Page 43 of Dangerous Illusions (Dangerous #1)

T HE JOURNEY BACK TO Tuscombe Park seemed a particularly long one to Daintry.

Once they had seen the last of Sir Lionel and Deverill, and were alone in the carriage and back on the main road, she tried several times to discuss what had happened in the courtroom, but she found Lady Ophelia singularly unwilling to enter into her feelings upon at least one topic.

When she muttered, “Deverill is the greatest beast in nature,” Lady Ophelia replied simply, “I do not agree.” And when, some moments later, she said, “A gentleman worthy of the name ought to feel obligated to aid a lady in distress,” Lady Ophelia replied placidly, “Deverill holds by his own principles. There is a good deal to be said for that, you know.”

“Not when he was our strongest hope, ma’am. Why—”

“It is done now,” the old lady interjected flatly. “We must look ahead, not dwell on the sorrows of the past.”

“I know that, but what lies ahead for Susan except more of the same sorrow? I know you believed Geoffrey—”

“I did not believe him,” Lady Ophelia said, “but what I believe and what he thinks I believe are two different matters, as Deverill was trying to explain to you before you flew out at him like the shrew he named you.”

“Are you taking Deverill’s side against mine, ma’am?” she asked in astonishment.

Lady Ophelia sniffed. “I take no side at all,” she said. “I merely point out to you that he saw what you did not, that it was important for Geoffrey to believe he had convinced me.”

“But that will only make him more arrogant than ever,” she protested. “He will think now that he can continue to get away with treating Susan as badly as he has in the past.”

“On the contrary, I hope he will be less likely to harm her if he believes he still has his charming facade to protect, and having been reminded that her inheritance depends on his good behavior, surely he will tread more lightly now.” Clearly deciding these words clinched the matter, she reached into the large reticule she always carried when she traveled—and which she said contained anything anyone might ever need on the road—and withdrew a book by one of her favorite female authors.

Opening it, she found her place and began silently to read.

Daintry had not paused to consider the effect that Lady Ophelia’s threat might have on Seacourt, but she saw now that it was the one thing that could weigh heavily enough with him to insure his good behavior, at least for a while.

Still, the situation was unstable, and since Deverill had not helped in the least, she was entirely out of charity with him.

In fact, she was furious with him, because she had dared to trust him and he had let her down with a vengeance.

Looking at her aunt, she wished she could discuss the matter more fully with her, but Lady Ophelia’s gaze remained riveted on her book, making it clear that she did not wish to talk about Deverill or anyone else.

It was dark by the time the carriage rolled up before the front entrance of the house, and golden light spilled down the marble steps when the tall doors were flung wide and the butler stepped out to see if they required assistance.

Lady Ophelia’s footman leapt down from his perch to open the carriage door, and as Daintry accepted his help to alight, she saw her nieces peeping around the front door. “Hello, you two,” she called. “Why are you not upstairs where you belong?”

At this small encouragement, and with Melissa trailing like a shadow in her wake, Charley ran out and down the steps, crying, “What happened, Aunt Daintry? Where is Aunt Susan?”

Lady Ophelia, emerging from the carriage, said tartly, “Mind your tongue, Charlotte, and go straight back into that house. The very idea of running out here without so much as a wrap to cover your bare arms! You will catch your death. You, too, Melissa. Back inside at once, the pair of you!”

Charley looked mutinous, but Daintry said quietly and with a warning glance at the servants, “We must not talk here, my dears. I will come to you as soon as I can, to tell you everything.”

Biting her lip, Charley gave her a long look, then turned and went back. Melissa had already slipped back into the house.

Daintry meant to go straight up to the schoolroom, knowing the little girls would be impatient to know what had occurred, but no sooner had she and Lady Ophelia entered the hall than Medrose said, “His lordship desires you both to go at once to the drawing room, my lady. He has ordered a light repast to be served to you there.”

“Excellent, for we are famished,” Lady Ophelia said gratefully, allowing him to take her cloak and reticule. “I suppose everyone else is in there with him.”

“Yes, ma’am. That is to say, Lady St. Merryn, Miss Davina, and Master Charles are there, and Miss Ethelinda, of course.”

Daintry, realizing that she had no choice in the matter, said to the butler as he took her things, “Please send someone up to the schoolroom, Medrose, to tell Miss Charlotte and Miss Melissa that I shall be a trifle delayed in coming to them.”

She was more than a trifle delayed, however, for by the time she and Lady Ophelia had described the courtroom scene and its aftermath to the others, and had their supper, a considerable amount of time had passed.

Lady St. Merryn appeared to think the entire episode had been devised to distress her, Charles and Davina were diverted, and Cousin Ethelinda exclaimed her dismay after nearly every statement made by either Lady Ophelia or Daintry, until the latter at least was ready to strangle her.

St. Merryn, on the other hand, declared with obvious satisfaction that he had never looked for such a sensible decision from Jervaulx.

“Sensible, Papa? How can you say so?” Daintry demanded.

“Just did, didn’t I? Can’t think why you females make such a piece of work about it when there was no other legal course the man could take.

Not that I didn’t expect him to pull some damned foolery or other just to spite me, mind you.

Only saying his action was proper. Don’t do to interfere between a man and his wife, don’t do at all.

That Jervaulx didn’t try to do so makes me think the better of him, upon my word. ”

“Well, I do not think better of him,” Daintry said.

Davina, chuckling, said, “By the sound of it, I should say you were fortunate not to have vexed him beyond reason. Did you really cry out at him right there in his courtroom?”

Flushing at the memory, Daintry said, “I spoke without thinking, that’s all. He made me too angry to think.”

“When I think that Charles accuses me of making a spectacle of myself when I do no more than smile at another gentleman, I shudder to think what he would say if I were to behave as you did,” Davina said, sending her husband an arch look.

Charles grimaced but said nothing.

When Lady St. Merryn moaned, reached for her salts, and lay against her cushions, holding the back of her free hand feebly against her forehead, Cousin Ethelinda said, “Pray, do not distress your mama with more of this talk, for now that Susan has returned to her family, all will be well. How thankful Sir Geoffrey must be to have her at home again where she belongs.”

Daintry’s fingernails dug into her palms, and she wished it were possible to tell one’s cousin precisely what one thought of her foolishness.

Since it was not possible, she held her tongue, but she did not hold it later, when she was finally able to go to the children and Charley’s indignation at both the fact that Susan had returned to Seacourt Head and that Melissa was to return the next day led her to be impertinent.

“I won’t let Aunt Ophelia take Melissa back!” she cried when Daintry had explained matters.

“You have no more to say about it than I had,” Daintry said, holding her sorely tried temper in check with difficulty.

“Then we’ll run away.”

“You will do no such thing.”

“We will so!”

Daintry had been sitting between the two little girls on the schoolroom sofa, but she rose now and looked sternly down at-Charley. “Stand up.”

Slowly Charley obeyed. There were tears in her eyes, but she did not make the mistake of trying to defend herself.

“How dare you speak to me in such an improper manner?” Daintry said.

“Had you spoken so to your papa or grandpapa, you know exactly what would befall you. As it is, you may take yourself off to bed at once and you will spend the entire day tomorrow attending to your lessons with Miss Parish. I had hoped to arrange matters so that you could go with us to take Melissa home, but you do not deserve such a treat now. Have you anything at all to say for yourself?”

“No, Aunt Daintry.” The tears spilled down her cheeks, and she added with a sob, “I-I’m sorry.”

“I suppose you are, now,” Daintry said, steeling herself to remain firm. “Go to bed. You, too, Melissa.”

When they had gone, she went to her own bedchamber, thinking of the blissful moment that lay ahead when Nance would have gone to bed and she would be alone at last after the long and trying day. But when she entered her room she found not only Nance but Davina awaiting her.

Her sister-in-law said cheerfully, “Got the children all tucked up in bed?”

“Yes, but I had to scold Charley. She is very upset that she can do nothing to prevent Melissa’s return. And she’s your daughter, Davina. You ought to do the tucking up, not me.”

Davina shrugged. “Charley does not care. I daresay she is closer to you than she is to me, and if she was impertinent, I doubt she was any more so than you were with Jervaulx, and with much the same cause. In any case, these days I should be thought an odd sort of mama if I hovered over her.”

“Perhaps, but you are wrong about her not caring. She misses you both when you are away so often.”

“So you have said before, but I did not come to talk about Charley, you know. Do you think Susan lied about Geoffrey just because she was angry with him?”