Page 27 of Lady Mariel’s Scandalous Love

Lady Chaston was exactly as Selina had said – an inoffensive woman with a singular focus on her dogs. But after fifteen minutes of her rambling on, Mariel was quite ready to risk more complex conversation. In the end, that conversation came to her, in the form of Lady Phyllida herself. The woman crossed the room to where Selina and Mariel stood with Lady Chaston, a patently false smile pasted onto her face.

“Lady Chaston, Your Grace, Lady Mariel – thank you so much for attending this evening. I hope that you are enjoying yourselves?”

Lady Chaston beamed cheerfully at her.

“Of course my dear. I am always happy when I hear of a love match. I’ll leave you to talk to these young things – I fear I need the necessary more often, now I’m older.”

The woman wandered off, leaving a silence in her wake. Lady Phyllida turned her false smile upon them, and spoke, her voice pure venom coated in sweetness.

“I hadn’t met Lord Longwood before this evening, but I gather that he is a close friend of the Duke’s? I always like to know something of our neighbours in the district, and he seems an intriguing gentleman – so well-travelled.”

Mariel allowed Selina to answer, being completely unsure of what she might say, without exposing the fact that she knew Dash rather more closely than would be expected.

“I don’t know a great deal about him, Lady Phyllida – he has only been back in England for a few months, if that. But Alex knew him in Italy, and they became friends there. From what I have seen, he is well educated, and rather studious.”

Mariel almost laughed at Selina's choice of words – for they were the truth, but simply left out the topic that Dash so obsessively studied.

“Oh? What does he study? Most men of the ton that I have met do not ever study after they leave Eton.”

So much for avoiding that little detail.

“I don’t actually know, really. He doesn’t talk about it much at all. All I know is that he collected related things whilst he was abroad.”

Mariel winced internally – Selina was skating on the edge of danger now. Lady Phyllida glared at them both, as if certain that they were not telling her everything – which, of course, was true.

“That seems quite strange. Most men can’t stop talking about the things they know most about. Unless, of course, there is something about what he studies, or what he collected abroad, which is so scandalous that it can’t be mentioned in polite company?”

Lady Phyllida’s eyes glittered, and Mariel’s heart sank. This required a diversion of sorts, and probably absolute denial of knowledge. She spoke into the silence, as Selina seemed a little stunned by Lady Phyllida’s words.

“Really, Lady Phyllida, you do have quite the imagination, don’t you? The poor man probably studies the design of Greek and Roman bathing rooms or something equally dull – not exactly suitable dinner table conversation, but not exactly scandalous either.”

Mariel almost held her breath, watching Lady Phyllida.

The woman stared at her, then her eyes narrowed, and her lips tightened.

“Imagination? I think not. Where something seems odd, it usually is. And I have the sense that both of you know far more about this than you are telling me. Shall we say that my past experience with you leads me to suspect you of duplicity? But then, I would not put it past you to be deeply entangled in anything scandalous. I will discover more – and if this is a polished surface over a seething hotbed of scandalous vice, I fully intend to reveal the truth – and all of those involved. I do hope that you enjoy the rest of the evening.”

With that, she spun, and walked off, leaving Mariel and Selina rather stunned. After a moment, Mariel turned to Selina.

“Was that… do you think that was a threat? Because it seemed so to me.”

“It seemed so to me as well. But… whatever gave her the idea that there was something to find? How did she know to ask? Who might have been talking?”

“I can’t imagine – unless… surely none of the staff, at either house?”

“We shall have to investigate.”

~~~~~

The following morning, as they walked in the gardens of Kirkwold Hall, Lady Phyllida turned to Lord Hockingmoor with a simpering smile.

“Might I ask you a question, my Lord?”

Hockingmoor beamed at her – for he truly cared for her, appreciating her desire for all things proper, and seeing that as a sign that she would make an excellent Countess.

“Yes, my dear Lady, of course you might.”

Lady Phyllida paused, carefully considering her words. They walked through the still winter bare garden slowly. She did not wish to cause discord with Lord Hockingmoor, but she needed to discover the truth about Lord Longwood.