“What isn’t safe?” came a deep baritone voice. Lily turned and saw Lord Davonshire standing nearby. He smiled warmly, but she was afraid of what her mother might do. “Is everything all right, Lady Penford?”
“It’s nothing,” Lily answered on her mother’s behalf. She needed to send him back to the ballroom before her mother’s condition worsened. “Lord Davonshire, I fear my mother is not feeling well. I am about to take her home.”
But then her mother took another step back. “Who is that man, Lily? Why is he here?”
She tried to keep a serene expression on her face. “I know you remember John Wilson, the Earl of Davonshire, Mother.”
But there was no response at all. Her mother was staring off into the distance, one hand upon the stair bannister.Oh no.
“Forgive me, Lord Davonshire, but I really must take my mother home. She is quite ill.”
He inclined his head. “I understand. But before you go, you should know that Louis misses you.”
The tightness in her gut twisted, and she wished he had never mentioned the dog. “I miss him, too,” she confessed. While she spoke, she kept an eye on her mother, in case Iris attempted to run.
“He seems to be searching for you,” Lord Davonshire said. “And he keeps trying to sit in my lap.”
Lily managed a smile. Though she wanted to ask him more questions, her attention was focused upon Iris. “I am glad to hear that he is well.”
Lord Davonshire turned to Iris and saw that the older woman was still staring off at the end of the hallway, utterly silent now. “I beg your pardon, but your mother seems—”
“Yes, I know.” Though she was trying not to panic, she was increasingly aware that Iris was starting to walk toward the stairs. Her behavior strongly resembled that of a woman caught within a trance. “I really should be going now.”
“Then allow me to accompany you both home. It would be no trouble.”
No doubt Evangeline would be terribly disappointed if she agreed to such a thing. “Thank you, but no. We will be fine.” Then she added, “When we met the other day, my friend Evangeline Sinclair was too shy to meet you. She is here this evening, and I know it would mean the world to her if you asked her for a dance.”
The earl’s attention rested upon her for a moment. “And would it mean a great deal to you if I did?”
This conversation was not at all going the way it should. Lily needed to make it clear that she was not at all interested. “Lord Davonshire, I think you should know that—”
A piercing scream tore from her mother’s mouth. “No! Please! Help me!” She clenched her hands at her sides and broke into a run toward the ballroom.
Lily raced after her. The moment Iris entered the crowd of people, all conversation ceased. Her mother continued to scream, and Lily felt utterly helpless. The madness was upon her, and nothing she said or did would make any difference.
But then, Matthew emerged from the crowd of people. He crossed the room and caught hold of Iris, speaking in a low voice. Gently, he guided her away from everyone. Lily had never been more glad to see him. She hurried to catch up to them and overheard him murmuring apologies to their host.
In that moment, she realized that this was the sort of man he had always been. He didn’t care about what others thought or about what they would say. He knew her mother needed help and gave it without hesitation. And despite her fears that his mind had not healed from his ordeal in India, she was grateful to him now.
Lily lifted her eyes to his and whispered, “Thank you.”
“Do you want to stay?” he asked. “I can take her home for you.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Behind her, she was well aware of the whispering. While many of the ladies knew that her mother had retreated from society, they had managed to carefully hide her madness—but no longer. Lily wished she could undo the past few minutes, but the damage was done. They needed to bring her back to Penford into seclusion. And it hurt to think of it.
Matthew rested his arm around her mother’s shoulders while Iris sobbed about the wolves. “They’re here. All around me, ready to devour me alive. And I cannot stop them.”
“We will protect you,” he said, as they guided her outside. Lily asked a footman to bring around the carriage, and he did so.
She had mistakenly believed that her mother’s condition was improving, for she’d had more moments of clarity. But now it was clear that Iris would never be the same.
Lily wanted to weep for the mother she’d lost, wishing she could bring back the woman who had taught her how to dance and how to make daisy chains.
They guided her inside, sitting on either side of Iris so she could not break free of the carriage again. Her mother’s gaze was fixed outside the window, and beneath her breath she was murmuring to herself.
“I need to take her back to Yorkshire, to Penford,” Lily said. “We cannot stay in London.”
