We broke out into laughter. I looked at Clifton then and caught the way he was exchanging a particularly intense glance with Fairfax, and I could feel the hair begin to prickle at the back of my neck. It was customary for gentlemen to gather after a meal. Perhaps they needed to continue the conversation they’d had earlier.
“Will the two of you be staying in here for a little while? Your mother and I can go into the drawing room.”
Clifton shook his head. “No, of course not. We’ll join you there now.”
He took my arm, Fairfax moved to take my mother-in-law’s, and we wandered down the hall to the drawing room. I kept glancing at Clifton along the way. Something was the matter. I was certain of it. I would have to ask him when we returned to our room.
In the end, he was the one who broached it. When we entered the drawing room, he took a seat next to me on the settee. His mother sat on my other side, while Fairfax settled into one of the armchairs.
Clifton looked at Fairfax again, then at me. “Fairfax brought me important news today,” he said. “News that concerns the two of you.”
Lady Clifton frowned. “That concerns me?”
I placed a hand on Clifton’s arm. “Something is the matter. You seem worried.”
He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment then turned to Fairfax. “Can you tell them?”
With a nod, Fairfax turned to Clifton’s mother. “Do you know the reason for your son’s elopement?”
She shook her head. “I assumed Clifton was courting Diana.” She looked at me. “Is that not correct?”
“No,” I said. “My guardians had…” I sighed, not wanting to go into everything that had happened. “Let’s just say that my aunt went out of her way to ensure I wouldn’t have any suitors. They never would have allowed Clifton to call on me.”
“Of course they wouldn’t,” Fairfax said. He was looking at me now. “Did Clifton tell you that he feared for your safety?”
I smiled. “Yes, he did. But he was being melodramatic, and I’m afraid I took advantage of his concern and allowed him to whisk me away. But I did tell him that I was going to have access to my fortune when I reached my majority. Two more years wasn’t too long to wait.”
Clifton squeezed my hand. “The Tuttlefords never would have allowed you to marry. At the very least, they would have locked you away forever.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. What did he mean by at the very least?
“We did find something of particular interest,” Fairfax said. “We discovered that the Tuttlefords hadn’t been named as Diana’s guardians.”
I gasped. “What? But my aunt?—”
Fairfax shook his head. “Your aunt and uncle lied to you. They were entrusted as your relatives by the solicitor to take you to your true guardian.” He looked at Lady Clifton. “You, my lady. Lady Atherton had named you as Diana’s guardian. You should have been the one seeing to her care.”
Lady Clifton’s hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes were wide as she looked at me, and for a moment, I was afraid she was going to cry. “I assumed… I sent letters, and you never replied. I thought that perhaps you were distraught and hearing from me was bringing up too many painful memories of your mother. I should have forced my way in. I should have tried to speak to the solicitor.”
“No,” I said, drawing her into a hug.
She buried her face in my shoulder and squeezed me tightly before pulling back. “Please tell me they weren’t too horrible to you.”
I couldn’t do that. “It’s not so bad,” I said. “Everything is fine now. I am married to Clifton, and we are content, are we not?” I hated the way my voice sounded so uncertain.
“Yes, Diana. I am happier than I could have imagined. I would have preferred that you never had to spend a night under their care, but I have no regrets about marrying you.”
His words were a soothing balm for my soul. For now, he had no misgivings about marrying me. I would spend the rest of my life ensuring he never did.
“So everything is fine now,” I said, vowing to think only of the positive outcome and not of everything that had been stolen from me over the last two years.
“There’s more,” Fairfax said.
There was something in his face that seemed uncharacteristically serious. Alarm filled me when I realized he was angry.
Clifton stood then and pulled me to my feet. “I will tell her upstairs in private. You can fill my mother in when we leave.”
Fairfax looked between the two of us before finally nodding. “You are correct, of course. I’m sure that would be best.”
