“With good reason,” Bella told her. “In the letters, Lord Candelstone ordered Harry to marry me. Evidently, Harry did question that, as Nowlton was his best friend, and he knew Nowlton was courting me. I gleaned that from the letter Lord Candelstone wrote back. He told Harry the war effort was more important. He needed to end the direction of our suit and then to marry me himself. Which Harry quite brilliantly did, with neither Nowlton nor I the wiser. Remember those stories we believed about each other that I told you about yesterday? He played Nowlton and me like marionettes, with each turning from love to hate, though for me, it was more profound sorrow and betrayal.”
Bella felt her eyes filling with tears again. This would never do. “Forgive me, I thought I could tell you all, but I find my emotions are too raw still.”
“Dear God,” murmured Lady Malmsby. “I knew I should have arranged to get him and Catherine sent to a diplomatic mission in Australia or Canada. They probably need spies there, too. But I thought Catherine could manage him. I thought she would manage him. Seems she has become as wrong-headed as he. My own daughter.”
She laid her gloved hand on Bella’s. “It’s all right, my dear. You have said enough that I have an understanding that what occurred was not through anything you or Aidan did. Candelstone has ever been a thorn in my side since he was a child. I used to castigate myself for my uncharitable feelings toward him as he grew up, and it dismayed me when Catherine held a tendre for him from a young age. I never wanted to run the lives of my children; however, that is one relationship I should have wished otherwise.”
“Please say nothing to Aidan, I mean Mr. Nowlton,” Bella said.
“I’m glad you can still think of him as Aidan. I should have enjoyed having you as my daughter-in-law.”
“And I should have enjoyed being your daughter-in-law.”
“Perhaps now—”
“No, please don’t even think that. I am not the young girl I was three years ago. I’ve seen and done much, much that I am ashamed to admit. Sometimes the guilt eats at me for what I learned to do and did for Harry and Lord Candelstone. No. That past has flowed by us.”
Lady Malmsby squeezed her hand. “All right, but an old woman can hope. I should like to see Aidan happy with a wife and family of his own. He’s become too aloof and formal. No longer the laughing boy who followed his older siblings about, eager to help with whatever they wished. He was adorable.”
Bella laughed. “Well, that was certainly not a Nowlton I ever knew. But perhaps, when he learns the truth, as I have, he will be free to find love again.”
* * *
The crowdof carriages before the Amblethorpe house surprised Bella. “I’ve never seen a musicale so well attended,” she said, as their carriage made its way to the front door.
“Yes,” Lady Malmsby agreed, “But Lady Amblethorpe’s are always well attended. You never know what might happen at one of these events. She had one last December for those who stayed in London over the holidays. It was crowded and during intermission Sir James and Lady Branstoke took the opportunity to request attendees to get their chimneys swept and be on the lookout for one little boy who had been kidnapped into the chimney sweep trade.”
“Did their gambit work?”
“Would you believe it did?”
“And they rescued the child?”
“Yes. And that was perhaps the most bizarre occurrence, but there have been other events like breakups, apoplexies, robberies, horrendous performers. At first, these events dismayed Lady Amblethorpe. But it brought her attendees. She doesn’t plan for odd things to happen, just sometimes they do. Gwinnie told me there might be another betrothal tonight,” Lady Malmsby confided, as their carriage stopped before the Amblethorpe mansion and a footman opened their carriage door. “Someone asked for time during intermission.”
“Ah!” Bella said. “That should be fun, then.”
“Yes, indeed. But not a word to anyone,” Lady Malmsby cautioned. She turned to accept the footman’s hand to step out of the carriage.
Inside they made it quickly through the receiving line. Lady Amblethorpe, too pressed by those around her, could only acknowledge their presence in passing.
“The concert room is upstairs and to the right. It is really a ballroom; however, Lady Amblethorpe gives more musicales than she does balls. Let’s see if we can find Ann, Mrs. Hallowell, and Ellinbourne. Or at least Ann and Mrs. Hallowell. Ellinbourne is likely seated off to the side, sketching,” Lady Malmsby said.
“Sketching?”
“Yes. He takes his sketchbook everywhere. I should ask him for a sketch of Gwinnie playing her violin. If he can capture the expression she gets on her face when she plays, that would be priceless to me.”
At the top of the stairs, they found Ann and Mrs. Hallowell chatting with Lady Oakley and Mr. Rutherford.
“Where is Ellinbourne?” Bella couldn’t help but ask, even though the Duchess had told her what he would be doing.
“He is at the end of the stairway overlook to the hall below, sketching. Said something about the vantage from there being an excellent exercise in perspective,” Ann said.
“Shall we find seats, ladies—and Mr. Rutherford?” Lady Malmsby invited.
The group made their way into the music room. The Duchess shepherded them to an area of open seats.
“Do we save one for Ellinbourne?” Bella asked.
