Page 11 of The Viscount’s Forgery (Bluestocking Book Club #4)

E ugenia walked away from the Viscount with her heart beating so loudly, she feared he could hear it.

It was no small thing to tell Lord Suffolk that one of his paintings was a forgery, but she had not felt herself able to keep that notion to herself.

That had not come from a true and willing desire to be honest with him, however.

It had come from a place of irritation and upset.

“Eugenia?”

She stopped just as Lady Rosalyn emerged from the library, putting one hand out towards her. “Are you quite all right?”

With that tightness still in her chest, it took Eugenia a moment to nod. “Yes, I am.”

“Come.” Lady Rosalyn beckoned her back into the library, a place where Eugenia had already spent some time. “Miss Trentworth is present here also, though she is deep in conversation with Lord Albury… as you might expect.”

This brought a slight lift to Eugenia’s lips. “It is good that they are so very interested in each other,” she said, a little dryly. “They are engaged, after all.”

“Indeed,” Lady Rosalyn laughed, picking up two glasses of champagne from the table and handing one to Eugenia. “Come now, tell me what it is that troubles you so. I can see that you are upset, and I am sure it would be better for you to tell me the truth of it all.”

Eugenia took the glass of champagne and sipped it, the sense of upset in her beginning to fade away.

“I was here in the library earlier, as you know,” she said, as Lady Rosalyn nodded.

“I was grateful for the shadows of the room here, for it meant I could take a few minutes without being in company. The quietness here, the lack of heavy conversation, and the like were good for my soul.”

“And,” Lady Rosalyn said, with a hint of a smile at her lips, “you also thought to peruse the books here, no doubt.”

This made Eugenia laugh despite herself.

“Yes, I suppose that is true. I did very much enjoy having a look at some of the books here, though I could not spend as long as I might have wished to.” She sighed and shook her head.

“Much to my frustration, I was forced to melt back into the shadows when a few of the other guests came into the room, taking away my solitude.”

“ Most inconsiderate,” Lady Rosalyn quipped, as Eugenia’s smile returned. “How dare they come into the library during a soiree?”

“Exactly.” Eugenia’s spirits, despite her friend’s jovial remarks, sank a little lower. “When I was standing quietly, keeping to myself and sipping my glass of champagne, I could not help but overhear a conversation between Lord Bothwell and Lord Suffolk.”

Lady Rosalyn’s smile cracked. “I presume it was not something positive that you heard, then.”

“No, indeed not.”

“Was it about your sister?”

“In a way, yes, it was,” Eugenia said, slowly. “It began with Lord Bothwell stating that he knew very well what Lord Suffolk had done in bringing this soiree together, which then led to a conversation whereby Lord Suffolk offered some advice, but Lord Bothwell rejected even the thought of it.”

Lady Rosalyn frowned. “And why was that?”

“Because, as he said to Lord Suffolk, the gentleman has never been in love, has no thought of love, and wants only to marry for suitability rather than anything else.” As she spoke, a pain stabbed at her heart, but Eugenia ignored it, refusing to even acknowledge its presence.

“That is to be expected, I suppose, for many gentlemen have such a way of thinking.”

“Yes, they do,” Lady Rosalyn answered, though her eyes held fast to Eugenia’s. “But this displeased you?”

“No.” Eugenia was quick to respond, recalling the moment she had heard Lord Suffolk give Lord Bothwell some advice – advice that she had given to him only a few days ago!

“The advice was given in the end. Much to my frustration, however, Lord Suffolk told Lord Bothwell what he thought he ought to do as regards my sister and the present state of affairs. What frustrated me a great deal was that he took the things that I had said to him and shared them with Lord Bothwell as though they were his own!”

Understanding crept into Lady Rosalyn’s expression. “That displeased you.”

“It did indeed.” Eugenia took another sip of her champagne, trying to find the right words to express how she had felt.

“I was frustrated with him for speaking so without even mentioning that I had been the one to suggest such a thing. It would not have taken him more than a moment to do so, but then again, I have always thought him a little arrogant.”

Lady Rosalyn’s brow furrowed. “That is so often true when it comes to gentlemen with vast fortunes, although did you not say that you thought well of him?”

“On the whole, yes.” Eugenia let out a long, slow breath as she considered all she had said previously to the bluestockings. “He did speak to Lord Bothwell as I requested. Our conversations have, on the whole, been very good indeed.”

“Which might well be why you found that particular conversation exasperating.” With a small, rueful smile, Lady Rosalyn spread out her hands. “It is a matter of balance, is it not? To take both the good and the bad together?”

Eugenia nodded slowly, looking away but surprised that the niggle of annoyance lingered in her heart.

Lady Rosalyn was quite correct, of course.

No gentleman, no lady was perfect in their character, and whilst Lord Suffolk had caused her a good deal of irritation by speaking as he had done, she could not pretend that he had nothing good about him.

He had spoken to Lord Bothwell on her behalf and had arranged this soiree so that her sister and Lord Bothwell would have the opportunity to meet, so he could not be seen as dreadful fellow, could he?

“Unless it was something else that caused you to feel such irritation?” Lady Rosalyn asked, making Eugenia frown as she looked into her friend’s eyes. “Was he speaking of his wealth, mayhap? This arrogance that you have spoken of previously - was it all the more prominent, mayhap?”

Eugenia considered this, a little astonished to realize that her irritation had begun when the Viscount had spoken about love – though only to discard the notion.

Lord Bothwell had stated that Lord Suffolk wanted only to marry for suitability and nothing more, and, for some strange and inexplicable reason, that had caused a spike of upset to sting at her.

“Mayhap,” was all she said by way of response, choosing not to share what had only just come to mind. “Something else happened thereafter, however.”

“Oh?” Lady Rosalyn lifted her eyebrows in question, but Eugenia shook her head.

“I think I shall share it with you all come the morrow,” she said, a sense of disappointment beginning to curl up in her heart as she considered her actions, wondering if she had responded poorly in half-dragging the Viscount to look at the painting.

Had that come from her sense of exasperation over his previous remarks?

A soiree was no place to tell the host that something on their walls was not what it purported to be, but Eugenia had done so without barely giving herself time to think.

Wincing, she closed her eyes and dropped her chin. “I may not have acted wisely.”

“Tell us all tomorrow,” Lady Rosalyn said, grasping her hand as Eugenia opened her eyes. “There is enough upon your heart and mind at this present moment, I think.”

“Indeed,” Eugenia agreed, with a sigh. “And the soiree has still many hours to go before it comes to an end!” This made her friend laugh, and whilst Eugenia smiled along with her, she did not feel the very same good humor.

Instead she had a lingering sense of doubt over her own actions and, deep within her heart, a flicker of concern that the connection she had begun to enjoy with the Viscount might, by her own actions, be brought to a very swift close indeed.

“Eugenia?”

She looked up from where she had been contemplating her cup of tea, flushing hot when she realized every one of her friends was looking at her. “Yes?” When Lady Isobella began to smile, Eugenia’s cheeks grew hot. “Forgive me. I was lost in my own thoughts.”

“That is quite all right,” Lady Isobella said quickly. “Lady Rosalyn was saying that something happened at the soiree last evening.” Her eyebrow arched. “I confess, we are all waiting to hear!”

Eugenia smiled, grateful for her friends and their interest in her.

If she did not have them, she would have no one to talk to, for none of her family were at all interested in what she had enjoyed at the soiree.

They had been much too busy talking about Polly and Lord Bothwell’s connection, for apparently there had been more than one prolonged conversation, even if there had been nothing of substance in any of them!

“I am glad of your interest, though there is very little to tell.” With a glance down at her tea, she chose not to speak of the advice that Lord Suffolk had given to Lord Bothwell.

This morning, in the clear light of day, it had not seemed in the least bit significant, and she had ended up a little embarrassed at how quickly she had become frustrated by something so small.

“We would be glad to hear it, all the same.” Miss Trentworth glanced around the room. “We have nothing else to speak of, I do not think.”

Eugenia laughed quietly. “Then, to keep us all entertained, I shall tell you what I did.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she brought to mind the previous evening, which, given the early hour, had only been a very short time ago indeed.

“I was at the soiree and, after the Viscount and the Marquess quit the library, I chose to do so as well. It was not because the room was filled with a great many guests or the like, but because I felt myself upset over a particular conversation and thought that I might regain my composure if I walked about the house for a time.”