Was she in pain?
Once they were all situated, Eugenie reached for the teapot and poured four cups of tea. She extended one to Lady Elsbeth.
“Thank you,” Lady Elsbeth murmured.
They all sat in silence, sipping their tea, until Aunt Margaret cleared her throat. “Now, what has you so troubled?”
Lady Elsbeth exhaled softly. “My cousin, Charles, the Earl of Bedford, came to visit.”
“Oh, how delightful!” Aunt Margaret exclaimed.
“No, not delightful,” Elsbeth countered. “He has a ridiculous notion that we should marry so he can use my dowry to save his estate.”
Aunt Margaret blinked in surprise. “But he is your cousin.”
“As Charles reminds me, he is my second cousin, once removed,” Lady Elsbeth corrected with evident disdain.
Eugenie moved to the edge of her seat. “What did you say?”
“I told him no, but he thinks I will change my mind,” Lady Elsbeth replied. “Which I won’t. My mother even invited him to stay at our manor.”
Niles set his teacup down, hiding the sudden discomfort that rose within him. The thought of Lady Elsbeth marrying anyone—much less her cousin—left an inexplicable weight on his chest.
Lady Elsbeth continued. “What is worse is that my mother isn’t opposed to the idea,” she shared. “She thinks it might be my only chance to receive an offer of marriage.”
“That is awful,” Eugenie muttered. “You can’t marry your cousin.”
“I know,” Lady Elsbeth said.
Aunt Margaret turned to Niles, her sharp gaze landing on him. “What do you say about this, Niles?”
He gave her a blank look. “Why should my opinion matter?” he asked. “This is Lady Elsbeth’s decision, and hers alone.”
Rather than expressing gratitude, Elsbeth shot him a glare, her words dripping with sarcasm. “How generous of you, my lord.”
Niles frowned, utterly perplexed by her reaction. What hadhe done now? He thought they were past this disdain for one another.
Eugenie reached for the teapot and refilled Lady Elsbeth’s teacup. “More tea? Tea makes everything better.”
“Tea won’t help this,” Lady Elsbeth said.
Aunt Margaret leaned forward, reaching out to lightly touch Lady Elsbeth’s left sleeve. In response, Lady Elsbeth flinched and let out an audible gasp.
Aunt Margaret withdrew her hand. “Is something the matter?”
Lady Elsbeth quickly straightened in her seat. “It is nothing. I fell off my horse yesterday. My left arm is just a bit tender.”
“Oh, my poor girl!” Aunt Margaret exclaimed. “That must have been dreadful. Is that why you are wearing that hideous dress?”
Lady Elsbeth smoothed her hands over the frills. “Yes. Unfortunately, it is the only gown I own with sleeves full enough to hide the bandage.”
At the wordbandage, Niles’s attention sharpened. He set his teacup down with deliberate care. “A bandage? For a bruise?” he asked.
Lady Elsbeth turned her gaze towards him, her eyes flashing with barely concealed annoyance. “Not that it is any of your business, my lord, but when I fell, I landed on a jagged rock, causing a scrape.”
Niles frowned. Something about her explanation didn’t sit right with him. A rock? A scrape? It seemed far too mild for the visible pain she’d displayed when Aunt Margaret had barely touched her arm. He leaned back in his chair, observing her carefully. “Where, exactly, did you fall?”
Before Lady Elsbeth could answer, Aunt Margaret turned a scolding look on him. “Niles, really. Why are you interrogating the poor girl like she’s a prisoner at the Tower of London?”
