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mocking gesture of self-defense. I won t provoke you with any further attempts at friendliness, my lady.
Go right ahead and speak your piece. I am here to listen.
For your own sake, and for my son s, I hope that you do. An icy brittleness layered the countess s
words, and yet at the same time she sounded vaguely perplexed, as if disbelieving that there was a
necessity of saying these things at all. No doubt of all the controversies she had experienced in her
lifetime, this was one she had never expected. Had I imagined that a girl of your commonness would be
capable of attracting the earl, I would have put a stop to this far earlier. The earl is not in full possession
of his faculties, or it would never have come to this madness.
As the silver-haired woman paused to draw breath, Lillian heard herself asking quietly, Why do you call
it madness? A few weeks ago you allowed that I might be able to catch a British peer. Why not the earl
himself? Are you objecting mostly because of your personal dislike, or
Stupid girl! the countess exclaimed. My objections stem from the fact that no one in the past fifteen
generations of Marsden heirs has married outside the aristocracy. And my son willnot be the first earl to
do so! You understand nothing about the importance of blood you, who come from a country that has
no traditions, no culture, and no vestige of nobility. If the earl marries you, it will be not only his failure,
but mine, and the downfall of every man and woman related to the Marsden escutcheon.
The pomposity of the statement nearly drew a jeering laugh from Lillian& except that she began to
understand, for the first time, that Lady Westcliff s belief in the inviolability of the Marsdens noble
lineage was nearly religious in its fervor. As the countess worked to restore her tattered composure,
Lillian wondered how, if at all, she might bring the issue down to a personal level, and appeal to the
countess s deeply buried feelings for her son.
Emotional candor was seldom easy for Lillian. She preferred to make clever comments, or cynical ones,
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as it had always seemed far too risky to speak from the heart. This was important, however. And
perhaps she owed an attempt at sincerity to the woman whose son she would soon wed.
Lillian spoke with awkward slowness. My lady, I know that deep down you must desire your son s
happiness. I wish you could understand how much I want the same thing for him. It is true that I am not
noble, nor am I accomplished in the ways that you would prefer& She paused with a self-derisive smile
as she added, Nor am I precisely certain of what an escutcheon is. But I think & I think I could make
Westcliff happy. At least I could ease his cares a little& and I will not be a complete madcap, I swear it.
If you believe nothing else, please know that I would never want to embarrass him, or to offend you
I will listen to no more of this puling rubbish! the countess exploded. Everything about you offends
me. I would not have you as a servant on my estate, much less the mistress of it! My son cares nothing
for you. You are merely a symptom of his past grievances against his father. You are a rebellion, a
useless retaliation against a ghost. And when the novelty of his vulgar bride wears thin, the earl will come
to despise you as I do. But by then it will be too late. The lineage will be ruined.
Lillian remained expressionless, though she felt the color drain from her face. No one, she realized, had
ever looked at her with real hatred until now. It was clear that the countess wished every ill upon her
short of death perhaps not even barring that. Rather than shrink, cry, or protest, however, Lillian found
herself launching a counterattack. Maybe he wants to marry me as a retaliation againstyou, my lady. In
which case I am delighted to serve as the means of reprisal.
The countess s eyes bulged. You dare! she croaked.
Although Lillian was tempted to say more, she half feared it would send the countess into apoplexy.
And, she thought wryly, killing a man s mother was not a good way to begin a marriage. Biting back
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