Reborn: The Duke's Obsession-Chapter 284 - Two Hundred And Eighty Four

The small Pembroke dining room, though modest, was filled with a warmth it hadn't known in months. The flickering candlelight danced off the polished surface of the "good silver," and the air was rich with the savory scent of Mrs. Pembroke's carefully prepared beef stew. For the first time in a long time, she felt a genuine sense of hope.

Victoria took another delicate bite of the stew, her eyes closing in pleasure for a moment. "Mother, this is so good," she said, her voice full of a sincere, unaffected delight. "It's the best I've ever had."

Mrs. Pembroke, who had been watching her with the nervous intensity of a hawk, felt a wave of relief. "Really?" she asked, a pleased smile spreading across her face.

"Truly," Victoria insisted. "You must have worked so hard to make all of this for my visit."

"Not at all, my dear," Mrs. Pembroke lied smoothly, a practiced hostess falling back into old habits. "This is how we usually eat. A simple, hearty meal."

"Usually?" Evelin blurted out absentmindedly, her mouth full of bread she had just used to mop up her gravy. "We don't always have this much meat…"

The words, spoken with the thoughtless honesty of a child, hung in the air like a discordant note. The pleasant atmosphere froze. Evelin's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. She looked at her mother's face, which had gone pale with a hot, mortified blush, and then quickly looked back down at her plate, suddenly finding the pattern on the porcelain intensely fascinating. She continued eating in a tense, guilty silence.

A thick, awkward quiet descended on the table. Mrs. Pembroke's smile was now a tight, frozen grimace. " That foolish, foolish girl!" she thought, her mind racing. "After I begged her! Now she knows. She knows we're poor. She'll think we're common. She'll tell her father, the Duke! It's all ruined."

But then, a soft, musical sound broke the tension. Victoria chuckled. It was not a laugh of mockery or pity, but a gentle, understanding sound that instantly put everyone at ease. She turned her kind eyes to Evelin.

"Evelin, do you have some free time next week?" Victoria asked, skillfully changing the subject. "I want to go to Madame Dubois to have my measurements for the wedding gown taken. I would love for you to come with me."

Evelin's head snapped up, her earlier blunder completely forgotten, her eyes sparkling with joy she hasn't felt in months. "Really?" she breathed, the word full of awe.

Victoria looked at George, a radiant, happy smile on her face. "We are getting married soon," she explained, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "My father has already accepted George, and your mother has accepted me. Which means you and I will be sisters. It's all settled." She then turned her brilliant smile back to Evelin. "And once we are done with my fitting, I think we should get you some new dresses, shoes, and whatever accessories that catches your eyes as well."

George, who had been watching this exchange with a mixture of love and slight discomfort, finally spoke up. "She already has decent wears, Vi," he said softly, a faint blush on his cheeks. He loved her generosity, but his pride stung at the thought of his family appearing like charity cases. "I just bought her a dress last week. There's really no need for all that."

Evelin Murmured to herself " Well, it was a dress that was two seasons late. Now you won't let me enter a high fashioned modiste store. How wicked can you be?" She grumbled.

"There is every need, George," Victoria replied, her voice firm but full of an unshakable kindness. She reached across and placed her hand on Evelin's. "Evelin will be my sister-in-law, and a sister to me. I have never had one before." Her expression was earnest and full of a genuine desire to connect. "There is nothing wrong with spoiling her a little. I want to."

Evelin, feeling the warmth of Victoria's hand and the promise of a future she had only dreamed of, cut in before her brother could protest again. "When is good for you?" she asked eagerly. "I'm free tomorrow!"

Victoria laughed. "Tomorrow it is, then," she agreed. Evelin let out a little squeal of delight, pressing her hands to her cheeks to contain her happiness. Madame Dubois! she thought, her mind already spinning with images of silks and lace. The most exclusive modiste in the city! I'm going to have a new wardrobe!

Victoria then turned her attention to Mrs. Pembroke, who had been watching this all unfold with a stunned, grateful heart. "You have to come too, Mother."

Mrs. Pembroke, who was in the middle of taking a sip of water, almost choked. "Me?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise. To go to Madame Dubois, the most exclusive and expensive modiste in the city… she hadn't set foot in that shop in a very long time.

Victoria nodded, her smile never wavering. "Of course."

"Really?" Mrs. Pembroke asked again, the word a breathless whisper. She needed to be sure she wasn't dreaming and every word uttered was true.

George looked at Victoria, a look of profound love and gratitude on his face for her incredible kindness. "You don't have to do that, Vi."

"Of course I do," Victoria replied, her gaze moving back to Mrs. Pembroke. "Mother needs to look her best at our wedding. Only the best things for her." With that, she picked up the serving spoon and put another generous portion of stew onto George's plate, a simple, domestic act of love that sealed the warmth of the moment.

Everyone was happy. The awkwardness was forgotten, replaced by a feeling of genuine joy and anticipation. The Pembrokes' future, which had looked so bleak just a few months ago, was now dazzlingly bright.

And then, a sharp, heavy knock came on the front door, shattering the perfect, happy peace of the evening.