“No,” he admitted. “But I was far from being really right when I left.”
She studied his face. “I’ve always believed that if you’d had another year here, you would have been decently sorted out and ready to face the world on your terms.”
He thought back to the boy he’d been then and the way he was reluctantly coming to respect the school and his classmates. “It’s possible. I was beginning to realize that I needed to change and stop bashing angrily into brick walls.”
“I thought as much.” Lady Agnes spread her hands in frustration. “But you left for the summer holidays and never returned. I received a terse note from your father’s secretary saying you were being withdrawn because you had ruined a young lady of good birth and were being dealt with.” She gave a wintry smile. “And I was expected to refund the money paid for your next term’s tuition by return post.”
Callie had been watching the conversation with quiet fascination, but at that point she slid to the front edge of her chair, her eyes snapping. “Outrageous! I’m the ‘young lady of good birth’ that Richard was alleged to have ruined. He did that by offering honorable matrimony to save me from being married off to a stranger three times my age. A man who would allow my father to get rid of me for a profit.”
Lady Agnes studied Callie, her expression arrested. “I was sure there was more to the story. If you’re willing to tell me, it will go no further.”
Callie glanced at Gordon and he gave her a nod of permission. Lady Agnes had deflected his apology, but she deserved the truth.
“Richard suggested Gretna Green to save me from the unwanted marriage,” Callie said. “Society might consider that ruination, but to me, he was salvation.”
“So you two were childhood sweethearts?”
“No, we were best friends. There was nothing romantic between us.” Callie gave Gordon an intimate glance. “At least, not then. But I was frantic, and when he suggested eloping as the only escape, I accepted gratefully.”
She took a shuddering breath. “But our fathers, Lord Stanfield and Lord Kingston, caught up with us almost immediately. The only way to stop my father from beating Richard to death was to swear that I’d marry his rich Jamaican planter if he promised not to hurt Richard anymore.”
“Stanfield kept his word,” Gordon said dryly. “Instead of finishing me off with his horsewhip, he had me convicted of theft and kidnapping and transported to Botany Bay.”
It took a great deal to shock Lady Agnes, but those words caused her jaw to drop. She was given time to recover by the arrival of the butler and a maid with a rolling cart of small sandwiches, cakes, and pots of coffee and tea.
When the servants had withdrawn, Lady Agnes said, “After telling me that, perhaps you both need something stronger?”
Gordon chuckled. “Thank you, but sobriety is my usual state. It’s a rather horrible story, but it was a long time ago.” He accepted a steaming cup of coffee from Lady Agnes, then filled a small plate with sandwiches. Her ladyship had always kept good cooks.
Lady Agnes poured tea for Callie. “If you’re Stanfield’s daughter, you’d be Catherine, if I recall correctly. How did the marriage turn out?”
“I used to be called Catherine, but now I generally go by my middle name, Callista.” Callie took an appreciative sip of the tea, then collected sandwiches for herself. “I had an easier time of it than Richard. My husband was much older, but a kind man. His oldest son by his first wife was—difficult. But I became very fond of my two younger stepchildren.”
Gordon noticed that Callie was leaving the impression that the younger ones shared a mother with Henry. Well, there was no need to go into more detail.
Callie continued, “After my husband’s death, there was reason to doubt his heir’s goodwill, so I collected the two youngest and their grandparents and we escaped to Washington and lived quite comfortably there under the name of Audley.” She smiled at Gordon. “That was in memory of my childhood friend, whom I was told had died. Then Richard was sent by someone in London to rescue the Widow Audley, which he did. After several weeks in Baltimore, here we are, now properly married.”
“I’m sure that explanation covers many fascinating events. Were you in Washington when it was burned? A disgraceful business!” Lady Agnes said indignantly. “What about Baltimore? The Americans did an admirable job of standing their ground.”
“One can’t say the British didn’t have provocation for burning the American capital, though I wish they hadn’t.” Callie finished off a potted ham sandwich. “In Baltimore, we had a splendid view of the bombardment. It was all very educational and will enliven my eventual memoirs if I ever write any. Which I don’t suppose I will.”
Lady Agnes chuckled. “Lord George, you’ve chosen the perfect wife, though you don’t need me to tell you that.”
“No, I don’t,” he said fondly.
“I have a question about names.” Lady Agnes studied him again while pushing the much depleted plate of sandwiches in his direction. “When you were a student here, you were correctly called Lord George. Recently Westerfield old boys have referred to you as Gordon when discussing various hair-raising adventures. I know that you’re entitled to all those names, but which do you prefer?”
Now that he was settling in to respectable marriage in England, he realized that it was time to decide how he wanted to present himself to the world. He considered the question while taking more sandwiches.
“Lord George was a very annoying fellow and I never liked the name. Consider him dead. Richard belongs to Callie. Gordon suits me as I am now. So I choose to be Mr. Gordon Audley. You may call me Gordon if you like.” He glanced at Callie. “Are you willing to sacrifice being Lady George?”
“I shan’t miss it. I don’t like the name George, either.” She glanced at Lady Agnes. “Is that treason? But your title is merely a courtesy one. As long as I’m Mrs. Audley, not the Widow Audley, I’m satisfied.”
“Gordon, then,” Lady Agnes said with a nod. “It suits you.”
Callie said, “I want to hear more about the hair-raising adventures! Lady Agnes, will you tell me some? I’m sure Richard won’t.”
The headmistress chuckled. “Well, he was instrumental in helping Lord Kirkland rescue his kidnapped wife and her maid.”
