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rather miserably behind the other ladies and took a seat on one of the chairs furthest from Mama and Lady Catherine.
    Caroline immediately came to sit beside her and Rebecca prepared for the upcoming lecture on propriety, how a lady should act and each variance of these themes in between.
    What she wasn’t prepared for was Caroline’s eyes welling up with tears. Rebecca gaped but could not help it. The last time Caroline had cried was when she still wore her hair in pigtails. If she remembered correctly, it had been because Rebecca had accidentally —no matter what Caroline tried to claim— dropped a basket of apples on her head.
    “Caroline,” she leaned forward in concern, “are you well?”
    “Rebecca” —Caroline seemed to be trying to gather her composure— “I do not pretend to know what your reasons are, but please desist from trying to win the duke’s affections. You know he is intended for me. That I am to be the duchess.”
    Rebecca was so shocked she could not form a coherent word. After spluttering for a while she managed to croak out a disbelieving “What?”
    “You heard me perfectly,” responded Caroline coldly, her composure well and truly back in place and her spine once again stiff enough to snap in two.
    Rebecca could feel herself getting angry. What in the blazes was Caroline talking about anyway? She could not remember having a more ridiculous conversation than she was having right now, including the time she tried to explain to young Martin that his chances of catching a real leprechaun were extremely slim.
    “And what part of my behaviour gave you the idea I was bent on seducing your precious duke, Caroline? Was it when I threw myself into the pond perhaps? Swore in front of him, because we all know that is sure to secure a gentleman’s affection! Oh, I know, it was when he was trying to compliment us both earlier and caught me mocking him.”
    Rebecca was so angry that she was shaking. She hated having to summarise her disgrace to prove she wasn’t duke snatching.
    “I cannot begin to imagine what it is that so attracts him, Rebecca,” muttered Caroline icily, “but given that he has been staring at you like he wants to gobble you up since he watched your little circus in the gardens, I would say that whatever it is you are doing is working. So stop it.”
    Rebecca would much rather Caroline had continued to cry. At least she appeared human then. This frigid anger was horrible to endure. Their tempers were so vastly different. Rebecca went up like a torch when baited, her temper rising to fiery and gargantuan proportions.
    Caroline, in contrast, became even more cool and calm, her tone biting as she delivered merciless set downs.
    “That is preposterous,” Rebecca cried, drawing the attention of Mama and Lady Catherine.
    “Rebecca,” her mother scolded, “do try to keep it down dearest.”
    Rebecca had enough. This entire situation was grossly unfair. She stood up and made to storm from the room. What insanity to say she had any ulterior motive toward the duke. Her conscience pricked guiltily but she shoved it aside. She did not purposefully find him attractive and had certainly given no indication of her feelings.
    And as for Caroline claiming that he looked at her like – like –
    Well it was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.
    She decided to take some air on the balcony that ran around the side of the house and made for the doors leading from the drawing room and out into the summer night’s air.
    Still in a temper though, she could not let her true feelings about their guests go unsaid so she marched back towards Caroline, leaned down and whispered fiercely, “Even if I was in the market for a husband, which I am NOT, I think your way of going about getting one is insane. I understand the contract was made before you were even born but my God Caroline, you know nothing about him save his wealth and title. He could have been the most ill-mannered, self-absorbed rake who