“I’m well. This will all be an adjustment. I am happy for Julius, of course. This is as he wants it.”
“They seem to regard each other well.”
Well, Octavia hoped Cressida regarded Julius as well as she regarded the estate that would one day be his. “Things do change, I suppose,” Octavia finally said. “One can only hope for the better.” Maybe keeping things the same was why she hadn’t really invested in finding her own husband. She’d toyed with suitors, but at heart, she hadn’t been serious. And with Caius missing, she hadn’t felt that she could change anything, in case he find a different family when he came back. But now things were changing. Octavia already knew that Cressida was going to order this house the way she wanted, and Octavia’s role would change.
“Octavia, the salon is a little chilly,” Cressida said. “Would you mind going to my room and fetching my shawl.”
Octavia gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry, I promised Lady Warwick I would play whist with her. Perhaps ask one of the servants.” Without waiting for a reaction, Octavia walked away. This had to be nipped in the bud from the very start. She would not be serving Cressida in any capacity. That might give Cressida ammunition for urging Julius to get her out of the house, or otherwise negate her, but Octavia didn’t care. This relationship was not going to be set up how Cressida intended it to be set up.
If she were to look, she expected to see that Cressida was annoyed and upset, but Octavia didn’t care.
“Come play,” Octavia said to Eliza, “or you will make a liar out of me.”
“You always have a place at Bickerley, if things prove to be untenable.”
Octavia smiled, but didn’t say anything. Her suspicion was that things would become untenable. Cressida would make them so in her efforts to make Octavia heel. Clearly the woman didn’t understand that it simply wasn’t in Octavia’s nature.
Cressida had invited her closest friends and they gathered around her as she spoke about her excitement for all the things she’d see on her honeymoon. Listening, Octavia had to steel herself against wishing her brother’s new wife ill.
“I take it Caius hasn’t succumbed to my suggestion of taking you to Paris?” Octavia asked.
“We have actually talked about it,” Eliza said with a smile, “but I don’t think it will happen.”
“Whyever not?” Octavia demanded.
“Because I am with child,” Eliza whispered quietly.
Octavia gasped. Pleasure rushed around her body. “This is the best news.” Now she wanted to run around and shout with joy, but Eliza made gestures for her to calm down. Well, it seemed her brother could figure out what to do in the end. “My deepest congratulations.”
“It is exciting,” Eliza said.
“What does that mean for the business?”
“Teresa will have to take on even more responsibility when the time comes, but she is prepared for it.”
And this would mean that Eliza lived with Caius permanently, didn’t it? She wanted to ask, but she held herself back. It would probably embarrass Eliza. “Caius will make an excellent father.”
“He is excited,” Eliza confirmed. “We will redecorate the nursery at Bickerley come spring. It hasn’t been used in living memory.”
“No, it would be terribly old-fashioned.”
“It is a bit grim,” Eliza confirmed.
“I will help any way I can.”
“You are sweet,” Eliza said, taking her hand. “But unfortunately, these days, I find I have no mind for cards.”
“Is that a consequence?”
“It seems to be. Perhaps we could take a quick stroll outside.”
“Excellent idea,” Octavia said and they rose, feeling Cressida’s eyes on them as they walked toward the doors leading out to the veranda. It was dark but sufficiently lit from the windows of the house.
Lord Fortescue would be less than pleased about this outcome, but it would prove to him once and for all that he didn’t belong.
*
Cressida insisted there should be dancing in the evening and Lord Fortescue was more or less manhandled into dancing with Lydia. They would have pulled out all their persuasive power. Octavia enjoyed watching his discomfort. Did that make her a bad person? Probably nowhere near as good as Eliza, who seemed to see the best in people, even after everything she’d gone through.
“Care to dance?” James said, holding his hand out to her. For a moment, she’d forgotten about him.
“Of course,” she said and took it. With her family now changing, she might have to seriously consider marrying, and she wondered if James was actually someone she could marry. He was handsome, and he was entertaining to spend time with. There was a terseness of his comments that she quite enjoyed. He could be ferociously critical when the mood struck him. “How has the evening been?”
“Lovely, of course. Nothing has been as delightful as you agreeing to dance with me.”
“Oh, you are trying to charm me now.”
“Always,” he said with a smile. It gave her the notion that he would try for a kiss later on in the evening sometime. A little bit of daring, but so very exciting. Octavia blushed at the thought of it. “Your father made a fine speech.”
“Did you really think so?” Octavia said with a laugh.
“I think he managed to insult most people present.”
“I suspect that was his intention.”
“Although he showed reserve with his new daughter-in-law.” Which was a kindness, considering she’d just wed. “But the other one. I’m surprised he didn’t mention she’s taken it upon herself to engage in trade.”
“Perhaps he admires it,” Octavia said, her smile melting off her lips. Did he really feel it was appropriate he should say such a thing to her when she was obviously fond of Eliza?
“Some women get strange notions about themselves and their capabilities.”
“You mean making the education
