Diantha suppressed a wince at the sight of the inflamed knuckles and nearly immobilized fingers. Having seen how her grandmother suffered from rheumatism in winter’s cold and damp, Dianthacould not imagine the pain this woman endured on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, his mother gave her a warm smile and bade her take the second chair. Summoning her maid, she ordered the curtains opened slightly to admit more light. “Much better. Now I can see both of you.”
As they conversed, Diantha discovered that her mother-in-law showed no trace of Iona’s hauteur. Relieved, she readily answered the questions put to her about her family, New York, and their wedding trip.
At one point, Lady Rossburn lay back against the pillows and sighed. “The thing I hate most about my wretched condition, after the pain, is being confined to these rooms.” Seeing her son’s stricken expression, she smiled. “I could not ask for better treatment, my love. But even the most comfortable cage is still a cage.”
Eventually she showed signs of tiredness. They rose to their feet and Kieran bent forward to kiss her cheek.
She gestured to Diantha. “You as well, my dear. I am delighted that my laddie married such a charming young lady.”
Taken aback, she sought for an answer to that comment. “You’re very kind, I’m sure.”
“Now that my son is back, I want to see both of you as often as possible.” Lady Rossburn rubbed her elbow absently. Diantha guessed that joint pained her as well. “Together or apart.”
She smiled down at the invalid. “I should like to visit you as often as you wish, your ladyship.”
Her husband spoke at the same time. “I’m backnow, and shall come and see you every day if you like.”
Looking from one to the other, she nodded. “I shall welcome your company.” Her breath caught as she finished speaking, and Kieran instantly summoned her maid.
Leaving her to the ministrations of her servant, they stepped back out into the hallway. He paused, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.
Diantha looked at him in concern. When he opened his eyes again, they glittered with unshed tears. Instinctively she moved to embrace him, but he stepped away. She dropped her arms, hurt rising in her own throat.
He swallowed. “She wasn’t always like that. When I was a boy she loved to ride and dance. She and my father would visit tenants together, and host house parties every fall.” He shrugged. “Then she started complaining of aches here and there. It only got worse.”
“She’s very brave.” Diantha did not know what else to say.
He nodded, a smile of infinite sadness flitting across his face. “I wish to God she didn’t have to be. You will go see her, as she asked?”
“Indeed I will!” Afraid he would reject her again, she curled her fingers into fists to resist touching him. “I liked her very much.”
Before he could say anything, the housekeeper sailed into the hall, albeit with thinned lips and snapping eyes. “I am Mrs. Menzies. Her ladyship will allow me to show Lady Rossburn the house.”
Ignoring her, Kieran lifted one of Diantha’s hands to his lips. “Thank you.”
* **
The next weeks settled into a regular pattern as she adjusted to her new home. She woke up alone each morning, whether Kieran had visited her bed the night before or not.
Breakfasts usually involved veiled sparring with Aunt Iona, although she slowly gained ground within the household. The butler, Jarrard, most of the footmen, and the lower housemaids gave her little difficulty when she issued orders.
Mrs. Menzies, however, invariably replied with, “I would like to consult Lady William.” The upper maids, as resistant as she to any change, followed her lead.
MacAdam, exercising the tyranny accorded a skilled chef, simply informed Kieran’s aunt that he would consult with young Lady Rossburn about the menus. Even Iona did not dare risk losing him.
She fell into the habit of taking tea with her mother-in-law on the days when the older woman enjoyed sufficient health to see visitors. Even when pain prevented the old woman from rising from her bed, Diantha would stop and sit by her.
Her maid, Poole, welcomed these visits. “You do cheer her up, my lady. The dowager baroness calls you a ray of sunshine.” She set a tea service down so that Diantha could pour.
She turned to her mother-in-law, aghast. “You do not refer to me by such a namby-pamby term, ma’am!”
Quiet chuckles shook the fragile frame. “I could promise not to do so in the future!” Kieran’s impishsmile broke out across her face at Diantha’s disgust, and the two women burst out laughing.
A quick knock came on the door, followed by her husband’s voice. “What mischief are you two up to now?” Poole opened the door at once.
His teasing glance took in his mother and the teacup that Diantha helped her to hold. “Allow me.”
