Beth's mouth drops open as she takes in all these guidelines, which she realizes belatedly is probably also against the rules here. "Are you serious?"

Okay, she no longer sounds a thing like her sister. Maggie, who once ran a tractor over an ex-boyfriend's car without the slightest remorse, would never advise Beth to keep her eyes down and her mouth shut. It's a sudden, lonely feeling, like getting out of a warm bed on a cold morning.

But even if this isn't family at her side--and damn, it really isn't--she doesn't have better options at hand. There's no time to say anything else, unfortunately; when the guard comes back, it's obvious even to Beth that they probably should keep a countess waiting.