Page 29 of The Lord Next Door
Chapter
Seven
Victoria’s sisters and mother arrived a half hour later, and Victoria had the butler show them into the drawing room. Victoria had dried her tears and washed her face, determined to speak to her husband about his mistress before the day was out. Until then, she could do nothing about the horrible cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was he already lying to her? Did he have no plans to end his affair?
When the butler had left them alone, her sisters’ faces showed puzzlement as they stared at Victoria, and then growing concern. No matter how hard Victoria had tried to keep her expression merely pleasant, her sisters had already seen that something was wrong.
Victoria did not want to talk about it.
“Good morning, Mama,” she said, kissing her mother’s cheek. “Is everything ready for you to move in here?”
She’d obviously said the wrong thing, for her sisters winced and her mother looked mutinous.
“Am I missing something?” Victoria asked as they all sat down.
Meriel sighed. “Mama is sad to be leaving home.”
Their mother rolled her eyes. “You all seem to think it should be easy to leave the place where I built a life with your father.”
Louisa slid closer to their mother on the sofa and put an arm around her. “We don’t think that at all, Mama. But you won’t be far away. I’m sure our cousin would love to have you visit occasionally.”
Meriel gave her a warning glance over their mother’s head, and even Victoria realized they couldn’t know such a thing for certain.
“Mama,” Victoria said, “I thought you would be happy not to see me working so hard in the house.”
She sighed. “Of course I am, dearest. Your marriage is something I’ve dreamed of for so many years. It’s just—I wish I knew what was wrong with me.” Her voice trailed off to a whisper.
Victoria felt her ever-present tears return. “We’ve had a terrible year, Mama, and we all have to recover.”
“Thank goodness for Viscount Thurlow,” her mother said.
Victoria almost bristled. Didn’t her mother realize that Victoria had sacrificed her freedom to make everyone safe?
Her own thoughts suddenly baffled her. How could she resent her poor mother, who’d suffered a terrible blow?
Then Mama looked at her sadly. “I’m sorry that this is so sudden for you, Victoria. I know you would have liked more time to prepare for marriage.”
Surprised, Victoria could only say, “It’s all right, Mama.”
Mrs. Wayneflete entered the drawing room, smiling as she approached their mother. “I have your new room all ready, Mrs. Shelby. Why don’t you come see it with me?”
The sisters watched sadly as their mother left, her shoulders still bowed.
Victoria sighed, then regretted it as both sisters turned to frown at her in worry.
Victoria lifted her hands. “I’m fine, I’m fine, just worried for Mama.”
Louisa frowned at her, then turned to stare towards the door through which their mother had disappeared. “She seems no better.”
“But she will be,” Victoria insisted. “We’ve all seen to that.”
“Mostly because of you,” Meriel said. “Vic, you’re not trapped in this house, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then let’s take a last walk to Willow Pond.”
Victoria was relieved. She assumed Lord Thurlow was still in the house somewhere, and she did not want to see him. She might burst into tears in front of her sisters.
