Page 50 of The Lord Next Door
“Then go figure it out somewhere else.”
“Of course. Shall I leave the tea?”
He raised his voice and pointed at the door. “Take it and get out!”
Only when Victoria was in the corridor did she remember to breathe. Strangely, she didn’t feel like crying. She felt a resolve to the depths of her soul. These two men needed her help. But how?
~oOo~
Victoria spent an hour with her music late in the afternoon, using it to soothe herself before facing her husband at dinner. She was surprised when Smith interrupted her.
“My lady, your dinner guest has arrived.”
Victoria froze at the piano. “Dinner guest? Is Lord Thurlow at home?”
“No, my lady, but I’m certain he’ll be home momentarily. Lord Wade is down in the drawing room.”
Once again, her husband had made plans without informing her. She sighed.
“Oh goodness.” She looked down at her gown. “Am I dressed well enough for a dinner?”
Smith cleared his throat. “My lady, I’m not the one to judge such a thing.”
“Of course. Is Lord Banstead going to be joining us?”
“No, my lady.”
She nodded, ashamed to feel relieved. “Do tell Lord Wade that I shall be down momentarily.”
Victoria walked up to her room at an unladylike pace and examined her hair. There was no time to change into a more formal gown for dinner. She felt frazzled at the thought of entertaining Lord Wade alone, even though she’d already spent an afternoon in his company. Thank goodness Lord Wade was the talkative sort. Didn’t she have a list of conversation topics with men in one of her journals? It had been so long since she’d had to use that particular list, and she didn’t have time to go searching for it now. She hastened to her mother’s room, thinking she’d have to force her mother to join them.
But her mother only studied her briefly before saying, “Of course I’ll have dinner with you and Lord Wade, Victoria. Just help me change.”
Victoria’s relief only lasted until she looked at the mantel clock. “Oh dear, the gentleman has already been waiting for half an hour. Do hurry!”
Soon they were walking arm in arm into the drawing room, her mother in her customary black, and Victoria in pale green. Lord Wade was standing near the piano, looking through sheet music. He glanced up when they entered, giving them a wide grin.
“Lady Thurlow, you look lovely this evening.” Lord Wade came forward, bowing low so that a tumble of blond hair fell across his forehead. “Mrs. Shelby, your beauty continues to shine through your daughters.”
Her mother gave a little curtsy and a half smile, but said nothing. Victoria hoped it was not going to be another of her mother’s silent spells.
“Lord Wade,” Victoria began, “I must apologize for my husband’s absence. I have no idea what is keeping him.”
Lord Wade studied her, his dimples deepening. “Thurlow forgot to mention my invitation, eh?”
She smiled and gave a little shrug.
“He does get caught up in whatever he’s working on. Must be the railway, as Parliament isn’t meeting today.”
Victoria had never asked Lord Thurlow what she was supposed to keep secret. But Lord Wade already seemed to know.
“The railway?” her mother asked in confusion. “Is Lord Thurlow going on a journey without his wife?”
Lord Wade gave Victoria an apologetic look.
“No, Mama, he invests in a railway company.”
Her mother shuddered. “I would never ride on a machine. I hear they cause milk cows to stop producing!”
