Page 12 of The Ruin of Miss Amelia Burrowes (The Matchmaker’s Ball #4)

“How do you know she’ll be here, Nathan?” Decked out in her newest and most fashionable evening gown of silver silk satin, Amelia deemed herself too conspicuous, although Nathan had insisted she wear something to make Lady Tenby’s guests notice her. She truly didn’t think she could take one more cut direct, especially in such a noble household. Only Nathan’s comforting presence had given her the courage to appear here tonight.

“Because she’s helping bring out her granddaughter Lady Agatha Kidwelly this Season, and Lady Tenby’s balls are de rigueur these days, ever since her husband was elevated to the marquisate. You said yourself Lady Carrington is a high stickler. If so, she’ll be here.”

Amelia frowned. “The granddaughter must be Marianne’s daughter. Jonathan’s oldest sister. He had two, but only one was married at the time we were engaged.” She glanced about the ballroom, looking for a familiar face, then stopped. Did she really wish for Lady Carrington or her daughter to see her looking for them? She drew back, not letting go of Nathan’s arm. “Do you know what Lady Carrington looks like?”

“Yes, quite accidentally.” Nathan chuckled. “I accompanied Kate to a private entertainment given by Mrs. Maria Scop on the night before I met you at Lady Hamilton’s and was quickly pressed into service to dance with Lady Agatha. And thus was introduced not only to the young lady, but to her mother and grandmother as well.” He smiled ruefully at her. “Never would I have thought such an imposition on my time would stand us in such good stead now.”

“I suppose the Fates have been having quite a laugh at our expense,” Amelia murmured as Nathan moved them nearer to the dance floor.

“They brought us together at just the right moment, my love. For that I will allow them all the amusement they can stand for the rest of my life.” Nathan stopped and nodded. “There she is.”

Drawing in a large breath to steel herself, Amelia turned her gaze in the direction he’d indicated, and there she was: Lady Carrington, looking much the same as when she’d last seen her, at the family’s primary estate. A short, thin woman, Lady Carrington nevertheless commanded any room she chose to set foot in. Her bright blue turban, adorned by two sweeping peacock feathers harmonized nicely with her dark blue taffeta gown, trimmed at neck and hem with swirls of fabric made to look like peacock feathers as well. Ironic that such a finely feathered bird had robbed Amelia of her future and relegated her to the nondescript life of a common wren. Armed with the knowledge of what Lady Carrington had concealed all these years, Amelia arched her neck, threw her shoulders back and marched straight toward the lady in question.

Nathan let out a startled “Awp” and hurried to keep up with her.

Lady Carrington stood speaking to her daughter, a superior smirk on her face. “And Lady Clavern’s son has asked Agatha for a second dance already, so I think we may put him firmly on the list now.”

“Good evening, Lady Carrington, Lady Dereham. I do hope you remember me.” Amelia smiled brightly at the ladies while Nathan stood by her side, beaming idiotically.

Lady Dereham looked puzzled for a moment, but her mother’s eyes widened immediately then narrowed into two suspicious slits. “Why, of course we remember you, Miss Burrowes.” The lady sounded as though she wished her in purgatory. “You remember Amelia, don’t you, Marianne? Jonathan’s betrothed before he,” she paused a moment then continued resolutely, “died.”

“Oh, yes, of course, Amelia.” The smile on Marianne’s face was surely meant to be pleasant, however it fell somewhat short of that mark. “We have not seen you in an age.” Her gaze strayed to Nathan. “And this must be your husband?”

“Not for another week, my lady, but I am counting the minutes until that happy occurrence takes place.” Nathan kept his tone respectful, although his eyes had deepened to the color of storm clouds before a bad blow. “Lord Ainsley at your service, ladies. We met several weeks ago at Mrs. Scop’s entertainment, if you recall. I had the distinct pleasure of dancing with your daughter, Lady Agatha.”

Lady Dereham preened as all good mother birds did. “I do remember, my lord. You were particularly gallant to dear Agatha.”

“A charming young lady, if I may say so.” Nathan turned slightly until he caught Lady Carrington’s sour countenance. “I remarked to Miss Burrowes that Lady Agatha was fortunate to have two ladies see her through the dangerous waters of her come out. So many young ladies seem to come to grief during their first Season, when something unforeseen may dash their hopes for happiness and they end up with their reputations irrevocably ruined.” He turned back to stare directly into Lady Dereham’s panicked eyes. “One cannot be too careful when a lady’s reputation can be lost in a blink.”

He snapped his fingers, and Lady Dereham jumped.

“I do take your meaning, my lord.” She gazed frantically around the room until she spied her daughter, and her shoulders slumped with relief. “If you will excuse me, I must go speak to dear Agatha.” She snapped open her silk fan, fluttered it in a frenzy then all but ran toward Lady Agatha, who seemed to be having a delightful time flirting with Lord Somersby.

“You have a wonderful way of issuing a threat with a pleasing countenance, Lord Ainsley.” Lady Carrington clenched her jaw until her skin turned pale. “May I ask what business my granddaughter is of yours?”

Shrugging, Nathan shook his head. “I only wished to point out to your daughter that even the most innocent of ladies can be ruined by those unscrupulous members of the ton who might, of course, have prevented such a thing from happening.”

“I assume you are speaking of Miss Burrowes’s scandalous behavior with my son almost a decade ago.” The woman sniffed, as though Amelia and Nathan were wasting her time.

“I am, my lady.” A smile puckered Nathan’s mouth. “Some new information has arisen regarding a correspondence between your son and his betrothed. Information I believe you may not be aware of that will clear Miss Burrowes of any wrongdoing.”

A look of suspicion stole over Lady Carrington’s face. “What could a mere correspondence do at this late date, my lord? If you are satisfied with the lady’s character to the point you are willing to marry her, I do not see why you are consulting me on this at all.”

“Oh, but I believe you will, my lady.” Nathan sidled up closer to her and lowered his voice. “I believe you can help Miss Burrowes regain her reputation in the ton . Once you read what your son wrote to her , I daresay you will eagerly offer your assistance.”

Lady Carrington stumbled back a step then regained her dignity and her footing. With a sniff, she nodded. “Very well.” She shot a glance toward her daughter, returning with the exquisite Lady Agatha in tow. “Call upon me tomorrow morning at half-past nine. The household will scarcely be stirring at that time. We will discuss this further then.”

“You may depend upon us to be there, my lady.” Nathan bowed and offered his arm to Amelia, who dropped her curtsy and clung to her betrothed’s elbow for dear life. “Good evening.”

“Good evening, my lady.” Amelia’s heart was pounding in her chest as they made their way toward her mother, who looked at them curiously.

“Was that Lady Carrington?” Mrs. Burrowes peered toward the lady, her fan swishing so wildly her hair began to straggle untidily.

“It was, ma’am.” Nathan turned to Amelia, his eyes bright with suppressed mirth. “So far, so good, my love.” He squeezed her hand. “We have an appointment to see her tomorrow morning.”

“That seems rather odd.” Mama frowned, following them as they turned to go. “She never seemed to approve of Amelia even when she was betrothed to her son. Why would she wish to renew the connection after all this time?”

“Because she is going to help restore Amelia’s reputation.” Nathan handed them into his landau.

Mama’s eyes grew so wide Amelia could see them even in the darkness of the carriage. “She is? How extraordinary.”

“But what are you going to do, my dear?” Amelia addressed her betrothed, still not sure what he had in mind. “How are you going to make her tell the truth? And to whom?” Lady Carrington knew everyone in the ton ; however, Amelia doubted she would, at a moment’s notice, send word to every person in London supporting Amelia’s side of the story.

“Just trust me, love.” Nathan’s white teeth gleamed in the moonlight as he smiled broadly. “I have a plan.”

****

The next morning, Nathan and Amelia were ushered into a small reception room, tucked away in the front of Lady Carrington’s family townhouse. Austerely furnished, with one chair and only two pictures on the walls, its obvious purpose was to make unwanted callers ill at ease, but Nathan cared not a jot for the room’s purpose. Lady Carrington would be the uncomfortable one before this interview was over. He looked at Amelia, sitting pale and nervous, her restless hands pulling at the strings of her reticule, a sure sign of her distress.

“Do not be afraid, my love.” He stood beside her and rested what he hoped was a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We have the proof.” He lifted the letter case in his hand, the precious letters tucked safely inside.

“But what if she refuses to help us, Nathan?” Amelia looked more miserable than he’d ever seen her. “Mama was right. Lady Carrington was never very friendly toward me. And she did nothing all those years ago to support my claims of innocence.”

“She will not refuse.” He pursed his lips, disgusted by the lady’s harmful actions toward Amelia. “Trust me.”

She gazed up at him and sighed. “I do, my dear. More than—”

Lady Carrington sailed into the room, a less than welcoming look on her pinched face. “Good morning, my lord. Miss Burrowes.”

Amelia shot to her feet and wobbled, so that Nathan had to steady her. He then turned his full attention to the matter at hand. “Good morning, my lady. We have come to ask you for your assistance in an urgent matter.”

“So you intimated last evening, Lord Ainsley.” The lady looked as though butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. “But I do not see how I can be of help to you.”

“Please allow me to explain.” Nathan clenched his teeth as he withdrew the sheaf of faded letters from the letter case. “Your son corresponded with Miss Burrowes while they were betrothed. The contents of these letters were of a rather intimate nature, in which he suggests and, in some cases, almost demands that she give herself to him before their marriage is solemnized.”

“I have no knowledge of my son’s personal relationship with Miss Burrowes.” Lady Carrington raised her chin and tried to stare Nathan down. “If she succumbed to his advances—”

He wagged the papers before the lady’s face. “In none of these letters does he admit that the lady did so. Yet Miss Burrowes has been castigated and made an outcast by Polite Society because they believe she did, in fact, give into your son’s demands.”

“I have no doubt there are other letters in which she admits to her fall.”

“No, there are not, my lady,” Amelia spoke up, incensed at the woman’s audacity. “Because I never gave in to him, no matter what he may have said.”

“That is not the opinion of the public, my dear.” Lady Carrington stared witheringly at Amelia. “And where there is smoke, there is always fire.”

“Except in this case, Lady Carrington, the fire was actually hidden far away from the smoke.” Nathan bit back the words he would’ve much preferred to use. “All the way up in Toot Hill, Essex.”

Lady Carrington’s face paled, although she raised her head and tried to play the matter off. “I’m sure I don’t have any idea what you mean, my lord.”

“I’m sure you do, my lady. Because I am speaking of Miss Mary Adams, also known as Mrs. Carr of Toot Hill.”

Lady Carrington’s blue eyes stood out like two China blue saucers. “I have no earthly idea of whom you are speaking.”

“Oh, I believe you do, Lady Carrington, as you have been supporting Mary and her son for the past ten years.” Nathan cocked his head. “I was wondering if you would prefer for Mary and her child’s identities to remain hidden from the ton , at least until your granddaughter makes her brilliant match this Season.” He really did enjoy the look of horror that flitted across the woman’s face. “Or if you think, as I myself do, that the whole scandal needs to be revealed.” He held his hands up as if pointing to a masthead in The Morning Post . “Dead earl’s love child with maid exposed to the ton .”

Narrowing her eyes, Lady Carrington glanced from him to Amelia and back again. “What is it you want me to do, Ainsley?”

“I want you to set the record straight with the ton before our nuptials are solemnized next week.” He spoke lightly, but Nathan’s gaze was so sharp it might’ve pierced the woman’s breast. “I want you to talk to every person with whom you have an acquaintance in the whole of London and tell them you have it on the best authority, your son’s own writings, that he and Miss Burrowes never overstepped the boundaries of good deportment during their betrothal, and therefore Miss Burrowes is completely innocent of all she has been accused of.”

“And you think this declaration will be believed after so long?” The lady looked at them with something akin to pity. “What do you think I can say that will turn the tide of public opinion when it has been so set against her for ten years?”

“I am certain you can be persuasive when you wish to be, my lady. And you will certainly have the motivation to do so.” Nathan stared into her eyes with a cold hatred in his heart. “Because if you are not successful in reversing the ton ’s opinion of Miss Burrowes, I will personally bring Mary Adams to London and parade her and her son around Hyde Park at the fashionable hour and see who notices that little Johnny looks the very image of his father.”

For a moment, Nathan believed the lady would swoon. She swayed toward one side until he was certain she would topple onto the floor, but she caught herself, shaking her head and clenching her jaw. “Very well, Lord Ainsley. I will do as much as I can before your wedding on…?”

“Monday next.”

The lady looked perturbed but finally nodded. “I will come up with a plausible story that takes the salient points into account.” Eyes flashing, she drew herself up until she seemed much taller than her short stature would suggest. “However, I cannot be held accountable for what the ton does and does not believe. I will make as convincing a tale as possible. Whether or not Society accepts it is anyone’s guess.”

“I will be listening for the next round of on-dits and will judge for myself whether you have been vigorous with your story or not.” He took Amelia’s arm and looped it through his. “One last thing, my lady. If you cease your yearly payments to Mary and her son, I will be forced to take over their upkeep. To do that, I will bring them to London as my charges and the story of why they were transferred to my care will become well-known in all the best circles.” Nathan grinned at the woman. “Good morning, my lady. I look forward to seeing you at our wedding breakfast amidst all the other guests.”

With that last rejoinder, Nathan led Amelia out of the room and out the door before Lady Carrington could have them escorted out by one of her towering footmen.

“The cat has quite gotten my tongue, Nathan.” Amelia laughed as he helped her into the carriage. “I could scarcely keep my countenance stern as you made your demands.” Once she was settled in the seat, Nathan rapped on the trap. “Do you think she will actually attempt to help us?”

“I am sure of it, my love.” He took her hand in his and threaded their fingers together. “She will do anything to keep her family from feeling the taint of the scandal you have endured all this time.”

Amelia gazed up at him, love and hope in her eyes. “So you think by the time we are wed this wretched business will all be over with?”

“I do, my love.” He raised their hands and kissed hers. “And then the only thing you will need to concern yourself with is being married to me.”

“That sounds like a formidable task indeed.” She dropped her gaze to her lap but smiled nonetheless. “Almost as daunting as your task.”

“And what might that be?”

“Being married to a formerly scandalous woman.”

He grinned and leaned down for a kiss. “A duty to which I will dedicate my entire life, my love.”