her estimation, it didn’t negate the fact she was still an actress who’d borne a child out of wedlock. She didn’t have an extra coin for a dowry.
So Kat had taken it upon herself to provide one. She’d saved every single penny of it, and she’d adopted her great-grandmother’s real surname—Greer—not her mother’s surname of James or her stage name of Fontaine. No one in good society would have had a thing to do with her if they knew the truth of her birth and upbringing.
Let alone if they heard a peep of what happened to her in York.
“Thank you for your generosity,” Constance said with a sad smile.
“How much do you need?” Katherine asked.
“I have some money we can live on. However, I had more, or at least I did, until I met Meri. My father left me his maritime business of refitting ships in a trust, thus keeping it safe. Thank heavens.” She leaned back against the sofa. “How did you meet Meri?”
It didn’t escape Kat’s notice that Beth moved a little closer to Constance. They all wanted to hear one another’s stories. “A year ago, he peeked into the window of my linen store at the Beltic Arcade. I went outside to see what he wanted. He was so captivating, I let him in to the shop. That day, he purchased a set of bedding. He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen.”
Beth nodded in agreement. “He could charm a nun to give up her habit.”
“Pftt.” Constance let out a breath. “Well, I’m not a nun, but he charmed the clothes off me.” She glanced at her protruding middle. “Now look.”
“I’ll help you too. I’ll stay with you through the birth.” Beth glanced up at Constance. “If that’s all right?”
“I’d welcome your help.” Constance smiled grimly. “I need all the friends and assistance I can gather.”
Beth turned her gaze to Katherine. “And if it’s all right with you?”
She smiled. “Of course.”
Beth fiddled with a biscuit on her plate. “When did Meri leave you?”
Katherine had debated how much to share, but in that silent moment, the earnest looks on the two women’s faces reassured her. They would not hurt her, since they were in as much pain as she, perhaps even more. Their circumstances were certainly more desperate than hers.
“Well, it was a whirlwind courtship of sorts. In three and a half weeks, we were wed.” She took a sip of tea.
Constance’s eyes widened. “The banns were called immediately?”
Katherine nodded. “We married at a small church. After the ceremony, we returned to my home, where Willa had prepared a massive wedding breakfast. Meri ate and acted happy. He flirted in his usual manner, then hours later, he told me he had to go to Portsmouth. He left immediately, and I never saw him again.”
She stared out the window to keep her tears at bay. She didn’t mourn Meri. She grieved for the loss of a true marriage and a chance at happiness. She had wanted marriage to wash away the sin of her illegitimacy and her past. But that had been a fantasy.
“Meri enchanted me the same way he did you,” Constance added. “Perhaps if my parents were still alive, they would have seen through his charade.” She dipped her head again. “For God’s sake, he was the son of a duke. I thought him honorable.… Proof that one’s rank in society is no reflection of the quality of the person. He stayed with me a month. I thought he was the answer to my problems. Only, he created more.” A tear raced down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Katherine.”
Katherine swallowed the tightness in her throat as she shook her head. “I’m sorry too. For you. For your baby. For Beth and for me.” Now, another would soon face the stigma of being a bastard, and Constance, the poor mother, would suffer every time her child experienced the cruelty from the slights and deliberate insults that would come their way. Kat wanted to shake her fist at the heavens and demand why such a cruel fate had been given to all of them. They were three women who faced real ruin. Constance and Beth were well-bred ladies who didn’t deserve such treatment, and Katherine wouldn’t allow them to suffer because the duke wanted to wash his hands of Meri.
Beth knelt between them. “Meri captivated my brother. All they talked about were horses and racing.” She pursed her lips, then exhaled. “My brother arranged my marriage, gladly conveyed my