“Tell them you weremistaken,” he corrected himself. “Then you can save face and my career at the same time. Two birds with one stone.”
For the sake of peace and undoing any damage she had done, Brilliance was about to agree when Vincent spoke first.
“No. She will not lie to protect you. Not even a little. In this case, the stone is a clear, honest, brilliant Diamond, and I won’t let her lower herself to your level. Do whatever you wish, but as an earl’s daughter, she is the one who will come out smelling like an English rose.”
Brilliance liked his speech but had to point out, “In truth, my fragrance is a blend. Mostly roses, like the Queen’s perfume, but with bergamot and clove oils. However, everything else you said was well spoken, my lord.”
For some reason, this made Vincent laugh softly, but Mr. Castern rolled his eyes. “I have been taken down by thiscreature.” He shook his head. “I will not go quietly.”
Vincent growled and appeared ready to strike again, causing Mr. Castern to lurch backward before darting toward the open carriage door.
After the cabbie had driven off, he turned to her. “You didn’t tell me about writing any letters.”
“I sent them before I found out you had stopped the legal proceedings. Did you mean what you said?”
“I assure you that I did,” he promised, clearly still thinking about the unpleasant scene that had transpired in full view of any neighbor who happened to be looking out his or her window. “I shall undoubtedly be blamed for lowering the value of property on King Street,” he muttered. Then he asked, “Did I mean which part?”
“About me,” Brilliance said. “A brilliant diamond. It truly was very kind of you.”
His expression softened. “You are priceless, dear lady.” Taking her hand, he bowed over it. “Please ask your mother if I may call upon her tomorrow at one o’clock for a private audience.”
“I shall.” She didn’t want to leave him, but after collecting Belinda, who had managed to remain inconspicuous mere yards away through the entire incident, Brilliance climbed into her father’s carriage.
As she headed home, uppermost in her mind were two matters — what it would feel like to have her reputation shredded by Ambrose Castern should he tell the society pages she had spent time alone with a manandhow she could help Vincent regain ownership of his music.
“I had a feeling LordHewitt would be the one,” her mother said. “All the way back to last July when you first sent me a letter about him.”
Brilliance shrugged. None of Carolyn Diamond’s children would doubt her astuteness. She explained to her mother the reason for their earlier cessation of friendship, and how she might now be embroiled in a bit of a scandal.
“We Diamonds have had our share and weathered them all without any loss of status. Do not worry. In the meanwhile, we shall invite his parents over for dinner,” her mother added. “I like meeting new people, although your father may quibble, as he says we have enough friends and in-laws.”
Brilliance was thinking about the birthday party she had attended. “He is a good son with a seemingly close attachmenteven to his stepfather. And he gives his mother a piece of original music each year for her birthday.”
Lady Diamond’s glance sharpened as she looked at her youngest daughter.
“How do you mean ‘gives’?” she asked.
Brilliance frowned at the question. “He plays the piece in front of their guests and presents his mother with a ...Oh!He presents her with a hand-written copy!”
“I don’t suppose he has dated each one, perhaps along the lines of ‘Many happy returns of the day, your loving son’ with the month and year?”
“I don’t know. Do you think I could go to my future in-law’s home without an invitation?”
Her redheaded beauty of a mother nodded, her cat-like green eyes glinting.
“If they are the right sort of people, then yes. And if they don’t like their future daughter-in-law dropping by, then they are the wrong sort, in my opinion.” Then she added, “I shall accompany you. That’s a far cry more acceptable than your maid.”
Although Brilliance wanted to run out the door immediately, she had to wait for her mother to change. A countess didn’t simply go out into the world willy-nilly.
Then, with hope in her heart, Brilliance and her mother traveled to Lord and Lady Winthrop’s home.
“I am prepared to leave my card,” Lady Diamond said. “After all, they may be out.”
“Do you mean truly out?” Brilliance asked. “Or out to us?”
Her mother bristled. “Out to us? I think not! If they are declared out by their staff, then they had best have taken their carriage and be somewhere on the other side of Town. Out to us, indeed! Bri, I do not understand you sometimes.”
Brilliance only smiled. Her mother grew prickly at the oddest times.
