“Lady Drysedale, it is a pleasure to see you as always.”
She returned his smile. Stanford had long been a member of her husband’s staff. “Is Mrs. Hadley receiving callers?”
The butler’s expression sobered. “I’m afraid she isn’t. Hasn’t for days, my lady.”
Caroline’s lips pressed together. “You go tell her I want to see her immediately. I’ll wait in the sitting room.”
The butler’s eyes twinkled as he opened the door for Caroline to pass through. “I will inform Mrs. Hadley at once.”
Caroline paced the floor of the sitting room waiting for Lucinda to arrive. Finally the younger woman walked in. When she saw Caroline, her eyes became guarded.
Lucinda dipped an awkward curtsey. “How very nice of you to call, Lady Dryesdale.”
Lucinda’s demeanor told Caroline she was anything but pleased with the unexpected visit.
But then Lucinda looked up, her eyes wide with fear. “Have you heard anything from Robert?”
Caroline was taken aback by the apparent concern. “I would have thought you could tellmemore about Robert than I could tell you.”
Lucinda flushed uncomfortably. Then as if remembering her manners, she gestured at Caroline. “Please do sit, my lady. I’ll have a tray of tea brought around.”
Caroline waved it off. “I’m afraid my visit is not a social one, my dear.”
Lucinda looked at her with dread-filled eyes. But she said nothing.
“Since subtlety is not one of my strong points, I’ll come straight to the point,” Caroline began.
Lucinda, as if expecting the question to be difficult, sank to the settee, her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
“Why did you marry my son?”
Lucinda closed her eyes.
Caroline tried to keep a leash on her anger, but it was boiling out of control. Anger at the hopelessness of the situation, the need to lash out someone, anyone. To place blame where she could. Something had to make sense in this twisted chain of events.
“I loved Ridge,” Lucinda said in a low voice.
Of all the things she might have said, this surprised Caroline the most. Her mouth fell open and she emitted a gasp of shock.
“Ridge? You lovedRidge? Then why...”
“Why did I marry Robert?” Lucinda finished.
“That’s a good place to start.”
“You hate me,” Lucinda said softly. “Just as Ridge does.”
Caroline wanted to scream in frustration. She didn’t want to talk about Ridge. Not now. She wanted to talk about Robby. Her baby. The son she may never even see again.
“What I think of you shouldn’t matter, should it? Nor should Ridge. You married Robert. Surely, he is who you should concern yourself with.”
Lucinda laughed softly and ended it with a sob.
“I loved Ridge. But he didn’t feel the same about me. I told him of my feelings the night of our engagement ball.” She twisted her lips in scorn. “He looked so uncomfortable, as if I had just told him I had an incurable disease. I realized then that I was merely a duty, something he was performing, not something he wanted.
“I wanted to hurt him as he had hurt me,” she said in a cracked voice.
Caroline wanted to retch. She wanted to yell. She wanted to take Lucinda by the shoulders and shake some sense into her.
