“Anne has left Clifford. She is going to file for a formal separation,” said Lady Adelaide.
Caroline offered the letter to her brother-in-law. Hugh set his packages on the table and took the paper. He scanned it, then to her surprise, he swore.
In all the years she had known Lord Hugh Radley, Caroline had never once heard him curse. As Bishop of London, he was held to a higher standard of behavior than anyone she knew. For Hugh to be so rattled, the news of the Kembal marriage implosion must pose an even greater threat to the family than she had first imagined.
“I thought we had already had our fair share of scandals and near scandals this year. But apparently, our dear sister Anne decided to keep the best for last,” he said.
Hugh’s own son had eloped with the woman his best friend was due to marry, stealing the bride away on the wedding day. The spiteful talk around town regarding James and Leah Radley’s unconventional courtship wasn’t going to die down anytime soon. But if a bigger scandal erupted, the gossips would have something else to talk about.
I just wish it wasn’t coming from our family. Again.
While Mary and Clare greeted Adelaide and Charles with hugs, Hugh took Caroline and Ewan aside.
“This is beyond a disaster, and I don’t just mean because of the rumormongers in London. A formal separation is as good as a divorce. The Church of England has strong views on the subject. Divorce does not happen. Till death us do part. It’s in the wedding vows for good reason.”
“Parliament won’t give our sister a divorce, knowing Clifford as well as I do, I can guarantee he has done nothing wrong,” replied Ewan.
And while a legal divorce was a near impossibility for a woman to attain, the damage to her family’s social standing and reputation from a formal separation was bad enough for few to consider such a move.
Oh, please, Anne, wherever you are, don’t do this, think of your children.
As the men continued discussing the legalities of the situation, Caroline moved away. She spoke in turn to Mary, Lady Alison, and Adelaide. They were the three most senior women of the Radley family—the ones who would be tasked with mitigating the damage that would no doubt come when the separation of the Duke and Duchess of Mowbray became publicly known.
She led Mary, Adelaide, and Lady Alison, along with Millie and Lucy, into the dowager duchess’s ground-floor sitting room and closed the door. They had battle plans to formulate. There had to be a way for them to deal with the vicious rumors that would no doubt shortly surface in London.
These things never stayed private for long.
ChapterTwelve
The six women gathered in the room. Lady Alison took a seat in her comfortable armchair by the fireplace. Millie and Lucy sat side by side on the Strathmore-tartan-patterned sofa. Mary and Adelaide both settled on nearby stools. Caroline stood.
When Adelaide raised an eyebrow in her direction, Caroline placed a hand in the small of her back and winced. “I’ve just spent two hours in the cart coming down the bumpy road on the side of Strathmore Mountain. My hips and lower muscles are stiff and sore. If I sit down, I may not get back up.”
She was relieved when everyone else simply nodded at her words. The last thing Caroline wanted was to have to explain to any of them that she was tender in more than just her back and hips.
Ewan hadn’t let her sleep until the early hours. He had exploited their time alone to its fullest extent. Her last memory before finally collapsing into bed from near exhaustion was of laying on the bear rug in front of the fire while her husband made love to her for the fourth time. He had been insatiable. Magnificent. And she had loved every minute of it. Today, she had bruises and marks all over her body.
But the happiness she had felt this morning as Ewan stroked her to completion was already gone. In its place was the fear of what this news would do to their family.
What are we going to do about the Kembals?
She pushed off from the wall and straightened her spine. It was time to set aside her own concerns and think of others. “Ladies, we need to come up with a plan. You will notice that I have included Millie and Lucy in this discussion. They might be the young, recently married women of the family, but they are of an age and experience where they should be given an understanding of the repercussions of this development.”
“I was in two minds as to whether I should include Clare in this discussion, but her father wanted to keep her out of this for the moment,” replied Mary.
The mention of the unwed Clare Radley sent Caroline’s thoughts to her own daughter, Emma. She was still a few years from being of marriageable age, but if this scandal over Anne and Clifford blew up, it could well impact her chances of a suitable match in the future.
“We must protect the innocent parties. And I mean especially the girls. Coco and Victoria are both old enough to be considering as potential brides. Emma will be someday. And of course, Clare is well and truly on the market,” said Lady Alison.
Mary sighed. It was an open secret among the Radley females that Clare was digging her heels in when it came to choosing her life partner. In time, she would hopefully come to see the matter as something to be taken more seriously. And when that did happen, she didn’t need the burden of a major family scandal coloring the view of any prospective mothers-in-law.
“Since our coach has not yet been unpacked. Charles and I would be prepared to go back to London. With fresh horses we could leave now, overnight in Edinburgh, and then push on southward tomorrow,” said Adelaide.
“Can’t you at least stay for Christmas?” Mary asked.
Adelaide turned to her sister-in-law. “I don’t think I will be able to sleep a wink until I can see Coco and Victoria. The boys too. Gideon, Richard, and Matthew might all be adults, but if their parents’ marriage is falling apart, they need us as their family to step in and offer support.”
Mary nodded. “Well then, if you are set on leaving today, I shall speak to Hugh about us heading back to town just after Hogmanay. I know how important it is to him that he gives the first blessing of the new year to the people of Strathmore castle and village.”
