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“Certainly not.” Teresa tittered. “In fact, now I am thinking, without him here, we might enjoy ourselves more. Men.” She rolled her eyes. “A blight that we spend far too much time thinking of, do you not agree?”

“Better off without them.” Hannah chuckled.

It had taken two days of careful planning to organize this mid-afternoon meeting. On the one hand, Hannah had to communicate with her aunt in a manner that suggested she and her husband wanted to stop by and say hello at her earliest convenience. Not for supper, but perhaps tea and cakes, because it had been far too long since they had spoken, and a catch-up was much needed. And all without Frederick finding out.

On the other hand, Hannah also had to lie to Frederick about where she was going today. To see her sisters, she had told him—a lie that he swallowed without question, one that left her feeling infinitely guilty.

But her intentions were good. Frederick would rather die than beg her aunt to stop spreading these rumors, which meant that they weren’t going to stop anytime soon. As such, Hannah felt that she had no choice but to intervene by herself, which—if she was successful—would surely be reason enough for Frederick to forgive her.

And if he did not forgive her… well, she had ways of making him do just that.

“Shall we sit outside?” Teresa suggested. She stepped in beside Hannah, placing a hand on the small of her back as if to lead her. “The weather is lovely, and we must take advantage.”

“Oh, I would like that very much.”

“I have already alerted the staff of your arrival,” Teresa continued pleasantly as they walked. “We will be served refreshments soon enough.”

“Wonderful…”

As they walked, Hannah looked around the large foyer and toward the stairs.

“Say, will Selina be joining us? I assume you told her I was coming?”

Teresa sighed and bowed her head. “I am afraid that she is out today, dear.”

“She… she is?” Hannah’s stomach twisted. “Did you not inform her that I was?—”

“I did, I did,” her aunt cut her off. “Alas—and I am sorry to have to say this—some wounds cut deeper than others, and she is still not quite ready to see you.”

Hannah’s stomach now churned with guilt. “She said that?”

“Not those words exactly,” Teresa said. “But I am her mother, remember. And since the, ah… since His Grace decided not to marry her, she has been little more than a ghost around the house. Oh, she has told me that she is fine, but her actions speak louder than words, dear.”

“I… I would very much like to see her and apologize.”

“For what? It was not your fault, and I am certain Selina knows as much. I can only suggest that you give it time. My daughter will come around, I promise you.”

Hannah bit her lip and looked back toward the stairs, certain that Selina was upstairs right now, avoiding her. She could not prove it, of course, but somehow, she just knew.

“The two of you were like sisters once,” her aunt continued pleasantly. “And I seem to remember Charlotte stealingBeatrice’s husband, and that didn’t come between them now, did it?” She laughed gaily as if she had said something funny, even if the words were cutting… seemingly on purpose.

The truth was that Hannah had not chosen to come here solely to ask her aunt to stop spreading malicious lies about her and Frederick. Yes, that was the main reason, but it occurred to Hannah two days ago that this visit might allow her to kill two birds with one stone.

She still had not seen or spoken with Selina since the night of the incident. Selina had been upset then, mortified and embarrassed, as she had every right to be. Worse, Hannah suspected that her cousin laid the blame squarely at her feet. Hating the idea of her cousin being upset with her, she wished to seek her out and explain that what had occurred was not her fault, that there was no ill intent behind it, and that she would do anything for her cousin to forgive her.

More than that, Hannah wanted to make sure that Selina was healing. With how happy she had been feeling of late, her guilt for what happened was getting worse and worse, and she had to do something about it. Alas, it seemed that her cousin did not wish to see her, did not wish to speak with her, and, worst of all, did not wish to forgive her.

“Ah, there we are…” They stepped outside, and her aunt gestured toward a table and two chairs beneath a small awning to protect them from the sun. “Our platter awaits.”

The saucers and teapot sat ready and waiting, as did plates filled with cakes and scones. Hannah wasn’t particularly hungry or thirsty, but as she sat down, she made sure to take a cake and have one of the footmen pour her a cup of tea. This needed to appear friendly… at least until it no longer was.

“So, tell me,” her aunt began once they settled. “How goes your marriage? I remember you were not too happy with the arrangement your father made on your behalf.”

“The truth?” Hannah made sure to smile as she sipped her tea. “It is going wonderfully.”

“Is that right?” Her aunt did not sound very happy to hear that.

“His Grace is a treasure beyond compare. Oh sure, I was a little hesitant initially—as you rightfully pointed out. But it has been nearly two weeks now, and I could not be happier.”