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“I would be delighted,” Lionel said, getting to his feet.

Daisy looked questioningly at Georgiana. “Are you sure you will be all right on your own?”

“I will be fine. I shall just sit here and read some poetry until you return.”

Daisy reached out and clasped Georgiana’s hand. She squeezed it and rose from the sofa. “We will not be gone long,” she promised.

“Take your time,” Georgiana replied.

His grandmother poured a generous shot of whiskey into his cup of tea and Robert took it gratefully. If he had to listen to her pontificate about his behavior at least he would not have to do it sober.

“What happened to Lady Angela was a tragedy. We were all affected.”

Robert nodded somberly in agreement.

“But, it would have happened whether she was engaged to you or not. One had nothing to do with the other.”

Robert froze.

“You accepted the blame for her death and ran off for years to escape the guilt, yet here it is…it has followed you home and into your new marriage.”

Robert winced.

“I am sorry to be so blunt, but this cannot be handled with kid gloves. Not anymore. Not if you are to have a chance at a real future.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You heard your wife’s friend. She is fed up with you. Can you imagine how much worse your wife must feel? I take it she has been ill? Why did you not say so?”

She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to answer.

“No, do not speak. I know why you did not discuss it. You were running away from that reality, too.”

“I was not running away,” he protested, “I was-”

“Busy? Attending to the family’s business? Performing your duties? I have heard it all before.”

Robert pursed his lips. He could not deny that his grandmother was right. They were all excuses. He got to his feet and put down his cup. “I must go, grandmother. I must gonow.”

She nodded. “I expect Stanley should have all your belongings packed by now. Godspeed.”

He bent forward and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

The words kept fading in and out as she tried to read the prose, and she blinked hard to try and clear her vision. A vein throbbed in her temple and Georgiana felt a headache starting.

She was tired of being confined to her chambers and did not want to go back to bed. She leaned back against the sofa and stared out of the window. It was a fine day, and she could see traffic passing by through the grates of the wrought iron fence.

Without warning, the door burst open, and Lord Newston barged into the room. She looked at him with shock and wondered how he had managed to get past the doorman, the footmen, and the butler, unseen and unannounced.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed angrily.

“Did you think that you would get away with it forever?” he sneered.

“Get away with what?” She reached surreptitiously for the bell, intending to ring it and summon help, but he snatched it away from her.

“Not so fast, my pretty. We must talk.”

“I havenothingto say to you,” she said viciously, wondering how long it had been since Daisy and Lord Stanmore had left.