Kay Springsteen (50 page)
Authors: Something Like a Lady
As Regina explained how her aunt had gone from spinsterhood to married lady, Annabella sat in stunned silence, hardly believing all that had happened since she
’
d locked herself in the cottage at Wyndham Green… since she
’
d married Jon.
“
…so when Grey sent word that his man had located you, I insisted on
coming
myself
to make sure you
were well
. I was beside myself with worry when no one knew where you were.
”
“
I
’
m so sorry, Mother. I never meant to worry you. It all happened so fast…
”
“
What exactly
did
happen?
”
Annabella let out a sigh. How did she explain? Where did she start?
“
I hardly know myself.
”
She swallowed, trying to tap down the emotion lodged in the throat.
“
Annabella? Are you
ill
? You
’
ve gone quite ashen
.
”
Concern decorated her mother
’
s voice.
“
You aren
’
t… aren
’
t…
”
Her sudden interest in Annabella
’
s middle finished her question.
“
I
’
m well, Mother. Really.
It
’
s nothing like… that.
”
Another insufficient answer.
Her eyes strayed to the door.
Perhaps if she
’
d had a chance to speak with Jon before he
’
d taken himself off somewhere, if she knew where the two of them stood… she
’
d have had a better reply. He
’
d promised to explain everything about his inheritance, but at one quelling glance from Regina, he
’
d left them together and sent Gran to entertain their guest. He
’
d even left it to Marie to fuss over cleaning Annabella
’
s cuts and scrapes.
“
Regina, did you know your daughter is something of an excellent archer?
”
“
An archer?
”
Annabella
’
s mother raised an eyebrow.
“
She is?
”
“
Yes. Nearly as good as I am,
”
the dowager said, beaming.
Thank you, Gran.
Annabella wasn
’
t ready to explain about Jon. Wasn
’
t yet ready to share him with her mother.
As if she
’
d summoned him with just her thoughts, he appeared in the parlor doorway. He
’
d cleaned up and changed his clothes. Why… he
’
d even had a shave! Seeing him there, garbed in his best navy blue tailcoat with the gold buttons, his dark hair swept across his forehead, her heart skipped a beat and ached for her to go to him.
“
I
’
m very sorry to interrupt, ladies. But we have a
caller
. Mr. Delbert Stowe, who would like to speak to La— to Annabella.
”
Annabella jumped when her mother let out a hiss.
“
Did you say Delbert Stowe?
”
Regina asked through tight lips.
For the first time, Annabella noticed the man standing just behind Jon.
“
You!
”
Jon pinned her with his intense stare, but he did
n
’
t move out of the man
’
s way so he could enter the room.
“
Do you know this man,
my dear
?
”
Did Mother just curse?
“
I do!
”
Annabella nodded.
“
He
’
s the gentleman from the contest I asked you about. The one
I thought had
been watching me and finally spoke to me.
”
The stranger stepped forward.
“
I do apologize if I frightened you, my lady. His grace, the Duke of Wyndham, sent me to inquire as to you
r safety.
Unfortunately, I wasn
’
t the only one snooping about
, and I didn’t want to draw undue attention
. I tried to speak with Lord Seabrook here at Blackmoor Hall before the tournament but was… unable to wait for his audience.
”
Regina shot to her feet.
“
And where exactly were you when my daughter was being kidnapped by Sheridan Dawes?
”
At the hatred and venom in her mother
’
s voice
,
Annabella nearly tumbled from the sofa.
“
Mother?
”
she whispered as she rose. Annabella wasn
’
t sure what shocked her more
, h
er mother
’
s total lack of propriety or the hatred
she spewed
toward a complete stranger. Regina Markwythe, Duchess of Wyndham, never behaved
as
less than a lady. Not even when it was just the two of them. And here she was, acting outrageously in front of three virtual strangers. Shocked didn
’
t begin to convey the sensations exploding through Annabella.
Jon, who also seemed taken aback, glanced between her mother and the stranger.
“
I hardly think Mr. Stowe could have guessed at what Dawes was about, your grace. Were that the case, then I am more to blame for not taking proper precautions at my own home.
”
Regina crossed her arms, fire burning in her eyes.
“
And there it is. Others still taking the blame for your actions, Mr. Stowe?
”
She flounced from the room without a backward glance.
Annabella stared after her mother. Should she go after her? She started to rise, but Gran waved her back and hurried after Regina.
“
I
’
m sorry,
”
murmured Annabella, turning her attention to Mr. Stowe.
“
Do you and my mother know one another?
”
“
We
’
ve made an acquaintance,
”
he answered, meeting her eyes without elaborating.
“
Please, have a seat.
”
Jon
invited as though only just remembering his own manners. He
gestured to one of the gray silk chairs across from
Annabella.
“
If you wouldn
’
t mind, Lady Seabrook,
”
began Mr. Stowe as he sat and crossed his leg
s
,
“
I
’
ve just a few questions about Mr. Dawes.
”
Jon busied himself at the sideboard with the decanter of port, aloof once again. As soon as she realized he truly was leaving her on her own, Annabella sighed and directed her attention to Mr. Stowe.
“
I
’
m not at all certain what I can tell you…
”
****
Jon
’
s hands still shook as he reset the crystal stopper into the decanter. If he saw Dawes again, he
’
d kill him for laying hands on Annabella. He closed his eyes but the memory of the way she
’
d watched him shooting at her was still too strong. She
’
d literally trusted him with her life.
He
’
d been unable to trust her with the secret of his inheritance. An irony existed in there someplace, Jon was certain. Drawing a deep, fortifying breath, he picked up the two glasses of port and carried them over to where Stowe and Annabella sat deep in conversation.
Although he wanted desperately to sit next to Annabella and take her into his arms, he chose instead to sit in the chair opposite Stowe. The investigator accepted the glass of port with a murmur of thanks.
“
When you found the banknotes, you had no idea they belonged to his grace?
”
Stowe sipped his wine, watching Annabella over the rim of the glass.
“
I saw his name on some of them.
”
Annabella
’
s fingers worked at the black lace on her dress as she spoke.
Stowe nodded.
“
It has come to light that Mr. Dawes has been skimming funds from Wyndham Green for years. Probably since shortly after the old duke
’
s death. His grace had no idea.
”
“
Maybe he should have visited,
”
Annabella muttered under her breath.
“
Mother and I always felt Mark— my stepbrother was responsible for the dire straits in which we found ourselves.
”
“
Why did you bring the banknotes with you when you left Wyndham Green?
”
Stowe sipped his port as though on a social call.
“
Why not leave them there?
”
Annabella stared hard at her hands, laced together in her lap.
“
I figured out the duke hadn
’
t put them in the wall, but it was obvious they belonged to him, so I didn
’
t feel I should leave them there, and then… certain matters arose…
”
She spared a fleeting glance for Jon but then returned her attention to Stowe.
“
…and… circumstances changed. I didn
’
t know
any other way
to keep them safe.
”
Circumstances such as being rushed into marriage and bundled across the countryside.
“
Excuse me.
”
No longer able to endure the burning ache of sitting so near Annabella without touch
ing
her, hold
ing
her and never
letting
her go, Jon abruptly set his port on the drum table and rose.
“
I
’
ve a matter to see to. I trust we may rely upon you to see that the Duke of Wyndham
’
s funds are returned to him.
”
Without waiting for an answer, he stalked across the carpet and left Annabella to answer Stowe
’
s questions.
Restless, Annabella paced from the vanity to the window, then to the fire, over to the door that led to Jon
’
s bedchamber. She paused and laid her fingers against the cool wood. They
’
d never had the chance to speak about their affairs and the words hung between them unsaid.
Would he come to her anyway? Even with things unsettled? Her skin began to tingle at the memory of his masterful touch — how was it possible to be so gentle and yet so exciting?
She dropped her hand and pushed the thoughts away. It wouldn
’
t do to think of him that way. Not until she and her husband had worked things out.
And that might not happen as long as her mother was in the home and behaving so dreadfully.
What had happened to her
? Had Regina thrown her venison and glazed carrots against the wall, Annabella would have been less shocked. All through the meal, her mother had answered in curt
words and
clipped syllables. She did little more than push the fare around on her plate. That and consume no less than three glasses of wine in quick
succession
.
A chill rolled over
Annabella, and she
picked her way over the soft carpet back to the fire. Mother seldom drank more than one glass of wine with dinner. No, something was definitely amiss.
The hostility emanating from Regina most certainly had a focus. Delbert Stowe. Even Gran had sat in stunned silence, not uttering a word, when Mother snapped and asked Mr. Stowe if he could stop chewing so loudly. Annabella was quite certain tha
t even as obscene
as her
own behavior had been
during her first meal at Blackmoor Hall,
it
hadn
’
t been nearly as bad.