Lady Fiasco, A Traditional Regency Romance (My Notorious Aunt) (25 page)

Mattie patted Honore’s shoulder
.
“Aye, me girl
.
Ye played
it
to perf
e
ction, ye did. Mind you the girl took it hard
.
”

“She’ll recover. Did you keep an eye on Marcus?”

“I did. The blighter was convinced sure enough.”

“Good
.
Gagging down that oyster was not easy
,
I can tell you that
.
”

Mattie grimaced at Honore
.
“The wee slimy creature did its part, too. Ye are a sorry sight
,
Honore, red as the hair on me old head.”

“Yes, well now let us hope Wesmont does his part.”

“I wager he
’
ll not disappoint ye. Aye, here comes his rig now
.
”

“Right on time. How very punctual
.
”

“He’ll be
takin’
our Fiona to that dreadful dull Lady Hawthorn, won
’
t he?”

“Yes. It really is too bad
.
If only he were a less conventional man
,
he might run off with her and set the society hen
s
cackling for weeks
.
That would be jolly fun, wouldn’t it
?”

“Aye, but would the lass do such a thing
?
”

“We’ll never know, Mattie. But I’ll tell you this, she has more bottom than I gave her credit for. Gets it from me, no doubt
.
”

“Aye, she’s a good girl, that one. Ye’ll miss her.”

Honore turned away from the window and scratched at her puffy red arms
.
“Gad! I itch like all the bees from hell are stinging me.
I
want a bath, Mattie, and I want it now.
”

Mattie stooped to test the water temperature in the copper tub. “All will be well, Honore
.
We’ll find ye another bairn to love, ye’ll see
.
”

Honore didn’t look at her old nanny
.
She swiped away an errant tear and acted as if she hadn’t heard the comment
.
“Put that powder in the water. Let
’
s hope it eases this confounded itching.”

* * *

Tyrell sat in his barouche
.
From this vantage point, he observed Fiona perched atop her luggage long before his coachman pulled up
.
He tipped his hat to her, but she didn’t seem to notice. Kip hopped down from the back of the carriage and opened the small panel door. Tyrell stepped out, donning his most pleasant attitude. “Good morning, Fiona
.
I’ve come to see if you would care to take a ride this morning? The day is so fine and—”

She turned her face up to him. Her blank expression, her white pallor and stricken features stopped him mid-sentence. Guilt punched all the air out of his lungs.

Damn! Honore’s wretched plan was costing Fiona far more than they
’
d bargained.

He immediately dropped his pretense and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Come, Fiona
.
I’ll take you to your family
.
” When she did not respond, he dropped to one knee and made her look at him face-to
-
face
.
“Fiona, listen to me. You can’t sit here in the street, now can you?”

She shook her head
.

“No
,
of course you can
’
t
.
Will you let me help you?”

A gut twisting moment passed before she nodded. Her answer came out hoarse and small
.
“Thank you.”

The sound of her own voice seemed to break through Fiona’s shocked stupor. It also freed her tears
.
They washed down her cheeks in two streams. She didn’t sob or shake, tears just silently flowed. Tyrell handed her a handkerchief and guided her up the steps into the
barouche
.

Kip strapped on her trunks and slung her bandboxe
s
into the opposite seat of the carriage
.

Fiona wiped self-consciously at her eyes
.
“I don’t suppose you would believe me, my lord
,
if I told you that I rarely cry
.
”

“Quite the contrary, my dear, I know you to be an extraordinarily brave woman.”

She looked at him doubtfully through watery eyes.

“No
,
I’m not flattering you
,
Fiona,” he answered
,
reading her mind. “I
’
ve admired your intrepid spirit since you were a little girl
.
You were never afraid of anything. I used to hold my breath when you went flying over some of the obstacles on the hunt
.
It was difficult to understand how your father allowed such recklessness.”

“How quickly I have slipped in your esteem from fearless to reckless.”

He chuckled
,
glad to see her spark returning
.
“We mustn’t fan your vanity into too great a flame. Imagine how my friends and I felt, watching a mere slip of a girl leap without hesitation over the very hedges and streams we had mutually decided we would go around. Poor Freddie Boxstrom cracked his ankle when he flew off his horse trying to jump a hedgerow you had just
sailed over. He swore he would never hunt with me again if you were allowed on
the field
.
He called you the impertinent daughter of an overindulgent father.”

“I’m charmed
.
”

“Yes, well, your fearless nature put him to shame.”

“I’m hardly fearless. You have only to stand me in a roomful of people and I quake in my slippers.”

“Ah
.
So, there is a chink in your armor
.
”

The carriage lurched as it rolled over a fault in the pavement
.
Fiona swayed back against the seat and into the protective circle of Tyrell’s arm
.
It was dangerously comfortable
.
Fiona looked up uncertainly.

She twisted his handkerchief. “It’s much easier
,
to commune with animals and nature
,
than human beings. No matter how hard I try
,
I con
t
inually upset the people around me.”

“Sadly, all of us upset the ones we love now and again. People are deuced difficult to deal with, but they also give us joy and all manner of pleasant sensations.” Tyrell reached for her hand. Pink heat rose in her neck and flood up her cheeks
.
He gently pulled away, not because he was afraid of his feelings. He did it because the time was not right. She
w
ould need her wits about her when they arrived at Lady Hawthorn’s town house.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help stroking her flushed cheek. She was so inviting. He wished it were another time and another place. But they were nearing their destination. He cleared his throat and addressed her in his lecture voice
.
“Promise me you’ll approach the people around you with the same fearlessness with which you take your horse over the hedgerows. You may need that courage in a few minutes when I present you to your family
.”

“
Oh, but surely it will be days before
we arrive at Thorncourt?”

There was no easy way to break the news.
“
Your stepmother and Emeline are in town.”

“In town?”

“Yes
.
Here.
”
The carriage rolled to a stop in front of a town house.

“No
,
you must be mistaken.”

* * *

The door opened
and Fiona recognized the face of their family servant. The butler led them into the hall
.
“
A moment
,
Miss Hawthorn. I
’
m afraid we’re all at sixes and se
v
ens what
w
ith Miss Emeline’s ball tomorrow evening
.
If you will wait here
,
please.
”
He dashed away
,
leaving Fiona and Tyrell standing in the entry hall.

“I didn’t know Em was having a ball,” she whispered
.
“They didn’t even tell me that they were in town
.
Not so much as a note to Aunt Honore, nor an inv
i
tation. Heavens, Tyrell, they can’t want me here
.
”

He shook his head
,
denying her supposition, even though he inwardly concurred. He didn’t like seeing her distressed. “There must have been a mix-up in the post
.
”

She shook her head. “
No, it’s me, me and my dratted curse
.
They don’t want me to spoil things for Em. Take me away
,
Tyrell. Please. I
’
ll put up in a hotel
.
I
…
I’ll take a mail coach back to Thorncourt in the morning.
”

She started for the door, but he clasped her arm
.
“Wait! At least
,
speak to your family. Surely they ought to be advised
o
f your situation. If they aren’t pleased to see you I’ll drive y
o
u to Thorn
c
ourt myself.”

Just then Lady Hawthorn’s voice cut through the air. “No. No. No!” she shouted
,
running after a footman wh
o
was lugging a tall potted palm. “I told you before
,
put that in the card room
.”

The footman
s
topped in his tracks
,
and crisply murmured
,
“Very good
,
my lady
.
” He turned around and headed back toward the room he had just exited.

“Stop right there.” Emeline
’
s sh
a
rp command h
a
lted the footman once more. She en
t
ered from the o
t
her direct
i
on. Followed
by the butler who appeared to be seeking an opportunity to announce their guests.

“Mama, I want that plant moved to the ballroom. It’s still much too bare. We don’t want it looking as stark as Almack’s, now do we? I’m certain the guests will prefer the larger, thicker greenery in the ballroom.”

“Stark? Bare?” Lady Hawthorn dug fists into her hips. “How can you say the ballroom is bare? I spent a small fortune on flowers. Entire hedges of them!
”

“Yes, yes, Mama. The flowers are gorgeous. They smell divine. Heavenly
.
But you must admit they don’t provide near enough privacy.”

“Privacy? Is that what you are after? Listen carefully
,
Emeline, I am not going to turn my house into Covent Garden, with couples doing heaven-knows-what behind the shrubbery
.
Good gracious
—
”

Tyrell cleared his throat, loudly. The wrangling women looked over the balustrade and saw the Earl of Wesmont standing in their hallway. Then they noticed Fiona with one arm in a sling and the other arm tucked proprietarily in his embrace
.

Lady Hawthorn choked. She converted it into a polite cough and straightened her gown
.
Emeline put a hand up to check her hair. The footman set the potted orange tree on the floor and sighed with relief.

“My dear Lord Wesmont and Fiona, how lovely of you to call.” Lady Hawthorn scurried downstairs
,
her hand extended
,
a smile plastered on her face
.
Emeline followed in her mother’s footsteps. Tyrell did not release Fiona’s arm to take Lady Hawthorn’s hand. He feared Fiona might bolt for the door. Indeed
,
her continued struggle convinced him she would
,
indeed, run away if given half a chance. He pulled her closer to his side and bowed his head to the ladies.