Elinor had hated Hugh as much as Charlotte had before all this. She’d been even more vocal about it, and more violent in her threats. It had been almost a betrayal in Charlotte’s eyes when she had suddenly announced her engagement to the man.
Surely it had been manipulation and delusion, Charlotte had been convinced of it. Surely Elinor had been naïve and accepted lies under the influence of charm and attention. Surely she had fallen victim to the same ploys they had spent ages warning other young ladies of.
No one could love a villain like Hugh Sterling, and no villain of such a caliber could repent enough to truly be redeemed.
And yet…
As though she could hear Charlotte’s thoughts, Elinor looked up, her attention going directly to Charlotte.
Hurt shone through her pale eyes, and the glimpse into such a raw, vulnerable feeling in someone as bold as Elinor was disconcerting. Charlotte couldn’t leave well enough alone. Not this time.
“Elinor…” Charlotte said softly, smiling with some hesitation.
“He’s not a villain,” Elinor murmured, her gaze direct, even if her tone was not. “I of all of us should know. And yes, I do love him.” Her eyes turned almost misty, but there was no quiver in her voice or her chin. “I know there have been comments as to why he has not come around or tried to become part of our group. He’s not avoiding you because of shame or superiority. He just doesn’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable about being seen with him.”
Charlotte stared at her in silence, her mind struggling to spin on the thought.
Georgie sighed softly. “I was wondering why he wouldn’t come to our dinner party last week.”
Elinor nodded, though continued to keep her focus on Charlotte. “He’s finally accepted that his family supports him and wants him among their number, but if there are others, he will not venture out. He doesn’t want it to affect my friends and my reputation, and I’ve told him I don’t care, but he is determined.”
“Poor man,” Izzy remarked in an almost choked voice. “I have a reserved husband, as you know, and he often chooses to politely decline invitations, but not for anything like this.”
“Why do you think Hugh did nothing for Edith?” Elinor asked the room in general. “He was terribly concerned for her, wanted to know everything about the situation and privately advised Tony and Francis, but he did not think it would help Edith for him to be seen as involved. Not when Society still sees him as the man he was rather than the man he has become.” She lifted her chin slightly, her eyes shining somehow brighter for the tension in her jaw. “And especially not when my friends do.”
Charlotte fought for a swallow, a strange lump having formed in her throat.
“I didn’t know that,” Georgie murmured to no one in particular. “Why did Tony not tell me?”
Elinor managed a small, bitter smile. “Hugh wasn’t sure where your opinions lay, so he begged Tony to keep it secret.”
Georgie shook her head, returning the smile. “I wouldn’t have cared, dear. Please, please tell him so. Come to supper tomorrow. Tonight. Any time, we’ll be delighted.”
“Steady on, Georgie,” Grace told her with wide eyes, smiling mischievously. “She didn’t say Hugh was desperate, either. The poor man doesn’t want to be fawned over in so obvious a fashion. He might suspect you’re making up for something.”
“Aren’t we?” Georgie shot back without concern.
Izzy made a face and looked at Elinor with sympathy. “I’m afraid you will have several invitations arriving this evening. I’ll wait and send mine next week, if you don’t mind.”
Elinor didn’t seem to hear, still watching Charlotte.
Charlotte wished she wouldn’t. Being so neatly called out without having her name said was unbearable; she was guilty of prejudice where Hugh was concerned, just as Society was. She could not offer a defense, as no real accusation had been made of her. And she had not laid eyes on Hugh Sterling in a full year now, let alone conversed with him, so she had no proof that he still was the man she had always known him to be.
Ignorant assumptions, and arrogant in those ignorant assumptions. It was no wonder she was a spinster. What man of quality would want a wife like that?
Why would her friends wish to continue to be such? She hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, would never wish to, but hurt had been felt, and she had done nothing to stop it.
Finally managing a swallow, Charlotte then cleared her throat. “If you and your husband would come to dine with my family on Thursday, we would be much obliged.”
Elinor’s brows rose slowly. “What?”
Charlotte nodded, the idea taking on more merit and a greater hold the longer it lingered in her mind. “Yes. Please, if you like.” She continued to nod, the speed of her thought picking up. “Hugh would likely detest having to endure supper without any perceived allies. I must be the devil in petticoats.” She immediately turned to Georgie, smiling. “Would you and Tony come? I’ll invite Francis, Janet, and Alice, too. What about Hensh? Do you think Hensh would make Hugh comfortable?”
“Can I interrupt this sudden excursion into invitation generosity?” Grace interjected, laughing once. “When did we start calling him Hensh? I missed that announcement, and it sounds like the noise one makes on a sneeze.”
Snickers rippled around the room, and Charlotte, feeling slightly lighter at seeing Elinor join in, scowled playfully at Grace. “It is a sign of affection, Grace, which I think Lieutenant Henshaw deserves, and if I could shorten Aubrey’s name without seeming unfashionably intimate, I daresay I would.”
Grace made a face and put a hand to her cheek. “Please don’t say ‘unfashionably intimate’ when talking about my husband ever again.”
The snickers turned to full blown laughter, and Charlotte was relieved to be able to join in. She hadn’t felt much like laughing of late, though laughter tended to
