Her summons was unsurprising. She knew when the day came her brother would call upon her to help Emma with her wedding plans. Lucille knew all too well of her sister-in-law's vain and hapless nature. That was the misfortune of being sister to a brother married to a shrew. She bit back more harmful words reminding herself that she was still a lady, whether she had married or not. Many would call her an ape-leader, which perhaps was not far from the truth. Her life had been far from the drudgery of being a companion to an elderly woman or a governess to ungrateful children. As the product of an indulgent father and loving mother, she had grown up to be spirited and independent. Those qualities were very much frowned upon in society. They were the same that got her in trouble. With her feisty nature, Lucille had risked no time at all falling in love with an unsuitable rake. One could call him a fortune hunter and the declaration would not be untrue. Though he was of an old family, he had wasted no time in gambling away the small fortune left to him upon his father’s death.
