Tamsin was still speaking, when Ginevra asked for a master of ceremonies to be sent for.
She particularly selected Miss Rowena Hawke, the most famous person in the field, because she wanted to teach Astrid some manners.
Astrid was nearly the same age as Rowena. Only despite coming from a well-established family, but its family business had not been able to be kept in her generation and had already gone under long before she came into this world because of its descendants' stupidity.
But the fact is, Rowena came from money and old family. So she was a class above most rich girls for starters. She was also very famous in this discipline and a great trainer too. In fact, she had been hired by several new-rich families to train their children belongings_etiquette.
Ginevra made no expense in the hiring of Rowena at all; and she used all her credit, to obtain the place for her friend, from those who had last engaged her as a teacher of manners; though indeed they were hardly fair representatives, as had been proved by their dismissal of a moiety of these services. Nor was Rowena readily attainable.
Everyone who worked with the Bennett family had seen how well Ginevra had protected her newly reappeared daughter.
They were speaking to each other, murmuring.
She is indeed the biological child.
"What will become of the Hawke lady, now that the real lady is found?"
Ginevra was worried that Iona will overthink if she listens to this and goes to console her by saying," Oh, don't worry Iona. You will always be my daughter hehe."
"I know. I am the most loved by my mother." Iona snuggled in Ginevra's embrace and giggles before telling her some stories to cheer her up.
But as soon as Ginevra was gone, her smile went with her, and she sat there a few moments longer before answering the phone.
"Mom, I told you not to call me when I'm at the Bennett family." She glanced at her phone and saw the number. Cecily Thorn was calling.
Samual took Iona home from the orphanage, but she was in fact at the orphanage because he'd had an affair with Cecily and got her pregnant.
Cecily said, "I was only concerned about you." "Apparently Ginevra has morals. She even asked Rowena advice on how to properly treat a daughter that she has just found out about."
''Really?'' Iona frowned. ''How do you know all this?''
''Humph,'' Cecily grunted, ungraciously. ''You'd never have told me if it hadn't been for my cleverness in finding things out and being there just in time to catch you.''
Iona was starting to get annoyed. "Stop bothering me, seriously. If you hadn't bullied Astrid then Grandpa wouldn't even have transferred her any shares so I really don't need you to do anything for me okay? So please, please stop annoying me."
Cecily replied softly, "I'm sorry for troubling you."
With a groan, Iona put a hand to her throbbing temples. Life for the Bennett family had just got harder and since her own mother was responsible she doubted not only would her impending marriage to the Voss family be in ruins but also her good name if it hadn't been for Father helping to bury the incident and keeping it from escalating further.
Not that daddies would choose to marry violent cruel wives.
Cecily reminded her, "Oh, and you should be careful of Astrid. Rowena's going to work for Ginevra too. Astrid will be all over you if she looks too good. You'll have to figure out a way for Rowena not to teach her how." She laughed. "Humph. Do you really think that manners could be learned in a meager two weeks?" Iona laughed aloud then couldn't stop herself. "Inward refinement and outward cultivation both combined would make up the bearing of a lady; which is something intrinsic; so it is not as though anyone can steal it from you! As for those eighteen years that Astrid lost… she won't ever get them back! It's impossible that she could ever surpassed me …! If she wants to learn the performance aspect then let her do so just for a couple of days!
Cecily had faith in her daughter, but she still had some doubts. "I should have sold her to a desert village," was what she said regretfully. Would anyone think that after all these years she would be here?
"Stop it!" Iona got angry with the question and explained furiously, "Promise not to say anything, okay? Dad doesn't know it was you who made sure she didn't come back."
Iona knew. "I'm not that stupid," Cecily mumbled.
Cecily was too familiar to Iona. She knew the minute she heard those words that Cecily had actually done it.
She sighed and closed her eyes. At the last minute, she'd decided to visit Astrid herself just to be sure.
Little Astrid had gone with Casper to visit Astrid that time. He was going to be delayed a little longer at work and he'd left little Astrid with Cecily. But Cecily deliberately misplaced Astrid and then told Casper she couldn't find her.
When this tragedy happened 18 years ago, everyone thought Casper had lost Astrid by accident while he was taking her out to play. No one knew Cecily had purposely deleted Astrid from her own life.
Astrid was Casper's own child, though he seemed more besotted with Iona. Lately, as Cecily had got older, Casper's interest in her had waned. He wouldn't like it if he knew Cecily had deliberately lost Astrid.
By then Ginevra might know, and Cecily might have a terrible end and it may even get back to Iona.
It was unlikely that Ginevra would ever, despite how much she loved Iona, accept that Iona was a mistress's child.
Ginevra had looked Astrid up with the idea that if they employed Rowena they would bond over this.
Ginevra had not known how to engage, given the last disastrous encounter, and then she'd become too enmeshed in getting her dinner party together and Iona was being so miserable and clingy that Ginevra hadn't called her when she said she would.
Ginevra held her breath, put her palm against the wood and rapped three times. It sounded faintly creepy, like bones.
No answer.
She knocked again but there was no response.
"What on earth is going on?" she wondered aloud before briskly stepping back and summoning one of the housemaidens with a beckoning finger, "Where is Astrid?"
It was specifically designed that Astrid is served by this servant.
The servant eyed the door, quickly checking it was closed securely, "Mistress, Miss Astrid went away on your second day of absence and hasn't returned."
"What?" Ginevra cried, incredulous. Astrid hadn't been at her house the past few nights? "Where is she?"
The servant did not answer her for he did not know where Astrid had gone.
When Ginevra couldn't extract anything from the maid, she went to Peregrine. 'Astrid?' Peregrine looked at Ginevra over his coffee cup. 'You were such an indifferent mother that your daughter disappeared for days.'
Ginevra felt a twinge of guilt. Her excuse that she was too busy had been a lie – lacing close to the truth but still a lie. She couldn't cope with her daughter; so she kept coming up with excuses to put off the reckoning.
Peregrine... I..."
"That's it." To keep her off him, Peregrine waved a hand. "I can call Astrid later and tell her to come home." She's pretty busy, and she has college projects. "College?" Ginevra was silent for a moment, then didn't particularly
Astrid is 23 years old already. Why does she have to keep studying?" She said to herself.
Looking at her, Peregrine said in a rather cold voice. "If you give Astrid only half of what you give Iona, I wouldn't be totally in the dark about your affairs anymore. A small improvement."