Esther watched as Amelia went to the door and opened it to reveal Aunt Tabitha standing on the other side.
“Esther,” Aunt Tabitha said, her voice harsh. “Come downstairs at once.
Esther felt as if her insides were churning. The burst of hope she had felt at the thought that Hugh might have come back for her hadn’t subsided yet. But from her aunt’s face, it was clear that that wasn’t the case. That self-satisfied smile was still there. It felt as if joy and grief were at war inside of Esther.
She couldn’t find the words to answer her aunt. She simply sat in her chair, staring.
“You are a guest in this house,” Aunt Tabitha said. “Need I remind you of that fact? When I call you to the sitting room, you are to come.”
Esther didn’t move.
“I beg your forgiveness, Lady Harcourt,” Amelia spoke up. “Lady Esther is unwell and must retire early this evening. She requires rest and privacy.”
“You’re nothing but a servant,” Aunt Tabitha said. “You don’t tell me what to do in my own home.”
“With respect, My Lady,” Amelia said, “my loyalty is to my own mistress. I serve her. My duty is to her needs. And if Lady Esther is forced to return downstairs, I fear for her well-being. I’m sure her mother and father would be deeply distraught if her illness were to worsen.”
Aunt Tabitha hesitated.
Esther was amazed. Had Amelia’s words actually swayed her aunt?
I can only imagine how eager Aunt Tabitha is to make me feel worse. She wants to take me down to the sitting room so that she can shame me for losing my suitor, so that she can make me feel as if it’s allmyfault instead of hers.
But she must know that Esther’s mother and father would be angry when they heard what had happened. Perhaps Amelia’s warning had given her pause. She wouldn’t want to provoke their anger any further than she already had.
“Very well,” Aunt Tabitha said at last. “Get some rest, then, Esther. But I expect to see you at breakfast. Is that understood? We have things to discuss.”
We have nothing to discuss. You just want to be even more cruel to me than you have been already.
She gave no indication that she had heard her aunt. After a moment, Aunt Tabitha turned and left.
Amelia closed the door. “I hope that was all right, My Lady,” she said anxiously. “Sending her away like that. You seemed in no condition to speak with her.”
Esther nodded. “Thank you,” she said. “You did well, Amelia.”
“Am I right in thinking that you would prefer not to see anyone for the remainder of the evening?”
Esther sighed. “I had hoped that Eugenia might come…but I suppose that’s just a fantasy.”
“You don’t think she will?” Amelia asked.
“To tell you the truth, Amelia, I think this whole predicament might be her fault.”
“Oh, Lady Esther,” Amelia said. “Surely not. Lady Eugenia would never do anything to cause you grief. The two of you are as close as sisters.”
“I thought so, too,” Esther said. “But Aunt Tabitha knew things about my first encounter with Hugh that shecouldn’thave known. The only way she could have found those things out is if Eugenia told her. I trusted my cousin, but she must have been conspiring with her mother against me, hoping to ruin my courtship.”
“I can’t believe Lady Eugenia would do such a thing,” Amelia said. “She’s always seemed like such a sweet young lady.”
“Perhaps no one is what they seem to be,” Esther said. “I wasn’t, was I? Hugh thought I seemed genuine. In truth, I was manipulative and terrible.”
“You’re no such thing,” Amelia said. “You’re only young, Lady Esther. You didn’t know the impact love would have on you. I’m sorry you had to learn in such a painful way. You didn’t deserve it, and you must stop telling yourself that you did.”
Esther fell silent. She knew that Amelia would defend her no matter what, but she herself did not believe that she deserved any kindness or sympathy.
It’s easy to blame Aunt Tabitha and Eugenia for what happened tonight. And what they didwasuncommonly cruel. But I can’t forget the fact that I’m the one who put myself in this situation in the first place. If I hadn’t sought to deceive Hugh from the start, Aunt Tabitha would never have been able to do what she did. There would have been nothing to say against me.
As painful as it was to admit, her aunt had done nothing but throw back the curtains on the truth.
