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“I think it best not to gossip too much,” Edwina interjected, reaching for another biscuit. “It was not kind when Lady Somersby did it. I would rather stick to facts and personal accounts, rather than spreading rumors and hearsay.”
“Then, let me just say, it is more terrible for Miss Wilshire,” Mrs. Fenton said. “She already had a terrible time with Lady Somersby as her sister, but now, no one will speak to her due to the terrible scandal.”
“Well, perhaps I shall send her an invite next time,” Edwina said with a nod. “There is no use in her being cast out of society for her sister’s husband’s crimes, no?”
“Are you not worried about what other people will think?” Polly asked with a gasp.
“Why should I?” Edwina asked, leveling with her. “And really, that is the point. If I can do any good, it will be to treat people with kindness and compassion. I do not know Miss Wilshire very well, but I am welcome to try.”
“That is so sweet!” Miss Beasley cooed. “I rather like Miss Wilshire, but she was always so quiet when her sister was around.”
“Lady Somersby got no more than she deserved, if you ask me,” Lady Pembroke told them all with a sniff. “Maybe she will learn some humility, after all.”
“No one deserves to be treated poorly, no matter their perceived crime. And if they have committed a crime, then that is up to the judge to decide what justice is appropriate,” Edwina scolded.
“Even people who have been unkind, who have lied, or … worse?” Polly asked.
Edwina lifted her shoulder noncommittally. “Everyone can change. If you treat someone poorly because you think they have acted poorly, then it rather creates a negative look, do you not think?”
The ladies looked around at each other as though scandalized by Edwina’s statement. She shrugged again, leaning back in her chair.
“All that being said, I am glad that we will not have to worry about Lord Somersby again. Justice was served to him, and I hope, with time, the ladies that survived his attacks are able to recover from the physical and mental anguish.”
“What about you?” Mrs. Fenton asked. “It seems your bruises have faded at last.”
Edwina touched her neck. “It did take some time, did it not? No, I am better now. I do not regret it, either.”
“That was so brave, what you did,” Miss Beasley said. “I could not imagine thinking of such a ploy, let alone doing it! It seems like something out of a romance.”
“It was not romantic at all,” Edwina told her emphatically. She wagged her finger at the younger two girls. “Do not think for a second that you should ever intentionally put yourself in a dangerous situation for romance.”
“You did it for a romantic notion, did you not?” Mrs. Fenton asked, raising her eyebrow at Edwina. “To save your husband? It seems to have worked out for you.”
“I suppose that might be true,” Edwina admitted sheepishly. “If there had been another way, then I would have taken the safer path. But you are right; things have worked out for the better.”
“You quite surprised us, inviting us here,” Lady Pembroke told her. She set down her teacup. “After so long with the Duke being so reclusive, you must have drawn him out of his shell.”
“The war was hard on him, and coming back into society with his new title then his mother’s death…” Edwina sighed then said pointedly, “This is what I mean. He could have used good friends, a support network. Instead, he was abandoned and shut out from everyone. I never want anyone to feel that way again, not if I can help it.”
“Well, I am all for it,” Mrs. Fenton said, patting her lips with a napkin. She reached out and pressed Edwina’s hand reassuringly. “Seeing the good that it did His Grace and you. If you find a poor soul needing compassion, say the word, and I will do what I can.”
“Me too!” Polly cheered as Miss Beasley nodded in agreement.
“It is like a bit of a club,” Lady Pembroke observed. “A do-good sort of club, like the ladies that sew for war efforts.”
“You can think of it that way, for sure.”
Edwina looked around the table and smiled. Though it had taken a while, she finally felt happy and confident in her new role as duchess. She considered the ladies around her friends. No longer did she feel alone or cast out by society, and she did not even have to change who she was to be accepted. Of course, the title helped, but she genuinely felt as though these ladies liked and accepted her for who she was.
They passed the afternoon talking about their husband, suitors, and family, catching up on the events of the past month. As the sun started to dip below the horizon, Edwina waved goodbye to them all from the front steps and turned inside to find that Fergus had returned from his ride.
Smiling up at him, she walked down the hallway toward him and stood on her toes to give him a kiss.
“Did you have any success hunting?” she asked.
“I got a goose,” he bragged with a smile. “We shall have goose for dinner.”
“Oh, I cannot wait to see what your cook does with it,” she said, taking his hand.
