Chapter 115 - Hundred And Fifteen
The dining room of the Carson estate, which moments before had been filled with warmth and laughter, was now as cold and silent as a graveyard.
The announcement of Philip and Anne’s courtship hung in the air, a shocking and unwelcome piece of news.
The Dowager Duchess Elena was the first to break the silence. She fixed her eldest grandson with a sharp, disappointed stare. " Philip, what is the meaning of this, how is it," she asked, her voice dangerously quiet, "that you have suddenly become so infatuated with your new in-law?"
Philip put on a calm, reasonable expression. "Oh, Grandmother, it was a matter of chance," he replied, his voice smooth as oil. "She was about to be assaulted by a madman at an establishment I frequent. I simply happened to be there on time and was able to save her. It was only later, after we had spoken and gotten acquainted, that I found out she was Lady Delia’s younger sister." He looked around the table, a picture of honorable intentions. "Had we known of the connection sooner, we wouldn’t have even thought of courting, of course. It would be too complicated."
Anne, sensing her cue, added with a soft, romantic sigh, "But... the heart wants what it wants, does it not, Your Grace? It’s difficult to stop the heart from feeling what it wants to feel for a person."
Amber, who had been sitting in stunned, disgusted silence, could not hold it in anymore. She stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the marble floor.
"Wait Anne. Hold on a moment," she said, her eyes blazing with anger as she stared at Anne. "So, what you are saying is, ’Is it a sin to love both of the Carson brothers?’ First you throw yourself at Eric, and when that fails, you immediately move on to Philip? Don’t you know how disgusting your statement sounds?"
"What do you mean by that?" Anne asked, her face a mask of polite, wounded innocence.
"You think I don’t know your type?" Amber replied, her voice full of scorn. "I know how flirty and men-crazed you and your friends are. I have heard the stories. But bringing that desperate, despicable behavior into my family is something I will not sit by and watch happen."
"Amber!" Elena spoke, her voice a sharp command. "Do not talk like that at the table."
"But Grandmother, she is the one who started it!" Amber replied, pointing an accusing finger at Anne. "She is the one saying those nonsensical things first!"
Lyra, who had been sitting in a state of pale, silent shock, finally found her voice. "Amber, listen to your grandmother," she said, her tone weary. "It is enough. If you go low just because they are going low, then you are no better than they are."
Amber glared at Anne one last time before finally sitting back down, her displeasure clear on her face.