This was a lifestyle he couldn't abide. Never would he let Aurelia suffer the sfate.
Charles’ face turned pale, as most men tend to think only from a man's perspective, hardly ever spare a thought for women. For
him, it was about his own pleasures, and why would he care whether Harriet was happy or not?
"A woman should be virtuous and well-mannered, and that's a tradition of the Stirling family that dates back centuries, and
nobody's going to break it. What's the use of a wife if she's not domestic?" he huffed.
Aurelia countered, "A woman's virtue is based on the respect a man gives her. A husband's infidelity is an insult to his wife. How
would you feel if the tables were turned and Aunt Harriet cheated on you? Would you still be virtuous and well-mannered then?"
Charles choked on his words.
"Men and women are not the same. A man can have his flings, but a woman? Absolutely not."
Aurelia spoke calmly, "Uncle Charles, as I've told you before, we've moved past the days of old. Men and women are equals now. If
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtmen can play around, so can women."
Charles was nearly bursting with anger.
He couldn't forgive Harriet's vile behavior. She needed to be disciplined with a firm hand, to set an example for others.
"Regardless of what you say today, I'm going to propose that we enforce the family law on her. Every country has its laws, and
every household has its rules. Break them, and you must be punished. Otherwise, she'll end up walking all over me, and who
knows what other disgraceful things she'll do."
Leopold suggested, "Your proposal won't pass, so why bother stirring up trouble? The best solution here is to let bygones be
bygones."
"And we can't take a servant's word as evidence," Aurelia added, "Who knows if they've been bought off to slander Aunt Harriet?"
Charles rolled his eyes, "I'll call a family council to judge this woman."
Harriet slammed her hand on the table and stood up from the couch.
"Go ahead, call it. I'm not afraid. If you don't, you're the coward."
At that moment, Jessica walked in, having heard a fair bit of the conversation.
"Charles, let's put an end to this matter, shall we? It's the holiday season, what's all this fuss about?"
Charles was livid, "Jessica, these youngsters might be clueless, unable to discern right from wrong, but are you going to condone
her malicious antics too?"
Jessica sat on the couch, and Aurelia poured her a cup of tea.
After taking a sip, Jessica said, "It's a trivial matter, not worth escalating. Be careful in the future. Have fun, but don't go fathering
children. You're almost a grandfather, and do you really want to be a dad again?"
A twitch passed across Charles’ face, "Jessica, I'm only fifty, not that old."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
Jessica replied, "Fifty is not young either. Take care of your health when you're out and about. Don't ruin your body like Chad did."
Charles almost fainted, coughing behind his hand.
Chad's debacle was indeed a cautionary tale for the Stirling men. In his eyes, he was more restrained, certainly better than Chad,
who had wrecked his health with his escapades. Plus, he'd been taking all sorts of supplements to keep himself in shape.
"Jessica, I'm in fine health. You can't lumpin with Chad."
Jessica said, "Charles, the Stirling family is a large clan with many branches, not just our own. Let's not turn a molehill into a
mountain and give the relatives a show. You used to be quite measured. How cyou've becso unreasonable after getting
involved with an actress? It shows the trouble that beauty can bring."
Charles was internally upended, as the reins of the household had now passed to Leopold.
He and Jessica were among those who despised mistresses the most, their hatred was bone-deep. How could they possibly take his
side?