“My apologies. I –”
“You do not need to apologize.” Lady Havisham interrupted her with a gentle smile. “There is something on your mind, I think, and I have no doubt that you are thinking of my son.”
A rush of heat flew up into Deborah’s cheeks and she cleared her throat, not quite certain what it was that she was meant to say to such a thing. Had Lady Havisham known her thoughts? Had there been something in her expression that told her of it?
“I do hope he will give you an explanation soon.”
Deborah tried to smile, picking up her teacup as though the warm drink would cover up the pink in her cheeks.
“He is not required to.”
“He will have no other choice but to give me an explanation,” Lady Havisham stated, firmly. “I shall not rest until I understand it!”
“It may very well be that I have overstepped my place,” Deborah answered, as Lady Havisham’s frown grew. “He might have thought my dance card full enough.”
Lady Havisham shook her head.
“That is not consistent with what he stated. Regardless, my dear, I will have the truth from him. You need not worry about the ball this evening. I am sure that Lord Thornley will beeagerto dance with you since he was already so badly denied.”
Deborah nodded, but her smile did not spread across her face. Lord Thornley did not capture her thoughts as Lord Havisham did. Even though he treated her with more consideration and certainly seemed eager for her company, she did not find her heart at all engaged with him.
But does such a thing matter, if I am to find a suitable husband?Her mouth pulled downwards.One’s heart does not have to hold any affection for one’s husband, I suppose. Not when my need for a husband is so pressing.
“Do not be downhearted, my dear.” Lady Havisham smiled, clearly eager to reassure her. “At the ball this evening, everything will be just as it ought – and who knows? By the end of the night, you might find yourself with more than Lord Thornley eager for your company!”
Deborah tried to smile, but it did not come easily. She was not looking forward to the ball nor to Lord Thornley’s company. With everything that had taken place, and everything that she now felt, she was unsure and unsteady as if walking on uneven ground and with no certain sense of what was to come.
* * *
“Ah, Miss Fullerton.”
Deborah looked up, a little surprised to see Lady Vivian walking towards her. The ball had been in full swing for a little over an hour and she and Lady Havisham had only arrived a few minutes ago. Lady Havisham was in deep discussion with a friend and Deborah had chosen to stand back quietly so that she would not be an interruption.
“You and I are not properly introduced, but I do not think that such a thing matters.” Lady Vivian’s smile curved but there was no warmth in her eyes. Her gaze flicked up and down Deborah’s form and Deborah herself blushed at her scrutiny, all too aware of her simple gown compared to Lady Vivian’s ornate one. “I expect you are wondering why I have deigned to come to converse with you.”
The sneer in Lady Vivian’s voice made Deborah’s stomach tighten. She had no need to stand and converse with the lady, regardless of whether or not Lady Vivian wished to do so. To be treated with such disdain was not something she had tolerated from Lord Havisham, and she certainly would not be willing to tolerate it now.
“If you will excuse me, I am waiting for Lady Havisham to finish her conversation.”
Dropping into a small curtsey, she flicked Lady Vivian a half-smile before physically turning away from her. The sneer on Lady Vivian’s face dropped in an instant, replaced with a harsh glare as she tightened her jaw, but Deborah did not react. Instead, she kept her head turned away and looked directly towards Lady Havisham rather than giving any attention to Lady Vivian.
A cold hand grasped her arm, making Deborah catch her breath. Lady Vivian yanked her back towards her, her eyes shards of glass, cutting into Deborah.
“You will not trifle with me, Miss Fullerton!” Lady Vivian hissed, her face close to Deborah’s. “You may have been given additional freedoms, courtesy of Lady Havisham’s much too generous nature, but you will not find me relenting and treating you as though you are an equal.”
Deborah’s heart clattered against her chest, but she grasped hold of her small, flailing courage and pulled it to the surface.
“In that case, I find it exceedingly strange indeed that you should come to speak to me, Lady Vivian, given that I am so very far below you.”
Lady Vivian drew back and for a moment, Deborah feared that she would strike her. Her face a mottled red, Lady Vivian let out a hiss of breath. Heat ran across Deborah’s cheek.
“You are attempting to garner Lord Havisham’s affections.”
Deborah’s eyes widened.
“Indeed, I am not.”
“I am well aware of your intentions.” Lady Vivian kept her voice low, but anger threaded through every word. “You reside in his house and think that you can pull him towards you simply by your presence there, but I will not allow you to do such a thing. He is meant for me. We intend to wed by the end of the Season, and you willnotforce yourself in between us!”