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"For now, perhaps," Sir Malcolm mused, already moving on to the next auction item. "But talent like that rarely stays satisfied with modest ambitions."
The auction continued around us, but I found myself watching Lady Victoria more than the stage. She was studying Edward and me with the focus of a scientist observing an experiment, and every now and then, she'd glance at Sir Malcolm with a small smile that made my skin crawl.
Something was happening here that I didn't understand. Something bigger than charity auctions and casual conversations about my career prospects. I could feel it in the tension of Edward's shoulders, in the meaningful looks betweenLady Victoria and the senior partners, in the way everyone kept talking around something instead of about it.
And, I had a sinking feeling that I wasn't just playing a part in someone else's life. I was the target of something I couldn't see coming. That something had been set in motion long before I'd broken Mama's necklace, long before I'd stepped onto that stage, and maybe even long before I'd set foot in England.
And judging by the way Lady Victoria kept glancing between Edward and Sir Malcolm with that satisfied smile, I was the only one in the dark about what was coming.
I needed air.
Sir Malcolm's comments about my "wasted potential" and how I should be in "real sales" had sent me fleeing from the ballroom, away from Edward's suddenly intense stare and the knowing glances his colleagues exchanged over my head.
The conservatory seemed the perfect escape—quiet, secluded, and mercifully empty… or so I thought.
"Miss Anderton. How fortuitous." Lady Victoria's voice cut through the humid air like a blade, making me freeze halfway through the doorway.
The pride I'd felt on that stage just minutes ago evaporated, replaced by the familiar tension that always accompanied Lady Victoria's presence. "I've been hoping for a private moment with you."
My heart sank. After the emotional high of saving the auction, the last thing I needed was another round of Lady Victoria's perfect disdain. But there was nowhere to retreat—she was already gliding toward me, looking regal and dangerous in midnight blue silk.
The conservatory glass caught the moonlight and refracted it through crystal ornaments hanging from the ceiling, casting dancing rainbow patterns across Lady Victoria's imperious features. The illusion of softness only made her words cut deeper.
"Lady Victoria," I said, summoning what little social grace I had left. "I was just getting some air."
"Of course you were." Her smile was a masterpiece of aristocratic condescension. "After such a charming little performance. You certainly know how to command attention, don't you?"
Something in her tone made my skin prickle with warning. This wasn't her usual disapproval. There was anticipation in her eyes, like a cat who'd cornered something particularly entertaining to toy with.
"Thank you," I said cautiously. "I was just trying to help."
"Yes, you Americans are always so eager to help, so forthright, so enthusiastic."
She circled me slowly, the scent of her expensive perfume mingling with the exotic flowers. "I suppose your Mother taught you that? A waitress, wasn't she? Or was it a diner manager?" She examined her manicured nails. "Edward mentions the most fascinating details sometimes."
My throat tightened at the mention of Mama. "She taught me a lot of things. Including manners."
"So skilled at making people want what you're selling," Lady Victoria continued as if I hadn't spoken. "I suppose selling comes naturally when one works in television. Though I must say, your performance tonight was far more impressive than I would have expected from someone who peddles garden tools at two in the morning."
The way she emphasized "peddles" made my skin crawl.
"I really was just trying to help," I lifted my chin slightly. The rubies she'd insisted I wear to the previous gala too felt like a phantom weight around my ear lobes—why had she bothered lending me family jewels if she thought me so beneath them all?
"Oh, I'm sure you were," she replied with a razor-thin smile. "Just as I'm sure you're 'just trying to help' my son with his personal development. How very generous of you."
"Lady Victoria, if you have something to say—"
"I have many things to say, Miss Anderton, but let's start with what matters. I know exactly who you are." She stepped closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a confidence. "And I know exactly why you should be very, very concerned about your future at Gardens & Home Television."
The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
"I don't understand."
"Let me be perfectly clear, then." She stepped closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a confidence. "Pemberton & Associates is acquiring Gardens & Home Television on behalf of a very important client. The paperwork was filed this afternoon. By Friday, your little television empire will belong to somebody else’s firm."
My hands turned ice-cold, and I could feel my pulse hammering in my throat like a trapped bird.
The elegant room seemed to sway around me, the crystal chandeliers blurring as my eyes struggled to focus on Lady Victoria's perfectly composed face.