“Ah! My dearest friend! You came!” Lady Lecia rushed Giuliana as the footman announced her arrival. “Adella is here,” she whispered in her ear. Great. Just what Giuliana wanted. After the ball at the Duke of Silverkeep’s home, the newspapers proclaimed her a villainess. It had been only two days since then and her new status had caused many unfamiliar callers to leave their cards hoping to meet with the villainess.
“Wonderful. I have arranged for His Grace to fetch me after the gathering.”
Lecia’s eyes shone with mischief. “You are bad.” She looped her arm with Giuliana’s and escorted her towards the girls. Adella sat on an armchair near the open doors to the terrace. Lecia’s sister, Penelope, hovered behind her chair, glowering at Giuliana’s arrival. Two other girls, both highly ranked, flank Adella’s side, fans open and fluttering. There were a couple other ladies who sat apart from Adella’s court, looking at Giuliana with discomfort.
This was just getting absurd now. Giuliana’s lips twisted into a magnanimous smile. “How wonderful it is to see everyone again.” With her greeting complete, she strode out onto the terrace with Lecia.
“She has found supporters quickly,” she murmured.
“And in my family. Penelope talks of little else but Adella and how wonderful she is, but she never gives examples. She just repeats the same phrases over and over.”
“I’m not sure what having the daughter of Dukes and Marquesses will do for her. Alastair may be a Duke, but he is not related to the Crown in any capacity and the lands of Wytchwood are too vast for the King to force his hand.” They did a majority of wheat production in Wytchwood. If the Duke became at odds with the Crown, this might affect the food supply in Etria. The Dukes of Wytchwood largely acted without interference from the Crown.
“I don’t think she cares.” Lecia lifted her shoulders. “I honestly don’t understand her game. I’ll talk to Lucas, he can dig up more information about her.”
Lucas was her fiance and the head of the Crown Prince’s guard and the Marquess of Aramore. He, occasionally, acted as a spymaster on behalf of the Crown Prince. If anyone had dirt on Adella, he’d uncover it.
“Is it not odd that Penelope has joined ranks with a Baron’s daughter? She has always been the worst sort of snob. She would never attend any of my birthday parties because father is an Earl.”
“It’s strange, I agree. But she always loves drama, and Adella seems to revel in it. I mean, who does she think she is? The Queen holding court?”
“You’re probably right.”
Before Penelope and Adella did not become friends. Adella charmed her fiance instead, leading to the neglect of Penelope. Actually, she had brought most of the noble young men into her fold from the Crown Prince to Lucas. Many of the young ladies of the Elite grew to hate Adella, especially when the Crown Prince threw over his own fiancee in favor of her. It had been a scandal made worse when she demurred from his proposal.
They had not cleared the matter up when Giuliana died and she hoped to avoid the mess from occurring. But how? This time, Adella targeted the women instead of the men. To what end?
“Yes,” sang Adella’s voice. “I did find out that Alastair plans to marry that woman in the new year. But things change.”
Giuliana let out a sigh. Really! Even in the past, she didn’t act so brazen! What happened to her? Did she go back in time as well?
Her friend growled beneath her breath. “Honestly, I’m of half a mind to call her out.”
“If anyone does, it will be me. This is my trouble. I am the one she hates.” The intensity of her dislike convinced Giuliana more and more that she also went back in time. To what end? At least Giuliana had revenge in mind. Adella had the world at her feet. What did she need to fix?
“Let’s sit down for tea. You were the last to arrive.” Lecia, ever the perfect hostess, walked back into the manor and clapped her hands. “It’s time for tea, ladies, before the men arrive.”
“The men?” squeaked out Adella, staggering to her feet. “What men?”
“It is my monthly tea party where we socialize with our busy fiances.” Lecia slid a glance my way. “Lady Giuliana rarely attends since the Duke makes time to spend with her every single day.”
“I had heard that,” piped up Irena, a daughter of House Airedale. “It’s wonderful that he cares so much for you, Lady Giuliana.”
The lady herself blinked at the support from House Airedale. She had never interacted with Irena as she was a few years younger. But beggars can’t be choosers. As they had discussed, Giuliana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bolstered herself.
“I know, he loves me very much.” Each word was a dagger to her heart.
Irena squealed and scurried over to Giuliana’s side. “Is is true you will get married in the new year?”
“Yes, we will.” She covered her mouth and giggled. “Alastair says we’ve been engaged too long.”
She gestured to her friends to come over. “Look at Lady Giuliana’s face,” Irena gushed. “She’s so in love. How wonderful.”
One of her friends who Giuliana vaguely remembered having the name of some flower nodded her head. “Yes, you can see it in her eyes.”
The four of them moved to sit at the long table with Lecia at its head. Despite her lower status, Lecia insisted on Giuliana sitting at her side.
“Will you join us?” Their hostess inquired in a sweet tone. She spread her arms to the empty seats. Adella rose first, alabaster skin flaming and movements stiff. She shot Giuliana a nasty glare that she happily ignored. Her followers quickly joined the table.
The topics switched to more neutral topics, to Giuliana’s relief. She grew weary of the constant chatter surrounding the Duke and her. Well, more of it had to do with her and her villainess ways or wondering how on earth the poor Duke handled her?
A maid walked around the table pouring out tea for the guests. She finished at Adella’s seat as the door to the parlor opened. The footman cleared his throat and announced with a tremor clear, “T-The Duke of Wytchwood.”
Giuliana swore she heard the shattering of a priceless porcelain teacup ringing in her ears.
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