“You haven’t ruined anything,” Nellie said vehemently. “Do you hear me? Not you. This is your mother’s doing.”

Alice grimaced. People never viewed it as such. All her life she had been judged alongside her mother, disregarded because her mother was overbearing and rude. No one wanted to befriend a girl who lived under such a dark cloud.

“I’m serious,” Nellie said when Alice remained quiet. “And don’t forget about what else I said. Cut off those rotten branches so that you may thrive, Alice.”

“Thank you. I’m glad I got to know you these past few days.”

Nellie’s mouth hitched as her eyes softened. “Me, too. But you’re not rid of me so easily, Alice Lusk. I’ll see you back in New York.”

“Really?” Alice cleared her throat against a sudden rush of emotion. “I mean, you still wish to be friends even after what happened?”

“Of course. Why would I hold your mother’s actions against you?”

Because people did. All the time.

Like the few men who’d come to call on Alice but never returned after Mama talked over them the entire visit. Or Miss Wilson, who now avoided Alice because Mama did nothing but brag about the Lusk yacht during dinner one night. Carrie Astor had invited them to tea but cut the afternoon short when Alice’s mother snapped at a maid for spilling a tiny drop of cream on her skirts. Not a single member of the Astor family had acknowledged Alice since.

Nellie waved her hand. “I don’t have time to dive into this subject, so we’ll table it for now. Just know you are nothing like your mother—and thank God for that. Now, I must go find Maddie. See you back in New York.”

She disappeared and Alice was left alone with a tiny kernel of hope in her chest.

Kit knew something was wrong the second he awoke.

His bedroom overlooked the front of the house and he could hear carriages and staff, a general hustle and bustle that was unusual at this time of day. Unless guests were arriving or departing—

Bolting out of bed, he hurried to the window. Sure enough, footmen were loading trunks atop the line of carriages waiting in the drive. This wasn’t one or two departures.

This was everyone.

Goddamn it. What had happened?

He dressed quickly, shaving himself to save time. His valet turned even the simplest tasks into a production, which Kit normally appreciated, but he had to hurry this particular morning. If Alice was one of those departures . . .