“You are hardly trapped in this life,” Violet said. “You have opportunities that I can only dream of.”
Anette grew quiet. She must sound utterly ridiculous to Violet, but she couldn’t quell the voice in her head. The voice that told her she mustn’t give up. It would get better. She didn’t know how or when that would be but she refused to believe that life would kill her dreams.
After Violet had placed her hair into a chignon, she helped her dress, and it wasn’t long before Anette was walking down the hall towards the dining room.
She saw their faithful butler standing outside of the dining room door and she tipped her head. “Good morning, Barrow,” she said.
He bowed, drawing attention to his slicked black hair. “Good morning, Miss,” he responded. “I trust that you slept well.”
“I did,” she lied. She didn’t want to tell anyone what she was truly feeling. “I intend to go riding after breakfast. Will you inform the grooms?”
“I will do so at once,” Barrow replied before walking off to do her bidding.
She stepped into the dining room and saw that her father was sitting at the head of the table, reading the newssheets, and her mother was to the right of him.
Her father went to rise when he saw her, but she waved him back down. A heavy atmosphere of dread filled the air, and she knew a reprimand was looming.
As she sat across from her mother, her father folded the newssheets and placed them on the table. “You made the Society page.”
“Did I?” Anette asked. That surprised her because she wasn’t anyone of importance.
“Yes, but it was not a glowing article,” her father informed her. “I knew your antics would get you into trouble, but I didn’t think you would be so brazen in your attempt.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Anette said. What had she done wrong?
Her mother spoke up. “The article reported that you had a tense exchange with Roswell on the dance floor and you left him, alone.”
Anette let out a sigh of relief. That is what this was about. It was merely a misunderstanding. “Roswell wanted to escort me off the dance floor but I declined his assistance,” she explained.
“You declined his assistance?” her father repeated. “That was foolishness on your part.”
“I didn’t realize anyone noticed our interaction,” Anette admitted.
Her father scoffed and his tone became stern. “You mustn’t ruin this opportunity. When it comes to theton, there's no room for mistakes. Anybody who dares to be different is met with criticism and scorn and thetonis just waiting for people to fail.”
Anette lowered her gaze to her lap. She hadn’t set out to embarrass herself, or her family, but she had done so completely unintentionally.
“What’s done is done,” her mother declared. “Fortunately, there is still time to fix this mistake.”
“How?” Anette asked, bringing her gaze back up.
“I have an idea, but you must not make a misstep from this point on,” her mother replied.
Her father shot a dubious glance in his wife's direction but he didn't say anything. It was rather evident that he didn’t think she was capable of such a thing.
A footman placed a plate of food in front of her and stepped back. After she murmured her thanks, she picked up her fork and knife. If she were lucky, she could eat her breakfast in silence.
But she was not so lucky.
Her mother reached for the newssheets. “We will have Roswell take you on a carriage ride through Hyde Park so thetonwill know that there are no hard feelings between you two.”
“Is that truly necessary?” Anette asked. The more time she spent with Roswell, the more her heart would ache for him.
“It would be for the best,” her mother said, completely unaware of what she was asking of Anette. “It would stop the gossip that is swirling around you two.”
Anette absentmindedly moved the food around her plate, seeming to have lost her appetite.
Caleb walked into the dining room and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Good morning," he said happily. Almost too enthusiastically. Her brother's perpetual good cheer was starting to become a bit much for her.
