Page 21 of A Wallflower Never Forgets
Making sure the dowager countess was behind him, Rupert opened the door to find the Dowager Duchess of Aumale standing there. He stepped aside to reveal the Dowager Countess of Rochester, and the duchess held out a wrapped package in front of her.
“Happy Birthday, Lady Rochester. I hope you won’t mind my last-minute decision to attend. Your footman refused to take my trunk, so I fear there’s been some sort of mistake.”
Jonathan edged his way to a darkened corner behind the dowager countess. He glanced over his shoulder and noted his friends had disappeared into the sitting room and were doubtless listening in like schoolboys.
Seeming to understand the situation, the dowager countess cleared her throat. “Mistake, dear? I confess this has never happened. I’ve never had a house party guest show up…without an invitation. Most unusual.”
The duchess’ face turned a dark shade of pink. “I am stranded. My driver says he thinks he heard a wheel crack, and since we knew of your manor house close by, we thought we might seek help here. I had been on my way to my brother’s home for a visit, but we were too afraid to go any farther—for my safety. Luckily, I’d been planning to stop by and leave a gift for your birthday on my way. But now, it seems I find myself unexpectedly stranded.” She offered the wrapped parcel to the dowager countess, who accepted it with a cool disdain.
“That is very gracious, my dear. Unfortunately, we have no room for you. It is my birthday, and we have filled the house with my dearest friends and family.”
The dowager duchess’ face darkened.
“Besides, I don’t believe your reason for stopping by. Not one whit.”
The dowager duchess sputtered at the intended insult. “You…you realize you are speaking to a duchess do you not?”
“Pish, posh! Let’s not get into the subject of titles and expectations. Facts can be so tedious. As you pointed out, it’s my birthday. Why don’t you tell me the real reason for your sudden arrival, my dear?” The dowager countess tapped her brass cane, something she did when she was getting ready to make a point.
“I have only the best intentions…”
“I know all about your intentions,” the dowager countess said, tapping her cane once more. “I understand you’ve been roaming about Bath for a new conquest after the sudden demise of your husband. I do wish you luck, but you’ll have to continue your prowling elsewhere. We already have an adopted kitten. We have no room here for alley cats.”
Judging from the crimson shade of her face and neck, Jonathan was certain Diana’s head would explode any moment.
“Allow me to see you to your carriage, your Grace,” Jonathan said, stepping forward from the shadowed corner where he’d been observing the dowager countess berate Diana. Despite his desire to arrest her on the spot, his instinct told him to proceed with caution.
Diana could only sputter as he offered her his arm and walked her to the carriage. He paused briefly while she whispered to him.
“Jonathan, I am completely offended and mortified by that woman’s treatment of me. But I am so very grateful that you gallantly stepped in to rescue me. I’ve thought of only you these past many months. I realized what a fool I was to have listened to my parents. They all but forced me to leave you and marry Aumale,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
“You truly missed your calling, Diana. You would have been perfect for the stage,” he said in a cold voice. Diana gasped and proceeded to act the role of a poor, victimized woman.
He pretended to listen to her as he glanced at the wheels of her carriage but paid more attention to the freshly painted doors. He could see what the stable boy had described. There seemed to be remnants of a gilded letter A beneath the black lacquer.
“I don’t see any problems with the wheels of your carriage,” he said. “But I would suggest you find some lodging for yourself, just in case.”
“Please, Jonathan. You must listen to me…” she pleaded.
He laughed harshly. “That’s rich. You were a gold digger then, and you are still digging now. I’m only glad I realized it before it was too late.”
“How dare you! You were the one who seduced me, if you recall.”
His eyes narrowed. “Yes, I do recall. I also recall how strange I felt the next morning. As though I’d had far too much to drink when I’d only consumed one glass of brandy.”
Diana tossed her head, her eyes flashing with fury. “It’s that simpering Lady Melanie Stenson,” she snapped, her voice filled with fury. “She is after you. She was after you then four years ago. But you were too besotted with me to notice her back then. Of course, she looked like a child. Gazing up at you as though you were her knight in shining armor. You must have broken her heart when you didn’t even ask her to dance. It was her first Season. How insensitive of you. I’m surprised she even deigns to speak to you after you treated her with such inconsiderate disdain. Then again, she could never compete with me. And back then, you only had eyes for me.”
“Did the duke leave you this carriage?” he asked simply.
“No,” she shot back. “It’s always been my carriage.”
“Well, take your carriage back to where you came from. I’d make haste…in case the make-believe break in the wheel worsens.”
Jonathan watched as Diana screamed at her driver to make haste. He blew out a breath. He’d kept her talking long enough so that Rochester could instruct two of his footmen to follow Diana’s carriage.
The last thing Jonathan wanted was to confront Diana about attempting to run over Melanie. He’d needed to make certain by looking over the carriage himself. With Rochester’s footmen following her, he and his friends could confront her properly and deal with her later.
He blew out a frustrated breath. It angered him that he had to let her go. But for Melanie’s sake, he did. Catching a movement from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Melanie turn from the window in the drawing room where she must have been watching. Had he seen tears in her eyes? Damn! What she must be thinking. He needed to speak to her, but he didn’t have time at the moment.
