Felicity looked just as stumped as she was, but before they could speak more on the subject, the parlor door opened and Rosalinde and Gray entered the chamber, followed by Lucien, himself. His gaze swept over the room and when he found her, his shoulders stiffened and the line of his lips thinned.
Both those things made her stomach drop. He had secured her future with his proposal, but it didn’t feel secure right now. Not when he clearly hesitated, forced into a corner by her circumstances.
“My dear, I’ve been thinking, and while you obviously had little choice given what happened last night, you cannot stay with Stenfax during your engagement,” Rosalinde said. “Why don’t you come and stay with Gray and me?”
Elise looked at Stenfax once again. Of course, what Rosalinde said was proper, but she wanted to see if it disappointed him as much as it disappointed her.
But his expression was unreadable.
“Oh, no, she should come stay with Mother and me!” Felicity said, grabbing for Elise’s arm.
Gray smiled at his sister. “Normally I would agree that you two should have time to reconnect as friends. But given the threat that still exists toward Elise, until we leave London for Caraway Court, it would be best if she were under my roof. I can make sure she’s protected.”
Felicity’s own smile fell and the gravity of the situation felt very clear in that moment. “Of course,” she said, her voice strained.
Elise squeezed her arm gently before she stepped toward Lucien. “Caraway Court?” she asked.
He nodded. “Gray and I thought it best to regroup there. Plan our next moves. Do you oppose the idea?”
Elise shrugged, partly because she didn’t think any objection she had would matter, but also because she had such fond memories of Caraway Court. It was where she’d first fallen in love with the man who would now reluctantly become her husband.
Perhaps there she would find a way to remind him that he’d once loved her too.
“I don’t mind leaving London,” she said. “I’m sure the scandal when our engagement is announced will be massive. I don’t want to be in the center of that storm.”
“Then it sounds like Elisetrustsyou with your decision, Lucien,” Felicity said, sending her brother a meaningful look.
Elise held back a sigh. Of course Felicity would try to solve this problem, even in the clumsiest way. Stenfax’s expression didn’t change even though he looked at Elise a little closer.
She forced a smile. “I suppose I should have my maid prepare us for another move. Not that there is much for Ruth to prepare. I left with so few things.”
“Do you think the servants at the dower house would help get the rest of your clothing out?” Stenfax asked.
She nodded. “There are many there who are sympathetic to my plight. As long as Ambrose hasn’t burned my belongings already, it’s possible.”
“I’ll go get them,” Stenfax said.
Gray stepped forward. “You damned well won’t. Remember what we discussed regarding confronting the man? We’ll send a few servants. You’ll stay right where you are so you don’t end up killing a duke and putting us in an even more precarious position.” Felicity flinched and Gray turned toward her. “I’m sorry, Felicity. I wasn’t thinking.”
She shrugged. “You’re right, though. My actions have placed us all in danger and we must act carefully.”
Lucien tapped his foot, frustration clear on his face. He was a man of action and his hands were tied. Yet another thing Elise knew was her fault.
“Very well,” he ground out. “I’ll send servants. I hate having no options here.”
She turned her face. No options in anything, it seemed, even a wedding. “Yes, well, I’ll go prepare Ruth. I won’t be long.”
She turned to leave the room and was surprised when Lucien followed her without an explanation or a request to the others for leave. In the hall, she turned toward him.
“Lucien—” she began softly.
His face remained impassive. “What will you do in regards to Winstead?”
She blinked. Here she had hoped he followed her in order to comfort her or to connect with her. Instead he asked about the man who would have been her lover.
She swallowed hard. “I hadn’t thought about it. I suppose he must be told that my plans have changed. Writing him seems cruel.”
Stenfax lifted his chin. “It is what you did to me.”
