Page 57 of Three Weeks with a Princess
He took the hint, excusing himself with a quiet murmur before slipping into the crowd. For such a large man, he moved with a prowling grace that was quite entrancing. If not for Jack . . .
She clamped down on that thought. “Is something wrong, Gillian?”
“You have no idea.” Gillian glanced over her shoulder, then moved closer and lowered her voice. “Jack’s mother and sister just entered the ballroom. He and Leverton are trying to keep them to that side of the room, but I don’t think they can manage it for very long.”
Chloe gasped and put a hand to her lips. Dominic let out a salty oath.
“My feelings exactly, Sir Dominic,” Gillian said. “There’s nothing to be done, however, except manage it as best we can. Keep Lia under wraps, as it were.”
“That poses a challenge,” he replied with some asperity, “because this is Lia’s introduction to society. It would hardly be appropriate for the guest of honor to suddenly disappear.”
“Lia, dear, are you all right?” Chloe asked, placing a hand on her arm.
Lia forced her muddled brain back into some semblance of rational thought. “I don’t understand. Lady John and Lady Anne were not invited, were they?”
“Good God, no,” Gillian said. “Normally, we would be happy to invite any member of Jack’s family to a party, but under the circumstances, it would be a disaster if the three of you were to meet.”
That was putting it mildly. Lady John had always resented Granny’s presence at Stonefell with every particle of her being, and she loathed her son’s friendship with Lia. About four years earlier, on one of the rare occasions when the entire Easton family had come to visit, Lia had overhead Jack and his mother having a crashing row out in the gardens. Lia had been the subject of their argument, and she could recall with perfect clarity the humiliating names Lady John had called her. Even now, the memory made her stomach tighten into a painful knot.
“I was under the impression that Lady John made a point of avoiding the Kincaids,” Chloe said. “So this makes no sense.”
“Normally she avoids us like the plague,” Lia said, trying not to sound as miserable as she felt.
Despite Dominic’s assertion, retreat seemed the best way to avoid an ugly confrontation. As distressing as such a scene would be for her, it would be worse for Jack. He was devoted to his mother and sister. To have his loyalty split in such a way, and so publicly, was something she couldn’t bear.
“Charles says she’s taking a stand,” Gillian said. “Whatever that means.”
“I know exactly what it means,” Lia said. Lady John had spent decades believing she and her daughter had been shunted aside from their proper places in the family, displaced by the Kincaids. “I do think I should leave, Sir Dominic. I suspect she wants to make a scene, and that will devastate Jack.”
“It won’t help you very much either,” Chloe said grimly.
Gillian slipped her arm around Lia’s waist. “I won’t have Lia driven away,” she said in a challenging voice to Dominic.
He glanced around, distaste marking his features. Although they were speaking in low tones, people nearby were starting to take note of their intense conversation. Some of the other guests were bound to have seen the new arrivals and were no doubt already gleefully spreading gossip—and anticipating an explosion.
“It’s fine, Gillian,” Lia said. “I’m ready to go.”
Dominic shook his head. “No, sneaking away like a thief isn’t the answer.” He glanced at his wife. “My dear, please take Lia to the supper room and find a quiet corner. I’ll join you there shortly.”
“What are you going to do?” his wife asked.
“I’m going to intercept Lady John and see if I can talk some sense into her.”
“Oh blast,” muttered Gillian. “It’s too late.”
The crowd in front of them rippled like the tops of wheat stalks in a late summer breeze and then parted. Into the gap sailed Lady John, followed by her daughter. Jack and Leverton were right behind them, both looking utterly frustrated.
Actually, Jack looked ready to murder someone—probably even Lia for pitching everyone into the middle of such a disaster.
Gillian gave Lia’s waist another quick squeeze and then stepped forward. “Lady John, what a surprise. We hadn’t expected to see you at our little affair.”
Lia blinked. Her cousin, the most natural and unaffected person she’d ever met, had instantly transformed into the epitome of a duchess—and a very regal one at that.
Jack’s mother was not to be intimidated. “I expect not,” she said in a haughty voice, “because we were not invited.” Her hostile glance slid over Gillian.
Dominic moved forward and gave her ladyship a clipped bow. “Lady John, may I escort you and your daughter to the supper room for some refreshment? It’s much quieter and cooler there, so we can have a comfortable chat.”
If a curtsy could be labeled begrudging, Lady John’s certainly was. “Thank you, Sir Dominic, but neither my daughter nor I are in the mood for refreshments. I have business to attend to that will not wait.”
