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“I mean that you must oversee Mary on a closer level. You must ensure that you are paying her mind, just as you pay mind to Charlotte. Look after her. Take care of her. And if you see her doing something which she ought to avoid, you must step in and help to guide her path,” he suggested.
It was precisely what Mary had feared. Her father was giving Lady Rachel the permission to oversee even more of Mary’s life; he was giving her the opportunity to have even greater control over Mary.
This fear began to spread in Mary’s chest. She dreaded whatever was to come next from this. Knowing that Lady Rachel would be watching her every movement meant that she would find whatever excuse she could to prevent Mary from attending events. This was an ideal opportunity to make way for Charlotte and get Mary out of the eyes of gentlemen. No longer would there be any competition.
Charlotte would win.
And worse yet, Mary would be lucky if she was ever allowed to see Lord Hanbrooke at another ball.
“Very well, Henry,” Lady Rachel said.
“If you wish for me to do more in looking after Mary, I shall do just that. Indeed, I think you are correct. She needs more supervision. I am just the one to do so and I shall ensure that she is behaving herself like a proper young woman, andnotthe sort of girl who seeks attention from men in ways that might damage the image her family has worked to preserve.”
“Excellent. Is that agreeable, Mary?” her father asked, lightly. It was evident that he was grateful for a wife who would act in the vein of a mother.
Mary could answer with nothing but agreement. She knew that there was no other choice. If she were honest about how she felt, if she spoke up in defence of herself, she would simply be scolded into guilt for being so rude to her stepmother.
Although it made her feel powerless, Mary was determined not to be weak. She would be obedient for the sake of peace in the house, but that did not mean that she could not have thoughts and feelings of her own. Eventually, she hoped, she would find a way to make her father listen, a way to be understood.
But now was not the time for that. Right now, she needed to prove that she could be the daughter that he and Lady Rachel wanted her to be.
“Yes, Father. I understand. I never meant to bring dishonour on our family, and I shall do what I must to make it right,” she vowed.
“You see? There we are, darling. She is willing to submit to your wishes, just as I thought she would be. My little girl is exactly the sort of daughter that any man might wish for, and I am delighted by her diligence to do the right thing,” he said.
Mary noted the way Charlotte and her mother glanced at each other with a snide disgust. It seemed to Mary that they both greatly desired to see her discouraged.
No matter how hard Mary might try to be happy, it was something neither of them wished for and that meant that she would simply have to fight even harder to have the joy that she so desperately sought.
“Now, shall we enjoy the rest of our breakfast without reliving the perceived slights of our family?” her father asked.
And just like that, Mary knew things were only about to get worse.
