Page 94 of Rescued from Betrayal
“It is true.”
A maid passed by Nathaniel with a perplexed look, pulling his attention away from the door and he missed part of what Melior said.
“…raise herself in Society. Think about it. You are the daughter of a duke; I am the niece of one. As the daughter of an earl with atrocious spending habits and even worse managerial abilities,Edith is desperate to raise her station and keep herself from ruin.”
“I suppose in the back of my mind, I knew that, but why ruin the reputations of the two women who could raise her consequence in Society?”
Lady Agatha’s reputation had been tarnished as well? Nathaniel balled his fist. It was good Lady Edith was nowhere in sight because it was not gentlemanly to hit a lady.
“A marriage to a marquess will do far more for her future than either of us could,” Melior said.
Sniffles and a muffled sob met his ears, but no words. Which lady cried? Was it both? He could not bear the idea of Melior crying without comforting her.
He opened the door. She glanced up from where she sat on the settee holding Lady Agatha. Moisture filled her eyes, but no tears fell.
“But I actually love him,” Lady Agatha sobbed into her shoulder. “And now he will never look at me again.”
Melior’s eyes flicked back to the doorway and he scrunched his brow. What was she trying to say? Lady Agatha’s head began to rise and Melior gestured with her chin to the door.
He backed out, realizing the wisdom of not being seen by her friend. This was not a confession the lady would wish to be witnessed. But before he left he heard her say, “Mother insists we decant to the country. I am banished, and I shall never see him again.”
Nathaniel’s heart twisted in his chest at her agony. At least for he and Melior things had righted themselves, but Lady Agatha had not been so lucky.
He cursed under his breath, Lady Agatha’s cries and Melior’s tear-filled eyes swimming in his mind. Did one need to remain a gentleman when a lady was so ruthless?
Melior smoothed her cream-colored gown with its gold overlay as they exited the carriage the next night. Agatha’s cries still rang in her mind as they approached the glowing entrance to Lord Brock’s London home.
A long and serious discussion had ensued between her and Nathaniel as she shared how Edith had bandied it about Town that Agatha had been seen in Cheapside with Mr. Fairchild. How she’d known about his liaison, Melior could only imagine, but the fact that she had used the meeting as fuel for gossip made her suspicious.
In the end, Nathaniel had convinced her to move forward with their pursuit. It was the only thing that made sense. Who knew how many women Edith would ruin to achieve her goal?
Inside people milled about, greeting each other and slowly filing into the large music room. A refreshment table had been set up at the back of the room, lemonade and an assortment of small cakes and sandwiches spread across the flat surface.
Nathaniel offered to get her something but her nerves had stolen her appetite. Near the front of the room people took their seats. Among them was Lord Caraway, Lady Jane on his arm. He showed her to a seat and took the one next to her.
Melior frowned. Perhaps Lady Jane was not so innocent.
Javenia bumped her arm. “Smooth your face,” she whispered. “She is not the enemy.”
Taking a deep breath, Melior let go of her past prejudice and leaned into Javenia’s words. If Lady Jane was innocent, she would know by the end of the night, but it pained her to realize how it would be done.
Edith entered behind her rotund father and began looking over the crowd. Melior shrank back not wanting to be seen, butEdith’s eyes found Lord Caraway and Lady Jane first. The hatred Melior saw there was fleeting but intense.
Edith quickly smoothed her expression into the emotionless face Melior had grown to recognize as a mask.
Stepping to the lady nearest her, Edith opened her fan and whispered something behind it. The other woman’s eyes widened and her eyes darted to the front of the room. Soon that woman sidled up to another lady, and Edith approached Mrs. Cline and Lady Plum.
The two older ladies welcomed her with a smile and listened intently as Edith divulged something Melior was sure was detrimental to Lady Jane’s reputation.
She glanced at Lady Jane and saw her face losing its color as her eyes darted about the room. It seemed she had expected chatter, but did she know who the source was?
A lady Melior did not know approached Javenia. “Have you heard, Miss Harris?”
“It is nice to see you too, Mrs. Williams.” Javenia’s dry remark did not even stop the lady.
“It seems Lady Jane is not as worthy of being among us as we thought.”
“I do not see why not.”
