Page 44 of Second Chance Prince
“At least get dressed properly and have some breakfast. You are always…unsettled when you are hungry.”
“By ‘unsettled,’ you mean grumpy,” Roberta said, but she had lost some of her impetus. She sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. “It is all such a mess. I went to Niki to ask him to help, and instead he arranged for Karl to leave the country and marry someone else.”
Antonia’s eyes widened. They reminded Roberta of a sea she had once heard described as cerulean. “I am surprised,” she said. “I would have thought his helping you would be a certainty.”
Roberta gave an unladylike sniff. “Why? He thinks only of his country and himself.”
Antonia considered that comment. “I suppose he has to. He wouldn’t be much of a leader if he just did whatever he felt like without thinking of the future of his country.”
Why was her sister so measured, so thoughtful in her observations? Roberta wished that just once she would let her emotions rule her. Which was probably what Roberta did when she let the tight rein she had upon herself slip.
“I asked for hishelp!” she wailed, throwing her arms in the air. “I believed hewouldhelp me. My disappointment is quite crushing,” she added, more quietly.
Antonia grimaced. “I know. I’m sorry.”
It occurred to Roberta to wonder why her sister had been waiting for her in her bedchamber last night. She suspected she already knew.
“Justina and Charles came by yesterday evening,” Antonia said, in answer to her unspoken question. “They had already heard the gossip.”
“Already?” Roberta squeaked.
“She was found in an extremely compromising position by some of the worst gossips in London. The news spread like ants in honey. I am very sorry for Estelle, but I think she behaved impetuously and foolishly. Anyone can see Karl is spoiled and selfish and not to be trusted.”
Roberta managed a shaky laugh. “Then you are one of the few females who thinks that.”
“When you didn’t come home, I thought I had better wait for you, in case you needed some support. Or a…a hug.” Antonia cleared her throat. “I know I am not Olivia or Justina, but—”
“You don’t have to be either of them. You are you, and I thank you.” Roberta’s gratitude was heartfelt. “When I saw you asleep, I did feel better. Not so alone. That’s why I curled up beside you.”
Antonia smiled.
Roberta sobered. “I must go to Estelle. I don’t know what I can do but she will need me. Will you come?”
Antonia’s smile widened. “Of course I will!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Roberta wished she didn’t have to attend this formal dinner at Matilda’s. Her visit to Estelle had not gone well. Her friend had been so upset, now that everyone had heard about her and Karl. The Longhurst family were in seclusion. They planned to travel to their house in the country and remain there until the gossip had died down—if it ever did. Not knowing when she would see her friend again made Roberta’s heart ache. She couldn’t help but feel this was her fault. If only she had not invited Estelle to the theater and placed her before Karl like a delicious treat.
And now she had to put on a brave face and pretend she was happily engaged to a man she didn’t want to face until she had sorted out her treacherous emotions. Could you love someone and loathe them at the same time? It seemed that you could.
She followed the servant into the countess’s Berkeley Square house, hardly noticing where she was going. Antonia nudged her shoulder. “You weren’t to know,” she said. “It is awful for Estelle, and Karl is a heartless cad to do what he did, but none of it is your fault, Robbie.”
It was nice to have a sister tell you what you wanted to hear, even if you didn’t quite believe it.
The dining room table was luminous with polished silver and crockery, while candelabra burned brightly, but the first thingRoberta saw was the table decoration. It was a peacock, no doubt long dead, standing upright with its colorful tail fanned out.
“I suppose the king always expects peacocks on the table when he comes to dinner,” Antonia whispered to her mischievously.
Her sister had been granted permission to attend, Gabriel and Vivienne still being at Grantham. And, of course, Freddie was there, keeping a watchful eye. At one point, she had considered bringing Estelle, but that was no longer a possibility. Anyway, Antonia was probably a wiser choice. Estelle—before her fall from grace—would have been incandescent with excitement, while Antonia was levelheaded enough to be able to tamp down those emotions. She was also empathic when it came to Roberta’s feelings and said all the right things to make her feel better.
Niki had already greeted them, stern-faced, with his smile not quite reaching his eyes, and Roberta knew their argument was still fresh in his mind. It was certainly fresh in hers, and she told herself she would never be able to forgive him for disappointing her. And for making her fall in love with him. That last was probably unreasonable, but right now, she didn’t care. It was as if she had gone back to the silly girl she had been three years ago, infatuated with a man who was as likely to marry her as fly to the moon.
To make matters worse, Karl was also present. If he had been any closer, she might not have been able to keep her anger to herself, but thankfully, he was seated further down the table. Ernest had been given the seat next to Antonia, who was beside Roberta, and they both brightened at the prospect of listening to his amusing conversation. Matilda’s twin daughters were not present, but her son, Tomas, was seated opposite Roberta, and helooked as if he wished himself a million miles away.
The king arrived amid a flurry of activity, and Matilda curtsied deeply and welcomed him to her home. He was a large man, and would have been handsome once, but now his bulk was confined by corsets and when his greedy eyes lit upon the table, he was quick to be seated.
Roberta was far enough away that she did not have to interact with him, but Niki did, listening to the monarch’s comments with a serious smile, and then responding with polite nods. He was good at this, but of course he had been trained from an early age. And trained to put his country before all else.
