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The woman turned, and Phillipa’s worst fears came true.
Her mother was here.
At the ball she had forbidden Phillipa from attending.
She gulped, grasping the minotaur’s arm to keep herself from passing out.
“I will do no such thing.” Mother had no regard for Countess Stalbridge’s standing. There was no way Phillipa would not be ruined by the end of the night. Her sisters would not be able to avoid being embroiled in this scandal, either.
Mother looked the countess directly in the eye and held up a piece of paper. “I have spoken directly to Queen Charlotte, and asked her to rescind her demand of my daughter’s presence at the Ball.”
Gasps rose through the room, and Phillipa lost feeling in her body. Her first instinct was to run out of the room, but no. All her mother had done was torment her since she came back to Woodhaven without her husband, like she did not understand what it was like to grieve the absence of her beloved. She was so close to getting her life back, and she would not let anyone stand in her way, no matter what kind of scandal it caused.
The countess scoffed. “That is a ridiculous claim. I am in regular communication with Her Majesty, and I can assure you she would not allow me to be surprised in this manner.”
“Phillipa Willoughby signed these annulment papers,” Mother said loudly.
“I most certainly did not.” Philippa’s words shook. Every head in the room turned to look at her, but she did not care. “I never gave up on Wesley.”
Martin turned to her with a brow cocked. “This is your mother?” he whispered.
Phillipa nodded.
Mother’s lips curled up in a satisfied grin and she turned away from the countess to approach Phillipa. “I’m relieved to find you so easily, my dear. Her Majesty apologizes, and recognizes this was all a grand misunderstanding. Had she known the truth of your situation, she would have never demanded you come to this godforsaken place.”
Phillipa’s gaze slid to Countess Stalbridge, who was just as shocked as she was. The distinguished dowager shook her head, and Phillipa wasn’t sure how to read the message—if there was no reason for her to retaliate against her mother’s claim, or it was complete and other garbage.
She only had a split second to decipher it.
“Mother, I do apologize for you coming all this way. But I regret to inform you, I will not be leaving with you.”
More gasps and murmurs from the crowd.
“Phillipa, my dear, you mustn’t have understood what I told the countess. The Queen rescinded her demand for your presence here, and is willing to give you another chance next Season.”
But she knew there would never be a next Season. Mother would bring her straight to the Royal Hospital. She would never see her friends, her family, or Wesley again. “I did not sign those papers.”
“Phillipa, do not make a scene. The papers are signed, and you no longer need to be here.”
She looked at the countess again. The regal woman did not answer, but she channeled her strength. “I want to be here, mother.”
Her mother put her hand on her arm. “You cannot possibly know what you are saying. You will be ruined if you stay. You will be defying the Queen.”
Countess Stalbridge came between them. She was resplendent tonight in a periwinkle dress. It was a strange thing for Phillipa to notice in the moment, but in the few short days she’s been at the Ball, she’d felt at home with the splendor and spectacle. Her life with her mother felt like it had happened to someone else.
“There has never been an instance of Her Majesty rescinding an invite in the middle of the Ball,” the countess said.
Mother raised a defiant brow. “My lady, do you dare challenge the decision of the Queen?”
“No, but I do question if this letter came from the Queen,” the countess countered. More gasps and murmurs from the crowd. “However, I will not be able to correspond with her before the end of the Ball, so I must take your word.”
No.Countess Stalbridge could not hand her over to her mother just like that. Of course, the esteemed hostess had no idea what was at stake. But Phillipa knew that she could not question the word of the Queen. “We must send a message to her, Your Excellency,” Phillipa pleaded.
Mother reached for Phillipa’s hand. It took everything she had not to pull it away from her. “I need you to come with me. Unless you’ve been promised to someone.”
She looked around the room, hoping to catch a glance of the wolven. Martin, Oliver, and Simon all stood by silently. Of course, any claim made would stick…
Where was Wesley when she needed him most?
