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“Elope? You wish to elope with him? Absolutely not!” Anna squawked with indignation.

Edith shushed her, but Anna still shook her head before she added in a lowered voice.

“No wonder you’ve been so secretive since I arrived. One might have assumed that you were in a tawdry love affair with a married man, but somehow, this feels much worse! Do you know what people will say? How poorly this decision would reflect on you both?”

Edith huffed. “Of course I do! But I am afraid we have not been left any other choice!”

“No — I do not believe that to be the case.” Anna shook her head. “I don’t think you have considered the ramifications of that action. What it would mean for you both — for your families!” Anna pointed out, feeling distraught.

The consequences would be instantaneous because their choice would result in a scandal. With how talkative the ton was, the whole of London would know about what they’d done before noon.

Anna was all too familiar with what it felt like to be a subject of conversation in households, and knew all too well the weight of curious stares from strangers and the chill of their whispers of judgement. The thought of Edith — or anyone else she knew — having to endure such treatment made Anna sick.

“You don’t understand,” Edith mumbled, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re not in love, so you do not know what it is like to yearn for someone at every waking hour. He is all that I want.”

“Edith,” Anna began, reaching for her hands, “I know that you care for him a great deal. I was once in love — or at least I thought I might have been — and then, I would’ve done anything for him, if he had asked. Things ended poorly for me and whilst I do not think of that man at all, the scars he left behind have yet to heal. I was saddled with a scandal and was abandoned to resolve it with the help of my siblings. While it is true things did end up fine — thanks to my sister and her husband — it was still quite troublesome to deal with. We struggled and faced a lot of hardships, which is why I will do everything in my power to be as careful as possible to avoid another scandal. I will have no part in another, ever again! And you shouldn’t either.”

Merely speaking about it reminded her of the nightmares that plagued her during those times, how distraught and lost she’d felt at the thought of how her family would manage to pull themselves from the pit they had been banished to. Her older sister had chosen to get married for her sake, and had asked her husband to resolve the issue in exchange for her hand. Even now, Anna still did not know how they’d managed such a feat, but she would forever be thankful for the sacrifices her siblings had made on her behalf.

As such, she could not let her own dear friend orchestrate her folly with her own hands.

Edith deflated, lowering her gaze as a tear rolled down her dull cheeks.

“I do not want that either, Anna. The last thing I would ever dream of doing is harming the reputation of my family, but… I am afraid I have no other choice. There is no other way – not when the odds are seemingly against us. There is no other way for us to be together, because Cornelius’ brother will not allow it!”

Once again, Anna was lost. She had heard about Edith’s potential suitor at great length, because her friend was so enamored with her beau and loved to share the tales of their meetings. However, this was the first she had heard of a brother.

“He has a brother?”

Edith sighed and walked over to her bed, sitting down in a graceless manner that showed just how tired she was.

“Yes. He is a duke and is determined to keep us apart. He has done all he could and has told Cornelius many times to end our courtship, but my beloved has remained stubborn. I do not know how much longer we can hold our own against him,” Edith confessed.

“Is it because of Cornelius? Does he have reservations about his own brother, perhaps?” Anna wondered as she took a seat next to her friend.

“No,” Edith shook her head. “He has concerns about me. He has expressed – in great detail, as I have received a letter or two from him, which contained all the information I would require on the cause of his ire – that he deems me unfit to be his brother’s wife. And we do not wish to allow our love and our future to be clouded by his questionable judgement, so we intend to run away. Even if we have to live out our days as paupers, it will be all right as long as we have each other.”

It seemed to Anna that the further this story progressed, the less sense it made to her. She could not fathom what had caused the duke to be against Edith. She might be a tad eccentric and quite true to herself, but she was a good woman with a reputation that was not bad.

“Edith, I do not think you should be so concerned with him. If Cornelius loves you, surely that should be enough? I still don’t understand how he finds you unfit. You would make a spectacular match!” Anna protested indignantly.

“His Grace does not share the same views. He is quite firm with his views on propriety and would rather see his brother married to a lady with a high rank. After all, I am merely the rebellious daughter of a baron. I would never be a satisfying enough choice for him.”

Anna paused, thinking through all that her friend had said. She felt irritated by the idea of the duke simply choosing to make his brother’s life difficult, with no concern for the hurt and strife his words could cause.

She was also quite frustrated that Edith was so consumed by her distress that she was blatantly refusing to consider Anna’s words a little carefully.

“Perhaps you should speak to the duke instead,” Anna suggested. “If propriety matters to him so much, he might be willing to change his mind. The effects of an elopement will be much tougher to handle than a sister-in-law he isn’t fond of. I am sure you can persuade him – ”

“No! He is a vile, cruel, vain man who cares for no one other than himself. He claims that he is only acting on his brother’s best interests, but I can tell that he is lying,” Edith snapped, fuming as she folded her arms.

“But if you do this, you will only prove his point. He feels that a woman like you does not uphold the values of propriety and will not care for his brother properly. If you do this, if you act this way, you will only be serving as an example of the very thing he spoke of. Please, Edith. I implore you to reconsider,” Anna pleaded.

Edith was silent for a moment, then she stated curtly,

“We will leave soon. I only wished to inform you. Nothing more.”

Her words hurt Anna, but she did not wish to press on the matter, worried that she might tarnish Edith’s trust in her. She was also worried about her friend’s well-being, noticing the drawn and exhausted look on her face.