“For practical reasons?” Temperance stepped into the conversation, feeling herself growing curious. She tried to imagine what the duke must have been like as a child. Carefree or troublesome? She could not imagine it.
“It’s been a long time,” Harper shrugged, trying to avoid the topic entirely.
“So?” Albina said. “A dream does not die only because time has passed.”
All eyes were on Harper now, who seemed rather uncomfortable with the attention.
“Why doesn’t Temperance answer first?” he said.
“Oh my dreams as a child were fairly uncomplicated,” Temperance said quickly. She thought back to the nunnery, where getting out of that place was the best thing that could happen to her and was the subject of all of her dreams, “I’ve always wanted to be free.”
“I wonder where you get that from,” Harper said sarcastically, glancing at Albina. “Like mother, like daughter.”
“It’s not a bad dream to have,” Temperance replied. “Certainly one you can imagine someone in my situation to have.”
Harper’s expression softened at that.
“Well, I hope that it is achieved for you now,” he said, sincerely. “You are free in this estate.”
Temperance blushed at the remark, which surprised herself. Albina watched this interaction carefully.
“Your turn,” she said to the duke. “You said I must answer first, and I have. Now, you go.”
“Well..” Harper said, hesitating, “are you really that interested?”
“We are all answering, so you do as well,” Temperance covered up her interest.
“I’ll save that answer for another day,” Harper replied. Temperance knew that there was little arguing or persuading him after that. They settled into some other conversation, with her mother doing most of the talking.
After a while, when Joseph had wandered off to investigate something at the far end of the garden and Harper had leaned back on his hands with the closest thing to ease she had seen from him since he arrived, Albina turned to her daughter.
“You seem tired,” she said, quietly.
“What gives you that kind of impression?” Temperance looked at her. “I’m not tired.”
“My dear, we may have spent many years apart from each other but I can still read you better than anyone else can,” Albina insisted. “There is a tiredness to you that I have not seen before. Don’t assume that you can just lie to me about it.”
Temperance sighed. Her mother could be quite observant when she felt like it.
“If you really must know, then I am managing okay,” Temperance replied, “Oh, don’t look at me with that worried expression, please Mother.”
“I cannot help but be worried. All this commotion about the suitors, and the balls, and the proposals, and…” she looked at her daughter steadily. “I want you to know that none of this is necessary on my account.”
“Mother….”
“I mean it,” Albina said. “I am perfectly capable of managing my own situation. Whatever happens with the estate and the title and all the rest of it, I am not someone who needs to be provided for at the cost of your peace.”
“Why do you say it like that?” Temperance replied. “Do you not think that it is possible that I might be enjoying this process? Young girls usually do, you know.”
“But when have you been like other young girls, dear?” Albina pointed out. “I just think that maybe you are taking this thingtoo seriously, and pressuring yourself to find a match as fast as possible.”
“That is usually how it goes,” Temperance shrugged her shoulders. “You know I do not have unlimited time available to find myself a husband, and the sooner I do it, the better match I can find.”
“Not at all,” Albina shook her head. “Haste is not the answer here.”
“It is easy for you to advise me,” Temperance said, the words slipping out sharply before she could soften them. “But I think you might have done the same had you been in my situation.”
Albina was quiet for a moment.
