“Glad to hear it.”
“I would linger to speak with you, but I’m afraid I am still occasionally prone to dizzy spells. Lord Waring and I are merely out here walking to get some fresh air, but I must return to my home very soon.”
“Of course, Your Grace. I hope I shall see you at the Wakefield ball next week?”
“I have not yet attended to my social calendar, but should I be available, I shall be there.”
“I look forward to it. Good afternoon, Your Grace.”
When she was gone, Hugh asked, “Who was that woman?”
“I am not entirely certain. One of the Sackville daughters, perhaps? I see your manners have not deserted you, however.”
“She is a prospective wife, I suppose.”
“You have a few of them.”
As Hugh realized that several similar women were headed his way, he said, “I believe we shall take our leave before this gets out of hand.”
“An excellent suggestion.”
*
Adele hadn’t liedwhen she’d conveyed to Wilton that he should tell Hugh that she was attending to the countess.
The Countess of Sweeney had woken up feverish. She seemed disinterested in eating, but Adele fed her some broth and a little bit of bread. That seemed to help the countess regain some of her energy.
Still, Adele could have stolen five minutes to say good-bye to Hugh. She just couldn’t bring herself to face him. And it wasn’t that she felt any shame or regret—she didn’t—but the very idea of saying good-bye to him broke her heart.
The house was small enough that she heard the Earl of Waring arrive. She heard Hugh ask after her. And since all of Hugh’s possessions fit inside an old trunk, she heard them leave in short order. Then Wilton came upstairs to convey that about five minutes after they left.
“I am sorry, my lady,” said Wilton.
“For what?”
“You seem sad. I know you had grown quite fond of our guest.”
“Yes, well. We knew it would be short-lived. And I am happy that he may soon recover his memories.”
When the countess fell asleep a short while later, Adele planned to return to her room so that she could contemplate resuming her normal life as it had been before Hugh hadarrived. The prospect saddened her. She hadn’t realized how gray and dull things had become, how much of her daily life was drudgery, until Hugh had fallen at her feet and turned everything upside down. She didn’t relish in righting everything.
However, as she left the countess’s rooms, Wilton appeared and said, “The Earl of Canbury would like to see you in the gold salon.”
Adele was tired, but she went to the gold salon and found her father sitting there.
“Hello, Papa. I heard Parliament was in town.”
“It is, yes. Very important business.” He stood and looked her over. “Oh, my girl, you seem tired. Are you well?”
“I did not sleep well last night and the countess has needed a lot of my attention today, so I am a bit tired, but I am all right.”
He crossed the room and folded her into a tight hug. Then he stood back and grasped her shoulders. “Good. I wanted to let you know I am renting rooms at an inn on Haymarket Street and thought to give you the address so that you might call on me there should you have time.”
She stepped away and motioned for her father to sit. “Yes, I would like that. Why did you not write me to say you would be in town?”
“Time got away from me, I’m afraid. I gave a very important speech in front of Lords a few days ago. The Prince Regent is working with a small coalition of us to develop a new urban plan for London so that the streets are more direct and not the winding cow paths we all know now.”
“That sounds promising.”
