Page 94 of Indecent
“I suppose that’s possible,” Cassandra said.
Prudence pinned her gaze to Cassandra. “Remember that day I told you everything, and Bart came in to announce that Bennet was here?”
“You can’t suspect Bart.” Cassandra shook her head. “I realize I’ve only been in this household a short time, but Ruark values him as more than his butler. He trusts him completely.”
“I can’t imagine it’s him either,” Prudence said. While she also hadn’t lived here long, Bart possessed a very dry sense of humor and was very personable.
“I suppose it could be any number of people,” Ada said, frowning.
It didn’t really matter who was behind the rumor. It was true—most of it, anyway—and now everyone would look at Prudence as though she were a conniving interloper. It was already bad enough that she’d been a companion and was now a viscountess. This would be so much worse. There was going to be talk behind her back as well as curious looks and imperious judgment.
The other truth was that Bennet knew all this about her. But what reason would he have to spread this information? Furthermore, he wasn’t even in London.
Prudence jolted upright, her spine stiffening. “My mother. Peterborough hears this rumor, things could go very badly for her.”
“How badly?” Ada asked, her tone as heavy as the air in the room.
Cassandra jumped to her feet. “I need to go to my father. He’ll know what to do.” She looked to Prudence. “I’m sorry to leave you just now.”
“You must go.” Prudence squeezed her hands together so hard that she couldn’t feel her fingers. “My mother needs protection. Please. Should I go with you?”
“No, you stay. I can see how distraught you are.” Cassandra hurriedly left, but the air in the room remained weighted. Silence reigned for a few moments before Fiona spoke. “What can we do, Pru?”
“I don’t know.” She tried to summon a smile and failed. “I just feel so…defeated.” She wished Bennet were here.
“Don’t. The Prudence I know is courageous and resilient and she makes her own fortune. You’ve survived hardship and kidnapping and come out stronger for it.”
“Kidnapping?” Fiona stared at them, her mouth open.
“Oh bollocks,” Ada whispered. “I forgot she didn’t know.”
Prudence actually laughed. “It’s all right. I’ll tell the story—it will take my mind off this catastrophe.” Then she’d make plans to return to Somerset. To her husband.
To where she belonged.
“You’ve no flowers at all?” Great-Aunt Flora asked from the window of Bennet’s London study that looked out to his tiny garden. There was a small tree and a few shrubs, and no room for anything else.
“No.” Bennet sifted through the correspondence on his desk while Great-Aunt Minerva sat in a chair petting one of her squirrels. George, he thought, thinking it was the smaller of the two.
They’d just arrived a short while ago after a hurried trip from Somerset—no small feat with two older ladies, two squirrels, and far too much luggage.
Great-Aunt Flora turned from the window wearing one of her signature pouts. “Where will I find flowers to press?”
“The park,” Great-Aunt Minerva responded. “I need to take Temperance and George for a runabout. They are anxious after the coach ride.”
Bennet had tried to convince her not to bring them, but she’d insisted. Eventually, he’d abandoned the argument because he simply wanted to get on the road. He’d been eager to get to London, to see Prudence.
Now that he was here, he was filled with apprehension. There was much to be said. And much to face. The former didn’t frighten him. The latter shook him to his core.
“We can’t go to the park right now,” he told them, not bothering to hide his exasperation. “Great-Aunt Minerva, can you take your pets out to the garden? I don’t think they will mind the lack of flowers.”
“That is true.” Great-Aunt Minerva rose and departed through the door in the corner that led outside.
Great-Aunt Flora huffed a breath. “Do you at least have a newspaper I can peruse? Preferably something with gossip?”
Bennet found a few newspapers in the stack of things on his desk and absentmindedly handed them to his great-aunt.
She thanked him just as Mrs. Hennings stepped into the room.
