As a young debutante, Miss Cora Herz had been a recent entrant into gentility. Her father's fortune had been entirely made from trade. Despite the gentlewoman's education she received, the taint of her trade origins hung about her. An early marriage to an older, wealthy tradesman had left her a rich young widow with a two-year-old daughter, Regina. The widowed Mrs. Mills managed to attract the attention of a fashionable, though impoverished, society gentleman and widower, Mr. Albert Spencer. Mr. Spencer had a five-year-old son, David, from a previous marriage, and with Cora and her daughter, they blended to form a harmonious family. After the wedding, the new Mrs. Spencer rapidly established herself in high society, culled all her low connections, and was relentless in the pursuit of greater elevation. Mr. Spencer was able to settle all debts on the family estate with the money his wife brought into the marriage, and rose to the honor of knighthood by an address to the king. Even though his indigent circumstances had led Mr. Spencer to marry beneath his station in his second matrimonial venture, it appeared that he had married to advantage after all.
A son was borne of their union, christened Walsh by his parents. Sir Albert and Lady Spencer cherished great aspirations for all their children and trusted that they would make advantageous marriages. Sir Albert in particular had wished for David as the eldest son of the family to distinguish himself by entering politics. However, as David, who was now twenty-five, had not made a single political connection or shown the least bit of inclination in running for parliament, his father's dream was likely to remain unfulfilled.
Upon the death of Sir Albert (after fifteen odd years of happy marriage), Lady Spencer was seized with a morbid fear of falling back down the social ladder. She kept a strict watch on the kind of society her children were exposed to, even after they came of age. In this, she was assisted by her late husband's testamentary dispositions. For Sir Albert had been so devoted to his wife, and trusted her judgment so implicitly, even with the fate of his eldest son, that he had left the disposal of their fortune entirely in her hands. Lady Spencer settled twelve thousand pounds on her daughter upon her marriage to Robin Blanchard a year after Sir Albert's death, but David and Walsh, who were unmarried, remained dependent on her.
Lady Spencer well knew that David's dearest wish was to enter the church as a profession. But she was dead set against it. She made her wishes known to any of their friends and acquaintances that had the means or opportunity to offer David a church living, and refused to advance money for him to purchase one on his own, hoping that with time, he would come around to her way of thinking. In the meantime, it would have quieted her ambition to see him being the talk of the ton. But David was quite averse to ostentatious displays and left it to his brother to be the dashing young buck about town. Walsh, unlike his older brother, was very fond of fashionable society, drove the latest make in two-horse curricles, and was quite the dandy.
When the news of the deaths of Robin's father and stepmother had reached her, Lady Spencer had strongly urged her daughter and son-in-law to take early possession of the Blanchard manor. Lady Spencer and Eva Blanchard had not taken to each other the few times they had met, and the former held the younger Miss Blanchards in disdain, scorning their beauty as much as their pitiful portions. Therefore, she had been very much concerned when a letter from her daughter intimated her of the alarming symptoms of attachment between David and one of Regina's impoverished sisters-in-law. She determined to summon David to Bath at once and distract his mind from the dubious charms of the young Miss Blanchards by introducing him to Abigail Midas, the only daughter of Sir Alexander Midas, an extremely wealthy and well-connected baronet whose acquaintance she had made recently.
Her efforts to bring the two young people together had not met with much success, and so she had made no objection when David left to pay a visit to a former college tutor in Cornwall. She was disconcerted however when he wrote to her some weeks later stating that he was leaving on a visit to Misthaven and would join her in London mid-November. The hold of the Blanchard girls over David was stronger than she had suspected. While Lady Spencer was fond of her stepson, she was by no means blind in her affection for him, and would not approve of an alliance so imprudent as to fortune and connections. She had sent him a reply reminding him of his obligations to his family, his duty to herself, and strongly hinting at his dependence on her generosity. When David showed up in London as promised, she was glad to find him still single, albeit more subdued than usual. She presumed that her veiled threats had been an effectual deterrent from making a foolish engagement, and decided to renew her efforts to promote a match between him and Miss Midas. David would recover his spirits soon enough.
Mrs. Lucas and the Miss Blanchards reached London early on a foggy December morning. Emma eagerly peered through the frosted-up glass pane of the carriage window to catch a glimpse of the passing streets. Even though dawn was just breaking, the streets were already busy with bakers stacking trays of bread onto delivery carts, vendors hawking meat and fruit, and night-watchmen swinging their rattles as they completed their final patrols of the night, their warm breaths misting the cold air. An old woman in a street-corner was dispensing steaming hot bowls of salop to chimney-sweeps just setting off to work and young blades straggling home from their all-night revelries. Even through the sheepskin-padded interior of the carriage, Emma could feel the cold seeping through, chilling her bones, the hot coals that had been packed within the brass footwarmers having cooled hours ago. The rattle of the carriage as they turned into Harley street woke her sleeping companions from their slumber.
Mary Margaret stretched, rubbing her eyes. "Are we there?" she asked, her voice rough with sleep.
"I think we are," Emma replied.
The carriage pulled up in front of the Whale residence. Perhaps alerted by the noise of the carriage wheels, the front doors were thrown open and after a few minutes, Dr. and Mrs. Whale stepped out of the door to welcome their guests.
Ruby ran down the front steps to the carriage door and helped her grandmother down.
"Granny! I'm so happy you're here!" she exclaimed, embracing the older woman. "I've missed you so much!"
Dr. Whale handed Emma and Mary Margaret down from the carriage.
"Welcome, Miss Blanchard, Miss Emma. Ruby and I are very pleased to have you with us."
"Yes, indeed! You are both very welcome to our home," said Ruby, turning to Emma and Mary Margaret, pressing their hands warmly and ushering them inside the house. "And how is Miss White? She's in good health, I hope?"
"She is very well, thank you, and sends her kindest regards to you and Dr. Whale," Mary Margaret replied.
Ruby led Emma and Mary Margaret to the suite of rooms that had been prepared for them upstairs, consisting of a bedroom with two canopied beds and an adjoining dressing room with a tin bathtub tucked behind a folding-screen, and asked them to come down to breakfast as soon as they had freshened up a little. The girls took off their travel coats and bonnets as the maid brought in pitchers of hot water and set them beside the wash-basins in the room. Getting rid of most of the travel-grime from their faces, necks, and arms with a good scrubbing, Emma and Mary Margaret went downstairs.
The Whales' residence was a four-storey brick building with Palladian windows on the outside. The interior was tastefully and comfortably furnished, with a preponderance of reds and purples lending a rich tone to the decor. A comfortable fire was burning in the compact Rumford fireplace in the breakfast parlor where Mrs. Lucas and Ruby were talking when Emma and Mary Margaret joined them.
Over a leisurely breakfast consisting of bread and butter, eggs, rolls, plumb cake, coffee, and hot chocolate, Mrs. Lucas caught up her granddaughter on the latest news and scandals from Misthaven. After relating the more commonplace news items such as the Ellis's housemaid having eloped with the dancing master, and Mr. Clark's son being apprenticed to an apothecary in Storybrooke, she went on to relate the sentencing of a poacher to death by hanging in the solemn undertone suitable for that kind of news.
"Oh, how horrible!" Ruby exclaimed, "It's Sir Arthur doing, isn't it?"
Mrs. Lucas nodded. "Dr. Hopper tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he is. He wouldn't listen, and was apparently quite heavy-handed about it."
"Cousin Ingrid said Sir Arthur almost always sentences poachers to hanging," said Emma. "Why would anyone take the risk knowing that?"
"That's normally been enough to dissuade poaching in Misthaven," Mrs. Lucas replied. "But, it's shaping up to be a very cold winter, and when people get desperate, they take foolish risks."
"I wish there was a way to prevent this sort of extreme sentencing in Misthaven," said Emma.
"Sir Arthur is the magistrate of the county, my dear. What can anyone do?" Mrs. Lucas made a helpless gesture.
"Perhaps if the principal landowners in the county represented to Sir Arthur that there are other ways one could deal with the problem of poaching," said Mary Margaret, "he might be willing to reconsider…"
Ruby shook her head. "Sir Arthur is rather unbending when it comes to legal matters."
"Besides," added Mrs. Lucas, "most of the landowners in the village don't wish to stop him. They feel safer knowing that the threat of hanging keeps poaching to a minimum in their properties."
There was a general pause. Mrs. Lucas broke the silence with, "Do you know where the Baitses are put up? I shall call on them tomorrow."
Ruby mentioned the name of the street. "I'll come with you, Granny. I want to invite them to our next dinner party. They had us over last week."
Emma pressed Mary Margaret's hand under the table. Mary Margaret looked at her sister enquiringly. Emma mouthed the word "Neal" surreptitiously and glanced towards Ruby. Catching on, Mary Margaret turned to Ruby and asked, "Do you know if Mr. Cassidy is in town?"
"I haven't seen him, but then, we don't mix in the same circles." Ruby looked apologetic.
"Don't you worry, Miss Emma," said Mrs. Lucas, adjusting her spectacles. "The minute he knows you're here, he'll be sure to fly over to see you."
"We need to pay a visit to our brother and sister-in-law," said Mary Margaret, trying to shield her sister from particularity. "They've secured lodgings in Grosvenor Street for the winter."
"The carriage is at your disposal, Miss Blanchard," said Ruby. "But you must be very tired from your journey. Why don't you take rest and go tomorrow. We can drop you on our way to the Baiteses."
"Aye, that would be best," said Mrs. Lucas, and yawned. She pushed her chair back and stood up. "Send word to your brother that you're here. They won't take it amiss. I own I'm very tired myself. I'm going to go up to my room and rest my aching bones for a little while."
Mrs. Lucas went up to her room, and Emma and Mary Margaret followed. The latter sat down to write a brief message to their brother informing him of their arrival in London. Once she had finished and sealed her letter, she got up to ring the bell for the footman, when her sister stopped her.
"Wait, I have a letter that needs to be sent as well," said Emma, sitting down at the writing table. "Once I'm done, I'll have them both sent out."
"Oh, good. Are you writing to Cousin Ingrid?"
"No," said Emma, avoiding her sister's eye and taking out a fresh sheet of paper.
"Are you writing to Neal?" Mary Margaret asked, looking confused. "If you know he's in London, why did you want me to ask Mrs. Whale?"
"Well, I don't know for sure," said Emma. She dipped her pen in the inkwell and started to write. "But I know he always puts up at Grillon's Hotel in Albemarle Street when he's in London."
"If you're writing to him, Emma," Mary Margaret said, "Does this mean you and Neal are…?"
"Don't ask me anything right now," said Emma, her voice tight. Then, she looked up at her sister and added in a gentler voice, "Please."
For a few moments, Mary Margaret wondered if Emma and Neal were secretly engaged like David and Kelly West. But if that was the case, why didn't Emma know with certainty whether or not Neal was in London? As far as Mary Margaret knew, they had no necessity to hide their engagement. There were no relations on either side who would voice objections to a match between the two of them. Mary Margaret hesitated a little, wondering if she should press her sister for answers, then decided to let the subject drop for the nonce.
To Emma's and Mary Margaret's surprise, Robin stopped at Harley Street later that day in order to see his sisters and pay his respects to their hosts. There had been another private reason for his calling on them so soon after receiving Mary Margaret's note. Regina had sent him to Harley Street for the express purpose of ascertaining whether his sisters' acquaintance with the Whales was likely to cause any awkwardness to themselves by association. However, the elegance of the furnishings at the Whales' residence and the fashionable appearance and manners of Mrs. Whale soon settled Robin's qualms.
"Regina was very disappointed at being unable to come with me to call on you today, but she had some urgent matters to attend to," said Robin, as he sat down in a chair across from his sisters.
His sisters very much doubted the veracity of that statement, but assured their brother that they did not take offense and promised to call on their sister-in-law on the morrow.
"How is Miss White treating you? Is she kind? Is the cottage comfortable?" Robin asked, when Ruby had quit the room, leaving the Blanchards to catch up in private.
Emma and Mary Margaret spoke highly of Ingrid and Arendell.
Robin leaned back in his chair and smiled benignly at his sisters. Gesturing at the door through which Ruby had walked out, he said "I do not have to ask if the neighborhood is satisfactory, if Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Whale are any indication."
His sisters assented to her brother's surmise, adding that Mrs. Lucas and Ruby had been very kind and welcoming.
"I'm delighted that you have found such good friends in Misthaven," said Robin. He seemed as much relieved as pleased that his sisters were comfortably settled under someone else's care, both at Misthaven, and in London.
The next morning, Emma and Mary Margaret went to Grosvenor Street as promised. Regina greeted her sisters-in-law politely, if not too warmly. As they seemed to have acquired the goodwill and chaperonage of wealthy people of fashion, their presence in London was not likely to embarrass her and Robin socially, nor inconvenience her personally. There was some danger in Mary Margaret and David meeting again, but she could hardly have her brother sent away from London. And perhaps, if David saw Mary Margaret and Abigail Midas together, he would be better able to appreciate the charms and merits of the latter.
The nursemaid brought the children into the room. Roland was very excited to see his aunts again, especially Mary Margaret, and stuck to her side like a limpet until the visit ended, first demanding that she read him a story, and then importuning her to play a game with him. Baby Margot, who was now a year old, crawled about the room, making excited squeals whenever she found something interesting to put into her mouth. Emma chased after her niece, catching her and rubbing her face against her little tummy, making Margot giggle madly, and then letting her go to start the game all over again.
Before they left, Regina invited her sisters-in-law to a formal dinner-party to be held at their home that week.
"My dear, I think we should invite Mrs. Lucas and the Whales to the dinner. They are a fine set of people and their acquaintance will be well worth cultivating," said Robin, ponderously. "Besides, I feel it is our duty to show them how very much we appreciate their kind attentions to my sisters."
"Oh, Robin!" Regina threw an exasperated look at her husband. "If we invite three new acquaintances to the dinner, we won't be able to pay as much attention to the Midases. And it's such a special favor whenever Sir Alexander dines out at all!"
Robin looked a little contrite. "Sorry, my dear. You are right, of course. We will invite the others next time."
Regina conceded.
"Between the Midases and the Spencers, this dinner is going to be quite the Comedy of Errors," Emma said to her sister on their carriage ride back to Harley Street.
"I doubt any of us are going to be laughing at the end of it," Mary Margaret replied.
"David will be there. At least that will be a relief!"
Mary Margaret merely nodded. There was no way she could confide in her sister how far from being relieved she was at the thought of seeing David again. She was rather dreading it. She had no idea whether or not he was aware that she knew of his secret engagement, and was afraid to get a confirmation of it in his looks and manner.
Ruby had engaged her seamstress to come around to Harley Street early the following morning, and that worthy lady and her assistants were tasked with altering Emma's and Mary Margaret's day and evening gowns to suit the current modes of fashion. The sisters had decided against purchasing any new clothes for themselves, but no young lady wishes to appear a frump in comparison to the scores of elegantly dressed women in London for the Season. Later that morning, they went with Ruby to purchase all the indispensable accessories of fashion such as ribbons, silk stockings, trimmings for bonnets and shoes, parasols, and the like. After their day's excursion, the ladies returned home considerably lighter in the purse, tired-out, and the carriage laden with their parcels.
On entering the house, Emma eagerly questioned the butler as to whether any letters had arrived for her when they'd been gone. On receiving a negative, she returned a disappointed "Oh!" and trooped upstairs to her room.
When Mary Margaret followed her sister to their rooms a few minutes later, she found Emma in their dressing room taking the pins off her bonnet. Mary Margaret paused at the door and studied her sister's profile. Emma's lips were turned down in a frown and her eyes looked dull.
Mary Margaret walked up to stand behind Emma. "Have you heard from Neal yet?" she asked, as she helped Emma take off her pelisse.
Emma's eyes met hers on the mirror. "You know I haven't."
Mary Margaret's eyes softened. "I'm sure you'll hear from him soon."
Emma nodded and bent down to pick up a stray hairpin from the floor, avoiding her sister's gaze.
Mrs. Lucas's carriage conveyed Emma and Mary Margaret to their brother's residence on the evening of the dinner-party. A footman escorted them to a large well-lit drawing room where Robin, Regina, Lady Spencer, and Walsh Spencer were assembled. Their brother and sister-in-law rose to receive them. Emma and Mary Margaret curtsied to Lady Spencer and Walsh politely. Lady Spencer acknowledged their greeting with a tilt of her head. Walsh, who had been standing by the mantel, came forward and executed a very theatrical bow and then sat down by his mother. Seated together, mother and son could not provide a greater contrast to each other. Lady Spencer was dressed in a rich gown of scarlet silk with a fine gold embroidery pattern. A string of pearls adorned her neck, complimented with pearl drop earrings. A crimson-dyed ostrich feather was affixed to a turban on her head. Her dress was cut in the old-fashioned style with a natural waistline instead of the high-waist that was the prevalent trend in fashion. Rather than making her look like a behind-the-times dowd, it gave her a regal air as she sat with her back upright, fanning herself delicately with a Chinese fan.
Walsh Spencer on the other hand looked the part of the quintessential Regency dandy much lampooned in newspaper cartoons. He was a tall young man with brown hair and eyes, a bit on the reedy side. He wore a pinched waistcoat, lace-cuffed shirt, high starched collars, and an elaborately arranged neck-cloth that made it a question of wonder that he was able to turn his neck at all. A gold fob and several chains hung about his person, reflecting the light of the numerous lit beeswax candles in the room. A lock of his hair was swept-up high over his forehead. It would not be an exaggeration to surmise that he spent hours in his dressing room, perfecting his getup. Self-satisfaction radiated from his countenance as he peered at the Miss Blanchards through a quizzing-glass.
"I hope your ladyship is in good health," said Mary Margaret, addressing Lady Spencer.
"I'm well, thank you," replied Lady Spencer. "Regina tells me that you two live in a cottage in Devonshire with a cousin."
"Yes, your ladyship," Mary Margaret replied.
Lady Spencer's gaze lingered on Mary Margaret for a few moments, and then giving a slight nod, she turned away and went back to fanning herself.
"There is nothing I like better than a cottage," Walsh declared, taking up the subject. "I'm determined to settle down in the country in a snug little cottage with modern and elegant furnishings on the inside."
"Something tells me you'd be back in London at the end of the first quarter, Mr. Walsh," said Emma, with a smile. "I suspect you'd find country-life a little too quiet for your taste."
"Ah! Emma has your measure, Walsh." Robin gave a little snort of laughter. Catching his wife's eye, he turned it into a cough.
Walsh gave a jovial laugh. "You misjudge me, Miss Emma. There's nothing I prefer more than the peace and quiet of the countryside in the summer."
The drawing room door opened, and the footman ushered David Spencer into the room. Mary Margaret's heart skipped a beat. As he caught sight of her, Mary Margaret thought that she could detect a start of surprise. Had he not known that she and Emma were in town? She wondered if her presence in London was unwelcome to him, and that thought saddened her.
"There you are, David!" said Regina, with evident relief. "We were quite worried that Sir Alexander and Miss Midas would get here before you did!"
David excused himself on the plea of getting caught behind a string of slow-moving carriages. He greeted his stepmother with a kiss to her cheek and then bowed to the Miss Blanchards before sitting down.
"I thought you'd finally taken a toss in that dog-cart of yours," said Walsh, with a scornful laugh.
"No, Walsh," said David, turning to his brother and giving him a half-smile, "my 'dog-cart' as you call it, is still in one piece, as am I. But I thank you for your concern."
"You're welcome, brother," returned Walsh, with a sardonic smile.
"Is there something wrong with the vehicle?" Mary Margaret asked. She could not help the concern lacing her voice.
"It's perfectly fine, I assure you," David replied, giving her an earnest look. "My brother's disdain is for my choice of vehicle. He refuses to drive anything as lowly as a gig."
"I do think you ought to get a phaeton or at least a curricle, David," Regina interjected. "Hardly any gentleman of fashion drives a gig these days. Why, I saw the young Earl of Grantham driving about in very smart-looking curricle near Hyde Park the other day."
"I must say I detest open carriages of any sort," Lady Spencer declared. "I prefer to be driven safely and comfortably with no drafts coming in through the window panes and hot bricks under my feet. But David, I really do think your affectation against fashion is getting rather tiresome."
Walsh scoffed. "I'm surprised he doesn't wear a wig and powder his hair."
"Unlike you, brother, I'm not contending for the title of 'coxcomb of the year'," David returned. "But even I draw the line at powdered wigs."
"Robin and I are thinking of setting-up a barouche-landau next summer," said Regina. "Or perhaps a landaulette. They both have folding tops that can be let down in good weather."
"Miss Emma," said Walsh, addressing her. "What would be your choice of carriage? I dare say curricles are your favorite kind?"
"I do like curricles," conceded Emma. "However, if I had the choice, the high-phaeton would be mine."
"Ah! The High-Flyer—the Prince Regent's favorite. Although, I hear Prinny's getting a little too pear-shaped to climb on with ease," said Walsh and snickered.
"I wouldn't drive anything the Prince approved of," said Regina with a sniff.
"I'd hardly endorse the Prince Regent's way of life," Emma replied. "But even a stopped watch is correct twice a day."
Walsh laughed. Mary Margaret could not help smiling at her sister's whip-sharp responses.
The drawing room was thrown open. "Sir Alexander Midas and Miss Midas," the footman announced.
Emma shot a concerned look at her sister. Mary Margaret pressed Emma's hand reassuringly and looked with interest at the young lady who had been set up as her rival by David's family. Abigail Midas was a tall fashionably dressed young woman, with an air of careless elegance about her. Mary Margaret didn't know how she might have reacted to the other young lady's presence if she had not met Kelly West and heard her confession. But she had, and that spared her from feeling a whit of insecurity or envy. Regina and Robin were quite assiduous in their attentions to the young lady, while Lady Spencer exerted herself so far as to try and charm Sir Alexander with her conversation. It was plain that the scheme to match David Spencer with Miss Midas was still on. Mary Margaret could almost pity Regina and her mother for the disappointment that was in store for them.
As everyone filed out of the drawing room into the dining room, Emma whispered to Mary Margaret, "We've only just arrived, and already I can't wait to leave."
The seating at dinner was arranged in a very formal style, with little place-cards directing people to specific seats. David, of course, had a seat assigned next to Miss Midas. Dinner seemed an interminable affair. The dishes were numerous, and the conversation ponderous and banal. More than two hours had elapsed by the time the dessert course ended. As Regina stood up to lead the ladies back to the drawing room, Mary Margaret was trying very hard to suppress a yawn.
When the men returned to the drawing room, Robin requested Emma for some music, adding, "I quite miss hearing you practicing away every morning on your pianoforte, Emma!"
Regina's lips tightened. Politeness required that she echo her husband's request, but she did it with ill grace. "Yes, dear. We would love to hear you play."
Emma declined at first, but when Walsh added his entreaty, she gave in. Regina's frown as she glanced between Emma and Walsh told its own story. Perhaps she was wondering if she ought to have her younger brother shipped off to Bath.
Once Emma finished her song, Regina earnestly begged Miss Midas to play, adding, "Ever since we heard you play at Mother's dinner party the other week, we've been in raptures over it, haven't we David?"
David, who had been in the middle of a conversation with someone else, had to have her remark repeated to him. He assented, though not with the degree of enthusiasm his sister expected.
Miss Midas's performance was praised and, of course, she was begged to play another piece. After her second song was concluded, Lady Spencer addressed Mary Margaret, "You don't play the piano, do you, dear?"
"No, your ladyship," Mary Margaret replied.
Lady Spencer began fanning herself. "Do you sing or play the harp?"
"Neither, ma'am."
"You poor child," said Lady Spencer, with a look of pity. Her waving hand stopped. "Your education seems to have been so neglected! What was your mother thinking?"
Mary Margaret's face flushed with anger and mortification. Emma looked too angry to speak.
Lady Spencer opened her mouth to speak again, when David interjected, "Miss Blanchard is an excellent horsewoman and an accomplished archer." There were twin spots of color on his cheeks, whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
Lady Spencer did not look pleased at her stepson's interruption. "What an odd set of accomplishments for a young lady to possess," she said with a disdainful smile and started fanning herself again.
"I envy you, Miss Blanchard," Miss Midas remarked. "I had a riding accident when I was ten, and I've been terrified of horses ever since! My father is still in despair over it."
"I stable twenty horses solely for riding and hunting, but my poor Abigail's too afraid to try riding one of them." Sir Alexander chuckled and gave his daughter an affectionate glance.
The smug expression slipped from Lady Spencer's face.
Robin, who looked ashamed at his mother-in-law's ill-bred behavior, for once decided to step-in. "My sister also does very fine needlework." Turning to his wife, he said, "My dear, where is that embroidered shawl Mary Margaret brought you for a Christmas present?"
Regina reluctantly retrieved the shawl. It was passed around and admired. True, Lady Spencer barely glanced at it before immediately handing it to her neighbor, but the rest of the party did not stint in their praise.
On their way home, Emma did not hold back on expressing her anger and indignation at Lady Spencer's ill-mannered attack on her sister.
"If she thinks for one moment, that this kind of treatment will make David blind to your merits and fall in love with that Midas creature, she must be mad!" Emma pressed her sister's hand affectionately. "I was never more pleased with David than when he spoke up."
Mary Margaret could only sigh. Far from being pleased at David's support of herself, it had only caused her pain. The only reason she was at the receiving end of Lady Spencer's efforts to undermine her was because she and Regina perceived her as a threat to David's future. If they knew the truth about David's engagement to Kelly West, she would cease to be the main target of their disdain.
"I was quite surprised when Robin stepped in," said Mary Margaret, wishing to direct Emma's thoughts away from David. "This is the first time I've heard him say anything to contradict his mother-in-law."
Emma snorted. "Very likely. At least that shows he still has a heart."
Mary Margaret huffed out a laugh. "I suspect he really isn't half as indifferent to us as he wishes he could be," she stated over the rattle of the carriage as it wended its way homeward.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I would love to hear your thoughts. :-) Don't forget to check-out captainswanandclintasha's gorgeous pic-set for chapters 5 and 6 on tumblr!