Page 11 of Lady Elizabeth’s Winter Stranger

Her father strode across with a thunderous expression. The softness in his voice in no way hid his rising temper. “Elizabeth, I hope you’re aware of the courtesies due to a guest in this house.”

Her mother followed and spoke in a carrying pitch. Lifting her glass, she addressed everyone in the room. “What fun to have you all here for Christmas. Old friends. And new friends we hope will become old friends. To the Christmas season.”

Everyone raised their glasses, although Elizabeth couldn’t ignore the sidelong glances directed toward the Tierney family group.

“Mamma…” she began, not sure what she could say. She could hardly fling her champagne in Tom’s face and tell him that he’d broken her heart.

Anyway, she refused to accept that was what had happened. One eventful day in Hyde Park couldn’t change a person’s life. Even if it might feel that way. Even if it had involved kisses that had promised to steal her soul.

Well, her soul remained her own. And also her kisses. Right now, servitude with Great-Aunt Agatha seemed preferable to any further contact with the loathsome Viscount Fairchild.

Her mother sent her a lowering glance, even as she kept her smile in place. She spoke in an undertone. “Behave yourself, Elizabeth Isabel. We’re not going to spoil Christmas just because you’re having a tantrum.”

“That’s right,” her father growled. “I expect you to behave as befits a lady.”

The countess shot her beloved husband an inimical look.

“I’d err on the side of discretion, my darling.

The least said, the soonest mended. I told you that letter was only going to get Elizabeth’s back up.

And she’s as stubborn as you are when someone tries to push her in a direction she doesn’t want to go. ”

“What letter?” Guy asked with a frown, his blue gaze moving from his parents to Elizabeth and back again.

A low growl escaped Mamma. “We can’t talk here.”

“Perhaps I should make the acquaintance of some of your other guests,” Tom said, a reminder that he’d been in the diplomatic service.

“No, I think you should be part of this discussion,” Elizabeth said. If her tone wasn’t exactly one that a lady would use to address a stranger, she was past caring.

Plaisted, the butler, opened the door. “The carolers are here, my lord.”

Her father looked like he wanted to explode. Her mother shot him another worried glance and turned to Plaisted. “Please ask the singers to line up on the staircase. Our guests can stand in the hall and listen.”

Plaisted bowed. “Very good, my lady.”

As he left, Mamma spoke once more to her visitors. “We’ve arranged a treat for you. Some Christmas music to get us all in the mood for the evening. Please go through to the hall and enjoy the carols.”

Elizabeth set her glass on a table and prepared to follow, but Mamma caught her arm. “No, you’re staying here. And so are your father, your brother, and Lord Fairchild.”

Papa always made the most noise in the house, but when Mamma spoke in that tone, nobody dared to disobey.

With varying degrees of reluctance, the guests trailed out of the drawing room.

Scandal scented the air, along with all the fresh greenery, and nobody wanted to miss anything.

A few Christmas carols as entertainment paled in comparison.

Mamma shut the door and turned to face her family and that duplicitous viper Stanton Morley-Bridges. She addressed herself to the duplicitous viper. “My lord, I must apologize. You must think you’ve come to a madhouse. None of this will make any sense to you.”

Actually, there her mother was wrong. Elizabeth was sure that Tom knew exactly what was going on.

She might have overestimated most of his qualities, but even now, she couldn’t doubt his intelligence.

In the hall outside, the singers broke into an energetic rendition of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.

“I regret to my soul that I seem to have offended Lady Elizabeth.” Tom sent her another of those meaningful looks. Again, she refused to respond. He was trying to create a conspiracy of two, but she wasn’t falling for his tricks again.

Her eyes narrowed on him, but she remained silent. Guy cast her a questioning glance, then spoke to Tom. “Sorry, old man. I’m to blame for this mess. When you said you were coming back to England and that you hoped to seek a wife, I couldn’t help thinking of Elizabeth.”

“Who is obviously at her last prayers when it comes to finding a husband,” she snapped, heat flooding her cheeks. How much more mortification could she bear?

Her mother cast her a quelling glance. “Elizabeth, not helpful.”

“And obviously not true,” Tom said. Once the compliment might have charmed her, but she was no longer susceptible to his wiles. Or at least she didn’t want to be.

“No, it’s not true. You’ve broken hearts all over London,” Guy said.

Elizabeth’s hands formed fists at her sides.

She needed to stay angry. Otherwise, she’d cry her eyes out and that would be the last straw.

Tom’s double-dealing had cut her to the bone, but if she thought too much about how betrayed she felt, she’d collapse in a sobbing lump.

“So I’m a witch, as well as past my prime? ”

Guy ignored that. He went back to addressing Tom.

“I thought the two of you would like each other. My mistake was telling Papa, who has clearly been up to his old tricks in trying to get his daughter wed. I’m sorry, Tom.

If you and Elizabeth met without all the drama, you’d get on like a house on fire. I’d wager the crown jewels on it.”

A house on fire was a disaster, which was how everything felt to Elizabeth right now.

Angry, stay angry.

“Her father decided to give Elizabeth an ultimatum before your visit,” Mamma said with the fond exasperation that her husband’s antics tended to arouse.

Tom’s mouth turned down with a wry amusement that was so familiar, it set Elizabeth’s heart cramping in regret.

She’d been so happy in the park. She hated that he’d spoiled her treasured memories of their time together.

“I’m guessing some dire punishment was on offer, should her ladyship decide against having me? ”

Looking hunted, her father mumbled a reply. “I was going to send her up to Aunt Agatha in Caithness.”

Guy looked appalled, as did her mother. “Not the incontinent pugs. Father, you wouldn’t be so cruel.”

“Henry, Aunt Agatha? I didn’t know about that,” her mother said in horror. “No wonder our girl’s kicking up like a half-broken horse.”

“I am here, you know,” Elizabeth pointed out.

Her father rocked on his feet, as if preparing to slink away from the confrontation. “Well, she won’t settle down. Four seasons. Acknowledged as a diamond of the first water. Proposals from a hundred good men. And no sign that she means to take a husband. It’s…unnatural.”

Tom surveyed them all with a thoughtful expression.

Elizabeth might want to break a vase over his head, but she had to give him credit for his calmness in a storm.

“I realize that I’m a stranger to all of you except Guy, but I’d dearly love the chance to speak to Lady Elizabeth alone and apologize for the trouble I’ve caused her.

You have my word of honor I’ll behave as a gentleman should. ”

“It’s not your fault, Fairchild.” Papa still sounded as cranky as a bear with a sore head. “It’s the fault of featherbrained chits who don’t know what’s good for them.”

“Henry,” Mamma said in a warning tone.

Her father emitted a long-suffering sigh, as after a spatter of applause, the carolers moved on to Deck the Halls, including handbells.

“Very well. It’s a little unconventional, but perhaps you can talk some sense into her, Fairchild.

My wife and I need to get back to our guests in any case. We don’t want people talking.”

Elizabeth could tell him that the family’s behavior had already created a stir, but she remained silent. Having a few minutes alone to tell Tom what a nasty game he’d played with her suited her just fine. She couldn’t do that with the family listening in.

Nonetheless, it would be nice to be consulted. “Do I get a choice? I don’t know this man.” Which was true in the most essential sense. The engaging gentleman who had flirted with her in Hyde Park would never set out to deceive her like this.

“There’s no need to be afraid of me,” Tom said at his most benevolent, although he must know that her turbulent mixture of emotions didn’t include fear.

“I’d trust Tom with my life,” Guy said stoutly.

“I’m not afraid,” she bit out with a glare at both young men.

“Then what can be your objection?” her father asked. “Don’t be difficult, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth meant to be very difficult indeed, as her mother seemed to guess. Mamma cast her another quelling glance.

“Guy can wait here while you two talk in the library. He’ll be close enough to come to your rescue, should you need it, Elizabeth.

” Her tone indicated that there would be no such need and that her daughter was being unacceptably missish.

Which was rich when they’d just met Tom and as far as they were aware, so had she.

“The fire’s lit in there, and nobody should barge in to interrupt you.

Even if they do, Elizabeth isn’t a debutante anymore.

A few minutes alone with a man in the family home shouldn’t cause a major scandal. ”

Even so, Elizabeth was surprised that her parents allowed her any privacy with her bugbear.

It wasn’t the done thing, and if Papa intended to marry her off, surely he wanted to preserve her pristine reputation.

A suspicion crossed her mind that he might want her ruined, to force her into marrying Tom. Could her father be that Machiavellian?

“I’ll treat Lady Elizabeth with the greatest respect,” Tom said.

“I’m sure you will,” Mamma said, as if it went without saying. Elizabeth couldn’t help thinking back to his effect on Cyril and Bruno and her own foolish self before she woke up to what he was really like. It was just as powerful when it came to prospective in-laws.

“And I’ll be within earshot,” her brother said. “Not that you’ll need me, sis. Tom is a good ‘un. Anybody can see that.”

Elizabeth begged to differ. But it was already clear that Tom’s charm had worked its magic on her family. They all thought that he was marvelous. She shouldn’t be surprised. She’d thought that he was marvelous, too, until she knew better.

When Elizabeth didn’t protest again – what was the point? – Mamma turned to Guy. “Guy, go in and fetch them in ten minutes. Then you three can come out as if you’ve been together the whole time. That should counter any gossip.”

“It’s the least I can do,” her brother said. “I feel like this is all my fault.”

Mamma turned to a sulky-looking Lord Tierney. Papa didn’t like it when his grand schemes went astray. He’d moped for a month when his American landscape designer eloped with a lady of the ton and left his extravagant new gardens in Cumbria unfinished. “Henry, shall we join our guests?”

“Yes, dear.” Papa extended his arm to her and they left. Mamma prevailed. She always did.

Guy stood in the open door to check the corridor was empty. “I’ll give you a quarter of an hour. Anything more and people will sniff out a scandal.”

“Lady Elizabeth?” Tom asked, presenting his arm.

She didn’t want to leave the room arm in arm with him, the way they’d walked together during those blissful hours in Hyde Park.

She was having enough trouble clinging to her proud fury as it was.

But an inquisitive glance from Guy made her curl reluctant fingers around Tom’s forearm.

That brought her close enough to catch the delicious scent that had stolen her wits when they met.

How could he smell so good and do such horrible things?

Straightening her backbone, she indicated the room across the corridor. “That’s the library.” She glanced at Guy. “Thank you for doing this.”

He shrugged. “Sis, give Tom a hearing. He really is the best of fellows.”

Elizabeth disagreed, but she remained silent as Tom walked forward and shut them in the library.