Page 55 of The Dreaming Beauty
“This really is excellent fare.” Iris captured Tansy’s attention as she blotted her mouth with her napkin. “I should thank our hostess.” She leaned precariously over her dinner plate and stretched her neck to see Lady Melbourne, who sat on the same side of the table as Iris but at the other end. A sharp gasp pierced the air, and Iris exclaimed, “I don’t believe it!”
The dining room quieted, and all eyes turned to Iris. Why was Iris so shocked? This was not the first time she had met a woman of title. She had not acted this way when they had been introduced to the duke. Tansy grappled with what to do.
“Forgive me, Your Grace, you have not met my aunt.” Tansy spoke quickly. “Lady Melbourne, this is Mrs. Palmer. We are both so happy you extended the invitation to us tonight.”
Lady Melbourne smiled down the table. “Mrs. Palmer, I am so glad you joined us tonight.” The words were spoken in a kind tone, but there was ice in her eyes.
Iris’s expression darkened in return. Her mouth moved as if there were a hundred things she wanted to say, but instead of responding, she pushed back her chair and stood. Without another word, she marched from the dining room. Tansy fumbled with her own chair, curtsied hastily to the room, and chased after her. Once in the corridor, Iris turned as it divided, and she stopped abruptly after she rounded a second corner. Her aunt put her hand on the wall and breathed heavily.
“What is it?” Tansy came in front of her and set her hand on Iris’s shoulder. “What has upset you? Have you met Lady Melbourne before? Did she offend you somehow?”
“Met her? Yes, I have met her before. I did not know she had remarried a Lord Melbourne or had taken over Ashbury Court. And never did I expect to see her tonight. Not here, of all places, and not like this.”
“Like what? How do you know her?” Tansy tried to make sense of the situation. They needed to return and apologize while they still could. Every second Iris took to center herself further disrupted Tansy’s own equilibrium.
“I don’t know her. Not anymore.” Iris’s hand trembled as she released the wall and stood straight again. “We need to leave. I cannot face her again.”
Tansy nodded, her food turning in her stomach. Her determination to make a good impression tonight was failing. If she and Marcus had any hope at all for a future, it was important Tansy present herself and her family as acceptable members of Society. Instead, this had happened.
“Return to the carriage, and I shall go make our apologies.”
Iris agreed and left Tansy alone in the corridor. Tansy should hurry and do as she’d said she would, but her legs did not move. What would she say to fix this mess? If His Grace was there, would he make a fuss or insist she stay? If it were Marcus, he would smooth everything over. She knew he would.
Mindlessly, she made her way back around the corner and then the second corner, bringing her to a closed door. This was not the dining room. Or was it? The door had been open before, and now she was confused.
With a turn of the latch, she braced herself for the looks of disapproval she would face. When the dining room did not materialize before her, or the faces of any guests, she knew she had gone the wrong way. Instead of the condemning faces from the party, she saw a room of portraits.
Blast! She was lost.
The memory of Aster calling Richard’s name entered her mind. Would there be another portrait of him in here? With so many secrets buzzing around her, one glimpse of the room was easily justified. She wanted to know more—more of anything, really.
The corridor was lit, so it was easy enough to slip a candle out of a sconce and bring it into the room. She would have to hurry, as Iris was waiting and Tansy still needed to make their apologies. The first portrait she reached surprised her. It was the duke. Thankfully, his likeness was not winking at her from his portrait, so she could easily gaze on him. He was a few years younger and as handsome as ever, but the artist had captured a hollowness in his eyes. Now that she reflected on it, she had noticed the troubled look before. It was as if he were lost.
Tansy tucked the image in her mind to think of later and moved to the next. This one was of a man and a woman—perhaps the ninth duke of West-morland and his wife? The man was older than the current duke appeared to be—perhaps in his midthirties—his age similar to that of Richard in the library portrait. Again, Tansy was drawn to how the artist had captured this man’s eyes.
Where the duke’s had been lost and Richard’s kind, this man’s eyes seemed angry. The light of the candle cast shadows over his powerful stance and highlighted the tight features of high cheekbones and the rigid line of his mouth. She could almost feel a darkness, unlike that of the room, stealing over her as she studied him. She dropped her gaze to his wife, a small woman, her image not as detailed, as if she were almost an afterthought by the artist. Was this the dowager from Tansy’s dream? The one she had seen at the dower house? She could not be certain.
Eager to move on, she held up the candle to the next image, but this wall was empty. A giant gap stood between the angry man and a couple with a child. This must have been where Richard’s portrait had been before the duke had it moved to the library.
She glanced at the next picture and studied the child. Was this Richard as well? It did nothing to answer any of her questions, but now that she was in the room, she took a minute to walk the candle by the other framed images. Each one cast a set of strange faces before her. As she made her way back to the door to leave, she noticed a stack of portraits partially draped by a holland cover. They were tucked into the small space behind the door, nearly hidden by it.
She justified that she had been gone only an extra minute or two and a quick perusal of the frames would take no more than a moment. Folding up the holland cover, she hunched down, flipping one frame and then another, holding the candle close to each one. The first was of Ashbury Court—a very good likeness—the second of a different house entirely. The third frame caught her attention. The canvas had been torn, and two sections flapped down against the rest of the image.
She set her candle down and pushed the flaps into position with one hand, her other holding the space between the frames open. In the poor light, it was hard to see the details, but it was clearly a wedding portrait. She set the frames back against the wall, and instead of separating them as she had done before, she pulled the ruined portrait out several inches to get a better look. This way, she could hold the candle up to the image. With the flaps held in position again, she could clearly see the resemblance to Richard. The woman appeared familiar too. So familiar, her breath caught.
Time stood still for several deafening heartbeats until she finally slid the gilded piece back into position. With candle in hand, she backed away from the frames, placing herself in the light of the open door. With a shaky breath, she turned, eager to flee the house and the frantic thoughts firing in her mind, and came face-to-face with Lady Melbourne.
The woman’s slender gloved arms folded at her chest. “Lost, are we?”
Tansy did not know what kind of woman Lady Melbourne was, but Marcus trusted her, even if Iris clearly did not. Reasoning there was no need to be afraid, Tansy braced herself to speak. “Iamlost. Mrs. Palmer is not feeling well and is waiting in the carriage to return home. I got turned around when I tried to return to explain.”
Lady Melbourne’s smile seemed almost mocking. “And you thought you needed a candle to find your way through the gallery to the drawing room?”
Right. The candle. Just then a drip found its way to her hand and stung her skin.
“Never mind the candle,” Lady Melbourne said. “No harm is done. I shall make your excuses to the others. Come with me and I shall show you out.”
Tansy cringed, her feet shuffling after Lady Melbourne’s quickly retreating figure. She took the time to return the candle and hastened her stride to keep pace. A few turns later and they were in the entrance hall.
