Page 66 of A Sense of Misgiving
‘Yes, possibly,’ Mary conceded. ‘I was so taken in by her that I had not stopped to consider.’
‘Lucy has always been admired for her looks. But as the months and years passed she probably grew tired of waiting for Luke to make up his mind, so she panicked and accepted the first eligible offer that came her way. She had been a sensation during her season and probably treated her fellow debutantes very shabbily. Beautiful women do not care for competition. It’s only human nature that those she shunned—who are now well married themselves—would view her as an object of pity if she failed to procure a suitable husband, and their pity would have mortified her.’
Anger coursed through Mary’s expression. ‘I was completely taken in by her, but I suspect you were not, dearest Flora.’
‘Well, I—’
‘I should have been suspicious when she kept making snide comments about you.’ Mary sniffed. ‘As though you could possibly be anything other than kind and wise and good. Well, I shall not be taken in again. This episode has taught me a lesson.’
‘Good girl!’ Flora smiled at Mary, who looked angry, bitter and determined all at the same time. ‘Are you going down to dinner?’
Mary shook her head. ‘No. I don’t think I can face it. I’ll have something sent up.’
‘Join your grandmother and me, in that case. The countess isn’t going down, so we shall dine together in her rooms. I am sure she will want to see you and quiz you on your ordeal.’
‘Oh, lud!’
Flora smiled. ‘It won’t be so very bad. She will crow about the fact that she saw straight through the captain, of course. She told me after your party that his limp was affected.’
‘She did?’ Mary raised a brow. ‘Well, he had me completely fooled. It was only when he got me inside that horrible conservatory that he stopped pretending to be lame, but of course by then it was too late.’
‘You were distracted by your attraction to him, just as he intended you should be.’
‘How could I have been so predictable?’
Flora smiled and patted Mary’s shoulder. ‘We’ll see you shortly then.’
‘Yes, thank you, Flora. I think I would prefer not to be alone after all.’
‘That’s settled then.’ Flora kissed the top of her head. ‘Don’t worry about dressing. Come in your robe, if you like.’
‘I think I can manage something a little better than that.’ Mary sprang to her feet and impulsively hugged Flora. ‘Whatever would I do without you?’
‘You don’t ever need to find out,’ Flora replied, pinching Mary’s chin and leaving the room.
The countess, who had already heard the particulars of Mary’s ordeal from Flora, treated her granddaughter with brisk sympathy.
‘Cannot abide scoundrels who prey upon innocent young women,’ she said, as the three of them enjoyed their soup. ‘A salutary lesson, my dear. There are predators everywhere and I’m afraid that you will always be targeted by those who can get close enough to try and lure you in.’
‘I have learned my lesson, Grandmamma.’
‘I am surprised Luke didn’t thrash the man to within an inch of his life,’ the old lady remarked.
‘Actually, it was Paul who knocked him down,’ Mary told her.
‘Ah, yes.’ The countess shared a glance with Flora. ‘I rather suppose he did.’
Mary looked confused by the comment but didn’t seek clarification.
‘I imagine the earl assumed that having their ambitions thwarted would be punishment enough for Lucy Arnold and her brother,’ Flora opined. ‘Lucy has convinced herself that she and the earl had established some sort of understanding, and he probably now worries that he unwittingly gave her the wrong impression, accounting for his leniency. Well, leniency if you take into account the fact that neither Mrs Arnold nor her brother will be embraced by local society if the earl makes it clear that they are no longer received here.’
The countess nodded. ‘A terrible fate for a woman of her ilk, certainly.’
Flora’s charge decided to retire as soon as they’d finished eating. Mary, exhausted by the day’s events, vowed to do the same.
With time on her hands, Flora resisted the urge to go in search of Luke without just cause. Instead she retired to her room and steeled herself to read through her grandmother’s papers. Her birthday was drawing nearer with each passing day. Her father was not aware that she was already in possession of the potentially damaging documents and might try something desperate to prevent that situation from arising. She did not trust Captain Redfern either. His plans had been thwarted and he and his sister humiliated. Men often reacted recklessly when they found themselves backed into corners. Especially men of limited intelligence who seemed to think that life owed them a living.
Her father was of more immediate concern. In his desperation he might spread rumours about Luke’s father, clouding their reputation in doubt and uncertainty. Society loved nothing more than a scandal to chew over, and Flora couldn’t allow that to happen. This entire situation was her fault, and so she must somehow resolve it.
