Page 20 of Marry in Scandal

“But we’ve told them all Lily was just feeling ill and went home early without telling us,” Emm said. “Lady Mainwaring was glad to hear it—sorry for Lily’s indisposition, that is, but reassured that it was nothing more serious.”

Aunt Agatha swiveled in her seat and directed the lorgnette at Rose. “And this Sylvia person you mentioned?”

“Sylvia Gorrie, a former school friend of the girls’,” Emm explained.

“No friend of mine,” Rose muttered.

“Cal thinks Sylvia’s cousin abducted Lily,” Emm continued. “He questioned Sylvia on the night Lily disappeared, but she knew nothing about it and seemed more upset that her cousin had left without notice and owed money to her husband. She did call here the next day to inquire after Lily, and I told her that Lily wasn’t missing at all but had left the Mainwarings’ because she’d been feeling ill.”

“With a sprained cold,” Aunt Agatha said acidly. “So nobody else knows?”

“No.”

“What about the servants?”

Emm shook her head. “I don’t believe they would talk, not about this.” She’d spoken to them and had been assured of their discretion. Of course, what people said and what they did wasn’t always the same.

“Well someone must knowsomething, because, as I said, I hearda whisper.”

“What exactly did you hear?”

The old lady made an impatient gesture. “Nothing solid, just the hint of a rumor about ‘one of the Rutherford gels,’ and the suggestion that she’d run off with a man.”

“Lily would never—” Rose began.

“Pish tush, gel, we know that. But the whisper is out there and we need to do something about it.” Leaning heavily on her silver-topped ebony cane, she rose to her feet. “Off you go, gels, and fetch your hats and coats. We’re going for a drive.”

“I don’t want to go out,” Rose said. “I want to stay in case there’s news—”

“The best you can do for your sister is to appear in public as usual with nothing to worry about except that your sister has...” She thought for a minute. “The influenza, something serious, not a sprain or a cold. In fact, it would look better if you came to stay with me, Emmaline, to protect your child. And you gels will come as well, for fear of the infection. It will strengthen the story.”

“It won’t. I’d never leave my sister if she was ill,” Rose declared.

“I’d stay too,” George said. “I never catch colds or the flu—I’m as healthy as a horse.”

Aunt Agatha closed her eyes briefly. “Such a vulgar metaphor, Georgiana. Health is a desirable state for a young lady, but when you invite people to compare you with an animal...” She gave a pained shudder.

Emm laid a calming hand on George’s arm and said firmly, “Nobody is moving anywhere. I told Cal I’d wait here, and so I will—we all will. But fresh air and a public family outing in the park is an excellent idea, though perhaps the girls could accompany you on horseback—with their groom in attendance, of course.” She gave both girls a speaking look.

Better for them not to be stuck in a barouche with their aunt. They were so tense and worried about Lily that Aunt Agatha’s pronouncements, which rubbed them up the wrong way at the best of times, would today be like a flame to a tinderbox. She glanced at Rose. Or gunpowder.

“Now, Aunt Agatha, while the girls are changing into their habits, how about a nice cup of tea?”

• • •

Lily came awake with a jerk. Against all her resolution, she’d dozed off. Something had changed. What?

And then she realized. The carriage had stopped. Someone shouted. She couldn’t make out what, but a moment later Nixon shouted back. “In this weather? Damned if I will!”

She cautiously cracked the lid of her prison open a sliver.

Another shout. The coachman. She couldn’t hear it all, but it sounded like he wanted Nixon to get out and push. The coach was stuck in mud. Nixon refused again, this time in even worse language.

The coachman’s voice sounded suddenly loud and close. “Want to wait until help comes, do ya? With that special cargo of yours tucked away? Risk ’em finding her, will ya?” He must have climbed down.

There was a short silence. Lily held her breath. Nixon swore again, then ordered the driver to do the pushing, while he led the horses.

She heard the door close, then the voices came again, muffled, as if from a distance. Nixon and the driver were out of the coach. Now was her chance. Heart thudding, braced for the lid to be slammed back down on her, she raised it, inch by inch. And breathed again.