CHAPTER 42 - An unwelcome visitor
THE NEXT MORNING, AFTERa leisurely lovemaking followed by breakfast and another dip in the pool, they reluctantly donned their clothes and rode back to the manor.
Olivia was loath to leave the pool house. It had become their own precious romantic retreat, and she wasn’t ready to return to the real world. But she cheered herself up as they had excitedly made plans to go to London the next day.
She had been to London only once before, and briefly. It had been no more than a long layover, but she had taken the opportunity to peek around the city, and she had been more enchanted than she thought she would be. So she had resolved to return one day with more time and energy to discover more of the charming city.
Dale had laughed when she described London as ‘charming’, saying it was a bustling, gritty, overcrowded monster of a city. She wondered how bad it could be in these times, but was looking forward to seeing for herself soon.
They approached the house from the side and, after leaving the horses in the stables, entered from the side door. Therefore, they did not see the coach in the front driveway. As soon as they crossed the front entrance hall, however, the butler approached.
“Your Grace. You have visitors. Lady Cavendish and Mrs. Carmel are waiting in the drawing room.”
Dale went rigid beside her.
“It is Eloise’s mother. I suspect this encounter will not be amicable. She quite despises me.”
“Why do you think she is here, then?”
“I suspect she wishes to berate and accuse me once again. She blames me for her daughter’s death. I should have known there would be some sort of backlash from her as soon as our marriage reached her ears.”
“But why?”
He shrugged with chilling indifference. “After Eloise’s death, she came here to throw bitter accusations at me. Accusations she then proceeded to spread through the rest of the Ton and the village. And I never refuted them, for she was not entirely wrong. I was guilty, so why bother to deny it?”
Olivia shook her head. “Oh Dale, that’s not true.”
“That’s irrelevant to her. Would you like to go upstairs and wait for me?”
All traces of the warm lover had vanished. Livvy squeezed his hand, trying to break through the barrier of ice he wrapped around himself. “I would rather stay by your side for emotional support.”
Dale shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I would prefer it if you don’t have to listen to her vitriol.”
Maybe he was trying to shield her from unpleasantness. Why, then, did it feel as if he was shutting her out?
“Alright, I’ll wait for you upstairs.”
She walked towards the stairs. But she got no farther than the center landing when the door to the drawing room opened with a bang. Olivia turned. A woman burst out, her cheeks flushed, eyes wild, hands fisted.
“There you are at last, Avondale! I have been waiting for you for the better part of an hour.”
“Good morning, Lady Cavendish. If I had known you would grace us with your presence today, I would have ensured you were received immediately. I trust my staff made you comfortable. Have you been offered tea?” he asked, impeccably polite, despite the woman’s rudeness.
“I don’t want any tea. This is not a social call,” she bit out. “I came because I heard the most absurd rumor that you had married. I could hardly credit it, of course. Nevertheless, the notion disturbed me so much that I had to come see for myself that it was not true.”
“But it is true, madam. I remarried yesterday.”
Lady Cavendish’s face became even more flushed until she was an unbecoming shade of purplish red. “You contemptible lecher! How could you remarry and put some hussy in my daughter’s place? Are you so desperate that you resorted to marrying one of your mistresses? She could not be any gently bred lady, for none would put up with you and your disgusting habits!”
“Madam,” Avondale said in a warning tone, “I have allowed you to say what you would about me, for I understand your pain. But I shan’t allow you to insult my wife.”
“Your wife? Your wife! Does she know the truth about you? Did you tell her how you made my poor daughter so miserable that she ran away to her death?”
