What?Her mind shrieked.Why would his mother care that she could sing?She could play the pianoforte with more than adequate ability, two essentially useless talents for anyone but a governess.
“You should hear her,” Penelope broke in.“She had the loveliest voice, and she plays piano like a dream.Say you’ll at least accompany us.”
“Of course.”No one ever looked at the pianist when someone was singing.“What else can I do?”
“Costumes!”Horry said.“Aunt Miranda says there are tons of them.I want something very beautiful.”
“So do I!”Penelope cried.
“There’s an entire wardrobe of costumes,” Miranda said soothingly.“I’ll have the servants bring them down to a spare bedroom and you can go through them.”
“Jenny…Miss Lancaster will find just the right dresses,” Horry said, confident in her omnipotence.
“I’m sure she will.”Miranda smiled at her warmly, and once more Jenny doubted the sanity of the Rohan family.Mad, every one of them.
It should have been a great relief that Brat was nowhere to be seen that day.She had no idea how she could react to those scorching kisses, and at this point, she was so overset that she was bound to give herself away.The poor little governess pining after the Honorable James de Malheur—oh, yes, she knew his real name.It suited him, far better than Brat.
He must be anxious to avoid her as well—the long hours passed and there was no sign of him.It wasn’t until teatime that she found out why.
The entire family had gathered in the huge salon while Miranda deftly poured the tea.Jenny had spent the day coaching the girls on their song, a comic duet between two battling siblings, and she was thinking about the costumes when a name caught her attention.
“And how is Brat faring, Emma?”Benedick Rohan asked.“Is he still in one piece after his accident?”
She didn’t drop her teacup, but it rattled loudly in its saucer.“What happened to Brat?”Penelope cried.
“He’s fine,” Emma said, and Jenny remembered the woman was actually a doctor, of all strange things.“Just a little shaken up.If the girth had snapped when he was jumping, it could have been far worse.”
“A riding accident,” Miranda clarified, for some reason looking at Jenny.“One of the straps broke on his saddle.”
“I still say it wasn’t an accident,” Lucien de Malheur said.“My stables don’t have faulty equipment.”
“Do you think someone tried to kill James?”Miranda demanded, looking pale.“But why?And who?”
“Anyone who’s ever met him,” Benedick drawled.“As for why, I think that’s self-explanatory.”
“You’re not funny, Benedick,” Miranda said stiffly.“I can’t believe anyone would seriously want to hurt him.”
“Do you find it any easier to believe my stables are inadequate?”the Scorpion demanded.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” she replied.
“Not in my stables.”
“Didn’t someone shoot at him when we were out birding?”Brandon Rohan spoke up.“Was that another accident?”
“The wages of sin,” Charles Rohan pronounced with obvious satisfaction.“I knew it would catch up with him sooner or later.”
The look Miranda gave him was absolutely chilling.“If you can’t say something helpful, you can go away, Charles.”
“I was being helpful.He’s probably despoiled some farmer’s daughter and the father wants revenge.”
“Brat doesn’t consider the locals fair game,” the Scorpion said.“He prefers women of the world.”
“Lucien!”Miranda said, shocked.
“Well, it’s true,” Benedick said thoughtfully.“He’s had some of the most beautiful women living under his protection.”
“This is hardly the proper topic of discussion at tea!”Annis huffed.
