Elain was surprised by Rory's confession.
She held her cousin as Rory cried in her arms. "What can I do? I don't want to marry the man my parents have chosen for me, Elain. I've always dreamed of a love match, like the ones I read about in all those novels on my shelf. Is it wrong to want that?"
"No, it's not wrong," Elain murmured, gently patting her back.
It was never wrong to want to marry for love. But Elain also knew that most ladies in their world were rarely granted such a match. Most marriages were arranged by parents, guided by name, status, and mutual benefit.
Theo Attinson would undoubtedly secure Elain a comfortable future, and for Cynthia, that was all that mattered.
Elain spent the next two hours seated beside Rory on her bed as her cousin explained that she had never meant to deceive her. Rory confessed that she had been seeing a man for over a month.
"Do I know him?"
