An hour passed and Alexandra grew moredistracted, looking for Ursula and Willean. So far, they had notappeared. Had they returned to her ancestral home? No. Duke Richardhad verified they were coming. Oh, how she wished she had been ableto talk to Nicholas earlier. What had he and his fatherschemed?
With Aunt Margaret and Rachel, Alexandrarepaired to a dressing room. An altercation of some sort precededtheir arrival. A younger woman shouted and cursed an older woman.The older woman’s hands covered her face, reduced to tears.
“Lady Dabney…” said the younger woman,“…everyone in the ton knows you are penniless because or yourdrunken, profligate husband. He has squandered away all your son’sinheritance. And your husband owes my father thousands. To thinkyour unfortunate manor is not enough to pay all your husband owesmy father. Well, I guess you will be spending time in debtor’sprison when your husband dies.”
The hackles on Alexandra’s neck went up. Shehad heard enough of the conversation to glean the bullying tacticsof the younger woman especially when the older woman’s humiliationexisted from her husband’s sins and out of her control.
“Excuse me,” Alexandra said.
The younger woman whirled, her handsclenched in tight fists. Alexandra stared back. Lady SusannahTomkins, Nicholas’s former fiancée. Never did she expect a womanwhose beauty rivaled most women would be so unkind. “What a cruel,unfortunate creature you are. How dare you?”
Lady Susannah scowled, her face contorted.“Oh, I dare. And to whom do I have the misfortune of speakingwith?”
“You already know the answer to thatquestion. You were practically falling out of your opera box,glaring daggers at me.”
Lady Susannah made a little moue of hermouth. “Oh, Nicholas’s whore from the island.”
Rachel gasped and so did the older lady.Blood rushed to Alexandra’s face. She was at a disadvantage, anunfamiliar feeling with which she was unaccustomed and did notlike.
Aunt Margaret squeezed in front of her.“What is the rumor about Arthur, your stable master? And then, thegardener and onto a variety of young men around London. You are avery busy girl, Lady Susannah.”
Lady Susannah paled.
Aunt Margaret didn’t just shoot arrows, shehit with the full onslaught of a hundred cannons. Lady Susannah’smouth worked up and down. She poked a gloved finger at AuntMargaret. “I’ll get even with you.”
“Lady Susannah, you don’t even want toattempt such a feat. By the way, what happened with that circusperformer last week?”
“He was an actor,” Lady Susannah snapped,then slapped her hands on her face, tricked into revealing herlatest indiscretion. Her face beet red and her neck veins popping,she turned on her heel and huffed from the powder room.
Rachel fanned herself. “I have to say youdid right, Aunt Margaret, knowing how you hate to be wrong.”
“Wrong? I wouldn’t know. I’m not familiarwith the phenomenon.” Aunt Margaret smirked.
Alexandra laughed. “You surrounded her likeGeneral Washington did to the Hessians at Trenton. You werebrilliant.”
Aunt Margaret smacked her lips in distaste.“Surrounding the Hessians was an easy endeavor. All Washington hadto do was play on their arrogance.”
“Exactly,” Rachel contended.
“I’m not arrogant. I’m confident,” snortedAunt Margaret. “As to my nephew, Nicholas, he was never smittenwith Lady Susannah, nor was he blind to her faults, but he was dutybound. I never liked the girl. Plotted against her. She never had achance. Not that I needed to scheme against her. Quite accidently,I came upon another weapon.”
Rachel laughed. “And what weapon was that,Aunt Margaret?”
“Why our girl, Alexandra. She has him eatingout of her hand.”
Aunt Margaret wobbled to the settee and satnext to the weeping older woman. “You can live in my home, LadyDabney. It has been vacant for some time and needs the tendercompany of an occupant.”
Alexandra gasped.Lady Jane.“Did Ihear, right? Are you Lady Jane Winthrop Dabney? Captain Sharp’s,Lady Jane?”
Lady Jane clamped a hand to her chest. Wasthe old woman about to swoon?
“You know John? I mean, Captain Sharp?”
Alexandra took hold of the woman’s hands.“Lady Jane, it is an honor to meet you. Please call on me tomorrowfor tea. I have something very important to discuss, but I can’ttell you now. Sleep well tonight. You and your son’s fortunes havebeen changed.”
Alexandra left behind a bemused Rachel andan intrigued, Aunt Margaret and returned to the ballroom. DukeCornelius abruptly moved in front of her, and bowed. She opened hermouth to protest when he took her into his arms for a waltz. In noway did she like how he manhandled her into the dance without herpermission, but was reluctant to be at odds with someone Nicholasconsidered family. She had to admit, his dancing was flawless as hewhirled her around the ballroom.
“Would you like to visit my home?” said DukeCornelius and Alexandra snapped her eyes to his. His invitationseemed improper. “I promise not to bite,” he joked.
