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Standing up, Charlotte nodded and offered her hand to Rose. She took it gladly, and the two of them left the drawing room to take the carriage to Selina’s estate.

God bless her, Rose was an excellent friend to have along as they visited Selina. Charlotte was still so nervous, and she’d barely spoken a word since they arrived. Thankfully, Rose was more than able to take her part in the conversation. She and Selina rattled off a number of suggestions for how to entertain Frederick, Rose having directed the conversation there when Charlotte found herself unable to speak.

“What about attending the upcoming ball for the court? Or perhaps going back to the gardens to take in the reenactment of the battle they have planned?”

“Oh, excellent ideas, Selina. What do you think, Charlotte?”

Rose turned to her, and all Charlotte could muster was a nod and a simple “Yes.” It was awful, but her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She feared that her heart might thrash itself hard enough against her ribs to break one while she waited for the courage to open up to her friend to suddenly appear.

No one can ever know, Lotte. You cannot tell a single soul.

Magnus’s voice boomed through Charlotte’s mind, and she dropped her stare to her lap, where she fiddled again, this time with the loose finger of her glove. Selina was a terrible flirt, but Charlotte had no cause to believe she might break the trust shared between them and release a secret into the ton.

But the blazing intensity of Magnus’s eyes burned in Charlotte’s head as she remembered his warning, the words flaring in her mind over and over again since he said them.

I can attest to the weight that it places on her soul to carry around such a burden. Perhaps speaking to Selina will give you another kind ear to hear your concerns.

Frederick. Frederick’s voice warmed her spirit now, and she could now see the kind smile he had offered her when she wept in her bedroom. He had encouraged Charlotte to find her strength and to alleviate the burden she carried. Friendship was a glorious thing that could ease your suffering in so many regards, and it was Frederick who reminded her that Selina prized friendship in nearly everything she said.

“Perhaps a dinner following the show? I know that my brother is practically obsessed with the art of preparing food and dining.”

“Oh, I recall the dinner party at your house. It was such a grand affair. I adored every second of it.”

The two of them still spoke, still carrying on their plans on Charlotte’s behalf. The woman had been kind to her at every turn, and even now the two of them were helping Charlotte to come up with a way to do something kind for her husband.

I’ve been put in my place several times by your cunning tongue. Surely you can find that resilience to be courageous and face your friend.

While she warmed at the thought of what came after Frederick’s words, Charlotte remembered gladly the advice he’d bestowed. Be courageous, he’d suggested. And courageous Charlotte knew she just had to be.

Steeling herself, and with little preparation or forethought, Charlotte opened her mouth and simply let the truth tumble free.

“I have been visiting my late father’s mistress. She was pregnant with a daughter when he passed, and I have been helping them to take care of themselves. I have a half-sister born out of wedlock between my father and a servant. Her name is Kitty, and I love her fiercely. Her mother, Cordelia, did not deserve the mistreatment my father levied on her, and my family has never once spoken about them.”

The room dropped into silence, and Charlotte yanked her stare up from her hands to Rose and Selina. They gaped at her, clearly shocked, and with the eyes fixed on her as they were, Charlotte couldn’t stop herself from revealing the last.

“Frederick saw me leaving their house. I married him to protect the truth. But it has grown past that.”

Still, there was nothing but silence. It was deafening, an iron weight on her chest that made Charlotte want to get up and flee the room as quickly as her legs could carry her.

Rose’s hand found hers. “Thank you, Charlotte. For telling us.”

Relief eased over Charlotte, allowing her to take a deep breath. She looked to Selina for her reaction, meeting the Dowager Duchess’s wide stare with hope and fear in equal measure.

Her friend’s lips parted, and Charlotte could see the wheels spinning in her mind, putting together that that must have been why Charlotte was out at the same location in the poor district of the city.

“So, my brother knows about them?”

Charlotte nodded, still peeking at Selina out of the corner of her eye. Her friend had yet to say anything, and the tension soaring through her made Charlotte’s heart flutter like a hummingbird’s.

“He does, yes.”

There was silence then, hanging like a blade in the air, ready to fall and chop her to pieces. Charlotte’s insides churned, clamping down with each quiet second that no one refused to speak.

“I’m a virgin!”

One fell swoop, and Selina shattered the quiet. Charlotte’s draw dropped open, and she looked over to see the same expression mirrored on Rose’s face. Selina didn’t look at either of them, burying her face in her hands. It didn’t seem possible. Had Charlotte heard her friend correctly?

“How is that?—”