Shaking her head, Phoebe glanced at Grace. “Tell him to go home.”
Royston bowed and left only to return a few minutes later. “Lord Worthington says he’ll do himself the honor of calling on her ladyship in the morning.”
At least Grace wouldn’t have to deal with him tonight. To-morrow, she would tell him.
Phoebe stayed until Grace finished her milk and tucked her into bed. “Phoebe, thank you.”
“You’ll feel more the thing in the morning.” Her friend kissed Grace’s forehead, then left the room.
Grace slept fitfully between bouts of tears. She’d never thought of herself as a watering pot, but she was doing a fine job of acting like one. She tried and failed to find the words she must say to Worthington.
When she woke, the sun streamed through her windows. What time was it? She never slept much past dawn. That was the reason she had her curtains left open. She rose onto her elbows, then flopped back.Worthington. Merely thinking about him made her body hum. What was she going to say to him?
Hushed voices crept past her bedchamber.The children are here?She could not have slept through the day. Grace reached over and tugged the bell-pull.
The next moment, Mary opened the door. “Are you all right? Bolton said we must be quiet, a’cause you weren’t feeling well.”
Grace held out her arm and Mary crawled in bed. One of the seven reasons Grace could not wed. Her sister hugged her and gave her a wet kiss. Worthington would just have to understand. Mary nestled next to Grace. She stroked her sister’s hair, allowing the homely motion to soothe her. “When did you arrive?”
“Last night. We stopped for dinner, and Mr. Winters said he’d be blessed if he’d keep the whole pack of us in an inn overnight.”
Repressing a chuckle, her lips tilted up. “Oh dear. Who was involved?”
“Alice, Eleanor, and Walter. They just wanted to take Daisy for a walk. Then there was a cat that Daisy wanted to see, and some horses attached to a carriage.”
Grace struggled not to laugh. The dog could never understand why cats didn’t immediately like her. “I understand. Was there much damage?”
“I don’t know. There was a lot of shouting.” Mary concentrated on retying a bow that had come loose on her gown. “I couldn’t see very much. Mr. Winters and Miss Tallerton made us get back into the coaches right away, and we left. I didn’t even have time to finish my milk.”
“I see. I shall have to commend them for their quick thinking.” Grace sat up. “Time for you to leave. I must wash and break my fast.”
Mary scrambled off the bed as Bolton came in the room. The maid waited until the door shut and grinned. “I ought not to laugh, but such a story Mr. Winters and Miss Tallerton had to tell last night. Luckily, the horses had been changed and were ready to go when Miss Tallerton gave the order. No real damage. Just an angry young man who took off running after them. John Coachman said the man’s horses were scared but not hurt.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I would not care to shirk my duties if his horses had been injured.”
“No, my lady. They arrived here not long after you’d gone to bed. I didn’t want to wake you.”
Smiling, Grace rose from the bed. “I’m happy they are here. It is one less thing to worry about.”
Jane poked her head in the room. “How are you feeling this morning? I heard you were taken ill?”
“Not ill, precisely.” Grace donned her robe, then padded over to the wash-basin. “I’m looking forward to hearing about what happened last night from an adult perspective.”
A broad smile appeared on Jane’s face. “It was quite an interesting story.”
Due to the children having broken their fast earlier, Grace took breakfast in her study. There, at least, she could stay busy and try not to think about Worthington. She nibbled her toast and sipped tea while she reviewed the household accounts that had been brought on the baggage coach last night.
An hour later, Grace sat back in her chair and sighed. This wasn’t working. She couldn’t concentrate on anything. He was going to come here to-day. She briefly considered denying herself, but he deserved to know the truth. Promising herself that she’d remain calm, she glanced back down at the column of figures and resisted the growing urge to throw something.
For the thousandth time, she wished her parents hadn’t died. Though this time it was for a completely selfish reason. She wanted to marry Worthington, and she could not.
Royston knocked on the door and poked his head in.
“Yes, Royston, what is it?”
“My lady, Lord Worthington presents his compliments and asks that you speak with him in private.”
There’s no avoiding it. Grace bit her lip. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. After she’d told him about her responsibilities, he would be happy she must refuse him. “Very well, I shall be right there.”
