Page 47 of A Sense of Turmoil
‘Until you make the match you deserve,’ George said, his tone conciliatory.
‘The earl’s grandmother is dying. It would be crass of me to try and distract him from that situation. He is very attached to her and distraught at the thought of losing her. All I can do is sympathise and bide my time.’
‘Time is not on our side. This is your best opportunity to attract him, while his guard is down and you are still living beneath his roof. Once you are not, he will be in mourning and your chance will be gone. We agreed, Ottilie. This is what you want…heis what you want.’
‘I do want him, very much. Never doubt it. I did try to intercept him when I saw him walking around the lake the other day and he seemed more attentive, but then the rain came, his grandmother’s condition worsened and…well, it’s awkward. He is very close to Flora. I think he prefers her to me.’
He does?
‘Rubbish! You are ten times prettier and have far better connections than her. If he wanted her, he would have done something about it by now. Perhaps he already has.’ Flora bridled at his sneering tone. ‘She would make a delightful bedfellow—’
‘George!’
‘Stop pretending to be shocked. You suggested that exact same possibility to me when we first arrived here and saw how close they actually are. And the minx confirmed it by putting me down so publicly at table. I shall not forgive her for that, but I have already exacted the first stage of my revenge upon her.’
Flora shuddered, wondering what he could have done and when she was likely to find out about it.
‘I spoke to Flora about the earl.’
‘You shouldn’t have done that. She is technically a servant and one simply does not become intimate with servants, my dear.’ He sniggered, a chilling sound that reverberated through Flora and made her afraid of him. ‘Well, not on equal and open terms, anyway.’
‘Your pride has been hurt, brother dear. You are unaccustomed to failure and Flora’s disinterest in you cuts to the quick, I can quite see that. The girl should have better taste.’
‘What I am or am not accustomed to is not the point. You know why we came back to England. You were keen to return too and find a rich husband, but the moment you set eyes on the earl when he arrived in Boston you were determined to have him. Well, you’re living in his house, for the love of God. Take advantage of it. I will distract the delectable Miss Latimer if she gets in your way. Felsham was the only thing preventing me from doing so before now. He watched her like a hawk too, but he’s gone, Swindon’s preoccupied with his grandmother, and she has no one to look out for her.’
‘Don’t do anything stupid,’ Ottilie said, the sweetness in her voice replaced by a bitter edge. ‘I want Luke, I won’t deny it, but I am doing this for you as much as for me and if he does have a prior claim on Flora’s affections, he won’t thank you for queering his pitch.’
‘She would never tell him,’ George said casually. ‘Not when she would risk being cast aside. No man looks the same way at his property once it’s been despoiled.’
‘Sometimes I think we were better off in Boston,’ Ottilie said with a heavy sigh. ‘I had more options there.’
‘None of which you took up. Besides, we had to leave, and you know why.’
All well and good, but Flora did not and hoped they would have the courtesy to enlighten her. They were assured of her full attention, but she dared not move any closer. Zeus lost interest and stalked away. He sprang up on the conservatory window ledge instead and set about washing his face.
‘What’s that! Who’s there?’ Ottilie’s voice turned shrill with alarm. ‘Oh, it’s all right. It’s just the countess’s cat.’
‘Damned creature scratched my hand when I tried to touch it the other day,’ George said. ‘I’ll check.’
‘Doubt there’s anyone else out there in this weather. Besides, we are simply enjoying this delightful room.’
Flora held her breath, worried that George would open the door anyway. If he did, she would be caught eavesdropping since there was nowhere for her to conceal herself. It was too late for her to turn onto another path and she would be seen if she did. Despite that, she had no intention of moving away. She wanted to hear what else they had to say for themselves and wouldn’t bethatconcerned if they knew they had been overheard. That would effectively kill their plans stone dead; always assuming that Luke believed her version of events. She would once have taken his support for granted, but was no longer sure she still could. He had become a different person since returning from Boston.
After what seemed like an eternity, their voices resumed, albeit at a lower level. Flora stuck close to the wall and risked moving a little closer, heart thumping, determined not to miss a word.
‘None of the gentlemen who sought my hand in Boston were worthy of my affections,’ Ottilie said airily.
Flora covered her mouth to prevent a gasp from escaping. She considered herself to be a good judge of character and congratulated herself upon having mistrusted George from the first. But Ottilie, sweet, charming and unassuming, had completely taken her in. So much for her trusty sixth-sense, she thought with a wry smile. Remus, she suspected, had always known the truth about Ottilie’s intentions but, if quizzed, would declare that he was not permitted to tell her these things and that she was required to find them out for herself. One day she really would insist upon knowing who her contrary spirit guide took his orders from.
Returning her mind to the here and now, it was obvious to Flora that Ottilie was at least as devious as her brother. Well aware that her beauty had the majority of men falling at her feet, she passed herself off as a lady of wealth, rather than one obliged to trade on her looks in order to procure the husband of her choice. It was a brave and clever ruse, only possible because they had lived abroad for so long, thus explaining their lack of property in this country. Flora was determined that they would not succeed in duping Luke but wondered if she was too late to prevent it. If Luke had already decided in Ottilie’s favour and if his coolness towards her reflected that supposition then there was nothing she could do about it. She had few expectations, but she felt a surge of unhappiness at the prospect. When Luke married, was it too much to hope that his wife might love him for himself, rather than for his wealth and title?
‘Not rich enough, or titled,’ George said, chuckling.
‘It was you who encouraged me to think in terms of the earl when we knew he intended to visit Boston. I was not keen on the idea.’ Flora could hear the smile in her voice. ‘Well, not until I saw just how handsome and prepossessing he is.’
‘Stop pretending that you have a choice!’
‘Ouch! Let go of me, George. You’re hurting my shoulder.’ She sneezed. ‘Botheration! I think I am getting a head cold.’
