Helena’s sisters had deferred to her in all things when they were young. Time and distance hadn’t changed much, it seemed. “You mentioned an old family friend paying his respects.”
“Thomas White, he is a butcher in Clerkenwell. Our fathers apparently entered into an agreement some years ago that Mr. White would marry one of us. Before Father began gambling. He’d promised a ridiculous dowry, too. I considered chasing Mr. White away with the broom when I learned the real reason he had come, but Mr. White was posing a solution I couldn’t afford to throw away. I agreed to consider his offer, but he’d set his heart on Cora.”
“But you were the next oldest. Why didn’t he offer for you?”
Lavinia glanced at Sebastian then cast her eyes down. “Cora was beautiful beyond compare at sixteen and had that air of innocence men like. I understood why he wanted to offer for her.”
Yet the honorable thing to do would have been to offer for Lavinia. Then her sister would have been saved from this life.
“Mr. White agreed to marry Cora for the fifty-pound dowry promised him, and for an additional twenty pounds, he allowed Pearl and Gracie to live with them too. It wasn’t part of our agreement, but he paid a solicitor to write up Father’s will. Mr. White has guardianship of our youngest sisters.”
“Seventy pounds would be hard to come by working in the tavern,” Sebastian said softly.
The hard lines in Lavinia’s face melted and her eyes shimmered with tears. Helena held tightly to his hand to fight the urge to go to her. Her sister had somehow maintained her pride, and Helena sensed she would retreat behind her impenetrable wall if she moved.
Lavinia sniffled. “I never would have earned that type of money at the tavern. I saw but one choice to save our sisters. I sought out John O’Riley. For seventy pounds, I would come to work at the brothel.”
Sebastian frowned. “Men like O’Riley do not part with money easily. Working at the brothel couldn’t have been the extent of your promise.”
“No, I became his property until my debt was settled.”
Helena’s disgust must have shown, because Lavinia’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t regret anything,” she said through clenched teeth. “Our sisters were protected from the life I’ve lived. I would make the sacrifice a thousand times over to see them happy.”
Helena’s bottom lip trembled. “I blame myself for not protecting you too, Lavinia. I hate that you have suffered, but I understand why you did what you did. I have nothing but respect for your unselfishness.”
Sebastian’s arm slipped around Helena’s shoulders. “You both made great sacrifices for your sisters. Just this afternoon Miss Kendrick told me that you went with Prestwick to save Cora from a beating.”
Lavinia blew out a breath and the rigidness in her shoulders eased. “Forgive me. I only wanted to do as you asked and take care of our younger sisters. I’ve always worried you would be disappointed in me if you knew.”
“Never.” Helena scooted to the edge of her seat and reached for Lavinia’s hands. Her sister readily curled her fingers around Helena’s. “A day hasn’t passed without me missing you. I wanted to write, but Prestwick reminded me you wouldn’t be able to afford the post. I asked him to send money, but he said he had taken on the burden of supporting me and had done his duty already.”
A low growl rumbled in Sebastian’s chest.
Lavinia lifted a brow in his direction. “Lord Thorne and I are in agreement. Your husband was an arse.”
Helena’s face flamed and she released her sister. She hadn’t allowed herself to think unkind thoughts about her husband, because he had saved her from her sister’s fate. He had hired a tutor to turn her into a lady and given her a home and a respectable position in Society. It seemed too ungrateful to speak poorly of him, but she couldn’t defend him to Lavinia. He could have saved them all and had refused.
A petite gray-haired woman appeared in the parlor doorway with a cart. “Are you ready for refreshments, Lavinia?”
“Please, come in and join us, Edith.” Lavinia caught Helena’s curious look. “We are dear friends and Edith stays on as my companion.”