Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are hosting a ball tomorrow night,” Lady Downe said as they ate dinner.

Amelia didn’t respond, simply concentrating on her food. She wasn’t interested in the ball at all. That meant a new dress with her hair pinned back to the point of it being painful, standing in a room full of people who looked down their noses at her. Amelia wasn’t planning on going.

“Did you hear what your mother said?” the marquess prompted, sitting at the head of the table.

“I didn’t know if it was directed at you or me, Father,” Amelia replied, swallowing her mouthful before she spoke.

“Well, it certainly wasn’t aimed at me.”

Amelia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Then she turned to her mother.

“That’s great for them. Give them my regards if you’re going to attend.”

“Of course, we’re going to attend! And you’re coming as well.”

Amelia groaned.

“Mother, don’t make me lose my appetite. I don’t want to go.”

Lady Downe sighed.

“You need to stop behaving like this, Amelia. You’re going to the ball whether you like it or not. You have the gowns that will be perfect, you’re in good health, and you’re not tired because you go to bed earlier than we do most days. Although I wouldn’t allow that as an excuse.”

“But…”

“Don’t start,” her mother cut her off. “I know you always come up with excuses when it comes to balls and parties. You can’t hide away from them all the time. Your dress and everything that goes with it have been selected, so you don’t have to worry about it. All you have to do on Saturday is get dressed and turn up.”

Amelia wanted to argue—she didn’t want to go—but she knew that it would be pointless. Her mother was dead set on it. And with it being tomorrow, she didn’t have a way to get a last-minute engagement. Her parents had raised her to make sure she honored the first social engagement she was given, and it would be rude if she turned it down for something else. Amelia hated that she actually followed this rule.

“You don’t have to sit there with a scowl on your face, Amelia,” Lord Downe commented, cutting into his meat. “It’s nothing that bad.”

“That’s not the point, Father,” Amelia protested. “It’s tomorrow night, and I don’t want to go.”

“Well, that’s too bad. You’re going to have to leave your problems here and go to the ball.” Her father shook his head. “I was talking to one of my university friends at Parliament today, and he commented how he was going to become a grandfather soon. His daughter is going to give birth within the next month.”

“Good for her,” Amelia murmured, wondering where this was going.

“It got me to thinking about your situation.”

“My situation? You mean where you’re forcing me into a situation I don’t want to be in.”

Her parents exchanged glances, and Amelia saw the unspoken words floating between them. They saw her as a disappointment, someone who refused to interact with anyone unless it was on her own terms. She did things differently, and they weren’t happy that she was more independent.

If they knew that she had sneaked off to get something a lady should never have…

“Look, Amelia, you’re nineteen now…” Downe began.

“You’ve been making a point of saying that since you finally made me enter Society, Father.”

“Would you be quiet? Most of my university friends have daughters, and all of them are married. They have that and are becoming grandparents, and yet I can’t even get you to commit to the Season. My old daughter.”

Amelia sighed.

“It’s not a requirement to get married before I’m twenty.”

“You started your Season two years late! You have less time to find yourself a husband.”

“And I don’t care about that!”

Downe sighed and reached for his glass of wine.

“I think we’ve been too lenient on you. We should have been more forceful about pushing you into marriage. You’ve become complacent.”

Amelia shook her head while her mother nodded along.

“I have my thoughts and feelings about Society, Father. You can’t change them. And I didn’t see you two pushing back when I said I didn’t want to have my Season when I was seventeen, or last year. You’ve coddled me too much to the point you didn’t want me to leave the house, so you can’t expect me to want to jump right into it all without properly experiencing things.”

Lady Downe’s mouth fell open.

“That’s unfair, Amelia! We’ve been nothing but loving to you.”

“You were reluctant to let me do what everyone else was doing. You were overprotective. It gave me a chance to find out what I did and didn’t like. Now, you’re trying to push me into the same mold as everyone else, thinking that I will do it willingly. I’m not like that, and I refuse to be forced into finding a husband when I don’t want one.”

Again, the marquess and marchioness exchanged glances. Were they now regretting being overbearing? Amelia hoped they were; if it had been anyone else, they might have stunted her growth, but Amelia had been smart enough to blossom on her own. They shouldn’t be surprised that she behaved differently to what was expected.

“It’s true that we’ve been too lenient on you because we worried too much over you,” Downe admitted. “But now I’m putting my foot down.”

“Father…”

“You’re a beautiful girl, and you have a large dowry. Being intelligent is one thing, and I don’t mind that you’re a clever girl, but that is not going to help you get married. You have no reason not to find someone. In fact, there isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t be married at the end of the Season.”

Amelia’s mouth fell open as she stared at him.

“How could you say that to me?”

“Don’t be so surprised. You should have expected this to come sooner or later.” Her father gestured at her with his glass. “I’ll give you a little bit of leeway, though. Find someone to court you on your own by the end of the coming month, or I’m finding someone for you.”

Amelia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was her father actually saying this to her? How could he think that this was fine to say?

“You can’t mean that,” she whispered.

“I do mean it. This is something you need to do, Amelia, and you know it.”

“You said you would never force me!”

Her father’s eyes narrowed at her.

“Maybe we should. As you said to us before, we’ve coddled you too much. Now it’s time to make things right.”

“You mean find a man who’s going to coddle and stifle me instead of you!” Amelia snapped. She put her cutlery down and stood up. “I’m going to retire now.”

“What?” Lady Downe pointed at her daughter’s plate of food. “You haven’t finished your meal.”

“I’ve completely lost my appetite now. The conversation is not exactly good for dinner when I’m meant to be eating.” Amelia headed toward the door. “If you’re not going to let me have control over what I do, the least you can do is let me control what I eat when I want to.”

“Amelia!” Downe shouted. “Get back here!”

But Amelia ignored him, storming toward the stairs and up to her bedchamber. Slamming the door shut, the bang making her ears ring, she slumped onto the bed and tried to calm down. She could feel the tightness in her chest, and it was a struggle to breathe. Amelia closed her eyes and slowly counted to twenty.

This couldn’t be happening. Her parents couldn’t think that it was a good idea, could they? They had ‘protected’ her from the outside world for a long time so Amelia had become independent to make up for the fact she was restricted from a lot of things.

While she hadn’t wanted to enter the ton like everyone else, she admitted that having the freedom to leave the house and do what she wanted was really nice. Amelia wished she had done this two years before.

But maybe this conversation would have happened sooner. Her parents knew about her views on marriage, but they couldn’t change them now. They had decided they were going to force her.

What was wrong with being her own person? Amelia was not the type of person who got put into a box and left there. There was no box that could hold her, and she was going to make a point of it.

***

Edmund was exhausted when he got home. It had been a long, hard session at the boxing club, and his body was sore. But it was worth it; boxing was one way to get rid of the tension built up in his body.

Although it just meant his body was even more sore after being punched in the gut and back. His face, at least, had managed to avoid a proper beating. Returning home with a black eye or a broken nose was something he couldn’t easily explain away.

At least he made sure that his parents weren’t home when it happened. It was not something he wanted to talk to them about, especially his father. The duke didn’t like that his son went out to go boxing every now and then, saying that it wasn’t ideal for the heir to get involved in brawls. Edmund saw it as getting himself strong enough to take care of himself.

Although Edmund was surprised that he hadn’t ended up hurting himself more while he was boxing with his peers. His mind kept drifting back to Amelia to the point he almost got a fist to the face and Edmund had needed to duck out of the way.

But he couldn’t help it. Ever since meeting Amelia earlier that day, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. It wasn’t constant, but it went in and out throughout the day. Amelia Everly, with her smile and that laugh that was relaxed and genuine, plus the sparkle in her eyes and the easygoing nature she had. And Edmund had seen that in just a few minutes.

But her words kept coming back to him. She wasn’t interested in getting married at all. She had been very firm about that. Edmund had been surprised at that. A beautiful woman like her wasn’t interested in getting married and having a family of her own? What had happened for her to start thinking like that? She seemed remarkably young to be that jaded about life.

Then again, given what he knew about the Marquess and Marchioness of Downe, he could understand why Amelia had thoughts like that. When a person had overbearing parents who dictated everything they did, it was expected that the child would push back.

Edmund wondered if Amelia’s brother had gone through it himself. He didn’t interact with Viscount Hampton, the Marquess of Downe’s son, very much due to being in different circles, but he seemed put together. Maybe he had been put through different treatment growing up because he was older and the heir. Or maybe he had had the same, and he just brushed it off.

He wasn’t about to ask him about that. That would result in explaining how he knew Amelia, and Edmund didn’t think that Hampton would appreciate hearing that someone had designs on his little sister.

Once he got back, Edmund headed up to his room and got himself washed and dressed properly. He felt better once he had changed into fresh clothes. Then he went back downstairs and started looking around for Mathilda.

Their parents had gone out, but his sister would still be in the house. Or was she still out with her friends? They had planned to go to Hyde Park with a few chaperones to keep an eye on them. Mathilda had a lot of friends, and they were able to keep her out of trouble, for the most part.

But when Edmund entered the morning room, he saw his sister curled up on the window seat, her legs tucked under her as she read a book. But her face was drawn into a scowl, and her eyes were a little red. She looked up when Edmund came in.

“How was it?” she croaked.

“The same as always. What’s the matter with you?” Edmund crossed the room to her. “You sound like you’ve been crying.”

“No, I haven’t been crying.” Mathilda shifted and sat up, lowering her book. “I’m just upset, that’s all. It’s nothing, really.”

“I wouldn’t call it that.” Edmund pulled a chair over and sat down. “Talk to me, Tilly. What’s the matter?”

Mathilda bit her lip, shutting the book and absently turning it over between her hands.

“I was with my friends, and I ended up telling them about Amelia and how excited I was to see her again.”

“Why would that upset you?”

“It’s not Amelia. It’s them.”

“Your friends?”

“Yes. They were surprised that I actually interacted with Amelia, and then they started saying some horrible things about her.” Mathilda sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “I was shocked that they could say all that.”

Edmund fumbled in his pocket and found his handkerchief, which he handed to his sister. Mathilda took it and blew her nose. She lowered it and folded the square piece of silk over.

“They said that she’s a strange woman, someone who wouldn’t talk to anyone else without a scowl on her face. Daisy said that Amelia is something of an outcast. They were making fun of her. Apparently, they think her hobbies and likes, which Amelia had discussed before, were ridiculous and just makes her more odd. I didn’t know what to say about any of that. I couldn’t believe they could be so horrible.”

Edmund listened to this with growing surprise. Amelia was considered a social outcast? He knew from their brief conversation the day before that she wasn’t exactly comfortable with social gatherings, but she was on the fringes of everything? He couldn’t put the two things together and see it.

“It sounds like they’re jealous of her,” he suggested. “She is the daughter of a marquess, and she’s pretty. Because of his status, she does have a tiny bit more freedom.”

“I told them that, but my friends say that doesn’t mean anything. Daisy said that it would be the equivalent of social death if they’re associated with Amelia.”

Edmund sighed.

“I have told you that you shouldn’t be around Daisy. She’s not a very nice person, so whatever she said, you shouldn’t take as gospel.”

“I wasn’t,” Mathilda protested. “But she was the most vocal about it all. She told me that if I start being friendly with Amelia, I’ll find myself with no friends as well. I think she’s just upset because her older sister is friends with Amelia, and she doesn’t have Margaret’s attention anymore.”

“She sounds like a spoiled brat to me.”

“I agree, but she can be nice when she wants to be.”

Edmund snorted.

“When she wants to be? She should be nice all the time. The nasty side always stays long after everything else. And are you using my handkerchief, or are you making shapes with it?”

“Oh. Right.” Mathilda blew her nose again. “I’ll get this cleaned for you, Edmund. Thank you.”

“Make sure you carry one of your own. It will save you using mine.” Edmund sat back and crossed his legs, letting this news sink in. “I find it hard to believe that Amelia is a social pariah. It’s only her first Season. Maybe they haven’t gotten to know her. Also, none of your friends have entered Society themselves, so they shouldn’t have an opinion on this.”

“But they hear about it from their friends and relatives who are,” Mathilda pointed out. “And then they’re telling me about it. I don’t want to hear it anymore.”

“Maybe you should get better friends,” Edmund grunted.

“Amelia is so charming, though. She’s just as I remember her from that time in the park. I really like her, and I’m glad to have met her again.” Mathilda chewed on her lower lip. “Now they’re putting a dampener on my joy, and I don’t know what to do.”

Edmund could understand that. Despite Mathilda and her friends not being old enough just yet to enter Society on their own, they had a lot of opinions on what went on in the ton . It was madness that they could talk about a potential peer like that. He didn’t like judgmental people, so he made a mental note to give them a wide berth when they had their first Season. Edmund didn’t want to be associated with people like that.

“It’s concerning that people are making her a social pariah in her first Season,” he said. “Concerning and impressive, at the same time. Although it sounds like she has one friend. Daisy’s sister?”

“Miss Margaret Thompson. She’s a really nice person. She’s a sociable woman who has lots of friends, and she’s very relaxed about people, yet not afraid to speak her mind. She is the consummate lady.” Mathilda sat up. “So if she has the ability to be friends with someone like Amelia, then maybe I can as well, and I’ll be all right?”

Edmund smiled.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. It’s not fair on either you or Amelia to be treated that way. You need to make new friends and start being around them if those current friends can’t be nice.”

“I might have to do that,” Mathilda said miserably. “I don’t want to, but…I can’t keep doing this.”

“You’ll understand eventually, and then you’ll be grateful about it.”

“But why do you think this opinion of Amelia has gone around like this? Is she really such a recluse?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t seem to have any problems interacting with us, but that’s when she knew who we were.” Edmund frowned. “I’m going to the Duke of Sussex’s ball tonight, and I’m sure she’s going to be there. I can find out more about that, possibly.”

Mathilda sighed, her expression now a little wistful.

“I wish I could join you. The thought of going to a ball sounds enchanting.”

“It’s not as enchanting as you think,” Edmund said with a chuckle. “You’ll find that out next year when you enter Society and join me. You’ll want to run the other way after a few balls.”

“It’s not that bad. Unlike you, I actually like social gatherings.”

“Fair point.” Edmund stood up and stretched before tickling Mathilda’s cheek, which made her squeal. “I’m going to relax before I have to get ready to go out tonight.”

“Is John going to be at the ball as well?”

Edmund stopped. That question came out of nowhere, and it took him by surprise. It took him a moment to realize who Mathilda was talking about.

“My friend John?”

Mathilda rolled her eyes.

“Of course. Who else would I be talking about?”

“Well, John is a common name. It could be anyone else.”

Mathilda stuck her tongue out at him.

“Anyway, I saw him at the park while I was there. He didn’t stop to say hello, but he nodded and smiled at me as he went past. It’s been a while since I saw him, so I felt a bit curious.”

Edmund wondered at the question. John Sutton was his childhood friend and had been around the family for ten years. Mathilda had known him since she was six years old, and she had always hung onto every word John said. His friend seemed to get along with her, but Edmund had never heard an opinion about his sister from John.

It had been a while since they saw John, but why would Mathilda ask now?

“I suppose he will be there, but why are you asking?”

“Like I said, I was curious.” Mathilda’s face was turning bright red as she scrambled off the window seat. “I’m going to change my book. This one is boring.”

Ducking around Edmund, she hurried toward the door, almost bumping into it as she tried to pass through before the door was fully opened. Edmund couldn’t help but smile. Maybe Mathilda was holding a secret regarding his friend. It sounded like she had a slight fancy for him.

It was quite cute, although Edmund didn’t know what John would say about that. Not that it was something he was going to say to his friend; that would be ruining Mathilda’s privacy, especially if he was wrong.

Edmund left it alone. That sounded like a mess on its own. He had never had a fancy for a lady before, so he couldn’t properly understand.

Then again, given his reaction to Amelia recently and how he couldn’t stop thinking about her, maybe he did understand.