“I hope he does, too,” Esther said.
Then she laughed. “Wouldn't Aunt Tabitha be angry?” she asked. “I'm sure she’s hoping to see me struggle to find a worthy match. She’ll no doubt be pushing me in the direction of low-ranking gentlemen of whom my mother and father would never approve.”
“Would she really do something like that?” Amelia asked. “I’ve never met your Aunt Tabitha, but from the way you describe her, she sounds just awful.”
“She’s very unpleasant,” Esther said. “And she’ll do whatever she can to make sure my cousin, Eugenia, is at the center of attention at every event this Season.”
"What is your cousin like?” Amelia asked.
“Not at all like her mother,” Esther said. “Eugenia is a lovely person. But she’s a bit homely, and she’s very shy. She’ll have trouble winning the attention of any gentlemen, I’m afraid, without her mother pushing her on them.”
“That's a shame,” Amelia said.
“It is,” Esther agreed. “And I’d like to be helpful to her, if I can. I want her to have a successful Season, too."
“Your cousin is lucky to have a friend on the way,” Amelia said. “It sounds as though she’s going to have a difficult Season, considering all the pressure her mother is putting on her.”
Esther nodded. “I’m the lucky one,” she said. “At least I get to go through all this away from my parents. I won’t have to worry about them critiquing my every move and telling me I’m not living up to their expectations. Poor Eugenia probably won’t be able to enjoy a moment of this Season.”
“At least she’ll have you,” Amelia said. “You’ll be able to make things easier for her.”
Esther smiled. “You’re right, Amelia,” she said. “You always do such a good job of reminding me how I can be helpful to people.”
“Well, I know that you want to help the people in your life,” Amelia said. “You’re a very kindhearted person, My Lady.”
“Do you think so?” It wasn’t a way Esther was accustomed to thinking of herself.
“Oh, yes,” Amelia said. “Just look at what you’re willing to do for your family. For your sister.”
“That isn’t kindness,” Esther objected. “That's just fulfilling my responsibility.”
“But the fact that you do it willingly and without complaint,” Amelia said. “That shows how kind you are. You really care so much for your sister’s happiness and well-being that you would be willing to sacrifice your own.”
“Well, let us hope that no such sacrifice has to be made,” Esther said. "I haven’t given up hope that both of us will be able to make good matches and be happy.”
“And if you should meet someone you admire that you know your parents wouldn’t approve of?” Amelia asked.
Esther sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t keep asking me this. Have I not made my answer clear?”
“You have,” Amelia said. “And yet it seems to me that you haven’t truly admitted to yourself the possibility that it might happen. I just want you to be prepared, My Lady.”
“I’m prepared,” Esther said firmly. "I know what my objective is. I need to do everything I possibly can to repair my family’s financial status so that one day, when she’s old enough, Caroline will be free to attend a Season of her own and will make an appealing match for the gentlemen there.”
“Very well,” Amelia said.
“And frankly,” Esther continued, “I don’t care who I have to marry to do it. Yes, I hope to meet someone I like. But if he’s entirely unpleasant, that won’t stop me. I will still do my duty to my family. I will make my parents proud and provide for my sister’s future. I’m resolved.”
“If that’s what you intend, My Lady, then you can count on my assistance,” Amelia said. “I’ll do all I can to help you in your efforts. By the time you return to your father’s Manor, I have no doubt that you’ll be engaged to whichever gentleman you choose.”
Chapter 4
Aunt Tabitha and Eugenia were waiting outside the Manor when the carriage pulled up, and they welcomed Esther warmly with hugs. “Esther,” Aunt Tabitha said, holding her at arm’s length and looking at her. “Just look at you! Every day you look more and more like your father! But you have your mother’s nose. Oh, you’re just lovely. It’s wonderful to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too, Aunt Tabitha,” Esther said, slightly taken aback by the warmth of her aunt’s welcome. It certainly wasn’t what she had expected after all the warnings her mother and father had given her.
“How long has it been since we last saw one another?” Aunt Tabitha asked. “I believe you were just a child!”
“Oh, no,” Esther said. “We saw one another at my birthday celebration just two years ago.”
