Page 31 of A Lady's Past
The Middleton townhouse was brightly lit. Laughter and voices drifted out into the street. Diana would not allow her worries to ruin the evening. Honoria was right, all would be well.
All the Everton ladies had boasted about the Duchess of Middleton having been an Everton lady at one time. In their two meetings, Diana had found her kind and easy to speak with. Hopefully her disappearance from the ball hadn’t soured the opinions of her host and hostess for the night.
As soon as they entered, Jacques crossed the parlor to greet them. “I thought perhaps you had changed your mind.”
If they had met under different circumstances, they might have been lovers. Diana wished things were easier, but the truth was, the worry she felt as they rode through town was all too real. “No. I’ve been penned up in that house long enough. I’m near to losing my mind.”
Honoria sighed. “Bertram would have preferred we remain at home, and has posted footmen around the house. I’m sure all of this is more than adequate to ensure Miss St. Cloud’s safety.”
Worry twisted in Diana’s gut.
Jacques leaned in. “Is something wrong?”
Sunshine and woodsmoke, along with the scent that was uniquely Jacques’s, flooded her senses. Gracious, he made her into a fool. Shaking off the notion before she swooned, Diana said, “I thought we were being watched when we left Everton House, but I’m sure it’s just my nerves getting to me.”
He studied her a while longer, then smiled. “It would be very bold to watch a house in a busy neighborhood while still daylight. I am sure it is too much worry, with guards and orders to remain indoors.”
The Duke and Duchess of Middleton were elegant as they moved around the room speaking to each of their guests. Millicent Knowles née Edgebrook dressed boldly in a ruby gown. She might have been an Everton lady at one time and the ward of her eccentric uncle at another, but now she was every bit a duchess. Next to her tall husband dressed in black, they struck a lovely portrait.
Diana followed Honoria into the parlor with Jacques by her side. He made no attempt to hide his regard. Her skin heated, and she wished she could hide the blush. “You should not accompany me as if we were courting, monsieur.”
That wicked smile she associated with Jacques when he was happy sent delight through her. “I am going to pretend you did not say that. You and I will discuss our status in private when all of this other nonsense is at an end.”
“It will never be at an end.” Before he could respond, she turned and walked to where Millicent stood talking to a blond lady with a kind smile.
Millicent smiled. “It’s so good to see you again, Miss St. Cloud. I worried about you when we lost sight of you at the ball.”
“I’m sorry to have worried everyone, Your Grace. I tore my dress and could not return.” The lie was necessary since a woman whom she’d never met was present.
Smiling, Millicent made the introductions. “May I present my friend, Miss Diana St. Cloud? This is Elinor Rollins, the Duchess of Kerburghe.”
Shock must have registered on Diana’s face, because Elinor laughed. “Are you surprised I’m a duchess or have you met my husband?”
Shaking herself out of her rudeness, Diana regained her composure. “I apologize, Your Grace. I don’t know what I expected His Grace’s wife to be like, but you look like an angel.”
She laughed again. “Michael is the angel for putting up with me and all of the children.”
“Nonsense,” Millicent said. “He loves all of you and you know it. Michael thrives best in chaos, and that means he either needs to go to war or live with you and the brood you two have amassed.”
A lovely smile lit Elinor’s face. “I admit I love the madness too. I do insist that you dispense with calling me Your Grace. I’ll never get use to that title. I would be honored if you would call me Elinor.”
Millicent was already nodding. “I have already invited Diana to call me Millie. Just over a year ago I was an Everton lady myself, and I much prefer names to titles.”
Two duchesses had just asked her to use their familiar names. Was outcast and escaped prisoner Diana suddenly friends with duchesses? It was not possible. The world had turned topsy-turvy, and it was best to just ride it out and enjoy. “Thank you. Please call me Diana. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy working with your uncle. He’s quite brilliant.”
Staring at her wide-eyed, Millicent’s mouth hung open. “Most people think him mad.”
It would probably be best to drop the subject, but society’s ignorance of Francis Edgebrook’s abilities was untenable. “Perhaps he is a bit reckless and enthusiastic, but he’s certainly not crazy.”
Both Millicent and Elinor laughed. Millicent pulled Diana into a hug. “You need not defend him to me. I adore him and only worry he’ll truly blow himself to bits one day. It’s quite refreshing for Uncle Francis to have an advocate besides me. Now he has both Mr. Laurent and you, Diana. I shall be easier about his safety from here on.”
Guilt over not being able to help Francis over the last week tugged at Diana. “I hope in the future your uncle will allow me to help him improve a great many things in this world.”
Before Millicent could respond, the butler entered. “Dinner is served.”
Diana waited until everyone else had entered the dining room. As she was untitled and of no importance, her place was at the very last. All of Bertram’s preparations for leaving Everton House meant they had arrived after most of the guests. Diana hadn’t been able to meet anyone and she worried she would be seated next to someone she didn’t know.
“May I have the honor of escorting you in, Miss St. Cloud?” Jacques’s richly accented voice was a balm to her nerves.
