Chapter 1
One
S elena leaned against the carriage seat and sighed. She would be arriving at Harcrest Manor soon for this Christmastide house party that Emma insisted on having. If it had been up to her she would have remained home, but instead here she was traveling with her cousin and his wife to a house party. One that would be filled with individuals she loathed. There were very few people that she tolerated. At least all of those she liked would be at this house party. That would make it inherently more tolerable.
Victoria leaned her head on her husband, David, the Earl of Foxcroft’s, shoulder and yawned. “I do hope we will be arriving shortly. I’m quite exhausted from the confinement of this carriage. ”
David patted her arm lightly. “We’re all tired, darling. But we should arrive shortly. It’s been a while since I’ve visited Harcrest Manor. It will be wonderful to see our friends.”
Selena didn’t disagree with her cousin on that regard. Well on any of it really. It wasn’t her friends she did not wish to spend time with. It was all the other people that Emma would have invited he had wished to avoid. She’d rather soured to the idea of society and all of its dictates. She wanted to be free from it all, but wasn’t certain how to accomplish that feat. What kind of revenge could she enact against society as a whole? Selena did not have one specific target, like Lilah or Cora. Even Victoria had someone specific in mind when she’d targeted David. All three of those ladies had ended up falling in love instead of finding true revenge. She was happy for them. She was…
But she didn’t want love or marriage. Not anymore. That dream had died after her first disastrous season. She only attended balls and other societal functions after that because David had been so concerned. He had hoped she’d find a good match. Her dowry during her first two seasons had been pitiful. So she had been mostly overlooked. With her outdated gowns and pittance of a dowry—no man had deigned to pay her any attention. Courting? Not even a remote possibility. She might be pretty, but that wasn’t enough of an attraction on the husband mart.
“Has Emma told you about her plans?” she asked Victoria.
She shook her head. “I do not know why she wanted a Christmastide house party,” Victoria replied. “It will be fun, though. I love house parties.”
“As long as you’re not the hostess,” David drawled. “I seem to recall you complaining about the guest and their tedious requests at the one held at Ardmore.”
Victoria wrinkled her nose. “Don’t remind me.”
“I don’t recall that,” Selena said. “I thought you enjoyed the house party.”
“I didn’t hate it,” Victoria told her. “But some of the guests were ridiculous. I blame the rain. It had everyone on edge, as we couldn’t do any of the planned outdoor activities for a large part of the party. At a Christmastide house party most of the guests will expect more indoor activities.”
“Except hunting for a yule log,” David reminded her.
Victoria waved her hand dismissively. “That’s for the men to imbibe too much and go traipsing through the snow and otherwise engage in silliness to find some ideal log to cut down, then burn. The ladies will remain inside like any sane person would. We do not need a yule log.”
David laughed. “As you can tell,” he began. “My wife has strong feelings about yule logs.”
“They are not necessary,” she told him.
“Not much in life is, love,” he said, then kissed her quickly. “That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t enjoy anything. You may not find a yule log important, but that doesn’t mean you should berate those that do.”
“Fine,” she said in a reluctant tone. “As I do not have to participate, I see no need to be vocal about it.”
Selena sighed. She didn’t care either way if the men searched for a yule log. She didn’t care about any of it. But still she had to endure conversations like this one. David and Victoria were both dear to her, and she adored them immensely. Their love could be stifling at times. Especially when she couldn’t escape the confines of a carriage to be away from it. Selena was so glad that they had found love with each other. Truly. However, as someone that love had skipped over and left alone—it was hard to handle .
“It looks like we’re about to turn down the drive to Harcrest Manor,” she announced. Selena had been staring out the window for some time now. It was a relief to finally be turning down the drive. Soon they would be at the manor, and she’d be able to escape the carriage.
“Emma will want to meet with us,” Victoria said. “As we are all arriving a day before the rest of the guests, I suspect she has a reason for that.”
“I gathered as much,” Selena replied.
“Do I want to know what you ladies have planned?” David asked as he lifted a brow.
“I wouldn’t ask too many questions,” Victoria told him. “It’s best you do not know.”
David had some idea about the revenge pact, but neither Selena nor Victoria had given him much in the way of details. All he knew was that they had decided to help each other have success in society. They just didn’t tell him what that success entailed, or how they hoped to achieve it.
“All right,” he said. “But do let me know if I may be of assistance. I wouldn’t mind aiding the ladies in their endeavors.”
Selena almost snorted. He might not be so ready to help them if he had any idea that they all sought some sort of revenge.
“You are a dear to offer, but that’s not necessary.” Victoria smiled at her husband. “Just spend this time with your friends.”
The carriage came to a stop. Selena nearly bolted from the carriage once a footman opened the door. She didn’t wait for Victoria or David. She had other plans. All of which meant some time alone without anyone to bother her.
Selena sighed and entered the sitting room. Victoria, Lilah, and Cora were already there. Where the blazes was Emma. She wanted this little meeting to be done with so she could find her solitude again. “Hello,” she greeted the other ladies.
“Hello, Selena,” Lilah said. “Come pour yourself a cup of tea. Emma should be here shortly.”
Selena walked over to the teacart and prepared her cup, then grabbed a couple biscuits and put them on a plate. She took her tea and biscuits back over to the settee and settled in to wait for Emma.
Emma strolled into the sitting room and grinned. Selena nibbled on her cookie as she stared at her friend. “Hello,” Emma said, then went over to join them. “I’m so happy to see everyone.”
Victoria grinned. “We are glad to be here.” She patted on the side of the settee next to her. “Come sit. Tell me everything. I want to know your plans.”
Emma went over to the settee and sat next to Victoria. She had walked right past the teacart. Did she not want tea? Selena took a sip of her own tea and waited. Perhaps she should be thrilled for Emma to tell them about her revenge plans, but she couldn’t find any excitement. She just did not want to be there.
“We all want to know,” Cora said, then sipped her tea. “I was excited when the invitation arrived. I suspected this was a scheme of yours. Especially, since Lilah hates socializing.” She wrinkled her nose. “Though bravo for having her be the hostess. You know all those harpies are savoring at the opportunity to see if Viscount Harcrest is still besotted with her.”
Lilah rolled her eyes. “That man adores me,” she said with a contented sigh. “I am truly fortunate to have won his heart. Though if you had asked me that prior to that house party, I would have thought you all mad.”
“Indeed,” Emma agreed. “The truth is that my brother is the fortunate one. He could have ended up married to the likes of Lady Daisy Allen.”
“She’s awful,” Selena said. “He is indeed lucky that she didn’t sink her claws into him.” She took a sip of her tea. “Has anyone heard what’s happened with her? Anything new?”
“As far as we know,” Emma said, then flashed them all an evil grin. “She’s still at that finishing school her father sent her to.”
Selena was curious about that finishing school. Perhaps she should ask Emma later. She didn’t seem to want to share too many details, and she couldn’t help wondering why. She tilted her head to the side and mostly listened to the discussion.
“I still think she deserved worse than that,” Lilah said. “She nearly ruined my life. All because she thought Henry belonged to her. She was willing to do anything to have him. It’s just…wrong.”
“It is,” Selena agreed. “But she didn’t win. That is what you need to remember.” She nodded toward Emma. “And that’s now why we are here. This house party is for her to get her revenge.” She leaned back and stared at Emma. “What do you need from us?” Was it terrible that she hoped that Emma didn’t need much from her?
“Nothing,” she said. “But I suppose I can tell you my plans. Just in case help is needed, that I haven’t already foreseen.”
“Go on,” Lilah encouraged. “What do we need to know?”
Emma stood and went over to the teacart to pour herself a cup of tea. She put two lumps of sugar into her cup, then stirred slowly. She sighed and went and sat next to Victoria again. Emma sipped her tea and then closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, they all stared at her, waiting for her to explain it all. “There is much I’ve told no one,” she said. “I mentioned as much to Lilah when we were discussing the invitation.”
“You did,” Lilah confirmed. “Are you ready to discuss it now?”
“Not entirely,” Emma said. “It has to do with my own experience at finishing school. Henry thought it would be good for me to go. I was terribly shy back then. I begged him to let me stay home. In some ways, it helped me to accept myself. I did grow bolder because of my time there.” There was pain in her eyes that Selena understood. What had Emma gone through? “But I am afraid I was always destined to be a wallflower.”
“What happened to you at school?” Victoria asked.
“It wasn’t one thing,” Emma said. “A lot happened at school. Some of it I’d rather forget.” She inhaled sharply. “But I cannot. It’s always there.” She glanced away from them. “There were two there that made my life miserable. They are the ones I want revenge on, and I intend to have it.”
“Who are they?” Selena asked.
“Yes,” Cora said. “We want to know.”
Emma shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “When I need your help, I’ll let you know. But I want to do this on my own for as long as possible. I need them to understand how their cruelty affected me.”
“And you shall,” Lilah told her. “Are you going to tell us what you have planned, even if we do not know who?”
She shook her head. “I cannot,” she said. “It’s too complicated and I am afraid if I start speaking my plans, it will all unravel.”
Selena laughed. “All right. Keep your secrets. We will be here if you need us.”
In the meantime, Selena would consider what she wanted. Would she try for some sort of revenge? Probably not. She had no need for revenge. Selena just wanted to be herself. Perhaps that was what she would do at this house party. She’d act as she always wanted—society be dammed. Yes. That would be her revenge. If one could call it that. The revenge would be to tell everyone what she thought, whether or not it was socially acceptable, and she would not hold anything back. She’d shock them all so much they wouldn’t know how to respond to it. She smiled to herself as she made plans of her own that would be enacted alongside Emma’s revenge.
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