Lady Fiasco, A Traditional Regency Romance (My Notorious Aunt) (26 page)

Fiona glared at him and turned to face her stepmother
.
“I am sorry to intrude
.
Clearly, we
have come at an inopportune time
.
We will leave
.
” Fiona tried to turn and go
.

Tyrell held her in place
.
“Unfortunately, Lady Hawthorn, we have come under rather distressing circumstances
.
Lady Alameda has contracted a strange malady and feels it would be safer for Fiona if she left Alison Hall
.
He
r
luggage is in my barouche.”

Fiona sta
r
ed at Tyrell. He was twisting the facts and forcing her on her family
.
She wouldn
’
t let him get away with it. “You needn’t trouble yourselves. I will find other accommodations until I can return to Thorncourt
.
I assure you, my lady
.
I did not k
n
ow you were planning a ball for Emeline
.
We would not have come, had we known.”

Emeline tittered
.
“Why, Fiona, what must Lord Wesmont think
? O
f course, you knew
.
I’m certain Mama wrote you weeks ago and told you all about it, didn
’
t you, Mama
?”
She fluttered her eyelashes at Tyrell.

Lady Hawthorn frowned. Obviously, Emeline meant to pin the indiscretion on her
.
Her eyes compressed into thin lines
,
but her lips remained smiling, and her voice sounded placid and sweet
.
“Why, Em darling
,
I
’
m certain
I
told
you
to write to your sister.”

“Oh
,
how silly of me. Here I thought you were going to do it
.
” Emeline curved one hand
a
rtfully in the air next to her golden curls. “You must think us all dreadfully scatterbrained
.
” She simpered at him with a slight pout on her cherry-shaped lips. “Our only defense for this absurd mix-up is that we have been frightfully busy with the move to town. The preparation
s
for the ball have been exhausting. It is going to be a grand affair. I d
a
re to hope that it will be one of the sensations of the Season
.
”

Hurt and confusion were plain on Fiona’s face when she faced her sister. “I didn’t know you were coming to town for the Little Season, Em. You never said a word.”

“Oh bother.” Emeline stamped her foot
.
“Well, that is not my fault, for I did write you before we left
.
The letter must have gotten lost in the mails. That is the only possible explanation.”

“Yes
,
I suppose.” Fiona chewed her lower lip. “Still, I should not trouble you on so busy a day. Lord Wesmont will see me to an inn
,
won
’
t you
,
my lord?”

Lady Hawthorn, who evidently was not made entirely of stone, patted Fiona o
n
the shoulder
, a
nd for just a moment donned a motherly expression
. “
Nonsense
,
my dear. You will stay with us. Anything else is unthink
a
ble
.”

She urged Fiona closer and called over her shoulder to the footman standing beside the potted palm. “You there
,
bring Miss Fiona’s trunks in from Lord Wesmont’s carriage
.
”

The beleaguered footman headed out the door.

Lady Hawthorn dropped her hand, ending the brief intimate contact with
her stepdaughter and turned to Tyrell
.
“Lord Wesmont, you must allow me to thank you for bringing Fiona to us
.
We’re most grateful
.
May we expect you tomorrow night?
”

He bowed handsomely to her and managed a smile at Emeline
.
“I wouldn’t miss such a grand affair
.
”

Then he turned to Fiona and grasped her hand
,
and pulling it to his lips kissed her fingers. He released her hand
and
smiled, wishing he could smooth away her concerns. “You must promise me the first waltz
.
”

“Thank you, my lord
,
but no. I am afraid I must keep to my rooms. My
–
my arm is not healed well enough for dancing.
”

“
Surely the waltz is not too strenuous an exercise
.
”

“I cannot
,
” Fiona insisted and appealed to her stepmother. “Surely, my lady, you understand? If I go downstairs to the ball, there will be the inevitable catastrophe. Someone may get hurt, and all will be spoiled.”

“Perhaps...
“
Lady hawthorn tapped the side of her cheek. “However, my dear, according to the latest gossip you have become quite an attraction. Is it not so? Have you not received dozens of invitations? It must be t
r
ue, because several ladies have applied to
me. Naturally,
I sent them to your aunt’s address.”

“Naturally,” said Lord Wesmont with just a hint of skepticism.

Undeterred Lady Hawthorn continued. “Your notoriety might benefit Emeline. If a small mishap occurs
,
that might not be a bad thing. It may create the sensation Em is hoping for
.”
She
c
lapped her hands together.
“
Yes
,
Fiona
,
you must come down. I insist upon it
.
And by all means, dance
t
he first waltz with our dear Lord Wesmont
.
”

Lady Hawthorn beamed at them both
,
quite satisfied with her logic. Emeline squinted at her mother, obviously not nearly as pleased.

Tyrell grinned at Fiona. She was caught
.

“Let us pray no one is seriously injured
.
Lately, I have caused rather more damage than normal
.
” Clearly, the memory of a Grecian urn smashing at their feet ran through her mind. Fiona lifted her troubled eyes up to his.

Tyrell wanted nothing more than to hold her and kiss away her fears, and to reassure her, but he had given Honore his word that he would not tell her of her cousin’s treachery until she had dealt with the matter. “Come, smile. All will be well. You must trust me.” His tone was deep and comforting
.
It pleased him when she responded by bravely trying to force the corners of her mouth to turn up.

“Regrettably, I must leave you. I have pressing business matters to attend. I will return tomorrow night and collect the waltz you promised me.”

He left the
Hawthorn’s rented townhouse
.
Lady Alameda had better uphold her end of the bargain. Otherwise, Tyrell planned to find out if Marcus de Alameda was
as good a shot as the rumor mill claimed
.
One way or another, that reprobate was never going to bother Fiona again
.

Chapter 20
Crime and Punishment

T
he next morning Countess Alameda lounged in her bed. She sipped her morning chocolate and scanned the newspaper. The swelling and redness had nearly abated. Marcus shuffled into her room
,
wearing his dressing gown and massaging his temples
.
She glanc
e
d up from her paper and smiled
.
How endearing he loo
k
ed
with his tousled black hair and sleepy eyes
.

“You summoned me?”

“Y
e
s, m
y
dear. Sit down. Here you are
,
Mattie sent up a tray for you as well. I thought we might have breakfast togeth
er
and discuss a few business matters. She made you one of her exc
e
llent omelets.
”

Marcus rubbed the bridge of his nos
e
and looked askance at the tray of food
.
“I never take breakfast before noon.”

“Yes, well, I just heard the clock st
r
ike eleven
.
Close enough. I daresay you will be uncommonly interested in the matters I wish to discuss. However
,
I refuse to talk busine
s
s on an empty stomach.”

“Business?” Marcus‘s eyes flashed
.
He ambled over to the chair and dropped into it
.
“I rather thought you’d summoned me to hear your dying words
.
”

“Silly boy. I would hardly make my last confession to you. Besides
,
only
good
people die young, and I am certainly not
good
.
”

“And you certainly aren’t
young
,” he muttered.

“What was that?”

“
Nothing
.
I just said you certainly have recovered
.
”

“Yes, that’s what I thought you said.” She jabbed a mouthful of omelet onto her fork. “Eat your eggs before they get cold
.
”

Marcus sipped his coffee and set the cup down. He picked up his fork and poked at the eggs.

“Marcus, must you dawdle? I want to get an early start. I’ve done nothing but lie in bed and take baths since yesterday
.
I’m bored senseless, and I have a dozen things to do before the Hawthorns’ ball this evening.”

He looked up, startled, “You don’t plan to go, do you? You just booted the chit out
.
You can’t show up at their ball
.
” He shoved a forkful of omelet into his mouth. The textures rolled across his tongue. He discerned mushrooms in a rich creamy wine sauce and leaned forward to take another bite
:

Honore shook her fork in the air at Marcus. “I will do whatever I please
.
I don’t recall an invitation but it hardly matters
.
They can’t very well turn me away, can they? I’m family.”

He swallowed more eggs and asked
,
“Why the devil would you want to go? Have you forgotten what Fiona did to you?” Marcus scraped some mushrooms and cream sauce out of the center of his omelet and scooped them into his mouth.

Honore munched on a piece of toast
.
“Oh, you mean because I puffed up like a toad and turned red.”

“Yes. Her fault. Said so yourself. Her curse and all
.
Excellent omelet
.
Mattie outdid herself.”

“I’ll tell her you said so.” Honore watched her stepson
shove more
e
ggs into his mouth and smiled. Then she laughed
.
“Oh Marcus, Marcu
s,
my dear boy, you don’t really believe that twaddle about a curse
,
do you? It
’
s bad enough Fiona and her witless stepmother place stock in such drivel
.
Never say
you
b
elieve in
c
urses?”

“Well…”—he considered his response cautiously while chewing—”not in the ordinary sense. But in Fiona’s case things
did
happen
.
”

“Oh yes
.
Things did happen
.
” Honore nodded and took a vicious nip at her toast
.
“I wonder, Marcus dear, how many of those
thing
s
were your doing?”

Marcus sputtered
,
choked, and finally managed to swallow. He composed himself and asked, in the most innocent of voices, “Whatever do you mean?”

“
You’re a clever man
.
You tell me. How many failed attempts on Fiona’s life were there? Let us count. My maid’s plunge into the ocean. Did the wrong woman fall off the pier? Fiona’s riding accident. Was it really an accident? Or did you help it along with a burr under the saddle
?
What about tripping the Prince Regent—”