A Brave New Life by Kelly Anne Bruce & Sweet River Publishing

Author:Kelly Anne Bruce & Sweet River Publishing [Bruce, Kelly Anne & Publishing, Sweet River]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sweet River Publishing
Published: 2018-03-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Diana walked down the stairs, the house so quiet that she worried her footfalls would be heard along the upstairs hall. For nearly a week, she had gotten up early in the morning sneaking down to the kitchen in the dark hours before dawn for her morning meal. Once she was finished eating she would return to her room to read or sketch.

Diana could not even retrieve her watercolor paints from the drawing room as she had claimed a headache for the last two days. She had laid back against her pillows with her eyes closed when her mother had come to talk to her.

Her mother had been intolerable since she had caused the horrible scene at Almack’s. Diana had been completely caught off guard by her mother’s insistence that she stop speaking with Mr Repington. It had upset Diana but even more so when her mother had gone on to point out that Matthew was a fifth son, not at all what Diana’s father expected for her. Diana had tried to reason with her mother but there was nothing for it. She had gone so far as to lead Diana across the ballroom to where Mr Crandall had been standing with several friends.

Mr Crandall had been extremely solicitous to Diana and her mother. It was clear, at least to Diana, that Mr Crandall knew exactly what was to happen. Diana found his arrogance and general demeanour to be loathsome. She found it more and more difficult to spend time with him and remain civil.

There was a knock at Diana's door and she fell back to her pillows her eyes closed hoping her mother would go away if she appeared to be asleep. It was only a moment later that Diana heard her aunt say, "I know you are not sleeping. I just want to talk.”

Diana opened her eyes and gave her aunt a sheepish look. "My apologies. I thought you were Mother.”

Aunt Grace grimaced at Diana. "Well, that is quite distressing. I shall need to check my image in a mirror more often."

Diana giggled and shook her head. "No, of course not. Mother always comes in to see me although she never really asks as to how I am feeling. Yet the only thing she ever speaks about is how she is feeling and her thoughts on the matter. Any matter, really."

"Yes well, your mother is very good at thinking about only herself."

"I used to think that she meant well but I do not think that any longer." It made Diana sad but would not help her or the situation.

"I do not know. Perhaps she does mean well. I think it is quite possible that she does not know any other way. I seem to remember that her mother was fairly awful."

"She was?"

Aunt Grace nodded. “Oh, yes. There was a time we were not sure whether your mother and my brother would actually be able to marry."

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