Camilla's Conscience by Sandra Heath

Author:Sandra Heath [Heath, Sandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: regency romance
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 2017-07-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Camilla interrogated her maid first thing the following morning.

“Good morning, Mary,” she said, sitting up in bed and pushing her untidy hair from her face.

“Good morning, my lady,” Mary replied as she drew back the dusky blue velvet curtains so the morning sunlight flooded into the room.

Camilla got up to sit by the fire, where the warmth drew out the lingering fragrance of long-gone incense from the two burners on the hearth. She glanced at the maid. “Have you attended Mam’selle yet, Mary?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I trust she’s looking forward to riding on such a beautiful morning?”

“Yes, my lady,” Mary said as she brought the customary cup of tea.

Camilla looked up into her eyes. “You’ve been betraying my trust, haven’t you, Mary?” she said quietly.

The maid’s breath caught. “Oh, no, my lady! I wouldn’t do anything to—”

“But you have, Mary, you’ve been assisting Mam’selle in her liaison with Lord de Marne. Well? It’s true, isn’t it?”

“I...” Mary bit her lip. “Yes, my lady, but I’ve only carried messages.”

“Did you know Mam’selle is to be betrothed to someone other than Lord de Marne?”

Mary’s eyes widened with dismay. “No, my lady, she just said she was being cruelly parted from the gentleman she loved with all her heart. She told me Lord de Marne was all that was suitable, but that Lady Cayne disapproved so much she’d beaten her.”

Camilla stared and then gave an incredulous laugh. “She said what? That Lady Cayne beat her?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Mam’selle has lied to you in order to gain your help, Mary,” Camilla said, thinking privately that if there was one thing Sophie Arenburg did deserve it was a sound beating.

Tears filled Mary’s eyes. “I—I’m very sorry, my lady.”

“So you should be.”

“What will you do, my lady? Am I to be dismissed?”

“It would be no more than you deserve.”

A sob choked Mary’s voice. “I—I was sorry for her, my lady. I really believed she’d been beaten at Ennismount House, and I wanted to help her. I didn’t think I was being disloyal to you.”

“I’ll consider keeping you on provided you tell me everything you know. What happened before we left London?”

“Lord de Marne didn’t go to Scotland, he tried to see Mam’selle the first night she came to you. He nearly got caught.”

Camilla’s lips parted. “Are you saying Lord de Marne was the burglar?”

“Yes, my lady, then he came back to Cavendish Square the next morning, when it was foggy. I was just taking him a note from Mam’selle when you came into the room.”

Camilla thought back. Sophie had been standing by the window, and said the maid had gone for tea, but Mary came back without any. “Go on, Mary.”

“The note asked Lord de Marne to come to the kitchen door that night, when everyone had gone to bed. Mam’selle hoped by then she’d know if she could come here with you, and which way we’d travel. She wanted to see him during the journey, when we stopped at the Cross Keys.”

How right Dominic had been. Camilla drew a slow breath.

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