“I thank you, Your Highness. Lady Hertford, it is a pleasure to see you again.” It was not, but social niceties were essential.
The lady frowned but waited for the prince to speak. “I realize you were recalled early, and I am sorry to take you from your family. It was essential, however, that you return to town as soon as possible.”
“I admit to some curiosity about the abrupt nature of the summons.”Careful, Lizzy. Do not upset him.
The prince laughed. “Your cheek has always amused me, my dear. We had best get to business quickly. I have decided it istime for you to marry. Suitable candidates have been identified, and so you must have a season!”
So, it is as my uncle suspected. The prince means to use me to make a political alliance. “I had thought my uncle had some…involvement in these matters.” She would not marry someone old enough to be her father—absolutely not.
“Mr. Bennet is in agreement with all my edicts.” He lied, but Elizabeth bit her tongue. One did not accuse the heir to the throne of dishonesty. She struggled to suppress her anger as he continued. “Lady Hertford will be your official chaperone. She will arrange your presentation and oversee your social calendar. Though you will reside here, you will be with her on her days at home to callers. She will take you on her calls as well. Any shopping, events, balls, suitors—all of them are in her purview. She will bring concerns to me for resolution.”
The lady leaned in and whispered something in the prince’s ear. He took her hand and squeezed it before Lady Hertford left the room.
Elizabeth felt the absence keenly; Lady Hertford’s silence had been as instructive as her presence.
“Forgive me for being impertinent, but will having Lady Hertford as my chaperone not hurt my standing rather than help it?” She was the prince’s mistress!
Elizabeth listened with composed attention as the Prince laid out his reasoning, though she suspected he was as much addressing society at large as he was her. Lady Hertford, he explained, was precisely the sort of chaperone no one questioned—married, well connected, and so thoroughly established in the first circles that her presence conferred legitimacy rather than constraint. No one would wonder why Elizabeth was under her care; it would be assumed, without comment, that such arrangements were natural and proper. Lady Hertford was known for her discretion, for observing the forms withoutinviting notice, and for understanding when silence served better than vigilance. With such a woman at her side, Elizabeth would not appear managed or paraded, but simply protected, and society—always eager for reassurance—would be satisfied with the appearance of order. In that light, Elizabeth realized the Prince was offering her more than convenience: he was granting her freedom precisely because no one would think to look twice.
It was clear Elizabeth would have no say in that matter. “Am I not to see my aunt for the season?”
The prince frowned. “You will be under my purview and guardianship. No calls to Connaught House will be permitted.”
The words settled heavily. Independence, it seemed, would be rationed.
“May I continue my correspondence?”
He agreed to that, much to her relief. “Are there any other matters you wish to discuss?” He raised a brow.
“Yes, sir. I wish to make it clear that I will not be forced into marriage against my will. I acknowledge my position and will do what is expected unless I find the situation intolerable.”
“And what makes the situation intolerable, as you say?” He looked mildly amused.
“I will not marry a man old enough to be my father. I will not marry someone who will be cruel and have no respect for my person. And I refuse to be solely a political pawn.”
The prince no longer looked amused. “You speak rather decidedly for so young a person.”
“Not so young, Your Highness. My twenty-first birthday approaches. If you wished to press me into an alliance wholly not of my choosing, it should have been done years ago.” Time to sweeten his mood. She drew a breath. “I am very aware of the great privilege it has been to be raised under your guardianship, Your Highness. You have been gracious and generous—I have wanted for nothing. That is why I speak beseechingly—you of allpeople ought to know the strain of an arrangement not to your preference. I shall entertain the courtship of any gentleman you deem worthy of notice, but I wish to be happy in my marriage.”
The prince regarded her solemnly. Elizabeth hoped he viewed her words as sympathetic to his plight. Prinny was self-centered and enjoyed flattery, and so she pressed on, layering the compliments carefully in hopes of winning his approval.
He held up a hand after a few more moments of speech. “You have made your point, Miss de Bourgh. I will agree to a degree of choice on your part. If you cannot like a suitor, I will not force you to marry him. That said, if I cannot like a suitor, you will not be allowed to marry him. Have we an accord?”
Elizabeth sank into a deep curtsy, rising slowly and raising her gaze to the prince’s. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Very good. Lady Hertford will come for you tomorrow. You need a new wardrobe. All your clothing has come from Montagu House and was found wanting.”
“Am I to have no say in my attire?” It slipped out before she could stop it. Thankfully, the prince laughed.
“Your gowns are very fine, but not fashionable enough for the society Lady Hertford frequents. As long as your tastes are acceptable, there will be no quarrel.”
Elizabeth felt her last misgivings ease. Lady Hertford was praised for her fashionable restraint. There was nothing in her appearance that invited comment or curiosity—no excess of ornament, no anxious pursuit of fashion—only the quiet assurance of a woman who understood precisely how to be seen without being examined. Her gowns were of excellent fabric and irreproachable cut, elegant without ostentation, and worn with the unconscious ease of long habit rather than display. Elizabeth knew, despite her pique, that she had no cause for concern; a lady of such taste would never provoke notice, nor allow those in her care to do so. Under Lady Hertford’s unobtrusiveguardianship, propriety would be satisfied, society disarmed, and Elizabeth herself free to move without the smallest risk of censure.
“You may return to your chambers. Charlotte expects you to dine with her.” The prince waved his hand dismissively, and Elizabeth backed out of the parlor. As the doors closed before her, she breathed a sigh of relief. The coming season would be a trial but nothing she could not manage.
Still, as she walked back toward Charlotte’s wing, Elizabeth allowed herself one honest thought: freedom granted at another’s pleasure was not freedom at all—but she would make use of it nonetheless.
Princess Charlotte bombarded Elizabeth with questions the moment she stepped into the girl’s room. She wanted to know everything about her sojourn in Hertfordshire. Charlotte felt she knew Elizabeth’s cousins through her letters and stories.
