"Well, now I am convinced that Penelope doesn’t have a good heart. I was trying to speak kindly of her in case we had misunderstood her, but I was wrong. It is good I didn’t speak too kindly," Amelia said, taking a small sip of her tea afterwards.
Amelia only thought it was fair that she invited the young ladies from the earlier gathering to her home. It wasn’t fair that their day should be ruined thanks to Penelope.
"We might have our moments of being at odds, but to push someone is going too far," said Amelia.
"Did she truly push Sarah? From where I stood, it looked like Penelope’s guard had her away from the edge," said Harper Monroe.
Amelia stared at Harper, who was foolish to speak up for Penelope. "I know what I saw, but feel free to question it."
Harper bit her lip. She didn’t want to become the next target. Penelope could handle this as the daughter of the duke, but Harper could not. "Perhaps I saw something wrong. I just can’t imagine how angry you would be to push anyone."
Amelia smiled. "I understand it. I wish I could understand her actions, but I have never had so much hate in my heart. I’m sure by midnight, her father will have a lovely excuse for it. Sarah’s family might somehow leave town, or their wealth suddenly pulled from their hands."
Amelia enjoyed seeing the other women agree with her. She had the perfect opportunity to ruin Penelope and her time being courted this season.
The palace wouldn’t want a young woman who could harm another around the prince, no matter who Penelope’s father was.
"It is frustrating how much they have been allowed to get away with. There are many stories about what the Collinses have done, yet they aren’t arrested. I get chills thinking about her mother the most. What if that curse hasn’t gone away?" Thalia Hart whispered.
It was an old story that everyone, young and old, knew of since it concerned the duchess.
The duchess used to wear a mask to cover her face. One look at her face without the mask and one might die days later.
"What if it was passed down to Penelope and the others? I hope it has not gone to Elijah," Thalia gasped.
No matter what Penelope had done, Thalia and the others could not give up on Elijah.
Elijah Collins had a large amount of wealth to inherit and one day, his father’s title. That could not be ignored.
"No need to worry. I hear that Elijah is finally moving into a home of his own, given to him by his father. He has been doing it secretly so as not to get the attention of the town. He is smart to do it now before his sisters and mother ruin him," Amelia commented.
"I am annoyed that I had planned to get close to Lily and Penelope, so it would push me closer to Elijah. Who knows what Penelope would do to me if I got too close to her brother? Is it safe for us to attend balls with her?" Thalia wondered.
"I thought of that too. Amelia should be most concerned since Penelope seemed to dislike that you mentioned the prince. If she doesn’t want to wed him, why must she take up so much of his time? I do not believe her," said Harper.
Harper thought she was safe from gossip after the others nodded in agreement with what she said.
"She thinks I bragged about being at the prince’s side. Well, I must admit I did. It is not every day we get to see the prince, and when we do, she is right there," Amelia said, annoyed.
"Would it be so wrong to hope she does not recover from this? Penelope needs to be taught a lesson. I think it is easier to approach Lily, but Penelope tends to be cold. It must be because she has the prince’s attention," said Harper.
"Life would be so much better for us if the duchess had one daughter instead of two. Or maybe, it would be better if the duke hadn’t married the duchess. Don’t be alarmed," Amelia said, noticing the reluctance to speak about the duke and duchess.
There was good reason to be careful.
"Nothing shared here will get out. My servants are loyal to keep their lips shut, and I am a friend to all of you to not repeat anything said. I expected the same from you," Amelia said, receiving promises of silence in return.
Amelia set her teacup down. "I have tried to understand their story, but I don’t quite get it. The duke could have had anyone when he was younger, but he selected the cursed daughter of a baron. He then ruins that family for her."
Thalia gasped. "What if there was more to the curse than we knew? What if she had some witchcraft to force him to be in love with her? Then she caused the Barretts to fall."
"It could be so. When I think of what happened to poor Lady Kate, I cannot believe the duchess is as kind as others saw. Hadn’t Kate suffered enough? Her father was killed, her husband turned out to be a murderer, her mother’s death, and then she tried to kill herself," Amelia said, feigning sadness.
"Then her sister didn’t want to take her in and passed her off to her uncle. If that curse has passed onto Penelope, then the prince is in danger. She would turn him against his family. We must protect the prince," said Amelia.
"How would we do that?" Harper asked, looking around the table. "What she did was wrong, but like we all know, she will get away with it. The most we can do now is stay away from her."
"No," Amelia shook her head. "There is so much more that can be done. We should never let Penelope forget this day. That is how she will learn a lesson, and we shall protect the prince. Some of us should pay a visit to Sarah to wish her well."
Harper thought they were all going a little too far since earlier, they had been laughing at the old dress Sarah wore and doing everything in their power to get away from her. It wouldn’t feel good to visit Sarah now simply to make Penelope look back, but Harper remained silent.
One wrong word and she could join Penelope, becoming an outcast.
"I would be open to visiting," Thalia volunteered. "Penelope did not have the decency to see if Sarah was well."
Amelia remained silent now, letting the other women talk. It was easy now to sit back and watch the downfall of Penelope Collins.