‘You really do not look quite the thing, ma’am,’ he remarked solicitously, secretly rather worried that she might collapse in a heap at his feet. ‘Let me get you a glass of lemonade, a chair, your aunt?’
‘Aunt.’ Elizabeth blinked at him, and took another breath. ‘Yes, please take me to my aunt, my lord. I have suddenly the most blinding of headaches.’
‘Yes, yes, of course.’
He almost dragged her through the throng, looking about him in some panic until he espied Lady Chalford, whom he approached without any thought of his own concerns.
‘My apologies, ma’am, for interrupting you’ – he bowed to Lady Chalford and the lady with whom she was chatting – ‘but Miss Ashling is unwell, and requested that I bring her straight to you.’
Lady Chalford looked surprised, but one glance at Elizabeth’s pale cheeks and blank expression wiped any thought of asking what had happened from her mind.
280‘My poor dear, you do look wan. Thank you, my lord, I will take her home immediately.’ She paused. ‘Oh dear, Amelia! What should I …?’
‘Perhaps, ma’am, Lady Micheldever might take her “under her wing”, so to speak, and later return her home.’
‘Yes, yes, an excellent idea.’
‘Would you care for me to find her for you, and then Miss Ashling may remain in your care?’
‘Yes, that would be best.’ Lady Chalford, flustered, defaulted to the mode in which a gentleman might take control simply by asserting a little authority.
Lord Carbrooke bowed and went about his quest, not a little relieved to have put the responsibility of a very sickly-looking lady upon other shoulders. He returned in but a few minutes, followed by Lady Micheldever, to whom Elizabeth’s sudden indisposition was explained, and who immediately volunteered to bring Amelia home at the end of the party.
This all meant very little to Elizabeth, who had passed through feeling faint to a state of otherworldly numbness, and with a flame of anger catching the tinder of betrayal. By the time she was handed into the carriage, Lady Chalford was glad to see the pallor had gone, though it was now replaced by a rather dangerous look. Elizabeth sat bolt upright, her hands clasped together tightly. Lady Chalford made soothing noises, which her niece appeared to ignore. Once arrived in Mount Street, Elizabeth stalked into the house in the manner of some potentate of the distant Orient about to order myriad executions, or so it seemed to her aunt. In fact, the only slow and unpleasant fate she was281imagining was that of Sir Lucius Radstock, whose deceitful heart she could cheerfully, at that moment, have torn slowly from his traitorous body with her kid-gloved hands. Lady Chalford followed her niece up the stairs, but not quickly enough to reach that damsel’s chamber door before it slammed. There came the sound of a cry of frustration, and glass shattering.
‘Oh dear,’ murmured Lady Chalford to herself. She waited for a minute, then knocked, a little timidly, lest she be met by some missile. There was no answer at all. She opened the door cautiously, and peered round. Elizabeth stood in the centre of the room, bosom heaving, and a small cloud of pink dust on and at the base of the far wall, where also lay the shards of a powder bowl.
‘Elizabeth, my dear, try to be calm.’
‘Calm? After this?’
‘After what?’ Lady Chalford enquired, mystified.
In answer, Elizabeth ground her teeth but tried to master the desire to shout, even at her aunt. Her voice, when she spoke, was very low and trembled, but was hardly more than a whisper.
‘I am a fool. I knew, oh I knew from the start, but still I let that deceitful toad worm his way into my affections, into my heart even. He seemed so different at last, and he is not as bad … He is worse, for the others deserted me through weakness. He has betrayed me intentionally, played me as a fisherman does a trout.’
‘I am still at a loss, Elizabeth.’
‘Lucius Radstock, Sir Lucius Radstock, Aunt, was the man who gave me the name “the Unassailable”. Ah, perhaps282you did not know of this. Well, nor did I until rumour finally reached me, about a week ago. It is rife among the gentlemen’s clubs, however, and accounts for the number of highly unwelcome suitors who have pursued me, even to the point where …’ She halted, recalling Sir Lucius’s knocking down of Lord Easby. He had seemed so noble, but it was his fault that Easby had ever shown her any attention; it was his fault she had been insulted, hounded, hunted. ‘He is to blame for everything. And then, just to add insult to the injury, what must he do but buy Mist for me to ride.’
‘Lady Godmanchester’s horse?’
‘Yes, except it never was her horse. I thought her far too fiery for Helen. He even had my best friend deceive me too. No doubt he made up some romantic tale to persuade her. How he must have laughed at me.’
‘But that must, whilst being very naughty, be seen as a sign of the deep affection in which …’ Lady Chalford tried to find something positive, and failed.
‘Affection? No. He just wanted to lull me into being happy so that he could make an offer without fear of refusal.’
‘But if you did not know he bought the horse, how could this have influenced you, dear?’
Elizabeth paused. There was a breakdown in her logic, but she was too incensed to worry about it unduly.
‘Elizabeth, how is this important if he wants to make you an offer and you have tender feelings for him?’
‘Because … Because he is dishonest and will hurt me, and … I hate him, hate him, hate him.’
283Elizabeth burst into tears and flung herself upon her bed. Her aunt was very confused. She would have sworn – both from what had happened over recent days, and even tonight – that Elizabeth was very taken with Sir Lucius, so how his wanting to offer for her was so bad a thing, she had no idea. The name was reprehensible, but must have stemmed from the time before he was attracted to her, and the horse was in many ways a sweet and romantic gesture, especially since his part was concealed. Yet Elizabeth clearly felt positively murderous. Lady Chalford patted her shoulder, sighed, pulled the bell for Ditcham and withdrew to the landing, where she intercepted that reliable tirewoman and explained that her mistress was somewhat overwrought. The maid looked the aunt straight in the eye, with the understanding of one woman to another, and nodded grimly. Nothing more was said. She curtseyed and went into the bedchamber, raising an eyebrow at the pink damage to the wall.
