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Caroline slung her arm over Arabella’s shoulder and peered down at the guidebook. “This is wonderful,” she declared. “You deserve every accolade.”
“This is exciting indeed,” Arabella said. “But not as exciting asyournews, Betsy.”
Betsy preened and then laughed. “My newest book is doing quite well, isn’t it?”
“You are our star,” Caroline said fondly.
Betsy and Mr. Graham both had soaring poetry careers. They traveled to London once a quarter to meet with other authors, as well as give readings and attend lectures and literary soirees. Betsy had confessed with great sadness that meeting Lord Byron had been the disappointment of her life, citing a certain mean-spiritedness about him, but that she would still cherish his verse forever in her heart.
Betsy also kept up to date with great satisfaction regarding Mr. Taylor whenever she was in London. No one had a good word to say about him there. She was happy to report back to Inverley that Mr. Taylor may have taken a great deal of their money and remained very rich, but he couldn’t possibly have anything that mattered. No friends. No family. No community. Wealth was certainly not worth the price.
Arabella sat down on the sofa, dislodging Shelley and Byron. The cats crowded onto her lap and pushed their heads into her hand for petting. It was lovely to be surrounded by family, she thought. They had a letter from Jacob this morning to report that life in Somerset continued to go well, and that he would be coming to Inverley with Susan for a visit later in the summer.
Their wealth was all around them. It was in the love that shone like a beacon between herself and Caroline. It was in the laughter of Rachel’s son, Matthew Junior, and it was in the purring of the cats. It was in the happy shrieks of laughter from the Disreputable Debutantes as they discovered that although society considered them to be flawed, they were young and full of vibrancy—and that was a gift worth more than a thousand vouchers to Almack’s.
Arabella had been wrong to think that nothing ever changed in Inverley. If one was open to it, change and good fortune were waiting all around them.
Caroline sat beside her and squeezed her hand. “We have everything and more, don’t we?” she murmured.
“Everything beyond my wildest dreams.”
