“Very good, my lady,” Doctor Warner said.
Lady Rose made to leave, but Charlotte hesitated. She couldn’t bear to leave her papa. The thought of him falling ill again made her nauseous.
Dear Lord, please let it not be his heart. Let it be nothing more than a bit of indigestion that a tonic will cure. If all is well, I promise to do my part and make Papa happy by marrying and giving him a grandbabe to bounce on his knee.
“Come along, dear.” Lady Rose tugged Charlotte forward.
Charlotte stumbled along, still puzzled at the hint of anger she’d detected in her mother’s voice as she followed her out of the drawing room.
“Preposterous!” Lady Roseexhaled her exclamation as though she’d been holding it at bay. “If your papa doesn’t die, I might kill him myself!” She unhooked her arm from Charlotte’s and strode toward the staircase.
“Mama! How can you say such a thing!” Charlotte raced after her mother.
“Quite easily!” Lady Rose stopped to face her daughter. “Your foolish papa has brought this attack on himself.” Her voice trembled slightly. “I shall never forgive him if he—he makes himself ill over this nonsensical feud.”
Fear washed over Charlotte in a cold wave.Feud? What feud?Her papa was beloved by everyone. He had no enemies. And why was Mama blaming him? Her parents never quarreled. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d seen her mother so cross with her papa.
“Whatever do you mean?” Charlotte asked, trotting down the stairs behind her mother. “What was all that about? And who is this Mr. Warsham?”
But Lady Rose said nothing more until they stepped into the parlor, where she reached for the small silver bell on the tea table and gave it a quick shake before sinking onto her green velvet sofa. “If I am to rehash ancient history, then I’ll need a fresh cup of tea.”
Charlotte sat down, folded her hands on her lap, and looked at her mother expectantly.
Lady Rose sighed. “General Warsham, as he is called today, and your papa were once dear friends who’d attended Oxford together, but a falling out long before you were born left them bitter enemies. The only thing that has kept the peace is that Warsham removed himself to India, where he and his family have stayed these past five-and-twenty years.”
“That explains why I’ve never heard his name mentioned before.”
“No, you would not have. We do not speak of the man. It’s forbidden. And today, you saw exactly why.”
“But what is this all about? What was General Warsham’s quarrel with Papa?”
Lady Rose sighed and threw up her hands. “What do men always quarrel about—money, women, or both.”
“Women?” Charlotte raised her eyebrows, but before Lady Rose could respond, Jane entered the parlor.
“You rang for me, m’lady.”
“Yes, Jane. We’d like a fresh pot of tea. Make it strong, please.”
“Yes, m’lady,” Jane said and exited the room. She couldn’t have left fast enough for Charlotte.
“It all happened before we were married.” Lady Rose turned back to Charlotte with a sigh. “Although I wasn’t entirely uninvolved.”
“You’re not making any sense.” Charlotte leaned closer to her mother as if that would help her better understand.
Lady Rose inhaled and looked her daughter in the eyes. “You are no longer a child Charlotte, so I suppose it permissible for me to tell you that your papa was betrothed to another woman before becoming engaged to me.”
Charlotte drew back. She couldn’t imagine her father in love with anyone other than her mama. Her parents weren’t one of those distant couples but rather quite affectionate with one another and had always been so happy together. On more than one occasion, Charlotte had walked into the drawing room to find them laughing together over a game of cards or reading to each other. Once, she caught them dancing while Papa hummed a tune! Of course, Papa loved his club, and Mama enjoyed tea and shopping in town with her friends, but they seemed happiest when they were in one another’s company.Papa betrothed to someone else. Impossible!
“Her name was Miss Georgiana Freemont, the daughter of a very wealthy baronet, just like you. And today, she is known as Mrs. Warsham.”
Charlotte gasped. “What happened? Did Papa discard this Miss Freemont for you? Did this General Warsham decide to defend her honor? Is that why they quarreled?” Charlotte spokewithout taking a breath, verbalizing the scenario as it played out in her mind.
“Not quite,” Lady Rose said. “It was Miss Freemont who did the discarding. She abandoned your papa when she eloped with Warsham.”
Charlotte’s heart sank. Papa carried a grudge against Mr. Warsham over another woman who wasn’t her mama. Why did he still care about a woman who’d left him when he had someone better?Everything she’d ever believed about true love and marriage was a direct result of her parents’ happy union. Her mama was the love of Papa’s life—she’d heard him say it many times.Was it all a lie?
“Don’t look so forlorn, my dear. It doesn’t diminish your father’s love for me.” Lady Rose said as though Charlotte’s thoughts were written on her face. “He didn’t choose Miss Freemont because he loved her. It was more of a business arrangement: two wealthy, titled families merging to make an even wealthier, more powerful, and influential family.”
