“Yes,” her mother said with a smile. “It’s been far too longsince we’ve entertained. It would be a kind gesture for the villagers.”
Elsbeth wiped her mouth with her napkin. “That’s a terrible idea.”
Her mother’s smile didn’t falter. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way since I’ve already sent out the invitations.”
“What?” Elsbeth’s brows shot up. “Who did you invite?”
“Just a few of Alfred’s friends and some of our neighbors,” her mother replied.
Elsbeth resisted the urge to groan. The last thing she wanted was to host a soiree filled with strangers, forced politeness, and shallow conversations. The thought alone was exhausting.
Her mother turned towards Charles. “Please say that you will stay until our soiree. It would mean so much to us.”
“I would be delighted,” he replied.
Elsbeth felt her stomach twist. She returned her gaze to her plate and poked at her food with her fork, her appetite gone.
Surely today could not get any worse.
Niles sat in the coach as it jostled along the winding road to Lady Elsbeth’s estate. His gaze drifted to his sister Eugenie, who stared out the window with a contemplative expression. This was the perfect opportunity to address the matter that had been gnawing at him since last night. How exactly was she acquainted with Lord Bedford?
Clearing his throat, he broke the silence. “How exactly did you say you knew Lord Bedford?”
Eugenie turned towards him, offering a weak smile. “We met in passing. Hardly worth mentioning.”
“That is precisely what you said last night,” he remarked, narrowing his eyes.
“Well,” she replied, “it makes it no less true.”
He shifted tactics, probing further. “Where did you meet him?”
“At Lady Britton’s ball,” she said casually, brushing an invisible speck off her gown.
“Did you dance with him?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Heavens, no. We met in the library. It was all entirely innocent, I assure you.”
“I recall you mentioning going to the library at that ball,” Niles said slowly, “but you never mentioned you weren’t alone.”
Eugenie’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I was reading when a man entered the room. We spoke briefly, and then he went on his way.”
“You spoke to a man you weren’t acquainted with?” Niles asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” she replied with a slight edge in her voice. “The situation didn’t allow for an introduction. Besides, no one saw us.”
“You were most fortunate,” he said, his tone growing stern. “If anyone had seen you alone with him, your reputation could have been ruined.”
Eugenie shrugged lightly. “No one did, not even when we kissed.”
The air in the coach seemed to freeze. Niles shot upright in his seat. “What?! You kissed?”
Eugenie met his gaze with a composed expression. “We were debating a book, and somehow… we ended up kissing. It was rather confusing, and I’m not quite sure how it happened.”
“You cannot go around kissing strangers, Eugenie!” His voice rose slightly, his frustration evident.
“I am well aware,” she said, nodding with mock seriousness. “And it won’t happen again.”
“It shouldn’t have happened at all!” he exclaimed.
