Page 31 of The Scandalous Deal of the Scarred Lady
“Your Grace?” There was a quaver to Lucy’s voice, but she held her distance, she held her peace. For that, he was thankful.
“If you would have Hammond handle the rest of this, tell him to arrange for the concert later this week. There will be likely three in attendance.”Three. He would rather two, but the Lady would require a chaperone. He sighed, remembering the dour Miss Barlowe, hoping that she perhaps was having an off night as well on the eve that he’d met her.
There came a sudden exhalation of breath as Lucy bent to pick up the plate. He put out a hand, stopping the movement. “As I said, have someone clear the place setting. If I recall correctly this is not within the realm of your duties.”
Her face went pale. “May I ask a question, Your Grace?”
“You may.”
She swallowed hard. “Do I stillhavea place here, Your Grace?”
He glanced back at the paper lying on the table, the looping signature still visible. “That, Miss Davenport, remains to be seen.”
Chapter 20
The door burst opened, slamming into the opposite wall as Phoebe swept into the room, her skirts rustling as she came to a halt before Helena who was sitting at her dressing table, having Tess do something more interesting with her hair.
“Helena, I demand that you tell me what you have done!” Her aunt stood, out of breath, shoulders heaving, with a fine line of moisture dampening the tendrils of hair against her forehead. In fact, Aunt Phoebe looked quite flustered — even put out — as she waited on Helena’s answer.
Helena turned back so that she faced the mirror, signally Tess to continue with what she was doing. The girl had looked ready to bolt at the opening of the door. Could Helena blame her? The child had already suffered terribly for the negligence of the dress. It had taken much arguing on Helena’s part to allow the child to keep her position within the household.
“Whatever do you mean?” Helena asked, turning her head a little as bid, so Tess could arrange the rich mahogany curls so that they would cascade prettily from the combs that held them.
“I have it on good authority that you have ordered refreshment for this afternoon. Promise me you have done nothing rash.” Phoebe paced behind her, a whirlwind in the mirror, there one moment, gone the next.
“Whatever would give you the idea that I have done something rash? Is it so terribly unexpected that I might receive a caller?” Helena smiled at Tess, thanking her for her help and rose carefully, tugging at her gloves and twitching her skirt so that it lay properly.
She eyed the dress critically. The blue fabric was maybe not as fine as some of her other dresses, but the patterned flowers were sweet and becoming according to Tess and would give the desired effect. Today, it was crucial that she look composed. At her best for the coming confrontation.
Phoebe caught at her arm, catching her before Helena could leave the room. “It is indeed uncommon. Is the banker’s wife coming to visit?”
Helena could not help but laugh. “Would I go to so much trouble for the banker’s wife?” She turned and caught her aunt’s hands. “Please forgive me, for I know I’m being childish in my excitement, but let us say that I am assured that today there will a be a gentleman caller. For me!”
Phoebe sat down heavily in the chair so recently abandoned by her niece. “But how can this be? And surely you were not thinking of receiving him alone!”
“Oh, do not be angry at me, but I knew you were planning an outing to shop for some hat trimmings with your friends this afternoon, so I arranged for Bridget to keep me company in the parlor for the duration of this call. She quite assured me she had some mending she could attend to and did not mind in the least being called from her duties for the afternoon.”
Phoebe’s lips thinned. “But you do not seem to mind the upset it would cause for the rest of the household to do so. Bridget’s position is within the kitchen. How then will our dinner be prepared if you have absconded with the head cook to the parlor?” She shook her head violently. “Indeed, you can be thoughtless.”
Helena laughed, not stung in the least by the condemnation for she knew well enough that her aunt’s words were entirely true. “Please do not be mad at me. If you understood thetroubleI went to…” Helena caught herself. This was perhaps not what she should have said.
“Trouble? What trouble?” Phoebe caught at Helena and pulled her down to sit in the chair opposite. “What have you done, child?”
Helena flushed. This was not how she had intended for this conversation to go. “Only that I have…oh, why should it matter? It is the end result that counts, does it not? Think on it, a gentleman of fine standing, come to seeme! What girl would not be excited by such a thing?”
“I think it matters a great deal what you have done to assure such a thing happening. Especially as your actions tend to reflect rather badly on the rest of this family whether you realize it or not. Have you forgotten the incident last summer out at the estate?”
Helena bit her lip. This was a thing she would rather not have been reminded of. A child had been born badly formed, and somehow Helena had been brought to blame for it, for she had visited the expectant mother only a day before, bringing a basket of fresh-picked vegetables to the family.
“There is nothing I could have had to do with that,” she reminded her aunt angrily, drawing herself up with certain defiance that she had come rather to adopt regarding the incident. She had been as horrified as anyone else out at the estate. “I only brought vegetables, the same that graced our own table, that our own servants ate. There was not another child born that summer that suffered in that way.”
“Is one not enough?” Phoebe reached to clasp Helena’s hands. “My love, we know little enough about the true nature of your affliction. Can we honestly be certain that you had nothing to do with the incident? It was a mercy the child died and did not have to live with the deformity. Imagine what a trial that would have been to the parents.”
Helena drew away with a sob. “What are you saying? That because of my condition that I somehow placed that blemish on the child’s face? Such marks are not uncommon. Why I have heard of others who were born marked in such a way who have lived long and happy lives. I fail to even see why that child died, as he seemed healthy and hale when I saw him.”
The look Phoebe gave her was one of pity. “Child, do you truly not understand?”
Helena leapt to her feet, pulling back away from her aunt in horror. “What are you saying?”
