her face. “I don’t have any certainty on the matter. She’s capricious and petty. It’s a terrible combination.”
Olivia took his hand, placing hers over it in a comforting manner. “My darling brother, having met your Miss Blake, I can tell you that she is as enamored of you as you are of her. Whether she wishes to admit it or not is another question entirely. But I daresay, whatever Daphne Fennelworth does with her evening, Miss Persephone Blake will stroll through those doors at some point… wearing a lovely silk ball gown in a vivid pink. You won’t be able to miss her when she arrives.”
Moving away from Olivia to Burke, he met the other man’s twinkling gaze. “Don’t enjoy it quite so much. I seem to recall you having more than a few tense moments when it came to courting my sister,” Algernon pointed out.
“Yes. And then you told me I couldn’t court her at all… because she didn’t want me to. So, I’m going to enjoy this. Very, very much.”
With a sneer and a muttered oath that might have been ‘bastard’, Algernon walked away. He ignored the footman who traipsed about with trays laden with champagne and instead made his way to the card room. He’d needed a drink with more than bubbles.
“That dress is terrible on you,” Daphne said with a frown, her eyes roving covetously over the pink silk. “Whoever thought that color would be flattering to you clearly has questionable tastes.”
“Well, you may certainly take it up with the Viscountess Holland as she chose it,” Percy replied. Somewhere along the way, between Elizabeth throwing food at her and Agnes reminding her that just because her sister said a thing did not make it true, Percy had found her voice again. She felt as though she could stand up for herself, regardless of what happened with Algernon Dunne. If she had to get a position as a companion or a governess, hopefully to children better behaved than her sister’s, so be it. But she wouldn’t be held captive by Daphne and her brood of imps any longer. She was done. To that end, she’d sent a letter just that morning to an old friend who resided in Bath asking if she could come for an extended visit. She was fairly certain of her welcome there, but it would take days before she’d have an absolute answer. In the meantime, she'd simply have to make the best of things.
Even with her renewed spirits and her stronger sense of self, she still couldn’t quite forget what she’d heard about Algernon and his true love. It wounded her deeply, leaving her feeling both deceived and rejected. It was true, he had a great deal to answer for. Being used as an instrument of revenge or to spark jealousy, as if her own feelings had no worth, that was an unforgivable manipulation. And even if that wasn’t his purpose, he’d still concealed the fact that he’d only recently been jilted by another woman. How could she ever be certain that his feelings for her, that his attraction to her, were genuine and not simply an effort on his part to get himself paired off rather than being alone?
“You’re thinking very hard about something, Persephone,” Daphne noted as the carriage began to slow. “This is quite an impressive turnout. Especially when one considers the Viscountess Holland was little more than a pariah only a few months ago. You should take heed, sister, in her cautionary tale. She allowed herself to be ruined and paid the price for it.”
“I don’t know that any woman allows herself to be kidnapped, Daphne. I rather think the definition of kidnapping precludes allowance of any sort on the part of the kidnapped,” Persephone retorted sharply.
Daphne’s eyes narrowed at her in the dimly lit interior of the coach. “Watch your tone! I will not be spoken to so sharply by a woman who lives only by my charity.”
“What charity?” Persephone demanded. “I’ve done nothing but work for my room and board since I arrived!”
“Work? Is that what you call it! Certainly you’ve been expected to help with the children—.”
“Help? Help implies that someone other than myself would be responsible for them!” Persephone lashed out.
“I’m their mother! I’m responsible for them!” Daphne protested hotly.
“Then tell me their names and birth order,” Persephone fired back.
“Well, Richard is the eldest. That’s all that really signifies, isn’t it? He’ll inherit one day and be expected to care for any of the