Page 31 of The Truth about the Marquess
Lord Dunstable shrugged, though Lady Harsham’s expression softened.
“I think I quite agree,” she said, so quietly that Oliver barely heard it. When his eyes met hers, Lady Harsham’s widened, as though she had not intended him to hear her speak so. She licked her lips and then smiled, though it did not hold the same gentleness as before. “In speaking of these things, I should tellyou that the reason for my calling upon you is… well, I do not want to gossip, but I wanted to speak openly with you about my recent visit from Lady Keswick and her daughter.”
Oliver stood up straight, shock ringing through him.
“They came to speak with you?”
Lady Harsham nodded, a tiny smile at the edge of her mouth.
“Yes, they did, even though we have never been introduced!”
“That is a little unusual.” Oliver glanced at Lord Dunstable, but his eyes were on Lady Harsham. “Was there a purpose in their visit?”
Lady Harsham’s eyes twinkled.
“Oh yes, they wanted to speak to me about you.”
Oliver blinked rapidly, a cold hand settling over his heart for just a moment before the sensation dissipated.
“You know that I spoke well of you, I am sure,” she continued, perhaps seeing his surprise. “It is not as though I would have said anything cruel or untrue.”
“Did… did they speak to you about my fortune?”
Lady Harsham nodded.
“They did, but I made certain to inform them of what I knew, though I did say that I knew very little. However, I reassured the ladies that you were not about to sell your estate to regain any funds and that you were, in fact, a good deal better situated than you had been when you first took on the title.”
A long breath escaped Oliver’s lips.
“I thank you.”
“They also…” Lady Harsham’s voice dropped, and she shook her head, her eyes squeezing closed for a moment. “It is embarrassing for me to even speak of, and I confess that I was utterly astonished to hear this from a lady whom I was not even well acquainted with, but they did ask if there was any sort of connection between you and I.” Scarlet ran through her cheeks, but her eyes opened, and she looked at him directly. “Thereafter,she even went on to ask me about my intentions for the Season, which I found to be utterly astonishing!”
“Goodness.” Oliver rubbed one hand over his face, finding that his own face was hot. “I am sorry that you had to endure such impertinence. I thought that you had already dealt with such things quite enough, only for Lady Keswick to offer you more!”
Much to his relief, however, Lady Harsham did not seem in the least bit upset. Instead, she only shrugged and smiled, shooting a bright look towards Lord Dunstable as the tea tray was finally brought in.
“I am sure that she is only being as careful as she can for the sake of her daughter,” she answered, a little more quietly than before. “The other situation was solely because that lady is who she is in her character. When it comes to Lady Keswick, I am quite certain that it came from a good intention, though spoken poorly.”
Understanding what she meant – and seeing that she did not want to mention Lady Marchfield in front of Lord Dunstable – Oliver nodded.
“I understand.”
“This is Miss Leverton’s mother, yes?” Lord Dunstable ran one hand over his chin, his eyes thoughtful as Oliver nodded again. “I must say, I do think that Miss Leverton is a very quiet creature indeed! I have tried to speak to her before and she barely said a word or two back to me – and even to do that, she seemed to have to make certain that her mother had given her approval to speak!”
“Yes, I know what you mean,” Oliver agreed, as Lady Harsham nodded her understanding. “She did speak a little more to me, but the conversation lacked any sort of warmth.” He shook his head. “Would that I could be in private conversation with her! Then I might be able to ascertain as to whether or notshe is truly a very reserved young lady, or if that quietness comes from her mother’s somewhat overbearing presence.”
Lady Harsham smiled, though Oliver did not see any light in her eyes, however.
“I am sure that I could assist you in that regard. Why do you not try to speak with the lady while I engage her mother in conversation? Would that not help?”
“It might.” Oliver shrugged. “Though whether I will need to actually remove her from her mother’s presence before she will talk freely, who can say?”
“It would be worth trying,” Lord Dunstable agreed, “though I have also had a thought. Why do I not hold a masquerade ball?”
Oliver’s heart leaped with a sudden thrill.
“A capital idea! Would that I had thought of it first!”
