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“Oh, hello Caroline, so you were in here,” Lady Silverstein greeted.
Caroline gave a courteous curtsy. “Hello. A pleasant morning, ladies,” she replied.
The women ignored her greeting and walked over to their seats, chattering as they went. Caroline clenched her fist. “I could not help overhearing your conversation with Sir Alexander Mannfield. It appears you believe we are to be wed?" she asked, allowing the latter part of her statement to become a question.
Four pairs of blank eyes turned to her. "In fact, it is not that we believe it, but that it has become a widely known fact.Have you two not been exchanging love letters?” Lady Silverstein spoke on behalf of the group.
Caroline rushed to explain, a bit of desperation seeping into her voice, “No! No, we have not. I have only received one letter from him, and it was a mistake!”
The older women exchanged glances and giggled to each other. “Darling, you do not have to feign innocence before us. We are not judging you for being a little naughty,” the raven-haired beauty, Lady Wittlesworth, said.
"There is no harm in a little fun, especially since heis taking responsibility by marrying you.We are your mother's friends, dear; there is no need to keep up appearances in front of us," Lady Silverstein added.
Caroline opened and closed her mouth. There was nothing she could say to make them believe her right now. This was the terrifying power of gossip mills. She couldn't stop the rage that washed over her.Pretend to be innocent? Me! As if I care about any of that!
Upset, she left the drawing room, not wanting to spend another second listening to the women assuming things about her and her nonexistent relationship with Alexander.How did the rumor even spread so far? It has only been a couple of days.
As she hurried off, she bumped into her mother who was heading for the drawing room. “Oh, Caroline, I did not know you were here.”
Caroline grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her into the closest room which happened to be the library. “Oh dear, calm yourself, what is the matter?” Lady Campbell asked, brushing down her skirts as though they had been ruffled by the quick movement.
“Mother, I listened in on you and father’s conversation with Sir Mannfield earlier,” she said, to which a frown wrinkled her mother’s face.
“Eavesdropping? That is unbecoming of a lady, and you know it! I hope he did not see you,” the ever-proper Lady Campbell scolded.
Caroline waved her hands in the air out of frustration. “This is utterly unimportant! Why would you make Alexander Mannfield marry me? It is so clear that this entire situation was a mere mistake!”
Her mother gave her a blank look. “I do not see why we should care about that,” she said.
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Alright, then do you think you should care about your daughter, who only wants to marry for love? Did you consider how devastated I would feel if a marriage were forced upon me? And did you consider how badly I would do in a marriage with a man who loves another and as such, is not even open to loving me? He shall probably hate me as, to him, I shall be someone who snatched away his chance to be with the woman he loves.” She was truly devastated at the thought of such a marriage. Every time he looked at her, he would be reminded of the woman he could not be with. She shuddered at the thought.
Her mother did not share her worries. “Please, Caroline, whatever your relationship turns out to be, you two shall grow accustomed to it. Besides, Alexander Mannfield seems like a gentleman. I do not believe he will maltreat you.”
A frown settled between Caroline’s brows. “What about the other woman, mother? It is clear his lover expects to marry him. What is she to do if he marries me? Not only does she love him, she gave herself to him. Do you not care about that young woman’s pain?”
Her mother sighed. “It is indeed unfortunate, but we are not at liberty to think of others right now. Everyone is already aware of the correspondence between you both. What is a mother to do? Of course, you are to marry, there is no other solution,” she said, matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean everyone is aware? How could they have known? The content of the letter was only known to us and Sir Mannfield and I doubt he would want that information in the open. So how exactly did it happen?” Caroline voiced her questions, unable to fathom how they ended up in such a predicament so quickly.
“Do not fret, Caroline. What good would it be if you knew how the news spread? Stop asking these questions for they shan'tchange the fact that everyone knows. That is what happens when you encourage men to write you filthy letters." Lady Campbell sniffed, her nose raised.
Caroline's rage arose. She would not be held accountable for something she had no control over; after all, she was a victim in this situation. Her mother knew she was innocent in this case, but she continued to avoid the truth. Caroline's suspicions were aroused. "Mother, you know that letter was notintended for me. You also know that I have never had any contact with Sir Alexander until today, when he showed up at our house, so you cannot hold me responsible for what has occurred. Now I need you to answer my question," she stated.
Caroline watched her mother look around nervously. She narrowed her eyes. “Are you the reason everyone knows of the letter, mother? Did you spread the rumors?”
Lady Campbell’s eyes widened at the direct question, and she made a show of being angry. “How can you accuse me of such a thing, Caroline?” she asked, but her face held traces of guilt.
Shetried to flee the room when she realized Carolinewasn't falling for it. But Caroline blocked her path, preventing her from leaving. “You shall not leave until you tell me the truth, mother.”
“Fine, I did it. Is that what you wished to hear? I was the one who spread the rumors,” Lady Campbell finally admitted.
Caroline's heart sank. Despite the fact that she suspected her mother of spreading the rumors, theconfirmation filled her with betrayal. "How could you do this to me?All I ever wanted was to find a love like the one you share with father. Do you not want me to marry for love? Is this why you're trying to coerce me into a loveless marriage? Do you not..." her voice cracking. “Do you not want me to be happy?
Lady Campbell appeared shocked by her daughter's outburst, and her eyes momentarilycloudingwith doubt, but she pushed it away, her expression hardening again. Caroline fought back tears, her mother's next words making it even more difficult.
"Oh, Caroline, you areso dramatic. Of course, as your mother, I want you to be happy. Why do you think I am doing all of this? Sir Mannfield will one day be a baron, and he will have everything he needs to make you happy. You will soon have your own children, who will bring you great joy. All I ever wanted was to find suitable husbands for you and your sisters. It makes no difference if you do notlove him now; you shallafter you marry." The words came to her so naturally that Caroline was convinced that her mother truly believed this.
“When you marry, you will understand that everything I have done was out of love and in a bid to secure a good future for you. I promise, you shall see,” Lady Campbell said, moving to take her daughter’s hands in hers.
