Page 67 of A Scandalous Proposition
Florentina blushed but decided it would be better not to enlighten her. ‘I can’t imagine why he would wish to see me, ma’am.’
The dowager squeezed her hand. ‘That, my dear, is because you are a silly goose.’
Adam stood when they entered the room. Florentina hung back and watched the affectionate manner in which he greeted his mother, their closeness making her feel like the intruder she knew herself to be. He had looked so severe, so formidable, when they entered the room but his features relaxed into a tender smile when the dowager glided up to him. He took her hands and kissed her cheek.
‘This is a lovely surprise, Adam.’
The dowager took her favourite chair by the fireplace and it was Florentina’s turn to greet him. She curtsied but couldn’t meet his eye, scared what her expression might give away regarding her true feelings.
‘Mrs Grantley.’
He took her hand. As he did so he winked at her, his eyes alight with a reckless sensuality that implied their thoughts were in perfect accord. Her blush deepened, and she thought it expedient to fasten her eyes upon his impossibly shiny boots. In the periphery of her vision she was aware of the dowager watching the exchange with avid interest. She wanted to kick his shin or warn him to behave himself. It was all right for him. He could do as he pleased, and it would be considered by an indulgent mother as nothing more than a passing fancy. The dowager was exceedingly fond of Florentina but if she even suspected there was anything other than polite intercourse between her and her favourite son, that partiality would be unlikely to stand the test of time. Such an inappropriate liaison couldn’t be condoned and she would be dismissed.
Once they were all seated, refreshments were served.
‘Ah, strawberry tarts,’ Adam said, selecting one and taking a healthy bite. ‘My favourite.’ Florentina blushed as scarlet as the berries topping the tarts. ‘Can I persuade you to taste one, Mrs Grantley?’
‘Thank you, no. I don’t much care for strawberries.’
‘Liar!’ he breathed whilst his mother’s attention was temporarily diverted.
Once the tea things had been cleared away, Adam’s mood became sombre. He prepared his mother for a shock and then gently explained his predicament with the young duchess.
The dowager choked on a gasp. ‘She seriously thinks she can enter into an understanding with you whilst married to your brother.’ She stood and as quickly reseated herself, severely agitated. ‘What wickedness!’
‘She tells me she acted selflessly in order to protect the duchy.’
‘Nonsense! That woman only ever thinks of herself.’
Florentina felt so angry that she didn’t trust herself to speak. The duchess’s ultimatum must have been issued as a result of her visit to Lord King’s estate. The particulars had reached Philippa’s ears, and her subsequent actions had been driven by jealousy and a stubborn determination to have her own way. Damnation, she should have listened to Christine and not gone anywhere near the wretched masquerade!
Expressions of incomprehension, shock and then fulminating anger chased one another across the dowager’s features. Fearful for her health, Florentina jumped to her feet, poured a glass of water and held it to the duchess’s lips. Adam stood as well and took his mother’s hand.
‘What are we to do?’ the dowager asked faintly.
‘There’s little we can do.’ Adam expelled a long breath. ‘James is a slave to Philippa’s every whim, and we’ll not be able to drive a wedge between them. Besides, I won’t be reduced to Philippa’s level by even attempting it.’
‘The child,’ the dowager said bleakly.
Adam and Florentina shared a glance. ‘We shall never know for sure, Mother. But James thinks he fathered it and will never be persuaded otherwise.’
The dowager raised her chin, recovering her composure with remarkable speed. ‘Now, let me see if I’ve got this right. Philippa wishes you to engage in extramarital activities with her and is threatening to expel you from the estate if you don’t fall in with her plan.’ Adam nodded. ‘You’ve called her bluff by suggesting that if you go then so, too, will I, which of course I shall.’
‘Yes.’
‘How could I ever have imagined that your heart would be broken by such a conniving hussy? You have had a fortunate escape.’
‘The difficulty I face is that by rejecting her, I’ve made an enemy out of her. And now she will do everything she can to harm, if not me, then those I love.’
‘Which is why you’ve chosen to reveal all of this to us now?’
Florentina attributed the dowager’s use of the plural to a slip of the tongue.
‘I will not allow her to take out her disappointments on you.’
‘Don’t worry, my dear, forewarned is forearmed. I am more than a match for Philippa.’ The dowager glanced at Florentina. ‘I don’t understand why she is so anxious to part me from my dear Tina. Although,’ she added speculatively, glancing between the two of them, ‘perhaps that’s not entirely true.’
‘She has never liked me, ma’am.’
