“No.” Patience resisted glancing in the mirror once more at the yellow lustring carriage gown trimmed with green ribbon. “I shall go as I am.”
She added a pair of jade earrings, after which her maid set her bonnet on her head, tilting it slightly before tying the large silk ribbon rakishly under her left ear. Stopping herself from running her slightly damp palms down her skirts, she looked in the mirror. She was not as young as she had been, but her complexion was still good. She took a large breath and blew it out.
This was ridiculous. Why taking a drive with Richard Wolverton should make her so nervous she did not understand. She should still be furious with him for not returning all those years ago. Yet, even though she tried to hold on to the anger, she could not. He had been too much a part of her earlier life.
A shout came from below her window. Thank heaven the younger children were playing in the garden. She would not be forced to introduce Richard to any of them. In fact, she might be able to slip out of the house with no one knowing where she had gone.
After quickly donning her gloves, she picked up her parasol. “I am ready.”
“Have a good time, my lady.”
“Thank you, I shall.” If she could justify meeting him at the curb or down the street, she would have done so.
She was halfway down the main staircase when the front door opened. At the same time, Daisy, the one-year-old Great Dane, dashed through the house followed by the youngest girls, her daughter Theo, and Grace’s sister, Mary. Patience covered her eyes, waiting for the disaster that was sure to happen.
“Close the door, fast,” Theo shouted.
The door slammed shut, shaking the frame.
“Done.” Richard’s jovial voice rang out.
Separating her fingers Pae peeped through them. One of the footmen was hanging on to Daisy’s collar, and Theo and Mary had stopped running and were gazing up at Richard.
“Who are you?” Theo asked.
Patience wanted to sink into the carpet, or go hide somewhere. Now the whole house would know a gentleman had come to take her out. And there would be questions. Questions to which she did not even know the answers.
Straightening her shoulders, she finished descending the stairs. “Lady Theo, Lady Mary, may I introduce Lord Wolverton?” Wide-eyed, the girls nodded silently. “My lord, my daughter Lady Theo and Lady Worthington’s sister, Lady Mary.”
The girls gave credible curtsies. Amazing really at eight and five.
“Butwhois he?” Theo persisted.
“His lordship is an old family friend who has come to take me for a carriage drive.” Patience pasted a smile on her face. “Is that not nice of him?”
Mary glanced through one of the windows flanking the door. “You have very pretty horses. I am to have a pony when we go to Worthington.”
“Yes, indeed.” Patience grabbed on to the innocent statement. “And you know we cannot keep horses waiting.”
“That is what Matt always says.” Mary nodded sagely.
Making sure Daisy was still under control, Patience strolled to the door. “I shall see you later.”
But fate was not with her. At that moment, Louisa and Charlotte entered through the front door.
They glanced around, and Louisa asked, “Did Daisy try to escape again?”
That was all it took for Theo to launch into the complete story of how Matt took Duke, their three-year-old Great Dane, to Worthington House across the square. “He should leave him here. Daisy misses him.”
“She definitely behaves better when Duke is around.” Charlotte stroked the dog. “I’ll take her back for you.”
Daisy’s tail began to wag. Patience reached out to Richard, who was standing in front of the door watching the scene as if he had suddenly entered Bedlam, took hold of his arm, and pulled, moving him just before he would have been assaulted by the door as it opened.
Matt, accompanied by Duke, his Great Dane, at his side, entered the hall. “What have we here?”
Theo once again began to explain. Mary joined in, Daisy started to bark, and soon the noise echoed through the marble hall, bouncing off the walls, practically deafening her.
“We must go, now,” Patience whispered in Richard’s ear.
