Una poured a glass and handed it to Eliza. “Have you been presented to the queen? If not, I’d be willing to sponsor you. I was brought before Her Majesty several years ago. Your mother-in-law did the honors.” Una winked.
“I’d rather not pretend at civility, Lady Eastleigh. I already know you don’t care for me.” Eliza sniffed her brandy suspiciously, then took a tiny sip.
Una put her hand to her chest. “My. I’ll give it to you Americans—you’re certainly forthright.”
“My candor is one of the many things my husband finds charming about me.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Your kind of charm will wear thin after a time. Malcolm is traditional and prefers modesty in a woman.”
“Doeshe?” Eliza smirked and took a braver sip of her brandy. It was so sweet it made her cheeks ache. “I had no idea you and Lord Eastleigh were courting. News of your wedding was quite the surprise to Malcolm and me.”
“Charles is moneyed, powerful, and handsome. A good catch. I’ve admired him for years. We’ve many common interests. What kind of fool would turn him down?”
“I’m quite happy things played out the way they did.”
“Are you?” Una waggled her finger at Eliza. “It doesn’t look like you’re sleeping well, if I’m to be honest. But how could you, in a house with such a dreadful past? Have you found out about the others?”
“What do you mean bythe others? If you’re implying Malcolm has lovers...”
Una laughed. “Oh, it’s much worse than that.”
The tops of Eliza’s ears caught fire beneath the upswept waves of her hair. She wanted to throttle the smug look from Una’s face so badly her hands shook. “Come out with it, Una. Ever since that day on the path, you’ve wanted to say something foul and unforgettable to me.”
“But it’ll be so much more fun to watch you find out the hard way!” Una narrowed her eyes. “I’ll just give you one teensy-tiny little clue.”
“I’m enthralled,” Eliza spat.
“You should look around the south wing of your new home. Your husband hasn’t let you back there yet, has he? It’s all locked up, I’d reckon.” Una took a sip of her brandy and held the glass up to the light. The crystal etching threw prismatic sparks over the walls. “I’d imagine he has some story about it being dangerous.”
Eliza remembered how often Malcolm had admonished her about the dangers of the south wing, beginning on the very first night of their courtship. She thought of the heavy key ring he always kept beneath his waistcoat—how he’d not yet given her a copy of the house keys. His strange rules. Were there secrets within the hidden wing she wasn’t meant to uncover? Secrets about Malcolm that might reveal motive enough for him to murder his family?
“I can see you thinking about it now,” Una said. “It’s delightful to see your face twist up and get all red. Do you know how you look when you get nervous? Don’t ever play cards. You’ll be as wretched at it as your father-in-law was.”
“I’m quite finished with your insults. If we were in America, I’d have you down on the floor, pulling your bloody hair out of your head.”
“Wouldn’tthatbe the scandal?” Una leaned forward. “You’re already an odd duck here, but you should go to London with your husband when the Season opens. You’ll see what everyone else thinks of you. You may look the part of a lady in your jewels and expensive gowns, but you and I both know you’re nothing but a cheap Yankee trollop.”
Eliza stood, clenching her fists. “I am not a goddamnedYankee.”
Malcolm strode into the room. “We’re leaving,” he said, firmly taking Eliza by the elbow. “Lady Eastleigh, please never speak to my wife with anything less than civility again.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Lord Havenwood,” Una said, her eyes widening in mock alarm.
“It’s not in my nature to be cruel, but you should know I’ve loved Eliza more than I could have ever loved you in ten lifetimes.”
Una sighed. “Oh, Malcolm, you and I both know who andwhatit is you really love.”
Malcolm turned on his heel, pulling Eliza along with him. He snatched his hat and cane from Eastleigh’s butler as Eliza swept her cape over her shoulders. They marched out to the landau, where Turner waited with the door flung wide. As they pulled away, Eliza sensed the fury seething beneath Malcolm’s demeanor. They rode in silence all the way to Cheltenbridge, until she could no longer resist the question that had been on her tongue.
“What did Lord Eastleigh say to you, my love?”
“I don’t wish to talk about it, Eliza.” His eyes met hers and narrowed. “I want you to go to your room when we get to Havenwood. I want you to take off your dress and make yourself ready for me.”
CHAPTER 19
Eliza woke to a narrow finger of cold light shining through the window. Malcolm stood within it, dark as a sentinel, looking out at the seamless gray sky. Though he seemed calm enough, he’d been like a ravenous beast the night before.
She had done as he’d asked, removing every stitch of her clothing and letting her hair loose while she waited for him, her pulse pounding in her ears. When he came into the room, she sensed a primal change in him. He crawled over the mattress toward her, feral and hungry, kissing his way up her body until he hovered over her. “Do you want me?” he asked. She bucked her hips in answer. He laughed. “Good. I mean to have you begging, darling.”
