Bridget had made it clear that Elizabeth was to accept Mr. Denny’s proposal. Regina wasn’t so sure. Elizabeth was stubborn. Mr. Denny would have to prove himself a man that could stand up to her without belittling her. Regina was a little doubtful of Mr. Denny’s ability to manage that.
While Louisa and Elizabeth were gone, Bridget and Natalie would receive suitors for Natalie. Bridget would help Natalie to settle upon one. At the same time, Bridget would be helping Father handle the handover of the estate to Lord Pettifer.
The thought of Bridget dealing with Lord Pettifer made Regina’s stomach churn. But what else was there for it? Father was all muddled over the legalities. And even if he wasn’t, he was in a state of despair.
That was the hardest part about all of this. Regina had never seen her father like this. He hardly ate. He seemed to have sunk into himself. He was like a husk of a man.
Bridget had determined that Father go to Bath. It was the best place to heal and rest up. The Morrisons were staying there and had happily agreed to take him in. Father would be in good hands with them. And, even better, he wouldn’t have to be there to watch his home handed over.
That just left Regina.
She waited until it was late in the evening. Bridget was in Father’s study going over the accounts. The candlelight showed the lines of exhaustion on her face.
For a moment Regina simply stood in the doorway, watching. It made her heart ache to see her sister like this. There was so much to do in preparation for the hand over. Not for the first time she felt a spike of hot anger in her chest at Lord Pettifer.
How dare he do this to her family. He knew the situation that she and her sisters were in. It would have been bad enough had one or two of them been married. But all of them single? All of them without home or honor? All of them women unable to enter the navy or the clergy to save themselves?
It was the lowest. Regina would have slapped him if she could. She relished the thought of seeing his rat face go red from the palm of her hand. She wanted to see those beady eyes go wide with shock and fear. She wanted him to cower in front of her.
But there were few circumstances under which she could slap him and escape with her reputation. She would have to settle for beating him at cards. She quite looked forward to the look on his face when she bested him. She knew it would be something to behold.
That is, if she won. And she would have to win. There would be no second chance. The masquerade ball was where the Morrisons got to break all the rules of society. Nobody could say for certain that Eliza McAvoy and Edmund Branson had sex in the third guest room last year. Nobody could claim for certain that it was Lucas DeWitt who’d had too much to drink and splashed about in the fountain.
And so nobody would be able to say for certain that it was Regina Hartfield that played at cards this year.
The masks kept everyone anonymous. That meant that the normal rules of society were gone. Or, rather, as gone as they would ever be. The Morrisons had gotten the idea from Carnival down in Italy. It was especially celebrated in Venice, they said.
If Regina didn’t win on the night of the masquerade, she would have to wait an entire year before trying again. And the next time Lord Pettifer would be ready for her. Regina couldn’t have that. In a year it would be too late.
She had to act now. This was her one chance.
With that knowledge in hand, she approached her sister.
“Bridget?”
It took Bridget a moment to respond. This was a sure sign of her sister’s exhaustion. She blinked slowly down at the paper in her hand. Then, dragging her head up as if it weighed a ton, she looked at Regina.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Regina said. “But I had an idea.”
“You’re never bothering me, darling,” Bridget assured her. She smiled, but Regina could see the exhaustion in it. “Go on then.”
“You said that I need to practice more at being out in society. And I know that you said I don’t need to worry about marriage. I am the youngest. But I should make a good reputation for myself. For when, you know, the news hits.
“The Morrisons have a house in London, as you know. I was thinking I could stay there. Mathilda Morrison’s mother is there. She can serve as my escort to balls. And I can call on people more easily there. It will give me a chance to become properly known in society.”
She added a little shrug. “And who knows? I might even find a suitor.”
Some of the tightness in Bridget’s face and shoulders seemed to leak out. “Are you sure about this?”
Regina nodded. “It is up to us to preserve our family’s reputation. I must do my part as well.”
Bridget set down her pen. “As much as it would pain me to be parted from you… how much it pains me that the entire family must split up… it is a wise decision that you make.”
She smiled up at Regina. “I’m very proud of you, darling. I know it can’t be easy for you.”
“It isn’t,” Regina admitted, and it was true. It wasn’t easy to leave Bridget. It wasn’t easy to leave the safety of her home. She had never lived in a city before. And she’d never lived alone without Bridget or Father in charge.
But what scared her and what she wanted didn’t matter anymore. She didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was her family. What mattered was saving them.
Bridget held out a hand. “Come here.”
Regina took her sister’s hand and allowed Bridget to pull her in. She sat down on Bridget’s lap, just like when she was a child. Bridget slowly passed a hand over Regina’s hair.
“You know no matter how old you get you shall always remain my baby sister,” Bridget said. “It’s hard for me to see you grow up. Almost as hard as it is for you to grow up. And perhaps I’ve babied you too much. But you are a woman. You can make your own decisions. In fact you must. So do what you think is best and don’t let me influence you unduly.”
Regina nodded. “I won’t. But I shall abide by your council. You raised me well.”
“I should hope so.” Bridget kept stroking her hair. “London is a busy place. It is also full of temptation. Use your head and do what you know to be right. Don’t let anyone sway you away from that.
“And,” she laid her hand over Regina’s, “Protect your virtue. There are rakes everywhere but London seems to have an especially high concentration of them. Keep your wits about you. Don’t be swayed by a handsome face or handsome words.”
Regina nodded.
Bridget sighed. “I shall hate to see you go. But I think you are wise. London will be good for you. Get out into the world. Establish yourself. You’ve been cooped up in here for too long.”
Regina nodded again. “You know that you have been the best of sisters to me. I told someone just the other day that you are like a mother to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better guide than you.”
“I am not without fault.” Bridget gestured at the papers spread out on the desk in front of her. “Look at this. I should have put my foot down long ago. If I had pressed, I could have cut off Father’s gambling.”
“He is our father,” Regina replied. “And he is the man who owns the land. You couldn’t have truly stopped him. Not if he was determined.”