Once she had contained herself, Shay made her way back to the ballroom. She saw Sister Teresa across the room, so headed in that direction. As she passed the ice fountain, Amanda stepped out in front of her.

"I always knew you were a conniving little sneak." Her hand came up and clipped Shay sharply on the side of her face.

Shay gasped and clutched her cheek. A surge of emotion, that she'd barely been able to set aside earlier, rushed through her. A tear trickled down her face. Shay wasn't sure if she was crying or if her eye was watering from the sting of Amanda's blow.

"Oh, don't you put on the waterworks, Shay Lytton. You knew His Grace was interested in me. You have gone out of your way to seduce him with your innocent little girl looks." Amanda jutted out her jaw and hissed, "You are nothing but a street whore."

"What did you say?" Samuel growled. He stepped around the fountain, a look of distaste on his face.

"I... Your Grace." Amanda fluttered and dropped into a curtsy.

He grabbed her by the upper arm to make her stand, and then looked over at Shay. She was crying. His tough little angel was crying. He felt there was more to it than the words Amanda had just uttered. "Shay. Follow me," he murmured and hoped his tone wasn't as angry as he felt. "You." Samuel looked down at Amanda. "Into the drawing room. With your mother. Now!"

Shay watched him stride away. She glanced at Amanda, whose eyes had welled with tears. Shay looked after Samuel again, and then followed him.

Once the three women were in the room Samuel closed and locked the door. Lady Neilson looked from one to the other, her eyes wide in fear, fiddling with her fingers. "My Lord. Your Grace. What has happened?"

"Your daughter has just called my future wife a whore." Samuel watched the woman's mouth gap, then her jaw open and shut like a fish gasping for air. As she was about to speak, he held up his hand to stop her. "As you can see this has upset her. It has also offended me in the worst way possible. Shay is no whore. She may have not been born a lady, yet she is more lady than either of you. Any woman, who would speak about another in this way, certainly has no moral standing as far as I am concerned." He looked from one to other. "Just so we are clear. I have never had an interest in you, Lady Amanda. If we danced at a recent ball, it is something I don't remember. You were never on my list of possible wives. I kissed Shay in front of you without her permission." He turned to face Shay. "This I apologise for. It was ungentlemanly of me. Had I known it would incur such wrath on you, I would never have done it. My reason. You have made me extremely happy and proud to say I am your fiancé. No woman has ever made me feel as you do." He lifted her hand, kissed the back of it, and then turned to the Neilson women again. "If I ever hear of any gossip concerning Shay's reputation, I will come straight to you. I will destroy any standing you have. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Tears streamed down Amanda's face. Her mother's mouth once more jerked up and down.

"Do you understand what I am saying?" Samuel said, the growl in his voice unmistakable.

"Yes. Yes, Your Grace. I do apologise for my daughter's behaviour. I am deeply sorry. She will be reprimanded. I will speak to the viscount. I'm sure he will be as displeased as I am."

Samuel could have taken it further, knowing the daughter's words hadn't fallen far from the lemon tree, but he felt sure they'd got his message. "Lady Amanda. Please apologise to the future Duchess of Irvine." Samuel swept his open palm towards Shay.

Shay looked up at him. Her face coloured as her eyes met his. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Did he really mean what he'd just said? Shay noticed the muscles in his face relax as he looked at her. For a second, she thought she saw a smile fill his eyes. In the next moment he boomed, "Lady Amanda!"

"Yes. Yes, Your Grace." Amanda scurried forward and curtsied in front of Shay. "I am so sorry, Shay." She looked up, her eyes full of tears. "I really am. I know we've had our differences. I don't know what came over me." Amanda looked up at Shay from her bowed position. "The truth is, I'm jealous of you. I always have been." She stood and wiped the wet streaks from her face, and then looked at Samuel. "I am not a horrible person, My Lord. Please forgive me."

Samuel gave her a curt nod. He unlocked the door, and then opened it without a word. Both women glanced at Shay.

She smiled weakly. Amanda Neilson admitting, she was jealous. Shay thought if Amanda could openly admit this, then she could forgive her. As they left the room, Shay moved toward the door, Sam closed it before she reached it. Shay looked up at him not knowing why he wouldn't let her leave.

"I am sorry, Shay. I should never have kissed you like that. I hope you can forgive me."

The devil played in Shay's head. He looked so crestfallen. Should she make life harder for him or forgive him. The King's words came back to her. Slavery. "You are forgiven, Samuel. Even if you hadn't kissed me, the Neilson ladies would still have thought me a whore. Doing what you did brought it out in the open. I thank you for dealing with it in the way you have." She saw him reach for the door knob again, so put her hand on his to stop him from turning it. "What did King William mean when he said he was sorry to hear about your time away? He said slavery was another thing he intended to address. Were you a slaver, Samuel? Is this why you killed someone?"

Samuel stared at her. He hadn't wanted to talk to her about this. Yet. The silence seemed to go on forever. He slowly shook his head, and then murmured, "Slave."

He'd walked from the room before Shay could catch her breath. Slave? He had been in slavery for three years. The shock hit Shay hard. She had to sit down. Her head swirled. A feeling of nausea caught her. This new information, along with the events of the last few days, and Amanda's harsh words, were all catching up with her. Shay heard footsteps and looked up to see Sister Teresa standing in front of her.

"What's the matter, Shay? His Grace said you needed me." Teresa crouched so she could touch Shay's face. "You're hot and sweaty. Are you unwell?"

It was at that moment, Shay fainted.

It all seems too much for Shay to take in.  Do you think Samuel handled Amanda and her mother well?

Photo taken from Alamy