Beth detoured to her bedroom on her way to the parlour, her maid assisting her with putting on a delicate day dress. This time, she focussed on the yellow fabric as she descended the stairs, and made it all the way without having to see the front door. Aunt Jemima was their late father's sister-in-law and a widow herself. As Beth entered the parlour, her aunt smiled a greeting and took her by both hands.
"Ah, darling Beth!" She kissed her on the cheek. "You look quite lovely today."
Their aunt was quite lovely herself, with blonde curls gathered at the back of her neck and keen blue eyes that assessed Elizabeth from hair to slipper. Her curves harboured a rather enormous heart that had unconditionally loved and supported each of her nieces and nephews since their parents' passing.
"Thank you, Aunt." Whilst Beth did not doubt the sincerity of the compliment, the woman was known to view all the people she loved through rose-coloured glasses. Before she could return the sentiment, thin arms grasped her from her left and wrapped her in a tight embrace. She giggled and tried her best to return the hug.
"Victoria let her breathe." The gentle admonishment came from further away and Beth looked over the blonde curls of one cousin to see the other standing demurely just behind their mother. Rosemary was barely twenty, which made Beth's heart ache all the more to see her in mourning colours. Her dress was a dark satin that fell in heavy pleats and exaggerated her thin frame and pale skin until she looked ill. Her hair was a darker shade than her mother's and pulled back dramatically from her face, but even so, she was beautiful.
Beth felt envy pluck at her chest and she shook it aside; no amount of loveliness was worth the pain her gentle cousin had endured.
The woman embracing her released her with a huff, not surrendering entirely as she caught Beth's hands in hers. "Mama is right, Beth – you look very well!"
Victoria and Rosemary had always been very different, but the contrast had never been quite this clear. The younger girl was decked in pastel, with her hair coiled intricately atop her head and her face stretched in a bright smile. She would never be quite as naturally pretty as Rosemary, but right now she outshone her.
"Come sit with me, cousin, and tell me everything I have missed since last I saw you."
Victoria's eagerness was infectious and Beth let herself be pulled to the settee with a laugh. "It has only been a week!"
"Oh!" Her cousin put one hand to her mouth with a giggle as she sat down heavily. "Oh, dear! It does seem so much longer than that. Time does pass you by when you're planning your wedding! Which reminds me, I have been in such tedious negotiations with the florist this week. You will not believe..."
Beth listened with one ear as Victoria regaled her with stories about the guest-list and the vicar and the menu and seemingly every wedding-related conversation she'd had in the past sevenday. She couldn't help her gaze from darting to Rosemary on more than one occasion and was mightily impressed to see only bland amusement reflected on her elder cousin's face. She was sure she would not be so composed in her place.
Rosemary had found her match when she was very young and was married at eighteen. Less than two years later, she was a widow watching her younger sister embrace everything she had lost. Beth was sure Victoria did not discuss her forthcoming wedding so openly to be vindictive, she was just too naïve and too excited to understand the hurt she might be inflicting on her grieving sister. If Beth were in her place, she thought she'd also be enraptured at being the centre of attention, finally out from under Rose's gorgeous shadow.
That they were both younger than her also smarted a bit, but Elizabeth smiled at whatever story Victoria was telling and tried to be only happy for her.
"...and after that I couldn't even contemplate inviting her!" Finally pausing for breath, her cousin squeezed her hand. "But truly, I want to hear how you have been."
It took Beth a full moment to understand that it was her turn to speak, earning a soft laugh from her aunt. "I am well," she said eventually, smiling at the women. She was not about to admit that she'd enlisted her brothers in her hunt for a husband; that was too embarrassing to ever voice out loud. "We do have a rather unusual visitor at the moment," she said instead.
With impressive timing, the parlour door was opened and the rest of her siblings came strolling in. All four women rose as the two branches of their family met in an assortment of tight hugs and kissed cheeks.
"I do apologise, Aunt Jemima," Simon said as he gestured for the women to retake their seats. He and Bart both settled into armchairs and Phil sat at his feet. "It took me a moment to find everyone."
Beth pursed her lips slightly at his excuse, eyeing the way her younger brothers loitered by the door. Perhaps he wasn't lying entirely, but she had no doubt they'd deliberately kept away long enough to avoid the worst of Victoria's marriage chatter. They were all quite committed to the bachelor lifestyle and preferred to avoid such conversations.
To prove her point, Matt saw her scowling and winked at her.
"Make nothing of it, my dear. Beth was just about to tell us about your unusual guest."
All eyes were on her suddenly and Beth's mouth went dry.
It was Bart who rescued her. "Of course, it is most odd." He quickly summarised the events of the past night, skipping lightly over the extent of the man's injuries to focus on the mystery of his identity. He held his audience in raptures and they gasped over John's amnesia and the all-too-vague signet ring.
"Oh my," Aunt Jemima said on a whisper when the tale was concluded. "What an eventful time you've all had. Are you quite alright, Beth dear?"
Their aunt's concern had tears pricking at the back of her eyes, but before she could respond she was interrupted by Victoria's gleeful claps.
"It is all so exciting! It sounds like something out of a novel." She leant in close to Beth. "Is he handsome? The pirates are always handsome in the novels."
She failed to lower her voice and Beth felt a blush creep into her cheeks as her brothers chuckled. She would not answer that, especially not in front of them.
Thankfully, Rose sighed and shook her head. "We are a day's travel from the sea at best, Victoria. How do you suppose a pirate found himself here?"
"Fine," her sister's excitement could not be dimmed, "a bandit then!"
Beth was surprised to see both Vincent and Matthew shift in place on the other side of the room. Surely they could not think that the man lying battered in the servants' quarters was a criminal? She promptly decided to ask them about it later. For now, she just chuckled at her cousin.
"I envy your imagination, Victoria," she said gently, smiling at Rose over her shoulder. The woman offered her own exasperated smile in return and Beth decided it was time for a subject change. "Will we have the pleasure of seeing you all at the Quentin ball?"
Aunt Jemima nodded cheerfully, attention diverted. "Yes, of course! The Marquess and Machioness of Westley are very good to invite us every year."
"It will be lovely to have all of our cousins in the same room again." Whilst the ladies currently in their parlour were relatives of their father, the Quentins were the sons of their maternal aunt. Despite the lack of blood relation, the families had bonded in the wake of their parents deaths as they rallied together to support the Humphrey siblings.
"Indeed." With a steadying breath, their aunt smiled at them all and began to rise. "And with that reminder, we had best depart. We have an appointment with the tailor this morning and if we miss it we may be unable to attend the ball altogether."
A brief look of fear flitted across Victoria's face and she stood quite quickly. Rosemary also followed them, though she had not her sister's eagerness. The Humphrey siblings followed suit, Simon stepping forward to escort them out after another round of hugs and kisses.
Beth quickly cornered her younger brothers, standing between them and the door. "Explain yourselves."
They exchanged a look, confusion clear in the crinkle of Matt's brow but Vincent's face unreadable as usual. The first ran his fingers through his dark locks. "Explain what?"
She scowled at him. "Your reaction when Victoria mentioned bandits – surely you don't think John could have poor intentions!"
Vincent looked as if he were about to speak, but Matt's irritation won out. "Of course it's a possibility – we know nothing about him. It would be naïve to just assume otherwise!"
Beth bristled. "Don't you dare call me naïve! John is..."
"'John' is not even his real name!"
Both were yelling now, with Vincent standing between them looking resigned to their tempers. If he was the calmest sibling, they were tied for most volatile, and he thought it best to let them tire themselves out. He folded his arms across his chest, shifted his weight to one foot and then watched them with a bland expression on his face.
Beth's breath was ragged and her cheeks were flushed with rage. She fought the urge to slap the young man. "I thought the law insisted upon assuming innocence until evidence of guilt."
"That's all well and good for the law," Matt said, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles throbbed visibly, "but we will not take that risk with our family."
"So you condemn him?"
"No, we do not, though you seem determined to condemn me!" The smallest slither of hurt entered his tone and Beth felt the world fall away, leaving her looking at the little boy with a cheeky smile who'd put frogs in her bed. Her breath left her in a rush and she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest.
He was stiff for only a moment before he hugged her back, setting his chin on her head. "Me too."
If she was honest with herself, Beth didn't even know why she was so vehemently in defence of John. Matt was right; they didn't know who he was and they didn't know how he'd been injured. It was in their family's best interest to treat him with caution. She pulled away from him gently.
"I will make you a deal, brother-mine." She took his hands in hers. "I will go forth with caution if you go forth with optimism."
He pretended to think for a moment before nodding with a smirk. "A very fair arrangement from the third smartest in the family."
It may have sounded odd, but it was a very nice compliment and Beth felt her cheeks flame again, this time with happiness. She didn't say anything further, simply taking her brother's arm and letting him escort her out of the parlour.
Vincent watched them leave, feeling slightly bemused but completely unsurprised. Volatile flames sparked abruptly but extinguished just as quickly.