“I’ll get a compress then,” she said hurriedly.
Caught a chill.
If Edgar said that to Loren and Ansley, they…would…freak.
I stood.
Idina reared back and gazed up at me.
“Are they still in the drawing room?”I asked.
“Madam, your face, the color is changing, it’s swell—”
I wrapped my fingers around her upper arm.“Idina, honey,are they still having drinks in the drawing room?”
She nodded uncertainly.“I think so.”
I turned.
The silk and beads and crystals turned with me and the trainbehind me designed to follow my lead elegantly did so.
I lifted my head, took a deep breath…
And walked from the room.
Chapter Six
Mistake
Maxine
As I hadn’t had a tour of the house, I got losttrying to find the drawing room.
But considering there were a bevy of servants around, Istartled one by coming on him as he was rushing to do something.He stared inshock at my cheek (which should have shared how bad it was, but I was so out ofit, I didn’t take this in) as I asked him to point me to the drawing room.Hedid as I asked.
It’d take me a minute to realize, in my daze, I was making ahuge mistake.
In my defense, I had, as yet, not given myself time toprocess all that had happened to me, to Mom, seeing a me who was not me, butwas ill, having a father who proved what I’d known all my life, but hadstruggled against, he was inherently vile, learning I had another father whowas worse.
And so on…
I also had not been around Lord Remington or the Duke ofDalton very long.I didn’t know what made their character (but spoiler, I wasabout to find out).
Last, I had never been struck.
The pain was subsiding, though it lingered and there was atightness so I knew it was swelling.That said, I was in a state of shock thatany human being, much less one who looked like my dad, would take his hands tome.
So, I had an excuse when I did what I should not and glidedin my gorgeous gown into the drawing room.
Edgar was the first to see me.
He turned, paled immediately, only for big splashes of angryred to suffuse his cheeks, and he hurried my way.
“Daughter,” he bit impatiently, even if he was trying tomake it sound concerned, “You’re to be abed.It’s lovely, you wish to keep uscompany, but let’s get you back to your chamber.”
He was crowding me, pushing me backwards, hiding me from theothers with his body, and I was still partially in a daze, not to mention alittle freaked at seeing him.
I was backing up.
