What a bore she was, to have stolen the morning’s happiness from her with a few short words. But apologies had never been her strong suit. Not if they required words.

Perhaps chocolate could do the job for her. While Libby chased after the cat, who was making rather hilarious tiny ferocious hunter noises from her bedroom, Mabena put the kettle on and got out the powdered cocoa, milk, sugar, and salt.

She was just pouring it into two cups when Libby reemerged a few minutes later, a sheet of paper in her hands, which she took with her to the sofa. When Mabena slid the peace offering onto the table, Libby didn’t even glance up.

Mabena huffed. She didn’t want to apologize. She shouldn’t have snapped at her, but she wouldn’t have had to if Libby hadn’t pressed. Always with the why. When would the girl learn that she didn’t need the answers to everything? “It’s your favorite. Don’t let it go cold.”

Libby reached out, wrapped a hand around the mug, and lifted it to her lips. Obedience. Not pleasure.

And what was Mabena now, her mother? She spun back to the kitchen and picked up her own cup. Though she didn’t take much pleasure in the taste either. “What’s that you brought out?”

A shrug, and she flipped it around for Mabena to see. “Darling found it under the bed.”

A drawing of a coat of arms. Not one from any of the families in these parts though—probably something a previous tenant had dropped.

Libby set it on the table and went back to her book.

Mabena hissed out a breath. “Are you going to make me say it?”

Silence. The rustle of a page. A voice barely above a whisper. “I would never make you say anything.”

Even though she should. Any other lady would probably have met her attitude with an ultimatum: apologize or be sacked. But Libby wasn’t like any other lady. “My lady . . . I oughtn’t to have snapped at you as I did. It wasn’t your fault, nor you I was irritated with. All right? Please stop avoiding me.”

“All right.” Still the same small voice though. Mabena hadn’t heard her sounding so . . . so insignificant since after her coming out ball last year. When Lady Telford had to threaten to cancel the order for the new set of encyclopedias if she didn’t come out of her room and get ready for that night’s musicale. When she’d been overwhelmed by all the expectations and other young ladies with their backbiting and the gentlemen who saw only pound signs when they looked at her.

Mabena couldn’t think how her one flare of temper had resulted in this. But clearly a cup of chocolate wouldn’t mend it.