Page 35 of Song of the Caged Duchess

Eugenia nodded. “I still don’t understand why you want to keep such a good thing secret,” she said. “But I’ll do as you ask.”

Esther wasn’t sure exactly why she wanted to keep her connection with the Duke a secret, except that it didn’t feel like there was any finality to their arrangement just yet. There was a part of her that wanted to announce to everyone who would listen that she had caught the eye of the most eligible gentleman at the ball, and that her family’s financial problems were sure to be solved quickly. Shewasproud of the accomplishment.

But it was one ball. Who could say what would happen next? It would be too humiliating if she crowed to Aunt Tabitha about having made a connection with the Duke only to have him show interest in someone else.

The carriage door was opened. Esther allowed the footman to take her hand and help her out. She waited while Eugenia was handed down, and then she took her cousin’s arm and headed up to the Manor door.

It was thrown open before they reached it. “You’re home,” Aunt Tabitha said by way of greeting. “Quickly, into the sitting room with you both.”

“But we’re tired, Aunt Tabitha,” Esther protested. “It’s very late. We meant to go straight to bed.”

“Esther?” a voice called out from the sitting room. “Is that you?”

Esther’s heart sank.

Father?

Aunt Tabitha waved them into the sitting room. Feeling an overwhelming sense of dread, Esther went.

Sure enough, her mother and father were sitting in the twin armchairs with expectant looks on their faces. “So,” her father said. “You’re home from Belton Manor.”

“Bolton Manor, Father,” Esther corrected. “And what are you doing here?”

“Sit down,” her father said. “Eugenia, join us for a cup of tea?”

It could not have been more clear that the invitation was optional.

Eugenia looked at Esther. Esther shook her head, hoping her cousin would understand by the gesture that she wasn’t needed, that it was all right if she decided she would rather go to bed.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Eugenia said. “But I’ve had a long evening, and I think I’ll retire.”

“Very well,” Esther’s father said. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning at breakfast, then.”

Esther’s last hope that her father meant to make this a brief visit evaporated. “What are you doing here, Father?” she asked as Eugenia took her leave.

“A fine welcome,” her mother snapped, taking a sip of her tea. “We’ve come a long way to be here for you, Esther. You ought to be thanking us for being such devoted parents. Not everyone would go to such great lengths for their daughter.”

“Forgive me,” Esther said, biting back the angry comment she really wanted to make. “I do appreciate your devotion. But I don’t understand it. We agreed that I was to spend the Season in London on my own, did we not? And that I would return home when it was over. There was never anything in our plan that suggested you would be joining me at Aunt Tabitha’s Manor.”

“Plans change,” her father said. “We got to talking, your mother and I, after you’d left, and we decided we had been a bit…” he paused.

“Hasty,” Esther’s mother supplied.

“Yes, hasty,” her father agreed. “We ought not to have left so much in your hands.”

“Why not? Don’t you trust me?”

“We trust your intentions,” her father said. “We know you would never do anything to put your sister’s future at risk.”

“Of course I wouldn’t,” Esther agreed. “I love Caroline more than anything in this world. You know that.”

“We do know,” her father said. “But we also know that you’re young. Young and inexperienced.”

“What does that mean?” Esther asked.

“It means that when it comes to gentlemen and courtship, you have no idea what you’re doing,” her mother said bluntly. “We know your heart is in the right place, but we can’t count on you to do what needs to be done if you’re not closely supervised.”

“Wait a moment,” Aunt Tabitha objected.