To Defend A Duke

Chapter 2

It is the afternoon before they are to leave for Town and Evelyn and William have both packed and made the necessary arrangements for travelling. Mr Wright hasn't been seen since breakfast as the chaos that the house has come to is too much for him to tolerate.  Upstairs, Juliet stands in the corner of Henrietta's room holding out different dresses for the girl to consider as Evelyn enters. She watches as Henrietta throws the suggested peach dress against the wall of her room. It flutters down to join the growing pile of silk and velvet.

"I can't possibly attend London in these drags." Henrietta cries, tossing a pale rose dress that lies on her bed, over her shoulder towards the door. "I need new ones immediately!"

Evelyn catches the frock before it hits her. Ever since she had given her the news, her cousin has been in an unbearably excited mood that is unquenchable, however, she appears to have reached a wall in the packing process. Even her brand new ice blue dress with the frilly sleeves is lying in the discarded pile. 

"You are going to have to." Evelyn says picking up the dresses in her way and laying them on the bed, "We have no money for new clothes."

"Just because we are as poor as mice does not mean we have to look like them!" Henrietta retorts furiously, throwing herself onto some pillows dramatically. 

"That doesn't even make any sense." Evelyn kicks open one of the empty trunks and begins to fold the dresses up and place them inside. Juliet hurries over and helps her to fold up dresses, nightwear and underwear. 

Henrietta rolls onto her side and begins to slide off her bright red blanket, she slumps onto the floor in a defeated flop.

"How am I to find a husband in last seasons rejects?" She huffs watching her dresses be packed away with a depressed pout. 

"Perhaps they shall see past a pretty ball gown and like your personality," Evelyn suggests, closing the trunk with a snap and straightening up. Juliet closes the other and lifts it on top of the other one. Henrietta looks up from her seat on the floor. 

"You're right." She says in a bright voice. 

"I am?" Evelyn says taken aback, she crosses her arms in apprehension. 

"I am pretty enough that I don't need a new dress to make every man fall in love with me." Henrietta says with a bright smile as she scrambles to her feet. "They will be entranced by my stunning natural beauty and ask to marry me at once." She leans against a bed pillar and a dreamy expression crosses her face. 

"That's not what I said," Evelyn says with a raised eyebrow and shares an exasperated look with Juliet. Her cousin pays her no heed and begins to imagine dancing the night away with a handsome lord of 10,000 pounds a year. Evelyn walks over to the wardrobe and begins to pass pairs of shoes to Juliet who places them in their boxes.  Evelyn knows that after four years of living with her cousin, Henrietta is the most unorganised and lazy girl ever to cross the northern border. 

"..maybe he shall have a younger brother for you," Henrietta says waltzing around her room. Evelyn shuts the wardrobe and turns to see her spiteful expression. She plasters a fake smile on face. 

"If you are to find a husband amongst the London social elites then I will congratulate you and return to Darlington after your wedding, I would like no part in your match making schemes." She says, walking to the door. 

"That's if I invite you," Henrietta says snidely with an upturned smirk. Juliet gasps but Evelyn just turns the knob and opens the door. 

"Dinner is in an hour if you wish to grace us with your presence." She says before shutting the door behind her. She leans against the door and tightens her fists. Evelyn has heard many spiteful comments since her family lost its money and she can forget them easily but every time her cousin speaks it chips away at her fraying control. She relaxes after a moment and clears her head. She walks along the corridor and hurries down the stairs to find her father. Before she can arrive at his study she bumps into her brother coming out of the parlour with a mischievous grin. He smiles when he sees his sister, the gleam in his eye makes her stop and sigh.