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Your conflicted sister,
Lydia.
She felt shock and horror go through her as she read, making her head go light. Trinity grabbed her arm with such a force that her head stopped spinning.
“What is heaven’s name is this?” she gasped. She turned to Marcia and Lucretia with a heated panic. “Where did you find this?”
“A man was giving them out,” Marcia claimed. “We took one each, thinking it was a gossip column. But once we read them, we went back and forced the whole stack from him.”
“This is unacceptable!” Trinity gasped. “How can someone write such lies?”
Lydia grabbed her arm in return, turning her gaze on her. “Trinity, this is the letter I told you about, the one that I said never made it to you. I thought uncle had opened it. It’s the one the duke found. It’s been edited, taken out of context, just here-” she pointed to a line. “I know I wrote that he had not taken my virtue, but that part has been edited out!”
“Who would do such a thing?” Lucretia asked, horrified.
“I do not know!” Lydia said, nearly in tears. “What do we do?”
“What is the meaning of this?” Francis nearly shouted behind them, holding the paper in his hand. His face was flushed red with anger. Her mother was close behind him, her face barely concealing her own shock.
Lydia whirled on Marcia and Lucretia, panicking seeing that her own family had managed to find the papers. “How many did that man hand out before you took them?”
“We’ve no idea!” Lucretia claimed. “He could have been here for an hour, already. How could we know?”
Francis grabbed Lydia’s arm, turning her back to face him. “Is this what you were doing while you were in Marigold? Whoring around when I wasn’t looking?”
“Uncle, it’s not what it seems!” she cried. “Please, you’re hurting me.”
Martha put her hand on Francis’s arm, trying to pull him away from Lydia. “Francis, please, you’re causing a scene.”
“Me?” he demanded. “This girl has caused the scene herself. Polly, what kind of young lady have you raised?”
Martha’s expression grew cold and angry.
“Francis, do not insult my daughter, your niece, in that way. You have no idea whether Lydia actually wrote this letter or not, and to embarrass her so in a public place is unacceptable. Praise in public, admonish in private. We should be trying to mend this potential scandal as quickly as possible, not chastising her until it’s resolved.”
Francis glowered at her, ready to protest again. Lydia was struck suddenly with the realization that if her uncle had been so angry at reading the gossip, he must not have known that the true letter existed. If he had indeed read it while in Marigold, he would have reacted much more strongly.
“Uncle, it was taken out of context, rewritten,” Lydia claimed. “Please, I did not compromise myself with the duke as it implies. Someone truly means to embarrass me by publishing this.”
He finally dropped her arm and her sisters flocked to her side as though to protect her from his wrath. His nostrils flared as he breathed, until he glanced over her head, seeing someone behind them.
“I do believe it is your turn,” the duchess called behind them.
As they had been arguing, they had not noticed her leave her place at the doorway and they all turned quickly to face her. In unison, they dropped in their curtsies and bows. She looked over each one of them as though she was reading them with amusement.
At last, her eyes fell to the paper. “I see that there is something amiss. Pray tell, whatever is the matter?”
Lydia almost burst into tears, but she blinked them back quickly. Remembering Trinity’s advice, she held her head high and proud, as much as she could appear unaffected by the shameful gossip.
“Your Grace,” she said, breathing deep. “Someone has published something terribly scandalous about me that paints me in a horrible light. I ask that you not read it and think ill of me. If you don’t mind, could my sisters go to collect as many of these papers as they can find before others read it?”
The duchess smiled, a strange expression on her face. “Yes, do please. I will ask my staff to assist. I will not have such uncouth behavior in my household. Go at once.”
Lydia’s younger sisters scattered, frantically searching for any of the papers they could find in the foyer, moving quickly into the halls and ballroom. The duchess maintained her gaze with Lydia. Her heart pounded in her chest, wondering if the duchess would chastise her on the spot.
“I do believe you have made some enemies with your engagement to the duke,” she said.
“It does appear that way,” Lydia nodded.
“Perhaps it would be best for you to take a moment in private with your family,” she said, indicating her mother and uncle with her gaze. “I believe I will go seek out the duke for his opinion on this matter.”
Lydia curtsied to her again. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
The duchess spun away, calm and collected. Lydia turned back to her mother and uncle.
“Let us go somewhere private,” she said.
