Page 75 of Shining Knight
“Now sit down and tell me what has happened in the last week. You know it takes an age before the papers reach us.”
“What was the last you heard?”
“Knighton had a letter from Perth, requesting permission to court you. And Farnsworth had been here not long before, asking the same.”
“Oh,” Eugenia said, surprised. “A great deal has happened since then.”
“Are you engaged to Perth, then? I shall never forgive you if you chose Farnsworth.”
“No, indeed. It is rather a long story, though. Shall we wait for the tea?”
“That could take forever. You might as well begin now.”
Eugenia went through every detail, from Perth’s house party to Ravenhill attacking her, to Perth withdrawing his offer and Aunt Hambridge becoming betrothed to the Duke.
Her grandmother sat and listened, not even noticing when her companion brought in the tea tray and served her. Almost without heeding what she did, Granny ate her biscuits and sipped her tea, rapt with attention.
When Eugenia paused to drink her tea, her grandmother finally spoke.
“Ye gads, gel. Single handed, you have kept thetonin scandal this Season.”
“I know it,” she murmured.
“Well, I assume that is not the end of the story? Knighton would not have let you leave in shame, nor would he have allowed Ravenhill to succeed with such villainy.”
“Indeed not.” Eugenia took a deep breath.
Her grandmother rubbed her hands together. “This must be better than I thought!”
Eugenia chuckled. “How I wish you could have been there with me, Granny.”
“As do I, my dear,” Her grandmother gave a long-suffering sigh. There were decades of reminiscence in that sigh. Her granny had been the belle of Society.
“Mr. Tinsley took my aunt and me away from the house party in the middle of the night.”
“So I should hope!” her grandmother exclaimed.
“Thankfully, Rowley had arrived back in London by the time we did. The herd collectively decided that I must be seen in public. Farnsworth also agreed to continue to court me publicly, to help dispel the rumors.”
“You have run ahead of yourself, gel.”
“I have, a little,” Eugenia agreed, “but I knew at that point that the duke and my aunt were in love. However, we agreed to this charade and all went to Almack’s together. My brothers had arranged for several gentlemen to dance with me, but we had not anticipated that Ravenhill would put in an appearance that evening.”
Her grandmother gasped. “No!”
“Oh, yes. He wore a sling about his arm and a plaster on his face and milked the situation for every bit of sympathy he could.”
“The cur,” she growled.
“That is only the beginning. He tried to cut in on my partner during one of the dances and proclaimed loudly that he and I were betrothed.”
“Did Knighton call him out? How was I not informed that there was a duel?”
“I am sorry to disappoint you, Granny, but it was Mr. Tinsley who saved the day.”
“How did that rogue save the day?” she asked, with a gleam in her eye. She might call Graham a rogue, but she adored him and flirted with him as though she were twenty again.
“He announced to the ballroom that I could not be betrothed to Ravenhill because I was already betrothed to him.”
