Chapter 36 - GEORGINA—SISTERLY ADVICE

Chapter 36

GEORGINA—SISTERLY ADVICE

Bright and early the duke’s dressmakers arrived at our house on Ground Street. It was chaos. The hullabaloo of designers and seamstresses pushing pins at us and draping silk about our arms and wrapping satin about our bosoms overwhelmed each of us.

Then the color choices. I didn’t know that many existed.

Scarlett might’ve known about pompadour rose or stifled sigh pink, but I didn’t. She did love to sew, the one appeasement she offered to Mama when she trained us in the domestic arts.

Just when I thought I could take no more pinning and spinning, the women announced they were done. Our new gowns, even one for Katherine, would arrive the morning of the ball.

They left and all the Wilcoxes remained in the parlor.

Scarlett and Lydia lay on a blanket on the floor. Bared toes warmed by the nice fire. Wilcox Coal heated everything just right.

Katherine stretched out on the sofa, while I sat at the pianoforte. I pulled out Mark’s piece and began to play, trying to remember how he moved forward on the more complete version of the sonata.

All my sisters seemed to be listening.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been here,” Lydia said. “You know, in the parlor, just us.”

Scarlett stroked her fingers in the little girl’s curly braided chignon. “Mama used to gather us here when she was strong.”

Katherine sat up. “Yes. And Papa would come through those doors after a coal run, smiling.”

“I don’t remember Papa much.” Lydia’s voice sounded sad.

My older sister scooped up our little girl. “He loved you a lot. Don’t forget that.”

She nodded. “Like the duke. He loves me.”

Katherine snuggled the girl close. “I think so.”

Then she bit her lips, clamping so tightly, nothing else could be uttered.

I began to play again. Mark’s tune was infectious. I understood why it stayed in his mind.

Scarlett popped up. “I’m glad you are participating, Katherine.”

“Yes,” I said. “The ball will be lovely. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“I’ll be there to watch you perform, then Lydia and I will retire for the evening.”

Lydia sat up and glared at her. “No. No. We’re supposed to have fun. The duke says fun all night.”

The child took off, running out of the parlor and up the stairs.

Shaking her head, Scarlett went after her. “At least you are coming. That will have to be enough. You’ll miss out on my triumph. Science picking Georgina’s most compatible suitor.”

When she left, Katherine folded her arms. “Is that true? Did the duke’s crazy method work?”

Pulling my fingers away from the keys, I lifted my gaze to her. “His methods, enhanced with Scarlett’s process and a bit of luck, picked Mr. Carew.”

“Mr. Carew, Mama’s physician, our family physician?”

“Yes. He’s known us for a while. He’s a good man and he’s kept all our family’s secrets.”

Daring her to say it—to condemn the choice because of her hatred of the duke, a selection that made sense—I stood and glared at her.

But she looked away. “The man is a good choice.”

No fight.

No, Katherine knows what’s best.

“You have nothing more to say?”

“Georgina, you’re old enough and smart enough to make up your mind. And the duke is better at everything. Only a fool would keep resisting.”

“Why do you hate him? It’s obvious that he cares for you and us.”

“And why are you forgetting what you feel about Lord Mark? It’s obvious he’s in love with you.” Katherine came to me. Inches away, our gazes locked, she said, “You’re afraid. You are masterful at playing the pianoforte but you won’t play in public. Your voice is a gift but until the duke’s ball you’ve kept it only for this house. And now you love someone, probably love him so much it frightens you.”

“Is that what you are saying about your heart, Katherine?”

She backed up for a second. The smile lines faded to sadness. “Maybe the duke’s a different man from the one I knew. Maybe he can be trusted. It doesn’t change the past or the hurt—”

“That you’ve done to him.”

Katherine started to go to the door.

“Don’t run. It’s you and me and Mama’s piano. We assumed when you returned from your grand adventure pregnant that the babies’ father had died.”

“He was dead to me.”

“Katherine, the duke?”

“I’m the blackguard. Everything is my fault. He couldn’t tell his family in London about me. Too many were against him claiming his ducal peerage and to have a Black woman on the arm of a man who could pass as white was too much. What would Torrance’s heir look like? Jahleel wanted time. I had no time. I tossed him away. Marrying Tavis was both redemption and punishment.”

“Keep talking, Kitty.”

She tugged on her shawl. “I was too frightened of his world and being rejected, so I rejected him first.”

“And he never knew about the children in your womb.”

“Never. Mama took care of hiding my pregnancy. Tavis wanted to marry me then, but I refused and came back here and drowned in everyone’s scorn.”

The pieces started to fall into place. “So when Tavis comes back into your life two years later, still wanting to marry you, you accepted.”

“He was a viscount then. Mama loved that title. When he asked in front of her, she accepted for me.”

“And the duke . . . You didn’t marry Tavis until later. Were you waiting for the duke to come back?”

“I don’t know, but he arrived at the chapel after the wedding had taken place. I told him I had a husband who wasn’t ashamed of me. One who’d take me to London with pride. I never saw him again until I wrote the duke to come to Tavis’s deathbed.”

Katherine leaned on the doorframe. “You are me, Georgina. You’re going to run from love because you are frightened. I’m telling you that it’s fine to do so. If you think, for one moment, Sebastian will leave when things get tough or he’ll run to his parents because he’s afraid of failing, run. Run as quickly as you can. If Dr. Carew is a safe harbor, stay there.”

I did run, straight to Katherine, and I held her. Pulling her into my arms, I let her be weak. Then I was weak. We clung to each other through our tears.

I should tell her to fix things with the duke, but there was much more at stake than those puzzle pieces fitting together. A powerful wronged man could do much harm.

He had the power to take away all that we loved.

With my hands to her face, I kissed her brow. “The duke’s ball is a new beginning. You talk to him. Tell him what you can. Get him to release you from the bet.”

Scarlett came back down. She glanced at us. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing.” I went back to the pianoforte.

“Georgina talked me out of just staying for a little while at the ball. I have no choice, not with all three of you going. You’ll need a chaperone all night. I’ll do my best to keep all of you from scandal. That’s my duty. As Mama always said, scandal is worse than death.”

Scarlett came deeper into the room. “But remember what Papa said: You have to stare scandal in the face or the rumors will stab you in the back.”

I glanced at her. She didn’t know how accurate her violent words were.

I shrugged, but then we both went to Katherine.

Arms twisted and latched. We made a big woven hug, a rya of love.

“You, Katherine Wilcox Palmers, can do anything you set your mind to.” I said this and meant it. “Even things that are difficult. Do the right thing.”

Scarlett nodded. “We’re Wilcox women. We can do anything.”

Little arms wound about us, and I smelled Mama’s lavender.

The little one had been in Mama’s cologne water again. She’d come down to join in the Wilcox circle.

Katherine picked her up. “We’ll stay at the ball until you are sleepy, but that is if you go to bed on time without fussing.”

“Yes,” she said. “I want to see who Georgina marries.”

I ran my hand in her curly bangs. “How do you know about all that?”

Lydia leaned over and hugged my neck. “I know. The duke tells me everything. And he said he didn’t know if it would be the music man or the medicine man.”

It would be the medicine man. The duke had to win the bet and gain the family he’d been deprived.