“Would you care to explain,” he said, his voice deceptively even, “why my eleven-year-old sister is learning household accounts instead of French vocabulary or European history?”
Augusta met his gaze without flinching. “Because she asked to.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have.” She stood with her back straight, her chin lifted, her hands folded at her waist. “She was distressed, Your Grace. The lesson seemed a reasonable response.”
“Distressed,” Hudson repeated. “About household accounts?”
“About being made to feel inadequate.” Her voice softened. “Yesterday, she encountered Lady Harriet and two of her friends. They compared their studies, and Cassie’s lessons in geography and natural philosophy did not measure up, in their estimation, to their own instruction in household management.”
Hudson’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “They said that to her face? Three girls?—”
“Not directly,” Augusta cut in. “They were careful. It was all implication and suggestion. But the message was clear enough. Cassie understood it perfectly.”
“I’ll speak to Drummond,” he said, already turning toward the stairs. “And Lord Vane. This behavior?—”
“Your Grace.” Her voice stopped him. “Wait.”
She closed the distance between them as he turned back, her hand extended as though to reach for him, before dropping to her side.
“Please,” she said. “Think carefully before you act.”
“There’s nothing to think about,” Hudson grunted. “My sister has been hurt?—”
“Your intervention will only make matters worse.” She took another step forward. “Those girls will be Cassie’s peers for the next decade. They will attend the same balls, the same dinner parties, the same soirees. If you confront their fathers now, you will only ensure that Cassie enters that world with three powerful enemies.”
“They’re children,” Hudson scoffed. “Their opinions hardly matter.”
“Children become adults,” Augusta pointed out. “And adults have long memories for slights, real or imagined.” Her hand rose, then fell again. “Please, Your Grace. There must be another way.”
“She deserves better than to be subjected to cruelty disguised as education,” Hudson said.
“She deserves,” Augusta countered, “the tools to navigate that world on her own terms. Not to be sheltered from it until the moment she’s thrown into the deep water.” She paused. “What Cassie felt yesterday wasn’t simply embarrassment about household accounts. It was the fear of being different, of being herself in a world that rewards conformity. What she needs now is confidence, not a confrontation.”
She watched Hudson carefully. He seemed to be studying her, and she wondered whether he believed her. Whether he knew that she truly cared for his sister, that she had her best interests at heart.
“The world will not change its expectations for her sake,” he said. “Not even if I wish it.”
“No,” Augusta agreed. “But she can learn to meet those expectations while remaining herself. That’s a skill worth cultivating.”
A long moment passed. Somewhere in the house, a door closed. A clock chimed the half-hour.
Hudson exhaled slowly, feeling something tight in his chest begin to loosen.
“Very well,” he acquiesced. “No confrontations with Drummond or Vane.” He held up a hand when Augusta began to smile. “But I expect my sister to be treated with the respect due to her station. If I hear of one more incident?—”
“I’ll inform you immediately,” Augusta promised. “And we’ll address it together.”
“I should return to my study,” he said, though his feet seemed unwilling to move. “I have correspondence to attend to.”
“Of course.” She nodded, a quick, graceful movement that sent a curl tumbling across her forehead. “And I should get back to Cassie. She’ll be wondering what’s become of us.”
Neither moved.
The moment stretched between them, taut as a wire. Only to be shattered by the sound of scrabbling claws on hardwood and an enthusiastic bark.
Pippin careened around the corner, ears flopping, tongue lolling, and skidded to a halt at Augusta’s feet. The dog looked up at them both, his head cocked as though trying to determine whether they required his immediate intervention.
