Page 49 of Her Sinful Match (Lords of Pleasure 4)

“I’ll see to it as soon as she is home. Which ought to be soon, as she didn’t anticipate being out longer than mid-morning.” Jackson paused. “You know, if you ask, Patricia could easily see that Lady Henrietta is removed from the list for Almack’s. An offense so great might see her cut entirely from society and save you dealing with her.”

“And deprive me of my right to give her the cut direct, and make my feelings on the matter of her falsehoods and her behavior perfectly plain for all London to know?” Daniel shook his head. “No, I shall handle Lady Henrietta myself, however our next meeting transpires, and in the manner and time of my own choosing.”

The emotion that filled him at that thought was not amusement, nor any sort of joy, but there was a definite sense of grim satisfaction to his mood as he bade Jackson a good morning and retired to his rooms to begin the day’s work.

CHAPTERTWENTY

Henrietta spent a restless day trying to sort out her feelings. On one hand, she wanted to race to the Salisbury estate and beg for a chance to explain herself. On the other, she dreaded facing Daniel again.

Andrew came by her door and requested entrance shortly after breakfast, a meal she hadn’t been able to stomach and had sent her excuses for, and eyed her as he let himself in. “Henrietta, are you well? I would have thought you’d be on your way by now.”

“I...there has been a change of plans. I am not expected at Salisbury today.”

A part of her wanted to throw herself into her brother’s arms and weep. Another part of her was too numb to care. And yet another still wondered if perhaps she was not receiving her just rewards for her deception.

Andrew stared at her face. “Are you quite all right? You seem...well, you seem a bit unwell.”

“My night was plagued by interruptions. It is likely that. I was also considering how to best act on your advice...I am somewhat at a loss, I fear.” She offered him a wan smile, unwilling to tell him the truth of the missive she had received and its impact on her.

Andrew studied her countenance for a moment longer, and she thought he might divine the truth, despite her evasions. If he did, he said nothing of his conclusions. Instead, he dipped his head in a quick nod. “All right. Well, if you need anything, send someone round to the club, and I’ll be home as quick as I can.”

“Thank you, Andrew. Perhaps I will just rest for today.”

He took the hint and withdrew.

A short, fitful sleep did a little to clear her head and erase the most obvious outward signs of her turmoil. The rest of the day was spent at her desk, attempting to pen a response to the missive from Daniel—no, from the Marquess of Salisbury, for she could not think of the man who wrote such a cold letter as Daniel. She made some half a dozen attempts, but none seemed at all satisfactory.

She ended by burning the entire lot of them, to prevent awkward questions from her parents, giving herself a new headache from the smell of burning paper and ink.

By the time Sarah came to lay out her gown, she was almost as glad for the distraction as she was out-of-sorts. She allowed her maid to dress her, though she had little care for her appearance and even less for the event itself.

Without Sarah, she would likely have looked barely presentable. But no one said anything as she came down to the carriage, so she supposed her maid had managed to make up for her own lack of attention. Though Andrew had given her a searching look as he handed her up.

Henrietta sighed as she adjusted the drape of her ball gown once again. She wasn’t truly in the mood for attending a ball at Almack’s, but she had no good excuse for not attending. Her entire family would be there, and tickets had been procured some time ago.

For all that she had struggled in writing an explanation to Lord Salisbury, she had encountered even less success in trying to pen some explanation of her situation to Eva. By the time she had given up, she’d been sorely tempted to empty her inkwell over the remaining paper in an excess of frustration.

In the end, she had resolved to explain matters in person as soon as time allowed.

And that was the greatest part of the reason she had not sought or manufactured an excuse to avoid the night’s event. She knew Eva would be there. She was not sure how her friend would take her confession—that she had herself developed feelings for the man Eva had requested to be matched with. She might behave coldly and refuse any close association for a time. But in time, Eva would likely be reconciled to the idea, especially since it was unlikely that Henrietta would have any success at securing the affections of the Marquess herself.

In fact, she rather doubted she would get more than the most basic of courtesies from him. If that. For her betrayal, he had every right to refuse any association with her. He might refuse any association with her family as well. And given his close association with the Duke of Merriweather…

She had no desire to explain to her father how her actions might have adversely impacted his fortunes. She might be better served to send a formal letter to the Marquess of Salisbury in the morning, explaining that her actions were her own, and requesting that he not penalize her entire family for her deception.

Her own reputation would surely be ruined. Perhaps the best she could hope for would be to retire from the public eye and resign herself to life as an unmarried spinster. The kind of lady who might be asked to round out a party for amusements at clubs and provide genteel company for unattached elder bachelors or widowers at dinner parties.

It was not what she had once hoped for in life, but there were worse fates.

Such as seeing Daniel matched to another, and by my own hand.

The carriage came to a halt, and Henrietta waited for her father, then her mother, then her brother to disembark, before allowing Andrew to help her down and take her arm to escort her inside. Andrew gave her a concerned look, no doubt sensing her lack of enthusiasm and guessing at her mood. She offered him a small smile that was entirely false, and together they made their way to the doors of Almack’s, open to admit a steady stream of persons in elegant evening dress, each presenting their vouchers and tickets for the evening before gaining entry.

Henrietta produced her voucher and ticket when required and made her way inside. Just inside the doors, Andrew drew her to one side, to one of the smaller rooms off the main halls. His voice was low. “Henrietta, are you quite well?”

“A bit out of sorts, but it is nothing that would have been better served by remaining at home.” She offered him another small and empty smile.

“If you’d like me to play escort this evening…” Andrew trailed off.

---