Chapter 53

• I met Beatrice’s eyes, seeing the sheer terror in them as she clung to whatever was left of her composure. The fear of losing everything was raw, and the thought of Fredrick calling off their engagement was breaking her down more than I could have imagined.
• She sobbed quietly, her handkerchief pressed to her mouth to stifle the sound, but her voice still cracked. "Cassandra, it’s true. I swear. My mother thinks the Warrens have made it, that we’ve risen above our old place. She’s always so disappointed in me—says I don’t have the grace and presence to be the true wife of the eldest son. She even regrets allowing Fredrick to propose to me."
• She choked on her words, clutching the handkerchief like it was her lifeline. "I’m not like you. If this engagement ends, I won’t have anywhere to go. My parents will see me as a disgrace, a failure. I’d bring shame to my sisters, my nieces. I can’t survive that kind of humiliation. They won’t even let me hide away in a convent. Please, Cassandra, I can’t lose this."