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Harriet’s gaze sharpened. “Lowe? He did that?” She gestured subtly to Belinda’s cheek.

Belinda turned away. “It is nothing.”

“Nothing?” Harriet’s voice rose. “A man lays his hands on you and you call it nothing? You, of all people, Miss Cooper. You are too proud to suffer fools like Lowe.”

The other woman turned back, her expression hard. “Pride? Pride will not keep me fed, my lady. Or would you prefer I take a position in a bawdy house? Because that was the other option.”

Harriet flinched. “No. Of course not.”

The tension between them crackled. Harriet regarded Belinda carefully. The woman’s appearance remained flawless, despite her circumstances. Her hair gleamed, her gown was pressed, and her posture impeccable.

“You look as though you have not suffered a day in your life,” Harriet murmured. “Who is doing this for you? Did Lowe hire you a lady’s maid?”

Belinda laughed bitterly. “Lowe? Ha! The man is too cheap to provide more than a maid and old woman who comes in to cook. He only does that to keep my hands soft. I do for myself. Lowe has no interest in keeping me comfortable. Only convenient.”

Harriet’s fingers tightened around her gloves. “Belinda, you cannot live like this.”

Belinda’s expression softened, and for the first time, Harriet saw the exhaustion there. “Do you think I don’t know that? But what choice do I have? I am nearly forty years of age, my lady. Forty! My beauty fading, my reputation tarnished.”

Seething, Harriet clenched her fists and turned away. “My father is a vile man!”

There was no response. When she turned back, she found Belinda dabbing at her eyes with a lace handkerchief, and her heart broke all over again.

“Not to me. Not until … now.”

“You cared for him?”

Belinda’s face crumpled with grief, and she quickly turned away in a bid to salvage her dignity. “Aren’t I ridiculous? The oldest story in the book. A respectable woman in service ensnared by the false attentions of a viscount. So stupid as to believe it was love until I grew too old for his tastes.”

Harriet stared at her back.

How on earth did Belinda fasten the buttons on the back of her bodice?

She tried to think what to say. What would help. It was still a novel experience trying to find the words to lift the spirits of another person, not being a skill she had developed.

“Perhaps it was.”

The other woman turned back in surprise, her face carefully dabbed but astonished.

“Perhaps … he did once care. The thing is, some men do not take aging well. It is possible that as he saw you age, the young woman he had drawn to his side so many years ago, perhaps it made him aware of his mortality. Perhaps that was why he felt the need for … a younger paramour. So he could pretend he was younger, too.”

Belinda tilted her head, considering this notion with a flutter of eyelashes.

“That does sound like Bertram,” she eventually remarked.

Harriet nodded. “My father does not have well-matured morals. He is rather single-minded about maintaining his vanities. A more desirable paramour reflects better on him.”

“It is just that … taking back the gifts and refusing to pay the settlement …” Belinda lifted a trembling hand to fidget with her hair. “Never mind that. Can I offer you some tea?”

“I shall not stay that long.” Harriet tried to think what to do next. She had assured Evaline that when she met with Belinda, she would know what to say, but she found her mind a blank at this crucial time. “How is it? Here?”

Belinda sighed sadly. “Boring. I used to maintain a household for your father. He visited often, and we went frequently to social events together. Lowe mostly drinks and gambles, while I spend most of my time in these two rooms. Venturing out into the neighborhood is … daunting. I find myself regretting the choices that led me here.”

Harriet thought about how reassuring it had been to have Jonas waiting for her downstairs and nodded in understanding.

“You mentioned you were in service when Father," Harriet hesitated, trying to find a kinder word, "met you. What did you do?”

Belinda smiled. “I was a lady’s maid for two young ladies making their debut. I sometimes accompanied them as a second chaperone.”