Tina helped her to sip from the small cup of water before Nona continued. “Your grandfather was very tolerant of us. He allowed us to camp on his land—and allowed your mother to spend months at a time with us. It was good for her and she learned much. At one time, I thought she would marry one of us but, once again, the cards said it was not to be. Before she went off to London for her debut, I knew she would not return for many years. Not long after your parents sailed for India, my Shana and her husband perished in a fire. We have not journeyed to that area since.”
Nona closed the casket and set it aside as Tina spoke. “I do not know what we would have done without you, Nona. Perhaps Felicia is destined to join Mira and Carlo, and the others.”
“Certainly she is spirited enough, but it is not to be. You, JoJo, and little Caro will fare well, the cards have said so. That is enough. But there will be no more contact between you and our people. It is as it should be. You are members of the nobility and none will cast slurs upon you.”
“But Nona, our own grandmother despises us—Jon and I—for our blood. It does not matter to her we are two generations removed.”
“She does not matter.” Nona waived away her objections. “The cards have not said whether she will ever come around, but it is clear she will not matter.”
Tina considered her words. She knew better than to question Nona’s belief in her cards. They had directed her great-grandmother’s entire life, but Tina found her unquestionable reliance on them unnerving. She, frankly, did not believe consulting the cards or a crystal ball, or anything else could take the place of reasoned logic. The cards might be helpful when wrestling with a matter requiring some thought, but they should not be relied upon to the exclusion of all else, and when it came to action, reason and practicality often won out.
Practicality was the reason the old marquis taught her to shoot and Jon, in turn, taught Felicia. It was the reason she and Felicia could not live under the same roof as Mr. Milton. And, she was forced to admit, it was probably the reason she would marry the current marquis if he asked—regardless of Nona’s edict.
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
About the Author
A Reason to Rebel Page 25