Page 31 of Long Live the Baron
Resuming his seat, he rubbed his eyes, which were still gritty from exhaustion, waiting for the barrage of words to come.
“When is the wedding?” Richard’s hard words cut through the room like a firm slap across the face.
“There is not to be one.”
The earl’s face fell into a scowl, a low growl emitting from his throat. Brendan stood up and moved behind his chair in preparation for another enraged attack.
“What happened?”
Brendan had almost forgotten the duke was present, but it was a relief to hear his voice. Richard was so angry, angrier than he had ever seen his longtime friend, and Halmesbury was definitely needed to bank the fires.
“I … may have … accused the young woman of deliberately trapping me.”
Brendan was staring at the wall, but there was no mistaking the snarl from the direction of the stacks.
The duke sighed heavily. “What do you plan to do?”
“I do not know. Miss Abbott refused my offer. I must confess I was relieved because I am not ready to marry a child.”
“You are the child, Ridley! And it is time for you to grow up!” The earl’s angry interjection was followed by a scratch at the door.
Michaels entered, prompting Richard to recede farther into the shadows of the room and away from Brendan. “Lady Saunton is here.”
The earl froze, turning to stare at his wife, who had entered during the butler’s announcement. “Sophia! What are you doing here?”
The countess tilted her head, smiling benignly at her husband, whose prior rage had dissipated like snow melting in the hot sun. “I am here to speak with Mr. Ridley about Lily, of course.”
CHAPTER8
“There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited.”
Sun Tzu, L’Art de la Guerre (The Art of War)
* * *
JULY 24, 1821
Sheer exhaustion from several days of insomnia had finally carried Lily off to the land of sleep. It had been a relief to have her thoughts fade into black for the first time since the night of the murder. By the time she opened her eyes, it was midmorning.
Sitting up, she stretched her arms out and breathed in deeply while wiggling her toes. She felt a million times better now that she had had rest. The strange aches and pains of fatigue had vanished, and her usual optimism had returned to fill her head with possibilities.
“Lily! You have a visitor.”
Spinning toward the door, which now stood open, it startled Lily to find Mama with a broad smile on her face.
“My abigail is here to assist you to get ready.” Lily noticed the lady’s maid was standing in the hall behind her ecstatic parent.
What on earth?
When Mama had initially heard the news of Lily’s ruin, she had wept and lamented Lily’s future in plaintive tones. Then, after Mr. Ridley’s accusatory proposal, Mama had become angry, ranting in an agitated manner about the state of young men and their deplorable manners. Dinner had been a torturous affair, with her brother staring numbly at his plate, evidently still blaming himself for what had happened while Papa had been called away on an urgent matter.
Now she is joyful?
What could cause such a drastic shift in mood? “Who is it?”
“It is not for me to say. Quickly, we must get you ready.” Mama clapped her hands together and her lady’s maid rushed in.
Lily was still feeling groggy from just having woken up, but she reluctantly left the embrace of her comfortable bed. She had hoped to take her time rising, and perhaps enjoy a cup of tea before descending the stairs, but it was not to be.
