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W illiam was unsurprised to find that the dinner party went poorly. Any party hosted by Beatrice was bound to be a disaster.

It wasn’t that his cousin didn’t know how to host an elegant party.

She did of course. She had always had an aptitude for such things, even in their youth.

And now, as Marchioness of Hawridge, her need to throw elaborate parties had only increased.

William had turned down more invitations than he could count, not wanting to spend undue time in her company, but it wouldn’t have done to decline the first invitation they had received following their marriage.

It was important that there should be a public appearance for William with his new wife on his arm, and Beatrice’s dinner party was no worse than anywhere else.

Baron Highgate and his family, by contrast, looked downright delighted to be here.

Of course, they would not have merited invitations had it not been for Arabella’s marriage to him, so this was no doubt a very precious moment for all of them.

They took their seats in the dining room, faces shining, looking around as if they had never seen such an elaborate meal in all their lives.

Who could say—perhaps that was true.

The young lady who spoke first when they had all taken their seats around the table was someone William did not know by name.

He had seen her before, at various parties and events, and she had never given him the best impression.

She had a pale face and hawkish features—a sharp nose and chin, a large forehead, and beady eyes that seemed to take in the whole room.

She turned her attention first to Beatrice.

“The party is excellent, Lady Hawridge,” she gushed.

“I’m so grateful to have been included.”

“Well, of course, Miss Alexandra,” Beatrice said. “You join us for this party every year. I wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving you off the guest list.”

Miss Alexandra beamed. “I do see that there have been some changes made to the guest list this year, however,” she observed, and cast a sharp look at Miss Caroline, who flushed pink and looked down at her hands.

“Well, you understand why that is, I’m sure,” Beatrice said with a high, unpleasant-sounding laugh. “My cousin is married now.”

“To be sure, and I understand why his wife must be included in these affairs—though I must say, it does lower the tone of them somewhat,” she added with a giggle, as though the insult was the cleverest thing anyone had ever said.

“But then, to invite all the new duchess’ poor relations…

well, it’s very charitable of you, I suppose.

” She turned back to Miss Caroline. “Tell me, have you ever been to a fine party like this one before? Or is this the first time?”

Miss Caroline lifted her chin. “I’ve spent enough time in society to know how to manage myself with dignity,” she said.

Arabella gave her sister a small smile of approval, and William had to admit that he was impressed as well with the way Miss Caroline had not let the snide remarks get to her. He was sure that what Miss Alexandra wanted out of this exchange was some sort of reaction.

But now Grace waded into the verbal battle. “Those gowns you’re wearing,” she said, indicating both Miss Caroline and Miss Prudence. “Wherever did you get them?”

The sisters met one another’s gaze and looked away. It was clear that neither of them knew exactly how to respond to that question.

It was Arabella who stepped in this time. “We bought the gowns in town,” she told Grace. “They are lovely, aren’t they? I think that color really brings out Caroline’s eyes.”

“Well, I think that’s the same style I wore three months ago,” Grace said.

She turned to William. “Really, if you’re going to pour money into trying to make these people look decent, you might at least make sure someone goes along with them who has some idea of taste and what’s in fashion.

There’s no sense in wasting money on looking foolish and embarrassing the family. ”

William lifted an eyebrow. “Embarrassing the family? Suddenly that’s your great concern when you bring shame to us every time you open your mouth, Grace?”

“I beg your pardon?” Grace set down her fork.

“The way you speak as if you’re better than everyone around you—it’s just a joke,” William said.

“It makes you look terrible, and it makes you look as if those of us responsible for your integration into society didn’t raise you with the knowledge of how to comport yourself.

If you can’t greet my wife and her family with anything other than weak insults, it reflects badly on you, not on them.

And I think Miss Caroline looks lovely tonight,” he added.

“No, you don’t,” Grace huffed dismissively.

“You know nothing about fashion, and the only reason you’re standing up for her is that you know it reflects poorly on you if she doesn’t fit in.

But she doesn’t. She never will unless you figure out a way to make her understand that there is a standard that has to be met at affairs such as this one. ”

“You embarrass me far more than my wife’s family ever could,” William argued. “It’s not their fault they haven’t always had money, you know, but it is your fault that you don’t have manners.”

“William, that’s enough,” Beatrice said. “I didn’t invite you over here so that you could be cold and unpleasant to Grace, you know. You talk of manners, but you are the one hurling insults at your own cousin. Grace is only trying to help Miss Caroline.”

“Help her? I don’t see how there’s anything helpful about what’s happening here,” William said sharply.

“Well, someone has to let them know that they aren’t up to the standards of society,” Beatrice argued.

It was such a direct comment that it silenced everyone at the table. Prudence’s mouth hung slightly ajar, as if she couldn’t believe Beatrice had actually said such a thing.

Baron Highgate cleared his throat several times, and William thought perhaps he meant to interject, to defend his family.

William knew that he himself would not have been able to remain quiet in the Baron’s shoes.

But he was also well acquainted with the Baron as a weak man, so perhaps it was unsurprising that he kept his head down and didn’t respond.

William spoke up instead. “I won’t allow you to speak about my wife’s family that way, Beatrice.”

“Well, isn’t it better to hear it from family, at a small, intimate gathering like this one, than it would be to hear it at a ball from someone who didn’t even care for you?

” She turned back to Miss Caroline. “Truly, darling, we say these things because you matter to us. Because we yearn for your happiness. We want you to feel included in society, not to feel as if you are forever on the outside—as we know you have been before now. You’re one of us now.

You understand that, don’t you? You know that no one is trying to be cruel to you, that no one wants to hurt you on purpose. ”

“I understand,” Miss Caroline agreed, but her face was chalk white. Prudence balled her napkin up in her hands, and her mother reached over and took it from her, as if settling an anxious child.

“You have an odd way of showing it,” William said. “This is my family now, Beatrice—Grace. If you continue to show them such unkindness, I’m afraid we are going to have to take our leave early. All of us.”

“You don’t have to do that, William,” Arabella said quietly, putting a hand on his arm. The touch of her hand startled him, for it was the first time that he could remember her making contact with him like this. He looked over at her, into her eyes that so often sparkled.

They weren’t sparkling now. Instead, there was a darkness—a look of pain. This was hurting her, and he hated that.

But she seemed determined to bear through it.

“We don’t need to leave,” she told him. “It’s important that we all get to know one another, and this may be the best way for that to happen.

After all, it isn’t just that my sisters are your family now.

Your cousins are my family as well, and I take that seriously. ”

“Well, I wouldn’t go quite that far,” Beatrice said, nose in the air, and Miss Alexandra let out an audible giggle. The Baroness giggled too, though it was clear that she was uncomfortable and trying to make the best of it

Beatrice continued. “While it’s true that your marriage does connect us to one another in an irrevocable way, Miss Arabella?—”

“Her proper title is Your Grace ,” William said firmly.

Beatrice glanced at him, but she did not bother to correct what she had said.

“This family is a thing we all value a great deal,” she went on.

“You cannot force your way into the inner circle by manipulating my cousin into a marriage. You may be wed, but I don’t consider you family exactly. Not just yet anyway.”

The Baroness was as white as a sheet. She glanced at William, and then looked away as if afraid to speak.

Arabella began to rise to her feet in indignation.

But William got there first. He was upright in an instant, one hand on Arabella’s shoulder to signal her that he would be the one to deal with this.

“You cannot speak to us in this fashion, Beatrice,” he said firmly.

“Not to me and not to my wife. You will show her the respect due to a duchess and to a member of our family, or I assure you, there will be consequences.”

“Consequences?” Beatrice repeated. “You’re threatening us with consequences ? What do you mean to do?”

“Well, at the moment, I mean to remove myself and my family from your home,” William said firmly. “Come along, all of you. Arabella—Lord Highgate—we aren’t going to stay here and be spoken to in this manner.”

Beatrice rose to her feet as well. “William,” she cautioned. “Do you understand that by walking out of this house like this, you are aligning yourself with them and against us? Do you understand the choice you are making? I hope you have thought very hard about what you’re doing.”

“I’ve thought about it,” William said. “You may rest assured that I am not the sort of man to choose my meddling cousins over my own wife. If you find fault with her, or with her family, then you find fault with me. You’re the one who has made that decision, Beatrice, not me.

You’re the one who chose to treat my family as if they were beneath you.

But they are not beneath you, and you owe them your respect. ”

Beatrice gasped.

But William had had more than enough. He beckoned to Arabella, who joined him at once, needing no further prompting. “Father,” she said, “we’re going. You ought to come with us.”

Lord Highgate looked desperately wrong-footed. “But the dinner,” he said, his glass of wine still in his hand. “You can’t mean for us to leave early?”

He would stay. He would stay here and allow his daughters to be spoken to like this, just to have the opportunity to finish his wine.

Just to go on being a part of the dinner party—I can only assume because he hasn’t been invited to one like this recently, and he wants to make the most of the opportunity.

“We’ll return to my estate,” William suggested. “We can all have dinner there, and I’ll open a bottle of my finest reserve.”

It was enough to get Lord Highgate on his feet, thankfully. He beckoned to his wife and daughters, and they left together with only Prudence glancing momentarily over her shoulder in regret for what she was leaving behind.

There would be other parties. There would be other opportunities for Arabella’s sisters to make a splash on the social scene.

For today, William had had more than enough.

He was not going to allow his cousins to treat him—or anyone else under his protection—as if they were second-class citizens.

They all deserved better, and he would see to it that that was what they got.

He didn’t speak again until they were in the carriage, headed for home. Then he turned to Arabella. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you,” he said quietly.

She shook her head. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did for them in there,” she replied. “Standing up for them like that…”

Her eyes met his, and gratitude seemed to pour forth from them.

The intensity of the emotion was too much for William. He looked away, his heart beating madly at Arabella’s nearness, his fists still clenched in rage at his cousins’ daring.