Amelia sat down beside Octavia. She pretended not to notice the ladies wanting to hear more about her time with the prince.
"Amelia, is it true what others are saying that Teo will become the next king? I hear that Tyrion has married Penelope, but that doesn’t sound right," said Harper.
"It is as you have heard. Teo shall be our king, and he is now searching for a wife. In the end, Penelope got what she wanted," Amelia said, picking up a glass of water poured for her. "Should we send her a gift?"
"You are far too kind, Amelia. I can not find it in my heart to send her a gift, nor can I invite her into my home. Is it not unfair that she was able to wed the prince in secret? My time was wasted," Octavia argued.
"I do find it odd that their wedding wasn’t done properly. He is a prince, and Penelope is the daughter of a nobleman. What was the need for the rush?" Amelia asked, purposely throwing out a scandalous idea.
Octavia opened her fan, hiding her smile behind it. "I would suspect she might be carrying his child. She was always too close to him without an escort. I have heard of ladies from poor households having to resort to using their bodies, but it surprises me that someone of her status must also use that method."
"It has paid off for her," Amelia replied.
"Has it?" Harper asked, seeing it the opposite. "It will be easy for us to point out if her belly is round too soon for what little time they have been together. She cannot escape rumours."
"Well, she must be hoping that we will not speak to her because of her father. None of us wants the same fate as Sarah," said Octavia.
Octavia looked further down the table at a young woman she had purposely invited. "Selina, I hear that you have Elijah’s fancy. Rumours are that he might propose to you. Have you heard anything new about Penelope? Is she with child in secret?"
Selina Featherstone smiled. "I have not met with Elijah. He has been quite distracted and rightfully so. As for news of an engagement between us, you might have heard from. I have not been led to believe he will ask for my hand."
Octavia didn’t like Selina acting so oblivious. "Surely you jest, but there is no need for you to do so amongst us. Elijah Collins has shown you more attention than he has to all of us. It is reasonable to conclude that he will wed you. I hear he has left the estate."
"He has," Selina replied. "He made mention of it before he did so."
"Well, that sounds like a man preparing to wed someone. Why else would he find it important to tell you beforehand? What do you think of it, Amelia?"
Amelia wished the conversation hadn’t strayed so off course. They were to focus on Penelope.
"It does sound like you may wed him by the time the season is over. It would greatly benefit Penelope to have a lady like you in her family. That means we must be careful of what we say about Penelope around you," said Amelia.
Octavia’s eyes widened, realising her mistake.
"You may speak freely since I am not part of the Collins family. I do not know if I would find myself close to Penelope all because I marry her brother. Isabelle is the only one I have briefly held a conversation with. The twins have always been guarded," said Selina.
Selina knew to be careful not to speak ill of Penelope or her family as it would weaken her chances to marry Elijah, but she also knew not to lose her footing with these women.
Selina had overheard the rumours coming out about Penelope, and since she was not yet married, Selina wanted her name not to be attached to Penelope.
"I find Lily to be a bit welcoming, but since she is loyal to her sister, she stays away from us. Perhaps the next time you meet with Elijah, you might find out if Penelope is with child. Then, I would be inclined to send her a gift," Octavia said, changing her mind.
"It will not be my secret to share. You might be in luck to not need to wait so long. They will enjoy their time as newlyweds, but then they will have to attend social events around the town. You will get your answers there," said Selina.
Selina was curious about the reason for the rushed wedding. She did not like that a rushed wedding was overshadowing her time with Elijah. The town should be speaking about her being with one of the most eligible men in town, but they were focused on Penelope’s wedding.
Selina worried about all the bad attention on Penelope affecting her in the future, but she remained confident that Elijah would shield her from it.
"I am quite interested in why you spoke with Prince Teo," Selina said, placing Amelia back in the hot seat. "Does he hold your interest now?’
"Nonsense," Octavia laughed. "Amelia was well in love with Prince Tyrion, which is why we must be here to comfort her."
Amelia kept smiling, though she wanted to snap at Octavia. Whoever said that she was in love with Tyrion? Why did Octavia feel the need to speak on her behalf?
"It is not as you think. I was so lucky to cross paths with him, and we held a conversation. I bid him congratulations on his new title and spoke on other things I must keep private. I am not suddenly in love with Prince Teo," Amelia said honestly.
"But if I suddenly turned my attention to him, would that be so wrong?" Amelia asked, challenging the women to be against it. "We are all preparing ourselves to have the chance to be the next queen. Should the prince court me, I will allow it."
Octavia did not since her father was preparing to have her meet with Prince Teo after they received news about the switch.
"It is not wrong, but I thought you would need time to let the heartbreak pass. I was so certain that you would be the one to marry Tyrion. Would you be fine marrying-"
"I have already made it quite clear that I would. Only a fool would be against becoming queen. Rest assured, I am not chasing after Prince Teo. If he turns his affections toward me, I cannot deny him my time. That is all," said Amelia.
Selina enjoyed what Amelia said. It was so interesting to see Amelia set her sights on someone else so fast. She wanted all of the ladies present to fight over the crown prince, since it would mean fewer women to worry about around Elijah.