Page 56 of Claws and Contrivances
She slipped a swift, sidelong glance at Mr Aubrey. Unlike her uncle, he had left his own book firmly shut on his lap as he watched her with focused attention. Her breathing steadied as their gazes met. He gave her a small nod, and she began.
It was simple enough to relate her uncle’s part of the adventure, with his occasional mumbled help whenever she stumbled over the details. Aunt Parry’s eyebrows rose higher and higher as she listened, but she didn’t interrupt ... until Rose came to her discovery of Rhiannon.
“In our buttery? What in heaven’s name was she doing there? She could have been injured by any one of a number of dangers! All those towering piles of broken furniture ...!”
“So you see why I couldn’t leave her there.” Rose gave her aunt a warm and genuine smile. Of course, Rhiannon’s safety was Aunt Parry’s first concern; there was a reason this home had filled with loving friends the other night and had become a haven over the years to more than one type of rescued creature. “But as I didn’t yet know, at that point, that my uncle had found another dragon already ...”
“Hmm.” Aunt Parry’s eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to her husband.
Wincing, he slid an inch further down in his seat. “I did wish to tell you, my dear, but I’m afraid the shame was so intense ...”
“So you kept it cooped up in your study, of all places – for over a week? Humphrey, you are absurd. Had you entirely forgotten how Cwtch treated our furniture and my manuscript at that age? If you had only told me everything from the beginning ...”
“I should have, I know.” He met her eyes, his gaze openly pleading. “But the fear of losing your good opinion forever ...”
“Absurd,” Aunt Parry repeated with finality, and then took his closest hand in hers. “Do continue, Rose, dear.”
“Well, as I didn’t know where Rhiannon had come from, we thought—that is to say, I thought—”
“How many of my daughters were involved in this conversation?”
Beth cringed as she lifted her hand a scant inch, but Georgie flapped her own hand with vigour. “Oh, and we both told Rose not to mention the dragon to Papa,” Georgie added, “in case it set him off on another of his doldrums about dragons and magic. You remember how Mrs Davies—”
“Oh, no!” Aunt Parry sat forwards, looking, for the first time, truly horrified. “No one’s told Mrs Davies about any of this nonsense, have they?” The whole circle shook their heads in unison, and she sat back with a gusting sigh. “Thank goodness!”
“So ...” Continuing her slow, soothing strokes of Griff’s scales, Rose forced herself to state every unpalatable truth that followed, from her first decision to disguise her appearance and visit Sir Gareth’s household ...
“At least you had enough sense to choose a disguise that would hide your face,” her aunt muttered.
... Through the accident on the road that had ruined her walking veil and her subsequent decision to have Mr Aubrey drive her to Penryddn House and do the questioning himself.
“Hmm.” Her aunt’s eyes were thin, suspicious slits. “I take it, then, that you hadn’t ever met Mr Aubrey before that moment?”
“Ah ...”
“I am a family acquaintance, actually.” Mr Aubrey spoke for the first time since Rose had begun. “My oldest and closest friend is soon to wed one of her sisters.”
Good lord. Rose had never heard him tell an untruth before, let alone such a blatant one! What was he thinking? She turned to stare at him, but her aunt interrupted.
“We’ll hear more about that later, if you please. In the meantime, you said you stepped into his closed carriage ...”
There were no more interruptions as Rose related the first part of their meeting with Sir Gareth. However, when she came to his unpleasant insinuations and threats, and the solution she had found of announcing her betrothal to Mr Aubrey, her aunt closed her eyes for a long moment and held up one hand to silence the room.
Georgie pulled a sympathetic face at Rose across the circle. Beth blinked back tears. Serena tilted her head to slip Rose a look of surprised respect from her prone position. Uncle Parry frowned heavily.
The silence finally broke with a long, controlled sigh from Aunt Parry. Her eyes snapped open. “Continue.”
Rose swallowed nervously. “Of course, at that point, I never thought I would see Mr Aubrey again. As I didn’t yet realise that he was the honoured guest coming to visit Uncle Parry ...”
“No more.” Aunt Parry shook her head firmly, high points of colour flushing her cheeks. “My heart will not support the pressure of such anxiety. When I imagine—!”
Uncle Parry placed his free hand on top of their clasped hands, squeezing gently.
She tipped her head briefly against his shoulder. “Thank you, my dear.” Taking another breath, she straightened and aimed a minatory look at Rose. “We will discuss this matter in fine detail later.”
“Yes, Aunt,” Rose mumbled.
Rhiannon coiled tighter around her leg, Griff leaned his head against her chest, and every one of her cousins gave her looks of intense empathy.
