“I’ll send the carriage back,” Ansley replied, then to Mom.“My lady?”
She took his offered elbow, whispering, “My gratitude, yourgrace.”
Loren stood at my side as I watched them walk to the door.
But Mom stopped there.
And I stared as Carling stiffened with stunned surprise whenMom curled her fingers around both his arms, then went in to kiss his cheek.
“You are a good man, Rutherford Carling,” she said quietly.
His face stained red and he shifted awkwardly, pleased anduncomfortable with the sentiment.
“Beacher, Hagley, thank you,” she went on.
“Mum,” Beacher said.
“Milady,” Hagley mumbled.
She nodded to them, nodded to Ansley, and with her head heldhigh, the Seventh Countess of Derryman strode through the door.
And they were away.
ChapterTwelve
Turn around the City
Loren
“Dear heart,” he called.
She was beside him in the carriage, her ludicrous hat on theseat opposite them, her head turned, eyes aimed out the window.
Her mood…unknown.
“Satrine,” he whispered when shedidn’t respond.
“I didn’t know he…hurt her,” she told the window.“Either…her.”
Loren clenched his teeth at the thought and aimed his gazeout his own window.
He turned back when she lashed out, “Gods, I want himdead.”Her attention came to him.“Is that terrible?Does that make me like him?”
“No, sweeting.You’re angry.You heard some very ugly thingstoday, and it hasn’t been long after you endured other very ugly things.”
“You know, we were always okaywithout him.Itdidn’t matter we had to scrimp and save and make do.But the minute he showedhis face, ohnoooooooo.”She dragged thatlast out.“It all went to hell in a handbasket.”
Hell in a handbasket?
This language she created with her mother in their seclusionwas, unsurprisingly, as amusing and clever as she and her mother were.
“Every incarnation of him is evil,” she spat.“Pure evil.”
“Satrine—”
“He hurt my sister and beat my mother!”she shouted.
Loren watched the bluster wilt, her face started tocollapse, she tried to turn away, but instead found herself pulled into hisarms.
