Of course, he hadn’t. The man was a master of manipulation. Playing the victim now, as if her comments had been unwarranted. But she knew better.
Pushing back his chair, Alfred rose. “If you will excuse me, I have a few matters to attend to before we leave.” He gave his wife a private smile before departing the room.
As soon as the door closed behind him, her mother turned a stern gaze on her. “Whatever has come over you, Child?”
“Alfred is not who he claims to be.”
Her mother exhaled sharply, exasperation etched onto her features. “Not this again. Why are you so determined to malign him?”
“Why does Alfred want to buy us a hat so badly?” Elsbeth pressed. “I daresay that he is trying to buy our love.”
“Or perhaps he is simply being kind. Did you consider that?” her mother retorted.
“No, he is playing a game,” Elsbeth insisted.
Her mother shoved back her chair, rising to her feet. “I havehad enough of this nonsense. Alfred is a good, honorable man and you should be grateful to have him in your life.”
“How can you be so blind?” Elsbeth demanded, her voice rising. “He is manipulating us… manipulatingyou.”
Her mother’s tone hardened. “I think it might be best if you don’t accompany us to the village, after all.”
“Mother…”
She raised a hand, stilling Elsbeth’s words. “Not another word. Alfred is my husband, and I love him.”
Elsbeth leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed. “How could you move on so quickly after Father’s death?”
Her mother’s eyes widened with indignation. “How dare you say such a thing? I mourned your father properly, as was expected of me.”
“And then you married Alfred at the first opportunity.”
“Yes, and I do not regret it,” her mother declared. “Marrying Alfred got us out of that miserable dower house and into a far better situation.”
Elsbeth tossed her hands up. “We are worse off. You married beneath you, and you lost your place in Society, despite being the daughter of an earl. We were shunned for it.”
“No,” her mother said sharply. “We were shunned because of your father’s gambling debts and rakish reputation.”
“And what of me?” Elsbeth asked. “Did you even consider my opinion or my future when you married Alfred?”
Her mother crossed her arms over her chest. “I did this for us.”
“Well, I never asked you to,” Elsbeth snapped.
“Would you have preferred to stay in the dower house, scraping by and watching our servants leave one by one because we couldn’t afford to pay them?”
Elsbeth pressed her lips together. “Cousin Charles would have helped us.”
“Charles was busy managing a bankrupt estate,” hermother insisted. “He cared very little about what we did, much less about whatweneeded.”
“I disagree,” Elsbeth said. “Regardless, why does Alfred lock his desk drawers if he has nothing to hide?”
Her mother lifted her brow. “Perhaps because his stepdaughter has been rummaging through his things.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
With a shake of her head, her mother replied, “Alfred is much smarter than you give him credit for.”
Elsbeth reached for a piece of bread from the center of the table. “I do not want to live here. It is cold and miserable. This estate feels like a cage.”
