Darleston waved aside the suggestion. ‘There’s nothing more to discuss. The facts are entirely straightforward.’
‘Still … well …’ Bathhouse muttered, trying to extract his hand from Lady Darleston’s death grip.
Ignoring Bathhouse’s straits, Darleston addressed his wife once more. ‘Leave,’ he said simply, then turned his back on her.
Lucy blanched in response to such a direct cut. ‘Oh!’ she cried dramatically and fell into a faint, so that Mr Bathhouse was obliged to catch her and lower her gently to the steps. ‘You foul beast. You monster.’ From betwixt her bosoms she produced a handkerchief, which she applied liberally to her eyes, though there was no evidence of tears. ‘I cannot believe you accuse me so when I have always been such a good and faithful wife.’ Perhaps that was stretching credibility a little too far, for there were several rather disrespectful murmurings from the assembled gentlemen. Her ladyship ignored them. ‘All you care to do is free yourself to indulge in further wickedness. Do you imagine you are so discreet that your nocturnal habits pass unobserved? I have been here but a day and they have already reached my ears.’
Still with his back to her, Darleston paused. ‘I think you mistake me for someone else, unless I’ve taken to sleepwalking, for I have spent every night here in my own bed.’
‘Sleepwalking,’ her ladyship scoffed. ‘Is that the newly fashionable term for it? Do you deny that you approached my maid last night? You went to her quarters.’
Darleston did not respond. However, as if on cue, Lady Darleston’s maid appeared at that very moment with vile-smelling salts to waft under her employer’s nose. ‘Tell them.’ Lucy gestured to the assembled onlookers. ‘Go ahead, girl, as you told me. Isn’t it so that milord made certain demands of you last night?’
‘It is,’ the girl responded. She was a plump lass with wide hips and an ample bosom. However, her mock-serious expression couldn’t entirely hide her all-too-knowing worldliness. She was no innocent, and likely a very saucy piece instead. ‘He came to me after midnight, he did. I was quite at my wits’ end as to what to do.’
‘You poor soul.’ Lady Darleston petted the maid in a soothing fashion, her own affliction clearly forgotten.
Darleston groaned and rolled his eyes, but refrained from offering an explanation, a fact that perhaps worked to his advantage, for no one seemed at all concerned about his supposed visit to the servants’ quarters. Even Emma felt certain it’d been for a legitimate reason, rather than the one Lady Darleston implied.
‘’Tis no new thing for you either, Robert.’ Lucy clambered once more to her feet in order to tick her fingers back and forth before his face. ‘What devilment is it that provokes you to accost innocents in this way? Oh, if I’d only known the extent of your depravity when I agreed to marry you, I should have saved myself such misery.’
‘That is the first truth you have spoken all day,’ Darleston said.
‘Well, let me speak another. I know you have a lover and I know who it is.’ She turned her steely gaze once more upon Emma. ‘You need not stand there so primly. I’m not fooled. Even your own sister is appalled by your behaviour. She was positively distraught when she confided last night.’
Amelia – Amelia had betrayed her, though whether out of malice or simple foolishness it was hard to say.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Mr Hill shuffled in from the direction of the study, followed by a trickle of other guests. ‘I shall have the townsfolk and the constable here if this shouting keeps up, enquiring if we are to have the boxing in my hall.’ He eyed Darleston and Mr Bathhouse standing at the base of the stairs and asked, ‘Is there some quarrel between you gentlemen?’
Bathhouse’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘Good Lord, no.’ He gave his host to know that the discord was between husband and wife, a fact that turned Hill’s poker face compellingly stern. He offered a hand to Lady Darleston – thus freeing Bathhouse, who made a speedy retreat into the dining room. Her ladyship dipped immediately into an exquisite curtsy. When she bobbed up once more, a triumphant and unflattering – for you could see the badness of her teeth – smirk stretched across her cheeks.
‘’Tis rather unseemly to air one’s grievances in public,’ Mr Hill reprimanded her, immediately extinguishing her smile. ‘Whatever complaint you have against his lordship, my hall is not the place to declare it.’
Lucy’s eyes narrowed at the remark, but she offered her host no apology, whereas Darleston did so with unfaltering politeness, to which he received a nod in return. It seemed as though the drama was done
The tension in Emma’s chest eased enough for her to take an unsteady breath. She and Lyle and Darleston needed to speak with one another most urgently. While she still trusted Darleston, the issue of Lady Darleston being with child thoroughly complicated matters.
However, as Mr Hill turned to return to his other guests, Lucy stopped him with a woeful moan. ‘Please, sir, I’m sorry to raise such matters at this time, but I cannot let this go. For all his nice words my husband has cruelly abused your hospitality while here. He has made your daughter his mistress.’
‘Good God!’ Hill released Lady Darleston’s arm. Surprisingly, he did not round upon Darleston, but instead turned forthwith to Amelia, who had followed him from the study. ‘What devilment have you been about, young lady? I knew I ought to have sent you to your Aunt Maude’s.’
‘Not I,’ she squeaked, though the way her lip trembled suggested a degree of deceit in her answer. Foolishly, her gaze swept at once to Harry Quernow, who at least was less obvious in giving a tremulous shake of the head. So Lyle was right. That was where Amelia’s affections lay. Thankfully her father seemed not to notice. If such an obvious hint at a liaison had occurred in the past, Emma would have taken Amelia aside for a sound lecture, but considering her own promiscuity and its imminent revelation she no longer felt in a position to sermonise.
‘Um, no, you misunderstand,’ Lucy helpfully clarified. ‘I meant your other daughter, sir. Mrs Langley.’
Much to everyone’s surprise, Hill burst into peals of helpless laughter. When he caught Emma’s gaze, his mirth vanished equally fast. He might occasionally be insensitive and treat her like a dolt, but he was not an unkind father, and generally endeavoured not to cause her distress. His attention returned abruptly to Lady Darleston. ‘You are trouble, madam. I knew you would be the moment you stepped down from the landau yesterday. While I’m delighted to know my instincts are as sharp as ever, I’m sorry that I’ve had to listen to you besmirch my daughter’s reputation. I know you to be a liar.’ Mr Hill drew himself up to his full and rather considerable height, showing himself to be a stout and hearty man still, despite his thinning grey hair. ‘You will not make such idle accusations again. Whatever quarrel you have with my lord Darleston, I find it intolerably rude of you to try and embroil my family. Please collect your things. I can no longer welcome you as a guest in my home.’
‘It’s the truth. Ask her,’ Lucy protested. She had turned a rather ghostly shade, so that the white of her outfit thoroughly overwhelmed her. ‘Ask Amelia.’
‘I have no intention of asking anyone, let alone the opinion of an impressionable girl barely out of the schoolroom. Please have your maid assemble your trunk.’
‘Come, milady.’ The maid gently tapped her mistress’s arm. Lucy threw her a scathing look. ‘Take off your coat, Robert. Show them what lies beneath. ’Tis no ramble you’ve been upon this morn, but rather face-making with your harlot.’
Darleston remained buttoned to the throat. He observed Lucy calmly. ‘Making up tales in order to embarrass me will not better your situation. How do you suppose me able to conduct an affair with Mrs Langley when she doesn’t permit even her family to touch her?’ He sniffed. ‘Then again, perhaps you have not noticed that fact since you’ve been such a short time in this house.’
It seemed from Lady Darleston’s silence that she had not been aware of that particular fact, nor did it please her to know it. With
a terrific flounce, she stormed past Emma up the stairs, presumably to collect her accoutrements, only to stumble near the top and topple forwards onto the landing. Harry Quernow took the stairs at once, closely followed by Mr Phelps and Mr Connelly.
‘Are you well, milady?’ Harry asked. Emma didn’t hear the response, only saw her father’s mouth set into a grim line. He nodded at Harry. ‘She can rest while the maid packs. I’m not so heartless as to send anyone away injured.’ Between the three gentlemen, they carried Lady Darleston to her room. Once they were out of sight along the upstairs corridor, Darleston caught Emma’s eye. ‘Forgive me,’ he mouthed, his expression one of grim softness.
Forgive him! Why she could barely comprehend what had just occurred.
‘Emma, dearest, are you all right? You look quite faint. Has she shocked you very much?’ She realised it was her father speaking, but could not meet his tender expression. Instead, she worried her lip and fought hard to hold her fast-brewing tears in check. ‘Oh, my poor child,’ continued Mr Hill, ‘it’s been quite horrid, I’m sure. You look nearly overcome. Perhaps it would be best if you retired for a spell. I’m sure Amelia will take charge of the guests.’ The knowing look that passed across his face at the mention of his younger daughter made Emma suspect that he hadn’t missed that little exchange between Amelia and Harry Quernow after all. Keeping Amelia busy with the other guests would also keep her away from Harry, who had duties of his own to attend to.
‘Yes,’ Emma agreed. ‘I think I should like to lie down. Excuse me.’
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Child! A child! Emma felt only the cold reality of the linseed-polished wood beneath her hand as she made her way back up the grand staircase to her chamber. Why had Darleston not told her? Paternity doubts aside, he must acknowledge that it had bearing upon the situation. She knew Darleston did not love his wife and, if all he said were true, she did not deserve his affections, but surely he was not knave enough to leave his wife – the woman, however wrongly, he had sworn before God to cherish and protect – to fend for herself while pregnant?
Worse too was the fact that her own frigidity had been bandied before everyone. They had all thought her odd enough before; now she’d be discussed like a prize heifer, and Lyle’s virility was bound to be called into question. They would all be at risk.
Nauseous to the depths of her stomach, Emma swayed, suddenly overcome by light-headedness. She longed for a steady arm to hold onto in that moment, but no one came to her assistance. They had not even followed her up the stairs to see that she was well. They were all so used to her rebuffs – even Lyle knew better than to attempt any sort of affectionate contact – yet that was the very thing she craved: someone, be it the lowliest servant, to put their arms around her and tell her that all would be right, though that was a lie no one had cared to offer her since her mother’s funeral. Yet what she wouldn’t give to hear it said. Sometimes one had to believe in little deceits in order to stomach reality.
Head still swimming, Emma entered her room, fell onto the bed and closed her eyes.
She awoke some time later in response to a persistent knock upon the door. ‘Emma, please open up.’ After thirty or so rat-a-tat-tats achieved him naught, Darleston lifted the latch and let himself in. Groggily, Emma lifted her head from the pillow, only for her hair, which had come loose from its pins, to tumble over her face. ‘The others are at the fight,’ he explained, while she brushed the strands aside. ‘I came back as soon as I was able. Oh, Emma, I’m sorry you had to hear that from her. I ought to have told you what she’d come here for, but in the wake of everything else it clean slipped my mind.’
Even if she had not already trusted him, the sincerity with which he spoke would have assuaged any doubts. Still – ‘You can’t send her away penniless to rot,’ she said. ‘Not when there’s a child involved.’ She hunched herself up so that she sat cradling her knees. She’d experienced first-hand what poverty did to children, even those who were loved. Lady Darleston didn’t seem the type to make an affectionate or even interested mother. The best the child could hope for was a doting nursemaid or to be claimed by an adoring father, but the latter would be impossible so long as Lady Darleston insisted upon the child’s legitimacy.
‘I confess I’m not even sure she’s quickening. I did go to see her maid last night, but not for any sordid reason. I meant to discover the name of the actual father.’
Darleston perched on the foot of the bed, barely finding purchase on the rumpled coverlet, his full coat-tails fanning out behind him. He had dressed in some of his most magnificent finery, a charcoal-grey silk suit overlaid with a cobwebbed pattern of embroidery and diamonds. His waistcoat alone, a fiery shade of taffeta that matched his hair, sported more rubies than the lacework necklace Lyle had given her as a betrothal gift. The ensemble gave him an air of grandeur that would elevate him far above the rank and file of the fight crowd. It might single him out as a target for the pickpockets, but it would also buy him a great deal of respect among those with pretensions of grandeur. Emma wondered if he was expecting further trouble. He always dressed beautifully, but this excess seemed to her to be a kind of mask.
‘Do go on.’
He shook his head. ‘Sally was far from forthcoming, but she did let slip a few details that make me think it all a ruse to extract money for some other purpose. I’m not altogether sure what, but something is afoot.’
So he had armoured himself by making his status absolutely plain.
‘What do you suspect?’ She tilted her head, taking the pressure off her chin and resting her cheek upon her knee instead.
Uncertainty turned his eyes a watery grey. ‘It could simply be creditors exerting pressure, but I do wonder … I’m not sure … I think perhaps she’s ailing in some way and not quickening at all. The maid said that she’d been to take the waters at Bath, something Lucy’s been fervently dismissive of in the past. Sally had no notion of her being with child.’
Emma straightened. Upper servants were privy to all manner of delicate information. ‘How is that possible?’
‘I’ve asked myself the very same. I may write a letter or two later. There are one or two physicians whose opinions I respect and who might be able to shed some light upon the matter.’
‘No baby.’ Emma rubbed at the tension building in her temples again. ‘Do you think it a tumour or some other malignancy growing inside her?’
‘Oh, that, definitely,’ he agreed heartlessly, only to apologise a moment later. ‘I’m sorry. Lucy does bring out the absolute worst in me. I don’t want to offer her anything. I can’t help suspecting that giving her money will only open myself to future demands.’
‘Blackmail?’
‘Nothing is beyond her.’
Emma nodded. ‘I still feel it’s wrong to leave her with nothing, no matter how heartless or cruel she is. Would it hurt you dreadfully to offer her some modest amount?’
Darleston gave her an inscrutable look, one that turned his grey eyes almost the same hue as his coat. She doubted many would notice it, but she knew a war raged inside him over her request. Externally, only the faint wrinkling around his eyes gave any hint of his thoughts. After an awkward pause, he said, ‘I fear you are a far better person than I, for I should dearly like to wring her neck. I’ve certainly no desire to look after her, but I suppose I have not really told you the half of what she’s done. Nor have I any wish to recount it,’ he hastily added. ‘However, if it pleases you to be kind, then I will see she’s given a stipend, enough to live comfortably if modestly upon. I’ll have my lawyer oversee it. I hope not to meet her again outside of hell.’
‘You’re a good man. No one who sees into your soul would ever send you there.’
Darleston gave a dubious snort. ‘I think you are forgetting some of my preferences, my love.’
Not for a moment would she ever forget that he’d been her husband’s lover before he’d become hers, or that he remained so still. They might all stay for a day
or two more, once today’s fight was over, but she sensed that life was moving on. Some sort of decision and arrangement had to be agreed upon by the three of them before the tide of departures from Field House sent them off in different directions.
‘Emma, may I move up this bed?’ Darleston asked. He seemed to sense her depression. ‘Leaving here needn’t be an end to anything. I should like you to think it a beginning.’
Emma held her hands out towards him. He didn’t take them. Instead, he enfolded her in his embrace, so that her head moulded to the crook of his shoulder and his familiar musky scent evoked a warm glow inside her, though it didn’t entirely quell her fears.
‘How will it work?’ she asked. How could it work? She and he might feel the same way about each other, but she and Lyle were more like brother and sister than husband and wife.
‘It’ll work because we’ll take measures to ensure it does.’ He gripped her a little tighter as he spoke, but the extra closeness didn’t eliminate her doubts. ‘Lyle’s prepared to be adaptable. Can you be?’
She clove to the silky smoothness of his coat. ‘I’ll try.’ That truly was the very best she could offer, not knowing if she would ever be able to tolerate any touch but Darleston’s. Desire had driven her to open up to him, but that was something she simply didn’t feel for Lyle. Maybe it would come in time. They did love one another in their own curious way.
‘Shall I tell you how I imagine us to be?’ His breath stirred the disarranged curls that hung each side of her face. Emma kept quiet, knowing he would take that as a cue to continue. ‘Don’t think that I don’t know your preferences. I do, which is why I see myself in the centre.’
‘In the centre of what?’ she enquired.
He hesitated and, as his chest pressed against her back, she felt too the tremulous leaping of his heart. He had reservations about sharing this. She wondered if this was something he’d shared before, perhaps with Lucy, and had had thrown back in his face. ‘There are certain things I’ve always imagined myself part of. Having both you and Lyle is already more than I ever hoped to gain.’
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