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Iddesleigh!Beckett Hawke, the Earl of Iddesleigh. She remembered him, all right...but he was far too old for her. “He’s married—”
“Oh, he is, indeed, and happily. He and his wife and their delightful young family have taken up residence at his country seat. I don’t know if you’ve had the pleasure of visiting the English countryside in the spring and summer, but it’s so—”
“What does Iddesleigh and his delightful family have to do with me?”
“They’ve invited you to come for the summer!”
Amelia flashed a look of irritation at Justine. “Theyinvitedme, did they?”
“They were so agreeable to the idea!” Lady Aleksander amended slightly. “And Lord Iddesleigh hasassuredme there will be balls and whatnot.”
“Whatnot,” Amelia echoed.
“Whatnot, Amelia!” her mother said sternly. “Stop repeating everything the lady says!”
Justine put her hand on her arm. “Amelia, listen to me. You will have every opportunity to socialize as you like, and in the event there is a suitable bachelor who captures your fancy, it can happen properly and without the Weslorian newspapers to record every glance and smile.”
Well,thatwas certainly appealing. The Weslorian newspapers had made quite a fuss with the rumors about her, reporting that she had loose morals—she probably did—and was childish—she wasnot.They also said she was unlikable. Amelia conceded that could very well be, but Justine said that was rubbish.
Still, Amelia wasn’t appreciating this move to send her out of the country. “Aren’t you concerned there will be no one to keep a close watch on me? Have you forgotten that none of you trust me?”
“I trust Lordonna and my friend Lila Aleksander to keep a close watch.”
Amelia glanced at the latter.
Lady Aleksander brushed a crumb from her lip and said brightly, “I am coming with you! I will see you settled at Iddesleigh and will make sure everything proceeds smoothly.”
“And naturally, we will not send you alone, Your Royal Highness,” offered Robuchard. “Wesloria will be well represented in your retinue.”
Amelia’s head was spinning. They had all discussed this. Behind her back. It was obviously not just Justine’s idea. Amelia looked around at all of them. “Am I...am I beingbanished?”
“No!” They all said in unison with varying degrees of emphasis. Except Justine, who said, “Notbanished.”
Amelia stared incredulously at her sister.
At least Justine looked properly sheepish. “I really rather thought you would be pleased—you love England.”
“I loveLondon.”
“You’ll be near it.” Justine put her arm around Amelia’s shoulders. “And there will be more to do there.” She leaned in and whispered, “You might also take into account that our mother will not be on hand to offer her frequent opinion.”
“What’s that?” their mother asked, on cue.
“You remember how pleased everyone in England seemed to be to have a pair of royal princesses?”
Of course she remembered it—how could she forget it? The two of them had attracted a crowd wherever they went, and Amelia had loved it. Hadthrivedwith that attention.
“Only this time, the attention will be solely onyou.”
It could not be said that Justine didn’t know her sister well—she knew how often in their lives Amelia had been overlooked, pushed aside, discounted in favor of Justine, the heir. “What if you go to all this trouble and no one suits me?” Amelia whispered. “You know how I fall in and out of love so easily.”
“You fall in and out of lust easily, darling. But I don’t think you’ve ever fallen in love. That’s another matter entirely. And if you find no one to suit you, you’ll be back in St. Edys in time for the Little Season in the fall. Think of this as a change of scenery.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. But the idea of something very different appealed to her. Something adventurous, all on her own, without Justine or her mother or anyone else. And she did want to find the gentleman who might be hers. “All right,” she said. “I’ll go.”
CHAPTER TWO
March,1858
