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“And had I been born into the Ipson family and been afforded the opportunity, perhaps I would have.”

“Ah, your father wishes for you to be married off, is that it?”

“I am promised to a friend of his,” she confessed, “should I not find a better match for myself, that is.”

“Well, there are eligible bachelors here.”

“I have spent too much time convincing those around me that I do not want that for me to change my mind. Besides, nobody here would be a good enough husband for me to change my mind.”

“Even my darling cousin? He is quite wonderful.”

“He is and also a friend of my father’s. I cannot simply avoid one friend of his by marrying another; where is the sense in that?”

“An excellent point. Have you considered a convent?”

“A nunnery,” she sighed, and Lady Penelope laughed brightly.

“I suppose that you regret changing your mind about that sometimes.”

“Only sometimes. You see, my sister lives with her husband, the Duke of Abaddon, and the two of them have been my greatest allies of late. When I tried to run away, it became clear that I would never see them again. There were other reasons for my staying, of course, but I realized that I do not wish to be without Diana forever.”

“Your sister is fortunate to have someone that loves her that much.”

“I am the fortunate one, I assure you. She spent her entire life taking care of me when our mother died, and I shall never be able to repay her for that, not that she expects me to.”

“I do wish I had a sister, you know,” Lady Penelope sighed. “I did not have a single brother or sister, and so Oliver was the closest I had. He is wonderful, but…”

“I know what you mean.” Samantha nodded. “We had our aunt care for us when our mother died, and she was perfect, but she still could not replace our mother.”

“But had I had a younger sister, I would have done the same as yours did. I would have been breathing down her neck all of her life to give her the best possible chances to make a match.”

“Lady Penelope, if you do not mind my asking, why are you not married?”

Lady Penelope seemed to think for a moment, her hands folded in her lap.

“I never saw the use,” she explained. “I never met a gentleman worthy of losing my freedoms for, and Oliver promised to take care of me if I never did meet one. Lo and behold, I never found the right husband, and so Oliver has ensured I remained comfortable.”

“Then I suppose we are both quite fortunate.”

There was another lady in the room, one that Samantha had not paid any attention to, but now that she was looking at her, she felt unease wash over her. She was staring at Samantha with her eyes narrowed, as if she were looking her up and down. She seemed young, younger than Samantha at least.

“Fortunate would be a word to describe you, indeed,” she mumbled.

Her challenge had been issued, but Samantha was not going to give in to it. There had been enough whisperings about her in London for her to know that biting back never ended well and was only to be used as a last resort.

“I should like to meet your sister,” Lady Penelope continued, rolling her eyes at the other lady. “She must be lovely.”

“She truly is.”

She was also, Samantha noted, very similar to Lady Penelope herself. Diana, much like her mother, could never be replaced, but just for a moment, it felt as though they were at home discussing everything and nothing all at once. Samantha had so missed that.

“Does she host parties of her own?”

“Would she invite you to them, Lady Samantha?” the other lady interjected. “Given your status, it would be quite surprising to me if she did.”

“Enough, Emma,” Lady Penelope sighed. “Now is not the time for that.”

“You agree with me, and you know you do.”