“At once, my lady,” Leonard said, unperturbed he’d been directed to find something for the dog.
“Come then, we shall return to our guests. Are you staying, Mr. Deville?”
“I am, my lady.” He looked as happy as her about that, Beth thought. “I’m sure it would be better if I returned Walter to the carriage.”
“Not at all, he will shake up the guests nicely,” Lady Carlow said with a sly smile. “Come along, Walter.”
Beth watched the dog trot beside her mother and followed. Nathan was on her heels. It was not a comfortable feeling.
Lady Blake was almost as horrified at seeing Walter as she had been seeing Tobias. Especially when he trotted up to study her.
“Shoo,” she hissed. He gave her the side-eye, then wandered over to see his people.
The room was large enough to accommodate everyone and a dog comfortably, but it felt smaller than usual now Nathan and his disdain for her were in it.
He sat between his sister and sister-in-law to be. A sign of solidarity on their part. His expression was calm, one large arm resting on the back of the chair behind his sister, the other stroking the small podgy hand of Tobias.
Protected, Beth thought. In small, subtle ways the Deville family members showed that they were there for each other. She’d observed them together often. In fact, she’d made a study of them, because she’d believed one day it would also be her family.
Fool that I was.
“Lady Carlow, how hard this must be on you,” Phillipa said. “Please allow me to acknowledge your bravery.”
“Bravery?” Her mother may exasperate her family members upon occasion with her incessant chatter, but she was nobody’s fool, nor would she allow anyone to insult her. “I’m unsure I follow you, Miss Blake.”
“Bravery to step back into society without a word after such an absence,” Lady Blake cooed.
Walter, after receiving pats and scratches from his family, wandered over to Beth and sat on her foot. She enjoyed the weight of that solid body leaning against her leg, even if the blood supply was soon cut off.
“It is no secret, my lady.” Beth was not going to take any more of these veiled insults. Stroking Walter’s soft head, she decided enough was enough. “But also no one’s business but ours as to why we left society. Just as it is no one’s business but yours as to why you would wear that particular shade of brown.”
Lady Blake’s mouth opened on a small screech as she looked down at her dress.
“Brown! This is oyster silk!”
“And of course, it’s lovely. I was just explaining that our choices are our own to make,” Beth added smoothly.
She heard a very male snort and some muffled giggling.
“Wonderful, the tea has arrived,” she said with a fake smile as Leonard and a maid entered.
“I’ll have one of those pastries,” Miss Saint-Bonnard said.
Beth stood, dislodging her foot from under Walter, and helped serve the tea to keep busy.
“My dear Mr. Deville,” Phillipa cooed. “You are to be commended.”
“Why?” He looked bored as he drank out of the ridiculously tiny cup in his hand.
Phillipa shot Beth a dark look before returning her attention to Nathan.
“Well of course… we had once thought—”
“Phillipa.” Abby put her saucer down with a snap on the table. “The problem as I see it begins when you start thinking. Can I suggest you don’t tax yourself in the future when it concerns my family?”
“Well!” Phillipa’s face flushed with color. “I was merely commiserating—”
“You are trying to flush out something that is not there,” Abby continued, undaunted. “The Carlows have their reasons for leaving London that are private to them and absolutely nothing to do with you. Secondly, Miss Carlow and my brother—this one”—she pointed to Nathan, who nodded back to his sister—“are as you see quite happy as acquaintances. Neither is prostrate with grief or heartbroken, so may I suggest you hunt down some other poor hapless individual to refill your gossip well? You will be getting nothing here.”
