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𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟'𝑠 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑦,
"𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑘" 𝑎𝑛𝑑 "𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡"．
𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡'𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑉𝑎𝑢𝑥ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑑. 𝐸𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑥-𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑠 𝐷𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑛𝑒 𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑜𝑛.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛'𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.
꧁꧂
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- Of course I don't know. How would I know?
Penelope whispered as the four girls were sitting around the table, discussing what had happened to Marina.
- Because I can't ask her. Because I don't know how it happened. It's disturbing!
Penelope finished the last sentence a little louder while Rosalind sipped her tea in confusion.
- What are you girls talking about?
Lady Featherington asked the girls, making them all look at Penelope.
- Penelope was wondering about Miss Thompson.
Prudence spoke, while Philippa and Rosalind nodded in agreement.
- Prudence-
- What of Miss Thompson?
Lady Featherington asked, looking unbothered as she fished her hair in the reflection of a spoon.
- Penelope has inquiries.
Prudence continued
- If you do not fall silent-
- About Miss Thompson's condition.
Philippa added.
- I beg your pardon.
Lady Featherington turned to the girls
- They know, ma'am.
One of the maids informed Lady Featherington.
- how did it happen, Lady Featherington? Is there to be a baby?
Rosalind asked confused, there was no way her sister was pregnant when she was not even married.
- That will be enough.
Lady Featherington warned, pointing her finger at the girls.
- My lord, are you hearing this?
Lady Featherington complained, turning to her husband.
- What are we going to do?
- There's no need for your hysterics.
Lord Bridgerton calmly said, reading his newspaper unbothered.
- Why is my sister to be kept away?
Rosalind asked, growing worried for her sister
