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After dinner, she was on her way to her bedchamber when she met Prudence on the second-floor landing. She had not seen her stepmother since she had compared her to a lady of easy virtue before leaving for the ball yesterday.
Was that yesterday? It feels longer than that, she thought.
"Shamelessly trotting about and ensnaring our biggest catch in the most deceitful way, are we?" Prudence said, her eyes sharp and assessing. "Now I understand why you were so desperate to attend the masquerade last night. Your unscrupulous behavior has served you well in the end, has it not?"
"Quite well, Mother,” Edwina replied tersely, jutting her chin out in defiance. Prudence had never physically mistreated her but Edwina bore the scars of the wounds her words had inflicted. Her true nature had reared itself after her father’s death and had only gotten worse since then.
At first, Edwina had thought her a harmless stepmother because she never called her to order when she did something wrong or acted out of place for a lady of her breeding. But with time and maturity, she had come to realize the extent of damage such neglect had caused her. She had faced society cluelessly and endured the reputation of the girl with no manners.
"You ill-bred cub!" Prudence spat.
"A cubyouraised,” Edwina returned.
"Not even an elevation of your status in Society will be enough to salvage your rotten nature."
"Perhaps," Edwina shrugged, “but whatever my nature is, I do not lie to myself and I certainly do not shirk my responsibilities."
With this, Edwina walked past her to her bedchamber. “You will rue saying that to me,” Prudence called after her. “I know your secret.”
Chapter Six
Afortnight later, Edwina arrived at Albert’s Hersings Mansion in Kent. She was not surprised to find the driveway busy with carriages, guests and their retinue, maids, and footmen practically competing for space with each other despite the ample space.
“This is lovely!” Kitty breathed when she alighted from the carriage. Edwina was equally impressed and she learned something about Albert just then: he was very unfamiliar with the termmoderation.
Tommen alighted from his carriage behind them. They arrived at the same time, it would seem. He saw her but he did not so much as acknowledge her presence, and he turned to help his friend—a woman—from the carriage. "What isshedoing here?" Kitty grumbled, unable to hide her displeasure at seeing Tommen's guest. Edwina did not recognize her.
“Who is that?” Edwina whispered.
“Roxanne Perkins. Remember my cousin that I am not very fond of?”
“Oh.” Edwina remembered Kitty telling her about her mean cousin that had made the times she spent on their country estate miserable when she was a child.
“Dear sister,” Tommen called. Edwina was tempted to say something about his ignoring her earlier but decided against it. Many of the things he did made no sense.
Tommen, ostensibly unaware of Kitty and Roxanne’s sour relationship, proceeded to introduce them. “Miss Matthews, allow me to introduce Miss Perkins.”
Edwina and Kitty curtsied politely, neither of them telling him that they were cousins. It was easier that way. Roxanne returned their greeting before turning to instruct her lady’s maid who was just climbing down from the carriage. “How did you become acquainted?” Kitty asked.
“At the Winfield Masquerade,” he said proudly.
“Oh.” Edwina and Kitty exchanged a look. Knowing the sort of woman Roxanne was, she would abandon Tommen once she knew he had no fortune. It was also unlike him to introduce his friends to Edwina. She found this odd more than the fact that Roxanne was almost four years older than him.
“Come, Kitty,” Camilla said, taking her arm, “Lady Milton is asking for you.” She looked at Edwina. “Go ahead without us, Dear. We don’t want to keep you waiting.”
Edwina nodded and proceeded into the Mansion. She thought of Albert as she walked and wondered when she would see him, if he was in residence at all. She was shown to a large and exquisitely furnished suite in the guest wing that she would be sharing with Kitty.
As Danny unpacked her things, Edwina left to explore her new surroundings. The bedchamber had an adjoining sitting room and a dressing room. She wondered if all the other guest rooms were this big but loved the colors that the rooms were decorated in, green and cream.
"Mama can be positively exhausting, I tell you!" Kitty pronounced as she walked into the sitting room. She stopped to take in her surroundings, displaying as much surprise as Edwina had shown when she first entered.
"Heavens! Are all the guest rooms this grand?"
"Perhaps," Edwina said. “We will find out eventually.”
Kitty explored and when she returned, she placed her hands on her hips with a satisfied smile on her face. “We shan’t miss home.”
“No, we shan’t. These rooms are better than any rooms I know.” There were members of thetonthat had excessive wealth and might not be impressed by this Mansion but Edwina and Kitty were not among them. They were on the lower end of the spectrum.
