“No. But I’m so close, closer than I’ve ever been. The committee will love it. You will love it.”
“Close is not good enough. You need to finish. You need to be established. You need to be so advanced that if Prahmn changed his mind, he couldn’t hurt you.”
“My father wouldn’t hurt me. The gossip of his cruelty would hurt him. He’ll not do anything to open the Sebastians to scandal.”
These answers offered no comfort. “Have you ever finished a sonata?”
“Yes, but always after the deadline. Then I play in public at one of my mother’s parties or Prahmn’s Winter Ball.”
“Then use one of those. They must be good if you intended it for the Harlbert’s Prize.”
“They’ve been played in public. That disqualifies any work I’ve already written. Why are you so resistant to this notion of us being committed? I think we can find a way to be happy.”
“It won’t work. I don’t want to be made the villain because you didn’t get the things that you want.”
“Then I know what I must do.”
“We can remain friends?”
“No. I must finish the sonata by the time of the duke’s ball. You shall see me submit it. Then, Georgie, you need to be prepared to be public about our engagement.”
“At the duke’s ball, we are supposed to end this false relationship. I’m supposed to let you go because of new interests.”
“We can do that. We can even do it publicly. But the very next day, I will cross the river and be on the street where you live, asking to start anew.”
Mark claimed my hand again and led me down Ground Street. He seemed cheered, while I was less assured.
At least I listened to him, and I think he heard me. If he couldn’t finish the sonata by the duke’s ball, Mark would walk away from us. I wouldn’t have to be the villain.
* * *
When we returned to the office of Wilcox Coal, I heard a lot of shouting—angry Russian, frustrated, feminine English.
When I opened the door, I saw the duke seated on top of Papa’s desk and my sister walking back and forth in front of him, listing numerous faults that I didn’t think were his.
Had Katherine mixed up Tavis and the duke?
Mark coughed, trying to get their attention.
The duke acknowledged us with a glance, but then he went back to antagonizing my sister. “Look, here come witnesses to hear for themselves how you put pride over everything.”
“You egotistical fool. I don’t need you. None of us need you.”
“That’s why the Wilcoxes, a once proud Blackamoor family, are crumbling. It’s clear, Lady Hampton, that you’ll not do what’s in the best interest of yourself or your sisters, particularly the sweet child Lydia. I’ve made a promise to her, as solemnly as I would to Anya. It’s why I’ve acquired all of Lord Hampton’s debts. Everything that would take away Wilcox Coal or your house on Ground Street is now under my control.”
Katherine sputtered, her face grew darker and fiery. “No one asked you to do this. You’re always overstepping your bounds.”
“What am I to do, Katherine? Am I to let you starve in the streets while I dine well in Mayfair? Am I to let your father’s legacy come to nothing because of the fool you married? Nyet, that’s your job to destroy everything.”
She turned away. Her eyes were glassy.
The duke wasn’t wrong about Tavis and the damage to our family, but he wasn’t right in making it Katherine’s fault. I stepped forward, holding my breath to enter the fray. “The only reason she married Lord Hampton was to restore her honor and to use his connections to help Wilcox Coal.”
Katherine’s countenance faltered. “Georgina, go. Lord Mark, take her home. I can finish this and get rid of His Grace.”
“Yes, get rid of those who help, and hold on to the memory of the fool who put you in a position of weakness.”
“Don’t call him that. Have some respect. Lord Hampton was there for me when I needed someone. His friendship never abandoned me. No one else can claim that.”
