"What? How could I find a husband and be pregnant by then? I would need to find a husband by tomorrow. Truly, I am not in a rush to marry and have children. I am doing it because my father thinks it is time," said Victoria.

"He might be worried that you will be left behind. Many of the ladies our age have already married. What if you have missed the man meant for you because you have not been engaging in the season?" Rosalie asked.

"Then, he wasn’t meant for me. No matter what, any man destined for my hand should be in the right place at the right time. He will be waiting for me to enter this season," Victoria said, but her voice lacked confidence.

"Some people wed others and meet their soulmates after. If you don’t act fast, he might think some other lady is meant to be his wife. It is unfortunate my brothers are all married-"

"I wouldn’t want to marry any of your brothers. They are family in my eyes, and though we are friends, I am not suited to marry the sons of a duke. I have low status," Victoria reminded Rosalie.

"Why do you speak as if your family is not in a good position? Your father might not hold a title, but he is a good businessman. You must think better of yourself, Victoria. Your father worked hard to get you into proper circles. Be proud," Rosalie encouraged Victoria.

"That is it," Rosalie said, standing up. "I am going to get us a good bottle of wine to put you in a good mood. I will also have someone prepare your favourite pastries. You are not leaving until I know you are in a better mood. Wait here."

Victoria was powerless when it came to stopping Rosalie, so she allowed Rosalie to do as she pleased. "You must send back the maids," she said before Rosalie left the room.

"I will!"

Victoria sighed, fearing she wouldn’t leave the mansion at this rate.

"You there!" Victoria called a maid. "Your name is Faye, right? I need you to place my belongings in the trunks and find men to help take them down to the carriage awaiting me. I will be having a drink with Mrs Presley in the meantime."

"Should I get Mr Presley for you?" Faye asked, making a bold move.

Victoria stared at Faye, puzzled as to what she was getting at. "What?"

Faye raised her head. She was tired of being ordered around by the rude woman and wanted a way out of the mansion. "I am one of the few maids tasked with tending to your room. I help with cleaning it."

"Spit out what you are trying to say," said Victoria.

"One night, I came to ask if you wanted water, and saw Mr Presley was at your door. I waited for him to step out so I could go to you, but in the late hours of the night-"

Faye was silenced by Victoria’s right hand connecting with the left side of her face. She was shocked at first and could only stare at Victoria.

"You should be careful with the lies you speak. I could have you dragged out of the mansion without pay and ensure that you never find work again. Do not speak such lies to me," Victoria said, her eyes seeing red.

"I know what I saw and what I heard. I was quiet, not speaking a word of it to anyone else, while you ordered us around like you were Mrs Presley. Don’t!" Faye grabbed Victoria’s hand. "You have disrespected the help one too many times."

"It is already low for you to entertain your friend’s husband, but then to treat the maids as though you are the lady is even lower. You must have been hoping Mrs Presley died so you could have your way," Faye said, viewing Victoria as a greedy woman.

Victoria looked at the open door. No one was in sight, but someone could be lingering.

Victoria yanked her hand out of Faye’s hold and walked to the door to close it. "You don’t know what you speak of. Mr Presley and I were only ever concerned about Rosalie. We were never inappropriate."

"You may fool Mrs Presley, but you will not succeed in fooling me. I thought that you might be comforting each other at first, but I lingered in the dead of the night, and he returned here. You know what you are doing," Faye accused Victoria.

"You saw wrong," Victoria denied the accusation. "No one is going to believe the word of a maid. You should start gathering your belongings because you will not have work when I am through with you."

"I hope I will not have to work here tomorrow. I will do you a grand favour of keeping your filthy secret in exchange for money. It cannot be a small amount since this secret is quite grand. If the duke finds out, your life is over," Faye said, growing confident in the power she held over Victoria.

"It should be enough for me not to work for the rest of the year. I am certain you can afford that much with Mr Presley’s help. If you don’t, I will speak of every instance I caught the two of you alone and be very detailed," Faye threatened Victoria.

"Mrs Presley is already nervous about her marriage. The maids see it, and being the cause of her worry, you see it as well. She might not believe me at first, but it will plant doubt in her mind, and eventually it will sprout," said Faye.

Faye lowered her hand since Victoria wasn’t going to hit her again, though she might want to.

Victoria thought of continuing to deny the claim, but she didn’t want this to reach Rosalie’s ears. She was putting an end to it by getting out of the mansion.

Everything was going to go back to normal as long as no one spoke of what was meant to be left in the dark.

"I see that you will need some time to think about how much you will offer me, and how soon. Seeing that you will be leaving today, I want my money by tonight, or I will approach Mrs Presley," Faye said, satisfied with the turn of events.

Faye looked at the mess in the room. "You would agree that I shouldn’t be made to pack your trunk. That would hardly be fair, right?"

"You are playing with fire," Victoria said, digging her nails into her flesh.

"No, you played with fire when you betrayed the duke’s daughter. You don’t have the right to judge anyone," Faye scolded Victoria. "You’re a filthy mistress and worst of all, you stole your best friend’s husband."

"In the eyes of the church, you’re the one who is going to burn, and the duke just might make it happen," said Faye.