"Miss Alia is right. If the crown prince calls upon her, then she cannot reject going to him unless she wants trouble to befall her family. We are all under our fathers’ influence, so many will change their attention to Prince Teo," said Selina.
"Well, it is not that I would judge her for turning to the crown prince. It is only that I was so used to hearing her speak of Prince Tyrion. Do what makes you happy, as will I," Octavia said.
Octavia couldn’t wait to tell her father Alia was also going after the crown prince now. She had lost hope of courting Tyrion since Alia and Penelope had been competing, but there was hope with her with Teo.
"I hope the next queen will be a wise woman just like the current queen. One who can be a voice of reason and end the conflict we find amongst us," said Harper.
Octavia smiled, amused that Harper was one to speak. "Will you be trying to find yourself at the crown prince’s side? I have heard gossip that your father’s finances are not doing so well. That your suitors are well above your age. Of course, I do not believe gossip right away."
"That is a lie. My father continues to flourish, and my suitors are good n from all over the town. I might soon wed a man who will surprise all of you," Harper replied.
"Who?" Alia asked, refusing to let Harper get away with a lie. "Who is this man?"
"I cannot say it now. I do not want to spark anyone’s curiosity in him so that they might court him. I had a wonderful talk with him, and he appears to be a fine gentleman. If he attends a ball and all of you are present, then I will show you," said Harper.
Alia shared a knowing look with Octavia.
"You do not need to go so far to prove us wrong. I hope you will marry a fine gentleman who will take care of you. You must calm those rumours before they reach others. It is quite damaging," said Octavia.
Harper smiled, but she did not believe the sa ladies who spoke of rumours each ti they sat together cared about her. It was likely that they were already speaking of what they heard behind her back.
Harper was determined to prove them wrong, so she had to do everything in her power to et with the man nad Zane again. She fell for him at first sight and wanted him to be the man she wed.
Harper snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the won around her laughing. "We must show our kindness by sending Penelope a gift if it turns out she is with child. It is scandalous, but we must show that we are not as she paints us to be."
Alia noticed what Harper had done to shift the heat off of her. For the first ti, she thought Harper had so use. "I have heard sothing. The duchess’s nephew is now speaking out about his mother. He must be careful."
This sparked Selina’s interest since it concerned Alessandra.
Was there sothing she could warn the duchess about to place herself in good favour?
"What has he said?" Octavia asked, eager to have sothing to share.
"He speaks of not receiving any help for his crippled mother. It is odd since we always hear that the duchess is always willing to help anyone in need, but this goes against everything we hear. It is odd," Alia said, stopping to let the ladies talk amongst themselves.
"That is another reason why she wore a mask. She was hiding her true nature all along. Penelope seems to be a lot like her mother," Octavia concluded.
Selina laughed at their gossip. "Must she help the woman who tortured her?"
"The duchess prides herself on being-"
"No, she does not," Selina spoke over Octavia. "It was we ladies who placed her as a woman who helped others. It is your fault for thinking she would help everyone. Kindness has its limits."
"You are right," Alia agreed with Selina. "That is why I said her nephew must be careful. Still, there are other things he says that cannot be ignored. It is a terrible ti for the duchess and duke. You must be careful, Selina."
"I am always careful. I cannot say the sa for others, but thank you for your concern," Selina replied.
It was ti that she stopped eting with the likes of these won, since with their hatred for Penelope and now with them carelessly speaking about the duchess, they might ruin her chances to marry Elijah.
"Will you speak of what has been said to Elijah or his mother?" Octavia asked.
"Like I said, I am not yet part of the Collins family, nor do I know if I ever will be, so I see no reason to speak of what is said here. I have always kept what is spoken amongst my peers inside the group, so fear not. I understand all of your concerns," Selina replied.
"Then," Octavia said, wanting to use Selina. "Do tell us what ho Penelope now resides in if you ever learn of it. I have not heard if the palace has gifted her a ho or if Prince Tyrion prepared one for her."
"I will," Selina promised.
"Has Sarah’s family moved?" Alia asked, moving on. "It is strange how they have been so silent. Is it because they did not receive any justice? It was apparent that Penelope pushed Sarah. First, Sarah loses her life, and now the prince has lost his title."
"Are you trying to say there might be a curse after all?" Harper asked, worried. She had not believed it at first, but there was too much misfortune following Penelope.
"There might be one after all. It isn’t like I am coming up with this out of thin air. It is the sa thing that was said about her mother, so there must be so truth to it. The duchess allowed the duke to kill her father, and many unfortunate events ca after," Alia pointed out.
"Kate also fell from a window in her ho, and now Penelope has done that to soone else. I don’t feel safe," Octavia said, worried the curse would grow worse. "Are we in danger because they have been showing their faces? Everything was fine before the duchess’s mask was taken off."
"Tyrion lost everything to be with Penelope. It only makes sense that so sort of spell made him give it all away. We must be vigilant around Penelope and her mother," Alia warned the group.
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