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"I just knew it. I told Joyce that Duke or not, any man who would step up to marry our Alethea to save her reputation must be a good soul at heart," Daphne's eyes sparkled. "Though I suspect, sister, that there is more between you and His Grace than mere obligation, hm?"

"Daphne…" Alethea felt another blush creeping up her neck.

"Don't tease her so. It's hardly fair," Joyce jumped in, much to Alethea's relief.

"I have news, actually," Alethea cleared her throat, hoping to divert the attention away from her romantic life. "A plan I wished to share with you both."

This successfully captured their attention. She set down her teacup and straightened her shoulders.

"I intend to host a ball at Redhaven."

"A ball? Truly?" Daphne seemed delighted.

"So soon? You and Oliver have only been married a month, and you've already a mind to throw a grand event?" Joyce's eyes widened in surprise.

Alethea nodded, her enthusiasm growing as she voiced the idea.

"It will be a small ball with just family and friends in attendance, nothing too overwhelming. I thought… well, I thought it would be a lovely way to bring everyone together," she explained.

It was something that Alethea had been planning in her mind for a while now.

Daphne let out a squeal and threw her arms around Alethea again.

"Oh, what a marvelous idea! We shall help in every way we can. I can already think of a dozen things."

"I hoped you'd say that," Alethea laughed, delighted by her sister's immediate willingness. "I've never organized a ball before, and I could dearly use your expertise."

"Consider it done!" Daphne pronounced. "We'll need to decide on a date, perhaps, coordinate with your housekeeper at Redhaven… Oh, it will be such fun! I'll write to some of our friends for help with the floral arrangements."

But Joyce did not seem to be so enthused.

"It sounds as if this will be quite the reunion."

"That is my hope," Alethea said warmly. It only occurred to her later that reunion implied that Theodore would be present as well.

Alethea did not have the chance to dwell over the thought much longer, however, as Daphne kept her firmly engaged with all the plans for the ball. It was only when Daphne disappeared to get her notebook when Alethea had a chance to speak to Joyce again.

Rather, it was the other way round, as Joyce took this moment to speak to her.

"You are rather excited by this ball," she nodded.

"I am only settling into my role at the estate," Alethea replied.

Joyce started, then forced a reassuring smile. "I'm so relieved you are happy, dearest. I prayed every night that Oliver would be good to you. Seeing you now, I can set that fear aside. After all, this was all my fault. I should have never danced with Theodore. This all started with that."

Alethea squeezed her sister's hand. Joyce had not spoken so candidly about the matter before, and Alethea knew that she must handle the situation with grace.

"You needn't have worried. I am happier than I ever expected to be." She hesitated, then spoke from her heart. "In fact, I think I may be falling in love with him."

Joyce's gaze snapped up to Alethea's, surprise flashing across her face.

"Are you only saying that to appease me?"

Alethea shook her head.

"No," she admitted, smiling shyly. "I have a truly awful time telling lies, and you would be able to tell if I were."

Joyce pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes filling with happy tears.

"You cannot know how it lifts my heart to hear that," she said. "This has been my greatest burden."

Alethea leaned forward and wrapped her sister in a tight hug.

"I wanted you to know, so you wouldn't feel responsible for… for any of it. Please don't blame yourself for how I came to be married. I do not regret it."

But as she drew back, she saw that even amidst her happiness for Alethea, Joyce's eyes were shadowed. Joyce took a trembling breath.

"You are generous to say so. But I have blamed myself every day since that awful night."

"There is nothing to forgive," Alethea insisted, brushing a tear off Joyce's cheek with her thumb. "If anyone was at fault, it was Theodore, and he had only the wildest of intentions, not ill."

At the mention of Theodore's name, Joyce visibly tensed and she withdrew slightly.

"Please, let us not speak of that."

Alethea studied her sister's face. There was a pain there that she had not seen before. In that instant, Alethea understood that her sister's heart was breaking.

When Joyce composed herself and managed a polite smile, Alethea spoke gently.

"Do you care for him?"

"It makes no difference," Joyce's fingers tightened on the handkerchief.

"Joyce," Alethea persisted softly. "I do not wish for there to be secrets between us. You must tell me. Please."

Joyce's composure faltered. She closed her eyes, and two tears escaped, trailing down her cheeks.

"It's hopeless, really," she whispered, "Even if I did care for him, what future could there be? After all that has happened?"

Alethea moved closer, taking her sister's hands in hers.

"Answer the question with your heart, not your head. Do you love him?"

Joyce's face crumpled. Slowly, she nodded, unable to speak for a moment. Then the words spilled out as though a dam had opened.

"I do. I tried not to. After my husband died, I never thought I could feel this way again. But Theodore is so full of life, and he made me laugh when I thought I'd forgotten how. I let myself… I let myself dream of a second chance with him," Joyce admitted, sniffling.

Alethea's eyes pricked with tears at the raw longing in her sister's voice.

"Oh, Joyce…"

Joyce shook her head, tears slipping freely now.

"It was foolish of me. I should have known better. I'm a widow with a tarnished name now, and he's a duke's brother still in the bloom of youth. He ought to forget me, and I must forget him."

"Is that truly what you want?" Alethea asked.

"What I want doesn't signify," Joyce choked out. "What matters is what's right. And it would be wrong to drag him further into scandal for my sake. His brother will never allow it, and I won't have Theodore cut off from his family or fortune over me."

Alethea pulled her into an embrace, cradling Joyce's head against her shoulder as her sister wept quietly. For a long moment, the only sounds were Joyce's soft. Alethea's own tears escaped in sympathy.

When Joyce finally drew back, blotting her eyes, her expression had gone cold.

"So you see," she whispered, "it is better if I put him from my mind. In time, he'll forget me and find someone more suitable. And I shall be content with my memories."

Alethea's heart twisted painfully. Joyce was only twenty-eight, far too young to seal herself away with such loneliness. She brushed a tear from Joyce's cheek.

"But you deserve happiness too," she said, "the same happiness that you wish for me to have."

"My happiness is seeing you happy," Joyce returned. "That will be enough for me."

Alethea could think of no reply that wouldn't sound hollow, so she simply gathered Joyce's hands in hers. Joyce was willing to sacrifice her own chance at love to protect the man she loved. It was a heartbreaking irony that such selflessness only caused them both more pain.

"I have returned," Daphne said, walking back into the room. Joyce shot her a look, as if to say that the conversation between them was now over. But Alethea could not think of anything else.

Now that she had the confirmation that Joyce returned Theodore's feelings, it felt almost criminal to sit and do nothing about it.

Something had to be done.