Geordie lowered the spyglass, smiling to himself.Soon, lass. Soon I’ll make ye pay for all this trouble. Ye’ll be wishing ye hadna turned against me like yer stupid mother and the auld mon did, may they both be rotting in hell now.
“Would you care for another sherry, Frances?”
Frances looked at her glass, still nearly full, then back at Roslynn, who was already refilling her glass with the amber liquid. “Will you relax, Ros. If he hasn’t shown up by now, it’s rather doubtful that he will, don’t you think?”
Roslynn glanced over her shoulder at her friend, but she couldn’t quite manage the smile she tried for. “I’ve come to the conclusion that Anthony shows up when least expected, just to keep me nervous.”
“Areyou nervous?”
Roslynn gave a little half laugh, half groan, and took a large swallow of her second sherry before returning to join Frances on the new Adams sofa. “I shouldn’t be, should I? After all, he wouldn’t do anything outrageous with you here, and I did warn him you were coming.”
“But?”
Roslynn finally did smile, though it was more a grimace. “He amazes me, Fran, with his many different moods. I never know which one to expect.”
“There’s nothing unusual in that, m’dear. We have our moods too, don’t we? Now, stop fretting. Tell me what he thought of this new room instead.”
Roslynn’s deep chuckle was infectious. “He hasn’t seen it yet.”
Frances’ eyes widened. “You mean he didn’t approve your choices first? But these pieces are so—so—”
“Delicate and feminine?”
Frances gasped at the twinkle in Roslynn’s hazel eyes. “Good God, you did it on purpose! You’re hoping he’ll hate it, aren’t you?”
Roslynn glanced about the once-masculine room that had been drastically transformed with the lovely satinwood furnishings. Now it looked the way a parlor should look, for a parlor was really a woman’s domain. Adams might be known for his excessively refined style in delicacy of structure and ornament, but she liked the carved and gilded framework on the two sofas and chairs, and especially the satin brocade upholstery of silver flowers on an olive-green background. The colors weren’t really feminine. She had compromised there. But the ornamentation was. Then there was the new wall papering that she hadn’t made a decision on yet
“I doubt Anthony will hate it, Frances, and if he does, it’s unlikely he would say so. He’s like that.” Here she shrugged. “But of course, if he does, I’ll just get rid of these pieces and buy something else.”
Frances frowned. “I think you’re too used to spending money without thought to price. You’re forgetting your husband isn’t quite as rich as you are.”
“No, that’s the one thing I’m not forgetting.”
At that bald statement, Frances sighed. “So that’s it. Well, I hope you know what you’re doing. Men can have funny reactions where money is concerned, you know. Some can lose twenty thousand pounds and not care. Others would go out and kill themselves for such a loss.”
“Don’t worry, Frances. Anthony is bound to fall into the not caring category. Now, can I make you another drink before dinner?”
Frances looked at her glass, still half full, then at Roslynn’s, empty again. She shook her head, but not in answer to the question. “Go ahead and make light of it, Ros, but you can’t tell me you’re not anxious over his reaction. Was he very unpleasant when you had this argument you don’t want to talk about?”
“It wasn’t an argument,” Roslynn replied stiffly. “And he’s been unpleasant since I married him.”
“You weren’t exactly gushing over with charm yourself the last time I saw you two together. I would guess that his moods are directly related to yours, m’dear.”
Roslynn made a face at this sage observation. “Since he’s obviously not going to join us for dinner, and his brother and nephew are out for the evening, it’s just the two of us. Surely we can find a more pleasant topic to discuss.”
Frances gave in and grinned. “Surely we can if we try hard enough.”
Roslynn grinned too, feeling some of her tension drain away. Frances was good for her, even if some of the advice she offered Roslynn didn’t want to hear.
She set her glass down and stood up. “Come on. Another drink will spoil the excellent fair cook has prepared, and Dobson has only been waiting for us to adjourn to the dining room to commence serving. And wait until you see the new table that was delivered this afternoon. It is sheer elegance, quite suitable to anyone’s taste.”
“And no doubt devilish expensive?”
Roslynn chuckled. “That too.”
They linked arms and left the parlor to cross over to the small dining room, which had previously been no more than a breakfast room, since Anthony had rarely dined at home before he married and still didn’t, for that matter. But Roslynn stopped, noticing Dobson in the process of opening the front door, and then stiffened as Anthony walked in. However, she lost her breath entirely on seeing who was with him. He wouldn’t dare! Hehaddared! He had deliberately brought George Amherst home with him. knowing full well that Frances would be here. And from the look of George, who had come to a dead standstill on seeing Frances, he hadn’t been warned either.
“Splendid,” Anthony said drolly as he handed his hat and gloves to the wooden-faced butler. “I see we’re just in time for dinner, George.”
