"These aristocratic families?" Daphne's laugh held no humor. "The relationships between them are like weather vanes—always pointing in the direction of advantage."
I leaned back in my chair, considering her words. "So alliances form and dissolve based purely on self-interest."
"Precisely." She smoothed her robes with practiced elegance. "My family, the Grenvilles, has been allied with the Westwoods for three generations. But that doesn't mean we trust them."
"And what about your personal alliances, Daphne?" I asked, watching her face carefully.
Her eyes met mine without flinching. "I'm a Grenville first and foremost. But that doesn't mean I'm blind to injustice."
I nodded slowly. The Daphne sitting before me seemed different from the calculating woman I'd encountered previously—more genuine, perhaps, though still playing her own game.
