Lady Lutton winced. “The play? I’ve never read it or seen it performed, but I’ve heard it’s shockingly violent.”
It was far too complicated to explain why she had named her dog Lavinia. Of course, paramount was that there were noessesin the name and it shortened easily to La. And, yes,Tituswas a play full of gory and brutal acts and one of those was the rape and mutilation of Lavinia. But two years ago, Caroline had found it was the only Shakespeare play she had not yet read. She had been in the middle of reading it when one of her father’s bitches had birthed a litter and she had worked up the courage to ask for a puppy of her own. And she had thought of Lavinia, the woman with no tongue and no hands, who still found a way to communicate by writing in the dirt with a stick in her mouth. Of course, if she had finished reading the play before naming her dog, if she had gotten to the part where Lavinia’s father kills her because she had been raped, Caroline might have chosen differently.
But by then, her puppy knew her name. And Lavinia was a pretty name.
“But Lavinia is such a pretty name.”
Lady Lutton had said exactly what Caroline had been thinking at that moment.
Caroline nodded.
“My given name is Amanda. Would you call me Amanda? And could I call you Caroline?”
“I’d l-l-like that. Amanda.” She might really be a friend for Caroline. Not a singleessin her name.
“I am so grateful you wanted to go to the exhibition. I haven’t been to a painting exhibition in years.”
“I enjoyed it before.”
“I heard from your brother that you looked at the paintings near the front. Shall we start in the back and work our way to the front, going against the stream of everyone else?”
“Can we d-do that?”
“Yes, we can.” Lady Lutton laughed again, her little laugh. “Isn’t that what all really remarkable women do?”
When they got to the exhibition and bought their tickets, Lady Lutton tucked her arm under Caroline’s and took her all the way to the back of the gallery. And it was even better than when she had come with Edmund. She felt Lady Lutton was looking at the pictures with her, not just standing by patiently.
After viewing a dozen paintings in the first hour, Caroline suddenly felt a change in the gallery. She couldn’t put her finger on the reason, but she knew Phineas was nearby. She didn’t smell him. She didn’t hear him. She just knew he was there.
She turned her head, and he was holding his hat in one hand and moving in the same direction as the rest of the patrons. He was looking at the landscape two pictures ahead of Caroline and Lady Lutton. They would cross paths at the next painting.
He turned and saw her.
“How splendid. I thought I might have missed you.” He stepped over to them and bowed. “Ladies.”
She and Lady Lutton curtsied, and Caroline managed to get “My lord” out.
“Lord Burchester,” Lady Lutton said.
Caroline rose out her curtsy and stared at her chaperone, aghast. Lady Lutton was acquainted with Phineas.
Her dismay must have been apparent because Lady Lutton spoke quickly. “Lady Caroline, I see you did not know Lord Burchester was the one who recommended me to your brother.”
“Yes,” Phineas said, grinning. “I thought you should see more of London and Lady Lutton would let you do that. And then how fortunate it was to find you here.”
Fortunate? Not bloody likely. Lady Lutton must have told Phineas they would be here. And likewise, she would have told him about Caroline’s lisp and stutter.
She felt the rise of vomit in her gullet.
“Shall we look at this picture together, Lady Caroline?” Phineas said, turning his hat in his hands, still grinning.
But Lady Lutton understood the look on Caroline’s face. “I think Lady Caroline is ready to leave, Lord Burchester.”
Caroline nodded and walked toward the front of the gallery as fast as she could, Lady Lutton and Phineas following behind.
“Wait, Caro—Lady Caroline, let me go find your carriage for you.” Phineas sounded anxious as they came out of the gallery and onto the pavement.
But Caroline could not wait for a carriage. The town house was only a mile away. She would walk. She set off in what she thought was the right direction, Lady Lutton at her heels. Phineas had disappeared somewhere, probably looking for the carriage.
