"Do hold on a second, Annalise. I am afraid I am rather confused." Elizabeth asked one more time for clarity in the drawing room of Varanda Hall. "You said you met Prince Louis by chance during the last soiree, her majesty held at the palace."
"Yes, Lizzy," said Annalise.
"And that night of the engagement party, you met him once more where he accidentally spilt a glass of wine on the bottom of your dress. The prince was extremely remorseful and distressed, so he was determined to get the stain out which resulted in him crouching down on one knee and reaching out for his handkerchief. T'was a very misunderstood position indeed."
"Let us not forget the part where she fainted," John added archly.
"Oh, be quiet, John!." Elizabeth shot her brother a deathly stare.
"And surely, Her Majesty summoning you to her palace was a good thing. Just look at how beautifully everything turned out. I could not have wished for a better match for you, Annalise." Josie said.
"Indeed, so could I." Sophie agreed with her twin sister. "Although it is rather an odd situation, cousin, not that I do not believe you. I find it difficult to wrap my head around it all."
"Yes, it is quite odd indeed." Alice placed a stern gaze on Annalise that which caused the poor girl to shift uncomfortably in her seat, almost breaking out in a sweat.
"Annalise," Edward called, coming to her rescue.
"Yes, Edward?" She said eagerly.
"Can I borrow you for one second?" He asked, standing by the door.
"But of course." She answered with alacrity, grateful to be out of Alice's reach. Once they were out of earshot, Annalise wondered what Edward needed. "Is anything the matter Edward?"
"No, no, nothing at all." I just left the celebration outside, and I could not help but overhear your conversation with the girls. I know Alice could be a handful sometimes, but trust me when I say this as I live with her. At least I wished to spare you her wrath and judgement for the time being."
"Oh, Edward, how thoughtful of you." Annalise leaned in and threw her arms around him. "She has been giving me a hard time, and you came just in time to rescue me."
"It is nothing, Annalise. You are like a third sister to me. I will always look out for you." He hugged her back, and she smiled warmly, but after a while, her smile fell.
"Whatever is the matter?" He asked.
"I wonder why Alice despises me so. I have apologized so many times."
"Aye," Edward sighed. "There is something you should know. It is not only this matter that upsets Alice."
"It is not?" Annalise questioned with surprise.
"Yes, do you remember Mr Harrington?"
"Mr Harrington…" She repeated in deep thought. "Yes, the Harrington's were close friends of the family. He is the man Alice fell in love with two seasons ago and intended to marry."
"Indeed. Do you know the reason they called off the engagement?"
"Well, we were told she realized it was mere infatuation and discovered they were not a good match for each other."
"Yes, that was the cover story she created."
"Cover story? I do not understand."
"Alice is still very much in love with Mr Harrington, and she never called off the wedding at all. He did, for the simple reason that Harrington had feelings for someone else."
"Oh my, how cruel! Did she discover who it was?"
"Yes, she did…and she stands before me."
Annalise's face morphed into that of shock and then horror. "Edward, how is that possible?"
"I-I do not know, but one thing I know is that Alice would do anything to save face. My sister is very proud and would rather die of heartbreak than let anyone know she was suffering inside. One Friday night, Lady Gastrell threw a costume gala. Everyone prepared to attend except Alice, who claimed she had a cold and would like to stay home to recover.
So we all left for the party. Unfortunately, I forgot an essential piece of my costume at home, so I returned to get it and decided to check on Alice before I left. There she was at the corner of her room full of tears."
"Oh, dear."
"I kept pressing her to tell me what had happened and when she eventually did, she said that Mr Harrington was smitten by the fairest of the Beacroft girls."
"And you automatically assumed it to be me?" Annalise asked incredulously.
"Well, of course. Everyone knows you are the most beautiful of the lot. Though my sisters are pretty indeed, they cannot compare to you. They are but mere candlesticks in comparison to a raging forest fire."
"I know we all grew up in similar circles, but I never had any contact with the man outside balls, family engagements or between the company of the mutual friends we shared. I just recently made my debut into society."
"They say one can never understand the inner workings of a woman's mind, but I cannot understand the workings of the mind of Mr Harrington. After the failed engagement, he left London and went to America, and we never heard from him again."