“No, the fault is mine, my li—” She would have recognised that rich voice, the Italian accent, anywhere. He might have spent much of his life in England, might have multiple estates here, but in so many ways, he was utterly, unchangeably, Italian. A thrill shot through her as she tipped her head back to meet his dark gaze, even as he cut himself off and cleared his throat before speaking again. “Lady Eugenia.”
He released her and took a half-step back, leaving Eugenia feeling suddenly colder than she had prior to their bumping into each other, as if his touch had been the only thing warming her. She offered him a tentative smile, even as she ached at the space that he’d deliberately put between them.
“I’m very glad to see you again after so long, Lord D’Asti.”
“And I you.” The words were correct and polite, but there was a level of detachment in them which Eugenia had not expected from him, after all of their previous encounters. His handsome face, too, was twisted into a fierce scowl. “But I’m afraid you must excuse me for now. I have… business to attend to.”
“Oh.” Eugenia hated how vulnerable and confused that single syllable sounded. “Yes, of course. I’m terribly sorry to have troubled you with my clumsiness, Lord D’Asti.”
She curtsied, her cheeks burning with the sting of rejection and the shame which she could not help but feel at him being so curt and dismissive. Lord D’Asti returned the gesture with a quick bow, then strode away down the hall, as if he could not get away from her quickly enough.
He must have read about what happened after he departed Lady Duncan’s Ball, and it seems he’s furious with me.
Her eyes burned with the threat of tears, but Eugenia blinked them away and looked around for Susan, who’d paused beside the maid who would guide her, a mere few strides up the hall, to wait for Eugenia. Eugenia’s bottom lip trembled, despite her best efforts otherwise, and her face crumpled with distress at Susan’s sympathetic expression.
Susan held out her hands and shook her head, silently pleading with Eugenia not to cry. Not here. Not now. Not in front of someone who might talk. Eugenia’s throat tightened and she blinked faster as she rushed over to Susan’s side.
“Hold it together, dearest.” Susan whispered, looping her arm through Eugenia’s as the maids led them to their rooms. “Neverlet them see your distress. Do not give your competition that satisfaction.”
“My competition.”
Eugenia blew out a ragged sigh as they hurried along behind the maids to their assigned suites of rooms.
The moment that Lady Bellingham’s maids excused themselves and the doors closed behind them, Eugenia leaned heavily against them and sank to the floor, for her shaking legs would no longer support her.
Now, there was only Susan, and their own maids who were in the little attached rooms, to hear her.
“He hates me now.” The words felt like shards of glass in her throat, on her lips, but that was the only rational explanation she could think of, which would explain his behaviour in the hall just now. Words tumbled out of her in a panicked rush, growing faster and faster as she went on. “He must have seen that awful article inThe Society Reporterand decided to move on, since I am all but ruined, and by my own careless tongue, no less. This is an absolute disaster.”
Susan gripped Eugenia by the shoulders and gave her a slight shake to pull her out of her downward spiral.
“I have told you once today already, and I will tell you again, do not be so quick to jump to conclusions. Neither should you assume that the worst possible scenario is the truth without irrefutable proof that that actually is the case.”
“But how can we know if we can never get a moment alone with D’Asti to ask him if he saw the article, if that’s why he’s been so cold since arriving at Bellingham Park? How can wepossibly know, with so many prying eyes and listening ears, not to mention Lady Catherine and her mother arriving with Lord D’Asti. What did that signify?”
Susan gently tugged Eugenia through the sitting room that their suites shared, to her bedroom, and sat down on the edge of the bed, tugging Eugenia down with her.
“You should try to get some rest. You will feel better if you sleep. And in the meantime, I shall ask Neville to find out what we need to know of Lord D’Asti.”
“But… should we pry?” Eugenia bit her lip and stared down at the carpet. “Surely, if the Count wanted to continue his association with us — with me — he would do so without us having to ask Neville to snoop into his private affairs for us.”
“Well, I suppose that is for you to decide. Let me know, in the morning, what you choose. In the meantime, try to get whatever rest you can. Do not give that putrid hoyden Lydia any reason to remark on how piqued you look.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Susan burstinto Eugenia’s bedroom while Eugenia was still lying in her bed, filled with dread, and trying to muster up the willpower to face Lydia for yet another day. The thought that she would have to suffer through an entire sennight holding her breath, waiting to see how Lydia might trick her into publicly humiliating herself next was unbearable. Susan bustled over and threw open the curtains. Sunlight flooded the room, and Eugenia winced at the sudden brightness.
“I have exciting news!”
Susan said it in a sing-song voice, hurrying over to perch on the edge of Eugenia’s bed.
“And what might that be?”
Eugenia stifled a yawn and pushed up into a sitting position.
“I woke early, and I’ve had a thoroughly productive morning.” Susan’s blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “I managed to wheedleLady Bellingham’s plans for today out of one of the housemaids, and it’s a good thing I did! We’ll all be exploring Bellingham Park in small parties today, which is quite the stroke of luck, considering the fact that I’ve just received a letter from Georgiana today and she needs to see us — quite urgently — at Ashbrook—”
