Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
SOPHIE
Years ago, when Madame Renier made it clear her family had no desire to have any association with me, I’d done everything she expected. What could she possibly want from me now?
“Aster?” Relief washed over me as Mamma’s voice came from the left. “What brought you this early in the morning?”
“Violette!” Madame Renier’s voice held that same sickly sweetness from years ago.
“Would you like tea?” There was not a hint of hospitality in Mamma’s voice.
“That would be lovely.” Madame Renier stared me down.
I exchanged a look with Cath and Anne, as they appeared behind Mamma.
Once I stepped down toward the tearoom, they flanked me on either side. Their expressions matched the one on Mamma’s face—cold, guarded, ready to pounce if Madame Renier dared say one wrong word.
On any other day I would have chosen the armchair opposite Mamma, but with this woman in the room I felt much safer between my sisters.
Madame Renier didn’t rush to state the purpose of her visit. Nibbling on the pastries from breakfast, she sat on the chaise longue across from me, chattering about Cath’s recent engagement. Yet her eyes kept skimming over my hands.
I should have guessed the moment she entered, and once I did, cold dread slid through me. It was expected. I should have returned the ring. It no longer belonged to me. Yet… I squeezed the box through my skirt.
“Your beauty has only bloomed with the years.” Madame Renier leaned forward slightly, her gaze settling on me.
I said nothing.
“Our last conversation may have been tough, but you should know I wish no harm to you, my dear. God knows how I wished one day to see you as my daughter.”
My fingers reached the spot where once was a band with an emerald stone.
Only bare skin to rub. I looked at the woman in her fifties—same blue eyes as Edmond, same sharp nose.
Her hair, by contrast, was slightly darker.
And wrinkles at the edges of her eyes that weren’t there when she’d visited five years ago.
You’re not a mother yet, dear. You may not understand, but a mother’s duty is to protect her son’s future—no matter the cost. I want only for Edmond to be happy. That’s what she’d said before leaving me to drown in my ruin.
“I wish this conversation didn’t have to happen. But circumstances leave us no choice,” she continued, her eyes pinning me in place. “I suppose you already know?”
The air turned brittle. Mamma set down her teacup with deliberate care—the only sound in the suffocating silence. Cath shifted on the sofa beside me, her posture rigid. And Anne’s pleasant expression vanished, replaced by steel.
But before Madame Renier could continue, Papa’s voice came from the doorway. “Forgive my tardiness.”
As he crossed to one of the armchairs, Madame Renier’s features sharpened.
And when she spoke again, her voice turned crisp.
“As you remember, the ring my son proposed with was a family heirloom. I know he said you could keep it when you broke off the engagement. But that wasn’t his decision to make. ”
Why was my heart racing? I’d already decided to give it back. This was for the best. Even for me!
I tasted blood where I’d bitten my cheek. Every pair of eyes in the room was on me—watching, waiting, braced for me to shatter.
Did they really believe I would break down from this? Had I made my family’s life that miserable? Treading on thin ice, weighing each word, measuring every piece of information before letting me know. Even now the worry of me falling back into my darkest moments was written on Mamma’s face.
Pathetic.
How much more pathetic could I get? Wasn’t it enough that I had become a burden to our name—I had to steal their peace at home as well?
Sweat prickled at my neck as cold ran down my spine.
“I never intended to keep the ring, Madame Renier. If not for your son, it would’ve returned to your family much earlier.” The words left my mouth without my notice: steady, calm.
It made me proud, in a way.
The velvet box in my pocket came out without resistance. And the moment I laid it in front of Edmond’s mother, the racing in my chest quieted.
I could resolve everything so easily.
A smile lit my face. “I should have returned it sooner.”
“Thank you for your understanding, dear.” Madame Renier seemed taken aback.
“There’s nothing to understand. It’s only fair I return the ring,” I said. And before I knew it, sweet venom appeared in my voice. “It would be wrong to keep it while I’m marrying another man.”
Mamma’s eyes widened in confusion. Cath and Anne exchanged glances, questions written all over their faces. But with Madame Renier sitting across from us, they didn’t make a sound.
When I looked at Papa, he seemed composed—save for a brief tightening at the corner of his mouth.
“Oh, congratulations.” Madame Renier looked taken aback. “Can I ask with whom?”
“Viktor Rowks.”
The moment that name left my mouth, the room froze.
I turned to Papa, waiting for his approval.
“Rowks?” Madame Renier’s eyes followed mine. She sounded more tense. “It’s not my place to give advice, but he’s not a good choice.”
Neither am I, I wanted to say. Instead, I smiled wider.
“Thank you for your concern, Aster.” Mamma’s fingers dug into the armrest. “You have what you came for. We won’t keep you any longer.” With a slight shift of her head, she gestured for the housekeeper to escort the guest.
Chest heaving, Madame Renier stood. “I’m saying this from experience. Who but my family knew how cruel he could be?” She regarded each of us in turn before fixing her eyes on Papa. “I always thought you were a protective father. Apparently, I was wrong.”
“That’s a bold statement, Aster,” Papa drawled. “I know your family is bitter about losing the Rowks fortune, but you’re lucky he isn’t suing you for defamation.”
“Because he knows what he did!” Madame Renier’s voice cracked.
“Aster!” This time Mamma rose from her seat.
“There’s no need to worry about my daughter.
You already have so much on your plate. I heard Alissa’s bump is starting to show—I can only imagine how stressful it is to organize a wedding in a hurry.
If there’s any way we can help, let us know.
” She gestured again to the housekeeper to escort the guest.
Madame Renier’s smile faltered. What remained was brittle—anger warring with shame. “Violette. Antonio.” She nodded before turning away.
The moment her steps faded, all eyes turned on me.
“Explain.”
Was that Mamma? Or Cath? Or both?
I didn’t dare look at them.
“Antonio, you don’t seem surprised.” Mamma’s voice was tight.
“Well…” He reached forward for one of the untouched cups on the table.
“Well?” Mamma demanded. “Don’t tell me you arranged this.”
Papa’s eyes closed as he sipped before telling them about Viktor’s visit, his offer—and how I’d overheard. “I thought we’d agreed to decline?” He looked at me at last.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. With all those eyes on me, the last crumb of courage that had let me voice my decision vanished.
“You could have at least talked to us first.” Mamma stood and stepped toward me. “Those are not decisions you announce in front of that woman.”
“Violette,” Papa cut. “Let me speak with her in private.”
Mamma was ready to object, but her eyes softened when she glanced at me. Lips pressed together, she gestured toward the door with the same dismissive tilt of her head she’d used on Madame Renier.