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Talavera, the news had caused Lord Harcastle to have an attack from which he’d never recovered.
    Three years later, Prudence was no longer in mourning, but only at her mother’s insistence. She was the only one left. And with the estate passing to a distant cousin, marriage had moved from a priority to a necessity.
    Amelia held her hand and tried to reassure her. “If you want to marry Lord Carnach, I will support you.”
    She didn’t like it, but she would. Prudence shook her head. “I don’t want to marry Lord Carnach — at least, not really. Can you picture me as a political hostess?”
    “No,” Amelia said. “But are you sure? You were eager this afternoon.”
    Prudence sniffled again. “I was eager to escape London and settle this marriage business. But I had nothing to say to him. And I know he looks better than I had any right to expect. But I didn’t feel the slightest desire to kiss him. All I could think of at dinner was how I would have to someday — and how I would rather run away to Egypt than do that.”
    “You’d rather run away to Egypt than do anything,” Amelia pointed out.
    “True. But the more I thought of living here, of giving up...everything in London, the more I panicked. It was awful.”
    “It was awful,” Amelia agreed.
    Prudence smiled just a little. “That is not very supportive.”
    “You said it first. But perhaps if your mother wasn’t there reminding you of how all her hopes rest on you, you could relax long enough to talk to him.”
    “What can I do about that? Ask her to leave? If it were as simple as that, I wouldn’t be considering Carnach’s proposal.”
    “No. But you need to spend some time alone with Carnach — or, at least, without your mother.”
    “There’s no hope for it,” Prudence said. She tried to return Amelia’s handkerchief, but Amelia looked at the damp fabric and let her keep it. “Carnach and I would not suit each other. I thought I was ready and that the time had come to abandon my silly fantasies. But perhaps not.”
    Prudence sucked in a breath, choking back another sob. Amelia patted her shoulder, waiting. When Prudence spoke again, there was an edge of resentment to her voice. “It’s so unfair, isn’t it? That my mother would rather sell me to Carnach than let me find my own way?”
    Amelia would have used a stronger word than unfair. “It’s not your fault that you’re all she has. And surely there’s someone better suited for you than Carnach.”
    “I used to think that,” Prudence said. “But if there is a man who is meant for me, I cannot keep waiting for him to realize it.”
    “Still, you shouldn’t agree to be Carnach’s hostess just because you need the funds. The man seems to be looking for a broodmare, not a companion.”
    Prudence giggled a little through her tears. “He did not impress you, did he?”
    Carnach had impressed her — too much.
    “The earl is better suited to be a villain than a hero,” Amelia declared.
    “Does he still have lemon cakes, though?”
    Amelia smiled. Prudence’s humor was back.
    But then Prudence sighed. “Villain or hero, I cannot toss aside his offer. Not that he’s formally made one yet — but as much as I may hate the circumstances, Mother is right. I’m not likely to do better.”
    “You shouldn’t accept Carnach’s suit just because of her,” Amelia insisted. “We’ll find another way, I promise.”
    “We likely won’t. But I thank you for the charade.”
    Amelia didn’t like the defeat in Prudence’s eyes. It would be a relief if Prudence didn’t give herself over to Carnach’s ambitions, but it didn’t solve her problems. “Do you want me to spend the night in your room?”
    Prudence shook her head. “I need to think. You know I can’t with you thrashing about and stealing the covers.”
    “I do not steal the covers,” Amelia protested.
    Prudence pecked her on the cheek. “Whatever you wish to believe. You’re the one who creates fictions, not