Page 76 of A Lady of Means
Fitz plopped down beside her, fully dressed, resting his head on his arm behind him.
“Oh, my dear girl, anyone who wants to survive in this family has to be well-versed in Greek drama.”
Moria wanted to cry, and she wanted to laugh at the same time.She burrowed her weight into her brother-in-law, her childhood friend.Fitz kept one hand in Noelle’s and wrapped his other arm around Moria before she crumpled.Moria sobbed into the lapels of his jacket.Noelle was on the other side of her now, soothing trails down her back.
Moria pulled away.“I’ll ruin your coat.”
“It’s alright.Your sister hates this coat.She’ll be thrilled.You were just saying this morning how hideous it was, right, princess?”He looked to his wife, who nodded as she wiped her eyes.
“I guess I should have seen it coming, you all said I’d be a duchess one day.Suppose it was meant to be this way.”
Noelle laid her head on Moria’s pillow, still holding her hand.“You don’t have to be resigned about it.You’re allowed to be upset, disappointed, angry, sad, even.”
“What would be the point in that?It isn’t going to change anything,” Moria said, staring at the pink cherubs in the Rococo style painting on her ceiling.
Noelle tugged on her hand, forcing her to meet her eyes.“It won’t.But admitting how you feel, sitting with it, not pushing it away, it keeps the grief from choking the life out of you.”
Moria curled her head in her sister’s lap and tried not to think of him until she fell asleep again.
ChapterThirty-One
8 dayslater
Moria had risen from her bed for the first time in days to fetch a book from the library.
She heard voices.
The Duke.Herbetrothed.“That’s too much.Just put it in a trust for her.”
“People have a way of finding these things out.I don’t want anyone claiming that money factors into this union on either side.”
“That’s probably better than what they already think.”Lawrence.
“Why?What are they saying?Have you heard anything untoward?”Jasper.
“They don’t have to say anything in my earshot, I can fill in the blanks myself.”
“They’ll all stop once she becomes a duchess.”
“I think she kind of enjoys it, honestly,” Lawrence added.
“Would you please desist?”There was a note of authority in Jasper’s voice despite using “please.”
“I’m only pointing out that if she was uncomfortable with gossip, she’d behave a little differently,” Lawrence pushed, voice neutral.
Of course, it would be her brother that sparked the first tinge of anger over something other than the great unjust hands of fate.But it felt good to feel something again nonetheless.
The Duke’s voice dropped low and challenging in reply.“Who are you to judge your sister?”
Moria wanted to feel something at the Duke standing up to her brother on her behalf.But he was to be her husband, that’s the least of what he was supposed to do, wasn’t it?Devyn had stood beside her, he’d stood toe to toe with all her darkness.
“That’s a fair fucking point, Your Grace.I can see my error.I’ll leave you two to your discussion.”
Moria kept walking before she could run into her brother.She pulled the brim of her large hat over her face and walked out the door and onto the sidewalk.Up the street and around the corner, past papers announcing her engagement.Past Carina’s house.Past the lending library.
Moria wondered what they would have printed if she’d been announcing her engagement to a different man, a better one but without a showy title.A gilded sign for a modiste came into view, and Moria realized she was walking to Letitia’s.Her family hid the papers from her, at least they had tried to, but Letty would be honest.
Letitia opened the door before she could knock, ushering her through a curtain, to a plush divan in her workshop.“Sit, here’s some tea and scones.”
