Page 46 of Murder in Matrimony
Oliver drew back as if physically hurt by her words. “It is not a jest. I am serious.”
Amelia cleared her throat. “Perhaps if you could elaborate on how you could be … Lady Agony, it might help us understand.” She was having a hard time saying the words, let alone believing the idea, and Kitty crossed her arms, completely unconvinced.
“I’m surprised you haven’t come to it already.” Baffled by their reactions, Oliver proceeded to explain his reasoning like a teacher to a pupil. “I read. I research. I write. I’ve learned under the best historians. It would be the most natural activity in the world for me to conduct research under the guise of Lady Agony. I might need to form an opinion about a topic, for instance, the upper crust’s response to crime in London.”
Amelia warmed to the idea.
Kitty loosened her arms across her chest.
“What is unbelievable is that Lady Agony is purported to be a woman, and I am a man.” He dismissed the idea with the wave of his hand. “Any person conducting research on social issues might proclaim the very same. Everyone knows women are more trusted than men in this area.”
Kitty lifted a blonde eyebrow. “It’s true. I do not know of an author in a domestic magazine who isn’t a woman.”
“My mother finds me singular in most ways. She will not find the idea unusual in the least, and I am the only one in the party of six whom she loves with the heart of a mother.” Here he turned to Amelia with earnestness. “I am truly sorry for the way she has behaved toward you. The ruby means much to her, but it is no excuse. She has the jewel in her possession. For her to accost you in such a way is deplorable, and I makeno justification for it.” He tilted his head. “Please forgive her on my behalf.”
“Absolutely.” Amelia’s voice was thick with emotion. “For you to do this …” She swallowed. “To assume an identity you do not own and perhaps do not wish to is a grand gesture, heroic even.” She stood and took his hand. “I can only thank you, yet how insufficient those words are at expressing my gratitude.”
“I am not heroic.” He shook her hand. “I am happy to do it, as a friend and scholar. I want your work to continue.”
“Truly?” she asked.
“Why, yes.” He smiled a lopsided smile. “Diverse ideas are required in any field. I do not see why domestic papers should be any different.”
“You aremyhero, Oliver!” Kitty stood and flung her arms around him. Oliver’s cheeks pinkened at her overt affection.
Amelia didn’t try to hide her smile. The longer she looked upon the adoring couple, the wider it became. Perhaps Kitty had been right all along. Perhaps Oliver was too good for words.
TWENTY
Dear Lady Agony,
Do you believe friends can be trusted with secrets? I don’t want to burden my friend, yet I am becoming desperate. I know you will tell me true.
Devotedly,
Secret to Share or Keep
Dear Secret to Share or Keep,
If your friend is a true friend, he or she can most certainly be trusted with a secret. To whom are we to unburden ourselves if not our friends? Friends make life tolerable. So, too, will your life be when you share your secret. Do so, and feel better soon.
Yours in Secret,
Lady Agony
Two nights later, Amelia, Simon, Kitty, and Oliver assembled in the Hamsted dining room to discuss Oliver’s progress. The meal was finished, and they had sent the footmen away so that they might talk in private. The men refrained from smoking, but all enjoyed a glass of port to celebrate the good news Oliver hinted at. The sunlight had disappeared an hour ago, and candlelight filled the room, illuminating the dark burgundy liquid in their glasses. The image brought to Amelia’s mind the idea of autumn and the end of the season. Soon, many Londoners would retire to their country houses and take up grouse hunting. Amelia, however, would remain in town, and she wished for nothing else. The thought of perusing shop windows at Christmas and smelling chestnuts roasted by costermongers was her ideal holiday.
Simon’s eyes flicked to the closed doors and returned to thecompany around the mahogany table. “So tell us, Hamsted, was your conversation successful?”
Oliver winked at Kitty, who returned the gesture with a smile, before answering. “Completely successful. I have the pleasure of informing you that my mother accepted my admission wholeheartedly. She even went as far as to say she found Lady Agony’s column so enjoyable that she was not surprised it was written by a man. The breadth of topics was evidence of it, and only I, with my eye for detail, could have penned such nuanced pieces.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “Indeed.”
“It sounds like something she would say.” Kitty chuckled.
Oliver preened. “What can I say? I am a genius as far as she is concerned.”
Lady Hamsted had many faults, but not appreciating her son wasn’t one of them. She praised him in private and in public and probably in her sleep.
