“I am being judged according to Richard’s actions,” Valeria said. “We always knew that I would be.”
“Yes,” Aunt Alberta said. “I suppose we did. But I want to be sure, Valeria, that you are not judgingyourselfaccording to the things your brother did. I want to be sure you don’t think less of yourself because of the way Richard turned out.”
“I don’t know,” Valeria admitted quietly.
“Lord Milton was very wrong to say the things he did,” Aunt Alberta said. “You can rest assured that he will not be welcome back in my home.”
“Oh, no, Aunt Alberta,” Valeria said quickly. “You don’t need to stop seeing him on my account. I know that he’s a friend of yours. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your social life.”
“If he can’t respect the people in my family, he’s no friend of mine,” Aunt Alberta said firmly. “And if he can’t be polite to my niece while he’s a guest in my home, he clearly has no respect for me, either. You’ll never be troubled with him again. I hope you’ll consent to attend future social events.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes,” Aunt Alberta said gently. “Although I must say, for your own benefit, that it will do you no good to hide yourself away, tempting though that may be.”
“What do you think I should do?” Valeria asked her aunt.
“Lord Harlston made mention of a party,” Aunt Alberta said. “I think we should attend. It would be good for you to get out in public again quickly. Let people see that you are not afraid of comments like the ones that were made tonight. Let them see that they don’t have the power to hurt you.”
“But he did hurt me, Aunt Alberta,” Valeria said quietly.
“I know.” Her aunt took her hand. “I know he did. And you should never have had to suffer that. But the more people see that you’re too strong to be taken down by their words, the sooner they’ll give up the attempt.”
Valeria sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
“Of course I am,” Aunt Alberta said. “I know what it’s like, you know, to have unkind things said about you.”
“Do you?”
“Of course I do. After your uncle’s death, there were plenty who were unkind to me. Many believed I wasn’t fit to keep this Manor by myself. Your cousin wasn’t old enough to assume the responsibilities of the Viscount right away, and there were those who thought your uncle’s brother ought to take the title.”
“You refused to allow it?”
“Well, I suppose he could have done so if he had wanted to,” Aunt Alberta said. “But he knew, as I did, that your uncle had desired nothing more than to see his son inherit his title and land. It would have been an insult to his memory to make any other arrangements.”
Valeria nodded. “Aunt Alberta,” she said, “may I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why did you never marry again? Didn’t you want to?”
Her aunt eyed her shrewdly. “Is this really about me?” she asked. “Or are you asking about your own marriage prospects?”
“I suppose I’m asking about myself,” Valeria admitted. “Was I that obvious?”
“You’re a young lady of a likely age for marriage,” her aunt said. “It’s no surprise to me that the subject is on your mind. Are you concerned that you might not find a suitable gentleman to marry? Because I must tell you, I think you caught the eye of both of our young guests tonight.”
“They’ve likely changed their minds about me, after hearing what Lord Milton had to say.” Valeria hesitated. “To tell you the truth, Aunt Alberta, I rather hope they have.”
“What would make you say such a thing?” her aunt asked.
“I know I’m supposed to want to marry,” Valeria said. “I know my prospects get worse the longer I wait. But the idea of doing so frightens me. After what happened with Richard—after the way he failed in his duties to me—how can I trust someone else?”
“I understand,” her aunt said. “Trusting a new person is very difficult. Especially a gentleman. And after what you’ve been through—of course you have reservations. But those feelings are, truly, no reason to wait. You could sacrifice your chances at happiness. Is that what you want?”
“Of course it isn’t,” Valeria said. “But what if the gentleman who marries me turns out to be like Richard?”
“We would never choose such a person for you, Valeria,” her aunt said.
