The disappointment in the women’s expressions was palatable. They looked reluctant to leave, but they did as the duchess commanded and flounced from the room with a flurry of disappointed muttering and fluttering from their fans. Madeline drew her mother aside while the duchess and Lady Montgomery approached the sleeping duke.
Madeline stiffened. Every muscle in her body felt ready to spring. “It doesn’t seem as though the duchess is aware that her son caught Lady Montgomery kissing another man.”
“Do not be fooled by the duchess’s cool detached demeanor. Ladies of her stature are taught from birth the necessity of hiding their true feelings. I’ll wager she knew of Lady Montgomery’s involvement before she stepped into this room. Perhaps not about the kiss, but it will be only a matter of time before she learns of that as well. For now, she has her own reasons for keeping her silence.”
“You sound as though you know the duchess.”
“When is the physician expected?” the duchess asked.
Winfield slid a glance toward Madeline. “I believe the Viscount Devonshire was sent to fetch him.”
The duchess huffed out her impatience. “What is taking so long? Did the viscount travel to London tofetcha physician, when we have capable doctors in the village?” She sucked in a breath. “Never mind. Thank the good Lord we were fortunate enough to have Mrs. Mercer and her capable daughter here. When this physician of Devonshire’s arrives, I would speak with him without delay.”
Winfield bowed. “As you wish, Your Grace.”
The duchess cast the briefest of glances toward Roseline, then bid Lady Montgomery leave. When she had slipped from the room, the duchess ordered that another blanket be added to her son’s bed. “The Lady Montgomery,” the duchess said at last, “informs me that what happened to my son was an accident. She knew my son only from a family portrait and thus relied on Devonshire’s opinion. Robert was much changed since he left for the war. It is plausible that the viscount did not recognize him and thus believed Robert a burglar.”
The duchess turned to speak with Winfield, saying something nonsensical about whether or not the duke would feel better if he were bathed. Nonsense, in Madeline’s opinion, since the man was sleeping peacefully, and if they bathed him, they would have to wake him when he should be allowed to rest.
Madeline had heard the expression “my blood boiled,” but until now she had never understood its meaning. She was seething mad. How could the duchess believe Lady Montgomery’s tall tale? Okay, so the duke looked like a beggar on the street. Madeline had made that assumption as well. But from what she had surmised when she arrived on the scene, the duke had not made an aggressive move. Which meant that he had entered, seen his brother’s fiancée in the arms of another man, and Devonshire had shot him. Even if Devonshire had not recognized the duke, it did not seem plausible that the duke wouldn’t have announced who he was.
Her mother put a restraining hand on Madeline’s arm and whispered, “What has come over you? You look like you are ready to explode and attack someone. Do not worry. The duchess knows.”
“How can you…”
Her mother just shook her head and put her finger to her mouth, indicating that they should remain quiet.
Madeline trusted her mother’s instincts. She had less trust in other people. Well, done. She returned to one of her other worries. Why did Lady Montgomery have such an elaborate show of concern for the Duke? Was she sincere? Or was it an act, like Madeline suspected? Lady Montgomery must know that once the duke regained consciousness, more would be revealed and likely he would break off their engagement.
The duchess sniffled, glancing at her son again. “We should leave and let the duke rest.”
“I will stay,” Madeline announced in a louder voice than she had intended.
“What a kind offer, Miss Mercer. There is no need. Winfield will arrange for someone to stay with the duke. You and your mother have done quite enough already. Besides, it would not be proper for a single young lady to stay alone with my son unchaperoned.”
“The duke is unconscious and poses no danger.”
The duchess’s mouth twitched in a smile. “A very good point.”
“If the duke awakens, I could easily outrun him in his present condition.”
The duchess nodded, as though considering Madeline’s justification for remaining with the duke.
“And there is a bell cord in this room. I could summon help if the duke awakens.”
The duchess shook her head, laughing, as she addressed Roseline. “Your daughter offers a salient defense that is difficult to refute. Can I assume you rarely win an argument with her?”
“Not since she was seven.”
Chapter Eleven
In the end, the duchess agreed that Madeline could watch over the duke, but only after he had been bathed and provided with a change of clothes. Madeline paced before the fire in the room she shared with her mother. She estimated that an hour had passed, and with each passing minute her anxiety grew. Had his wound reopened? Had he contracted a fever? And what was to be done with Devonshire? She conceded that perhaps the duchess was correct and Lady Montgomery really hadn’t recognized the duke.
She felt like a kettle boiling over on the hearth. A horrible thought struck her. “Do you think the duke will forgive Lady Montgomery for kissing Devonshire?”
Her mother lit a cheroot. “It is possible. There is more at stake than honor with these families. I overheard that the Conclartons are in financial difficulty and that is the reason for inviting wealthy heiresses to the estate during the Christmas season. The duchess needs her sons to marry into wealth. Her eldest son died before he could marry Lady Montgomery, whose family owns a number of estates and a townhouse in London. There was talk that his dying wish was for Lady Montgomery to marry Robert if he did not survive the hunting incident, or William, if Robert died in battle. But even if he hadn’t asked for her pledge, I believe the duchess would have insisted on the match.”
“How did you learn so much? We only arrived this evening. And why didn’t you come after me when you heard the gunshot?”
