“But what if he doesn’t truly want to marry me?”
Her sister leaned forward. “You are working yourself into a frenzy for nothing,” she said. “You are going to marry Lord Charles today, and you will be deliriously happy.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Because you deserve it.”
There was something in her sister’s voice that caused her to pause. “And you don’t?”
“I don’t wish to discuss it.”
“Why not?”
Marjorie lowered her gaze to her lap. “You are the clever one,” she said. “I am just a pretty face.”
“That is not true,” Henrietta contended.
“It is true,” Marjorie responded. “Miss Skeffington was constantly chiding me for my misspelled words and difficulty with learning numbers.”
“Miss Skeffington was vain and pretentious. I wouldn’t give any heed to what she said.”
Marjorie brought her gaze up. “She told me that if I didn’t marry well, then I would never accomplish anything in my life.”
“That is awful and entirely not true.”
“But it is,” Marjorie said. “We both know our main accomplishment in life is to marry well.”
“A marriage should not define who we are.”
“But it does.”
Henrietta folded her fan and returned it to her reticule. “What Miss Skeffington said to you was wrong,” she stated. “You are just as clever as I am.”
“We both know that isn’t true,” Marjorie huffed. “I rarely read for pleasure, and when I do, it’s painfully slow.”
“Everyone is clever in their own way,” Henrietta attempted.
“I avoid reading poetry out loud when I’m at social gatherings because it is embarrassing when I mispronounce the words.”
“There is no shame in that.”
Marjorie gave her a look that implied she didn’t believe her. “Whenever a gentleman comes over, you always engage them about their knowledge of books.”
“They are only being polite.”
“I think not,” Marjorie replied. “Everyone knows that I am dull compared to you.”
Henrietta hesitated for a moment. “I truly hope that I have never made you feel inferior.”
“You haven’t.”
“Good, because what you said is rubbish.”
Marjorie gave her a peculiar look. “Why do you say that?”
“You may not read like I do, but you are constantly teaching me things,” Henrietta responded.
“Such as?”
