Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

red?"
    I shrug and follow her gaze. The sun has almost set, the pale blue of day transforming into dark velvet. "It has to do with the light waves. Blue scatters differently than red does."
    Emily looks at me quizzically. "You say such odd things at times, Rebecca."
    I smile, a little embarrassed. I probably shouldn't show my nerdy side unless under duress. I'm pretty sure there's a rule about that in the Social Climber's Guide to Regency England.
    "What is this you speak of?" Alex's voice is so deep and unexpected I jerk my eyes from the stars and look at him.
    "I'm sorry?"
    "The light waves. What do you mean by them?"
    Oh. Right. "Um, well, light comes from the sun in waves. Of color. And then they reflect on different things in the atmosphere and ... Oh never mind."
    It's sort of stupid to explain the whole thing, given how complicated it is.
    Alex looks straight at me for a long moment, and then turns back to stare at the sky. "And who told you such a thing?"
    I snort. "People much smarter than you."
    "I'm smarter than you think," he says, avoiding my eyes. It's almost dark out. What is he even looking at?
    "And I'm not as ignorant as you think," I say.
    He turns so abruptly I'm surprised he doesn't strain his neck. His jaw tightens, but he doesn't say anything.
    I dare him to disagree. I wait for it. But then he just turns away.
    Emily breaks the tension. "Do you suppose Denworth will be at the dance?"
    Her voice is hardly a whisper, but I hear the hope behind her words anyway. The hope that her future husband is miles and miles away.
    "Does he live near here?" I ask.
    "Perhaps an hour's ride beyond Harskbury. I do hope he is not in attendance."
    Alex stops staring at the passing greenery long enough to look at Emily. "It would do you well to accept the engagement," he says in a scolding voice. Who does he think he is, Emily's father? They're cousins. That doesn't give him any authority over her.
    "Yes, Your Grace," she says, in a meek voice.
    "Why?" I blurt out, before I can stop.
    He looks up at me. "Because it is her duty to do her father's bidding."
    "And her husband's after that, I suppose?"
    "Of course," he says.
    "And when is she to do her own bidding?"
    Alex appears at a loss for words. He blinks those thick lashes a couple of times, but says nothing.
    Fortunately, I have enough to say for both of us. Why is it that I can't defend myself to three pretty girls from my class, but when it comes to Emily, I'm as fierce as a lioness with cubs? Or is it Alex who brings this side out? "Emily deserves the same rights as you do. She should be able to choose for herself."
    He crosses his arms, looking all the more pompous by the second. "You believe a woman should have the same rights as a man? Is that truly how it is in America?"
    "Yes! And if you cared even the tiniest bit about your own blood relation, you'd do something!" Even as I say the words, I don't know who I'm talking about anymore: Emily or Alex's daughter.
    He stares me down, his eyes turning even darker. It stops me cold and the anger ebbs, replaced by the realization I've been much too bold. The piercing look freaks me out. Does he know that I know about the letters? "Everyone has a place in society. It would do you good to observe yours."
    And then, as if to say the conversation is over, he turns to look toward the passing forest.
    It's going to be a long night.
    Chapter 16
    The carriage rolls up to the front steps of a mansion almost as big as Alex's. It doesn't have the same round window bays, or quite the same elegant flair, but it's still made of stone, and it's bigger than the biggest mansions I've ever seen back home. The long drive is lined on both sides with hundreds of glowing lanterns. Our driver circles the horses near the front. Before we can stop, there are three more carriages behind us.
    Is it insane if I'm proud of how much fancier our carriage looks than the others? Many of them are only pulled by one or two horses -- ours has four. I think