Married to the Rogue by Lancaster Mary

Author:Lancaster, Mary
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Romance
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2020-11-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

“Frederica, take everyone back inside,” Christopher said in a hard voice.

“Chris, please—” Mrs. Ireton began to plead.

“Now,” Christopher said pleasantly.

The damage was done. Nothing could save this evening for Lucy now. Deborah, white-faced, seized Lucy’s cold hand and dragged her away, but Mrs. Ireton was before her, her arm linked to her brother’s, hauling him away with something very like fright.

As she reached the front steps, a thud and a groan made Deborah look behind her. But she could not see the garden path, and there was no sign of either Ireton or Christopher.

Lucy said nothing at all. Pale and silent, she returned to the drawing room with Deborah and went immediately to sit by her mother. Sir Edmund sat at the other side of the room. The mothers of the supposedly happy couple looked perplexed.

Now was, presumably, to have been the moment of announcement, but Sir Edmund, stiff-lipped, said nothing at all.

Almost blindly, Deborah took a cup of tea from Lady Letchworth, murmuring a word of thanks before going to seat herself on a vacant sofa. She wondered with despair if Christopher would fight a duel with Ireton, or if Christopher would just try and persuade him to keep his mouth shut.

Dudley sat down heavily beside her. “I don’t suppose you’d agree to order the carriage early?” he suggested quietly.

“Why, is something wrong?”

“No, oh no, it’s just that my wife is at Gosmere Hall. She arrived this evening shortly after we left, and she doesn’t know…”

“About Rupert?” Deborah murmured. “I’m sure you and I could go once we’ve finished tea, and if the others wish to stay longer, we can always send the carriage back. But Dudley—” She broke off as Christopher strolled into the room.

He didn’t appear to have a hair out of place, although for some reason, he was wearing gloves, which he seemed to have forgotten as he took his tea from Lady Letchworth. He came and perched on the arm of Deborah’s sofa.

“Where did you leave my husband?” Mrs. Ireton asked with a reasonable imitation of amusement.

“He got lost in the maze, silly clunch,” Christopher said mildly. “He sent me away. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he has fallen over in the dark. Send a search party to fetch him in ten minutes.”

“Lady Bilston is at Gosmere,” Deborah said bluntly. “She arrived early. Do you think Dudley and I should go and welcome her? The sad choice is between being rude to her or to Lady Letchworth.”

“Oh, you must not stand on ceremony with me, my dear,” Lady Letchworth declared. “The dinner was quite informal, and Lady Bilston will be all alone at Gosmere, will she not?”

This, of course, was not Dudley’s chief concern, but Deborah merely agreed and thanked her hostess for her kind understanding. “You must come for dinner at Gosmere now we have got the most useful rooms in order,” she said recklessly.

A footman appeared at the door. “The carriage is ready for Mrs. Shelby, my lady.”

Lady Letchworth’s eyebrows flew

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