The terrace quieted.
Even the breeze seemed suddenly louder.
Lady Primrose studied him.
“You believe kindness and discipline are compatible.”
“I believe they should be.”
“And when kindness fails?”
“One may be firm without being cruel.”
The word settled between them.
Aurelian immediately wished he had chosen a gentler one.
Lady Primrose’s expression did not change.
“Do you believe I was cruel to Cecily?”
Aurelian’s stomach tightened.
There it was.
The part Echo had warned him he might not recognize until he was already trapped inside it.
He could almost hear her voice.
If Lady Primrose asks what you think, she wants to know what you actually think.
Unfortunately, that does not mean there are no consequences for saying it.
“I would not presume to judge how you correct a member of your family.”
“A wise answer.”
Aurelian winced.
“However…”
Lady Primrose waited.
Of course she did.
“Cecily believed she had reason to be afraid.”
One of the younger women inhaled sharply.
Aurelian did not look toward her.
“You are either remarkably brave or remarkably foolish, Lord Bellafonte.”
“I have been accused of the latter more often.”
A few laughs broke through the tension.
Lady Primrose’s mouth almost curved.
Almost.
“I did not ask for diplomacy.
I asked for honesty.”
Aurelian drew a slow breath.
Very well.
“I believe Cecily should have been corrected for being careless.
But I do not believe she needed to lose something precious to understand she had made a mistake.”
“And nearly falling into the pond was preferable?”
“No.
That was poor judgment on my part.”
“At last, we agree.”
“Though I would still retrieve the ribbon.”
The table laughed.
This time, Lady Primrose allowed herself a small smile.
“Your sense of self-preservation is concerning.”
“My mother says the same.”
That earned another laugh.
Aurelian relaxed by the smallest degree.
“And what do you believe Cecily learned?”
Aurelian thought of the girl clutching the wet ribbon with both hands.
He remembered how frightened she had looked when she first saw him approaching and how tightly she had held the ribbon once it was returned.
“That she should be more careful with the things she loves.”
Lady Primrose waited.
Aurelian lowered his voice.
“And that making a mistake does not mean she has to face it alone.”
For the first time, something in Lady Primrose’s expression softened.
It was subtle—a slight easing around her eyes, a loosening in the careful line of her mouth—but Aurelian noticed.
The butler returned before she could answer, followed by servants carrying the freshly prepared tea.
A deep crimson stream filled the porcelain cups.
Rose softened the sharper scent of raspberry and hibiscus, while lemon peel and apple brightened the steam rising between them.
The familiar aroma reached Aurelian, and some of the tension finally left his shoulders.
Lady Primrose lifted her cup first.
The others waited.
“It is smooth,” she said after tasting it.
“More than I expected from hibiscus.”
Aurelian relaxed.
“The apple and rose soften the tartness.
The lemon keeps it from becoming too sweet.”
The other women tried it.
Approval moved around the table in murmurs.
“Oh, that is lovely.”
“The fruit comes through afterward.”
“I would have expected it to be far more sour.”
Questions followed naturally—where the fruit came from, whether Bellafonte grew every ingredient, how the southern merchant routes supplied the blends.
For the first time since arriving, Aurelian stopped thinking about how he was sitting.
This, at least, he knew.
He explained that Bellafonte’s network reached several towns and villages, some with orchards and gardens dedicated largely to tea ingredients.
Smaller estates and family-owned farms often specialized in one or two crops, which were then transported through the territory’s market towns before being blended or shipped elsewhere.
Lemons came from nearer the coast, where the growing season was longer and the air remained warm even through the colder months.
His older brother, Sterling, lived near the sea and oversaw much of the family’s commerce and shipping.
“Does he resemble you?” Katerina asked.
Aurelian blinked.
Several younger women suddenly looked interested.
He glanced from one face to another.
“He is broader through the shoulders.
His hair is darker.” Aurelian considered.
“And he is considerably less likely to fall into ponds.”
Laughter circled the table.
“Does he visit Evelina?” Isabelle asked.
“Sometimes.
Though I should warn you, he is married.”
Several disappointed sighs followed.
Aurelian stared at them.
The reaction was so immediate that for a moment he wondered whether he had misunderstood.
Lady Primrose hid a smile behind her cup.
“I see,” Aurelian said slowly.
Katerina laughed.
“You sound offended on your brother’s behalf.”
“I am mostly wondering what would have happened if I had not warned you.”
“Nothing improper,” Isabelle assured him.
“That response has not reassured me.”
Even Lady Primrose laughed quietly.