Page 49 of The Duke of Kisses
Fanny clasped Sarah’s hand for a quick moment. “Never fear, we can be spinsters together. We shall have the workhouse to keep us busy.”
“Yes, about that,” Sarah said. “I wanted to speak with you about an idea I had. It will have to wait, however.” Her mother was upon them.
“My goodness, what an exciting evening!” Viscountess Colton said, smiling. “I am very much looking forward to Anthony’s account of what happened and whether this duel is actually happening.”
“Duel?” Fanny and Sarah said in unison.
“Oh, you probably couldn’t hear what was going on. Mr. Hornsby challenged Mr. Royston to a duel. He alleged that Royston had insulted his sister.”
“Is that true?” Sarah asked.
“I’m not entirely certain. It seems to be a simple issue of Royston not wanting to court Miss Hornsby and her feeling disappointed. That’s the gossip anyway.”
Fanny didnotunderstand Society. “That hardly seems like something worth dueling over.”
“Indeed,” Sarah’s mother agreed, turning to her daughter. “I came to fetch you, Sarah. I’m ready to go.”
Sarah gave Fanny an apologetic wince. “I hate to leave you alone.”
Lavinia wasn’t at the ball, and Fanny hadn’t seen their other friend, Jane, since earlier in the evening. Fanny gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t concern yourself. I’ll find Ivy. I’m sure she’s ready to depart too.”
They said their good-nights, and as Fanny searched the ballroom for her sister, a woman in a rather plain white gown trimmed with lavender velvet approached her. There was something familiar about the set of her mouth and the shape of her eyes.
“Good evening, Miss Snowden. I am Lady St. Ives.”
Of course. Fanny instantly recognized that she was David’s mother and offered a curtsey. “Pleased to meet you, my lady.” And a bit nervous. The countess’s eyes carried a chill.
“I’d like to speak with you for a moment, if I may.” Lady St. Ives strolled closer to the wall.
Fanny followed despite the sinking sensation carving through her stomach.
The countess offered a brief smile that didn’t warm her demeanor in the slightest. “I think possessing appropriate expectations is incredibly important. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Fanny said slowly, not bothering to mask her unease.
Lady St. Ives clasped her hands in front of her waist. “Good. I don’t wish to be indelicate, but I fear I must be straightforward. You must stay away from my son. He is promised to someone else, and his attention needs to be entirely devoted in that direction. Do you understand?”
Fanny’s heart pounded a heavy rhythm. “I think so. I am assured that your son’s…attentionis not directed at me.”
“That is relieving to hear. I should hate for anyone to learn of your sister’s background.” She clucked her tongue and dashed a look toward the middle of the ballroom. “Not even becoming a duchess can erase some things.”
The woman’s threat was unmistakable. Fanny fought to take a breath. Rage pooled in her belly and was quickly joined with fear. “Are you threatening me and my sister?”
The countess pierced her with a devastatingly icy stare. “I’m explaining how the world works, my dear. You are not fit to marry my son. How your sister managed to land a duke is a mystery, and yet I suppose one must considerwhichduke she married. It’s not as if he had a good name to uphold. Not like my son.” Her lips stretched into a mild grimace. “I’m sure you think me heartless, but I assure you this is for your own good.”
Fanny clenched her hands into fists to still herself from shaking. “Why, because I would then be deprived of having you for a mother-in-law? On that score, I must agree. I pity whomever he takes for a wife.”
Lady St. Ives’s eyes widened as she sucked a breath through her flared nostrils. “You’re as common as your sister.”
A nasty smile curled Fanny’s lip. “Of course I am.We are sisters.”
“Then I shall also assume you have behaved in a loose fashion. I can only hope you haven’t done so with my son. Let me reiterate: you must stay away from him, or your sister’s indiscretions will be made public.”
The shaking in Fanny’s body was impossible to quell. She felt her shoulder twitch and fought to speak without her voice quavering too. “I will also repeat that there is nothing between your son and me.”Not anymore…
“Excellent.” Lady St. Ives unclasped her hands and inclined her head. “Have a pleasant evening.” Then she turned and left as if she hadn’t just said the most horrible things Fanny had ever had to listen to.
There was no telling how long Fanny stood there, her mind numb and her body slowly calming from the distress Lady St. Ives had wrought. She wished she’d asked the countess how she knew about Ivy, andwhat, specifically she knew. Was it that Ivy had been in a workhouse? That she’d borne a bastard? That she’d been ruined by Viscount Bosworth?
