Page 6 of Rescued from Betrayal
Melior rose to inspect them. The blooms were pretty, but they carried little scent. At this time of year they would have come from one of the hothouses if one did not have a personal conservatory, but Lord Caraway’s townhouse did. Maybe nothing was in bloom. “Place them on the receiving table.”
The maid curtsied and crossed to a round table where several other arrangements already sat. Melior decided to see who the others were from, if for no other reason than to escape her brothers' dull conversation.
There were bright pink lilies from Mr. Roberts, a fitting flower for the cheerful man. Several small arrangements of daisies and carnations dotted the table, but a particularly colorful arrangement of delphiniums caught her attention.
Who would bring such a unique flower? She pulled the card from among the greenery.
Her name was scrawled across the front in a well written hand. Turning the card over, she read.
May today bring you joy. Thank you for the dance.
Sir NathanielStanford
The words were simple but for some reason they burrowed straight into her heart. Moisture gathered in her eyes. She needed joy today, but it would probably be in scarce supply.
Noise filtered in from the entryway downstairs and the room went silent while everyone waited. She listened to her father’s slow and steady steps as he ascended the stairs to the second level. A footman opened the door and her father entered, his face appearing much older than his fifty-two years.
His dark hair had been mussed from its usual perfect styling and his cravat hung limp. He sat hard in an unoccupied chair.
“Well my dear, it seems we must prepare ourselves for a new duchess.”
“How soon?” her mother squawked.
“The first set of banns are to be read this Sunday.”
The tears that had hovered in Melior’s eyes tripped over her lids and splashed onto her cheeks. She was happy for Uncle Percy; he’d been nothing but good to her, but her dreams of one day holding a title were slipping from her grasp.
“Come now, Mel,” Eddie said, “it is not the end of the world.”
Yanking a linen from her sleeve, she quickly dabbed at the moisture away hoping no one else had witnessed her emotion. “I am simply happy for him.”
Osborne snorted. “No, you are not. None of us are.”
“Speak for yourself.” Eddie crossed his arms over his chest. “I think it a fine thing. Uncle Percy deserves a bit of happiness. Not that the rest of you would understand that with how set you have been on his title.”
“That is enough, Edwin,” her father barked, but his gaze was on their mother.
For the first time, Melior took in her face. Instead of sadness or despair, she saw the rage that indicated the need to get everyone out of the room—and quickly. Once her mother began, there would be no sparing anyone. The servants were sure to talk, but the last thing they needed was for all of Eddie’s friends to be flapping their mouths as well, though surely they were not ignorant.
“Sir Nathaniel, would you care to take a turn about the gardens?” she said, shocking everyone in the room, herself included. As an afterthought, she added, “Lord Newhurst and Mr. Roberts are welcome as well.”
The men took in the state of things and quickly exited. Sir Nathaniel thankfully offered his arm to her on the way out. They had barely made it to the lower level when her mother’s screams rang throughout the house. She felt sorry for her father and Osborne who had opted to stay and receive the vitriol sure to spill from her mother’s lips.
“Thanks for the quick thinking, Mel,” Eddie said, as he walked beside her.
His eyes were pinched about the corners, his hands in his jacket pockets. The hunch of his shoulders reminded her of a scolded puppy. She felt much the same.
Then she glanced at Sir Nathaniel, realizing she was grasping his elbow with a far too firm grip. “My apologies.” She loosened her hold. “I should not have used you as the scapegoat.”
For the first time in months he actually cast her a genuine smile. “Do not be sorry. I am happy to be of service if you ever find yourself in need of rescue.”
Again his simple words softened the blows of the day. She may not care for her brother’s friend, but at least he seemed more approachable than her own mother at the moment.
Chapter 3
Nathaniel flexed the arm Melior held. Why had he told Eddie’s far too vain sister that he was happy to help her out of the situation? She was as upset about His Grace’s upcoming nuptials as her mother, but it had only expressed itself as tears as she peered at the flowers instead of wild ranting.
If Eddie had not been such a good friend to him all these years, he would have separated himself from the whole Kendall family. They were pompous, self-absorbed people whose only aspiration was to outlive the Duke of Bedford. How many times had he overheard conversations about when Lord Kendall became the duke? Melior herself had tried to get them all to call her Lady Melior as a little girl. Perhaps that was why he never thought of her as Miss Kendall.
