Am I ruined?I truly don’t know.
Olivia’s main worry was how this might affect Josie and her marriage prospects. She felt her own chances of finding a husband were always slim at best.
The face of the Earl of Hatfield floated into her thoughts. She forced the image of his face out of her mind. Love was not for her.
Uncle Harold had summoned her to speak with him after the meal, and she had literally run away, pleading a headache as she raced up the stairs.
She knew that this morning there would be no escaping that conversation with her uncle.
If only she had independent means. She realized she was going to have to agree to whatever her uncle suggested or possibly be made to leave immediately. She knew she couldn’t leave Jocelyn.
Suddenly, and to her own surprise, she touched her cheek as silent tears fell. For years she had been coping with her disfigurement and loss of fortune. Today, she struggled to find the courage to be brave.
She could cry for a little while, nobody would see her and know.
However, a tap on her door made her look up as the white cap of Mrs. Jennings entered her room.
“I’m sorry to disturb you this early in the day, my Lady, but his Lordship is requesting you join him in his study,” said Mrs. Jennings quietly.
As she delivered the command, Mrs. Jennings looked towards Olivia and saw her distress.
“Oh, my dear girl.” Eyes widening, she moved quickly across the room to Olivia. “This isn’t something we see very often. I don’t think I’ve seen you cry more than a few times since you were a little girl—apart from when we had that tragedy at Silverton.”
Olivia looked at this kind woman, who had been a source of friendship and support for many years. “I don’t feel brave today. It all seems too much. What can I do?”
“There, there my dear,” said Mrs. Jennings and opened her arms to hold Olivia and give her the strength of loving support. “You’re the bravest of brave young women.”
She handed Olivia a lace edged laundered handkerchief.
“Now, wipe your eyes and then I’ll have Ellen come and help you dress.”
“Does everyone know?” asked Olivia, struggling to speak the words and knowing she was scared of the answer.
“Best to be truthful, is what I always say,” said Mrs. Jennings. “Whoever is orchestrating this, and there has to be an evil mind behind this, is very methodical. The rumor is flying around town and that scandal sheet is everywhere. So, whoever is doing this is not without funds.”
She looked at Olivia with wisdom in her eyes. “But, and it is a big but, your uncle is not without influence.”
Olivia let out a sob as Mrs. Jennings continued. “Hush my dear, yes I am fully aware that the two of you do not always see eye to eye, but he is a good man at heart.” She guided Olivia to a chair near the fire and sat opposite her. “Then there is your strength of character, and quiet dignity, which will mean that many people won’t believe what they read.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“Of course, it is inevitable, and works in our favor,” asserted Mrs. Jennings.
“There is one more thing, which carries a heavy weight in this matter. The ball at Lady Leighton’s was a busy event, full of people, and you were supposedly cavorting around the hallway with the Earl of Hatfield… a ridiculous and impossible situation.”
Olivia nodded. There had been a quiet, sensitive, interlude between herself and Marcus, but even if they had been observed it would not have created this level of scandal.
“Now, dry those tears. I’ll get a tray brought up for you, so you have some breakfast, and then you can go and see your uncle.”
Olivia nodded, sniffing her thanks, through the handkerchief.
“Lady Jocelyn has been asking if you are up, and she will come and sit with you. And the viscountess has already sent a message from Maybury that she will be visiting with you and Lady Jocelyn all day.”
Olivia took a deep breath and thought of all the people who cared about her, including their housekeeper, who had known her since she was a child.
I can do this,she assured herself.I’ve lived through much worse than this.
She reflected with bitter humor that the one positive in this situation was that there was no risk of meeting Sir Jonathan Ellington at a ball or recital. She knew that she would have been unhappy married to him, but he had held her heart, and they had planned a future together. His coldness, and withdrawal from their engagement, in the aftermath of the fire was cruel. However she looked at it, he had inflicted damage and hurt at a time when she needed love and support from her fiancé.
