged man could do much harm.
He had the power to take away all that we loved.
With my hands to her face, I kissed her brow. “The duke’s ball is a new beginning. You talk to him. Tell him what you can. Get him to release you from the bet.”
Scarlett came back down. She glanced at us. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing.” I went back to the pianoforte.
“Georgina talked me out of just staying for a little while at the ball. I have no choice, not with all three of you going. You’ll need a chaperone all night. I’ll do my best to keep all of you from scandal. That’s my duty. As Mama always said, scandal is worse than death.”
Scarlett came deeper into the room. “But remember what Papa said: You have to stare scandal in the face or the rumors will stab you in the back.”
I glanced at her. She didn’t know how accurate her violent words were.
I shrugged, but then we both went to Katherine.
Arms twisted and latched. We made a big woven hug, a rya of love.
“You, Katherine Wilcox Palmers, can do anything you set your mind to.” I said this and meant it. “Even things that are difficult. Do the right thing.”
Scarlett nodded. “We’re Wilcox women. We can do anything.”
Little arms wound about us, and I smelled Mama’s lavender.
The little one had been in Mama’s cologne water again. She’d come down to join in the Wilcox circle.
Katherine picked her up. “We’ll stay at the ball until you are sleepy, but that is if you go to bed on time without fussing.”
“Yes,” she said. “I want to see who Georgina marries.”
I ran my hand in her curly bangs. “How do you know about all that?”
Lydia leaned over and hugged my neck. “I know. The duke tells me everything. And he said he didn’t know if it would be the music man or the medicine man.”
