“I could not think who else it might have been.”
“No, no it was nothing like that.”
“Case moths. You sent case moths to his house. Or you changed his grocery order and enraged his wine merchant.”
Mrs. Right shook her head.
“Did you convince his valet he was to be let go? Or design an insulting print about him?”
“Not any of those things. You see, Winsome, I had become very afraid that you were not willing to give up Lord Manderbey, despite him being a terrible rogue. I could not help but imagine the disastrous future you would have and how much you would regret it. I had Mr. Wicket follow him and he was seen taking an expensive piece of jewelry into Rundell & Bridge and leaving it there. You see? He sold it.”
“Gracious, can things be that bad? It must have been one of the dowager’s pieces.” Winsome tapped her chin. “I wonder how much the dowager knows about Lord Manderbey’s unfortunate gambling problem.”
“That I cannot say. Naturally, I was determined to save you from going forward with the idea of trying to change him. If he is willing to sell jewelry, well the problem must be very serious. I was all but forced to take steps.”
Winsome looked at her enquiringly. Mrs. Right took the newspaper from her hands and flipped through its pages.
“I might have planted a story on the gossip page that Lord Manderbey was to wed Lady Edith. Ah yes, here it is.”
“Oh, Mrs. Right,” Winsome said, reading the paragraph the housekeeper had pointed out.
“I know, I know, it was a mistake. Even if Lord Manderbey is arogue, I should not have done it.”
“Or involved Lady Edith. I believe Lord Landry is very set on her and he is not, well he is not a very sturdy character.”
“Yes, I did think of that, but then he is unconscious at the moment so will not know of it.”
“And Lady Edith? Lord Manderbey?”
“Now I did think about that too. If you are really set on Lord Manderbey then I suppose I cannot stop you. If that is the case, I thought perhaps we kill two birds with one stone. We could put another piece in refuting the news of the engagement to Lady Edith, and we could hint that the report of it comes from the same person who was just now sending round the false gossip of Lord Landry compromising a lady at Sir Jonathan’s scavenger hunt.”
“I see,” Winsome said. “So it would seem as if there is a villain out there making all sorts of mischief.”
“Well it’s not wrong, is it? Somebody has sent round that story about you and Lord Landry.”
“I am afraid it must have come from the dowager, though. She is the only one that saw us.”
“I am doubtful about that. She’s a duchess and those sorts like to keep things quiet when one of their own is involved. The dowager would not like Lord Manderbey’s name associated with it and he’s paid you marked attention.”
“I cannot think who else would have said something.”
“It could have been anybody in the garden noting that you had been gone for a period of time and then you did say your hair was a bit disheveled.”
Winsome nodded sadly. “From crawling round the retiring room looking for a secret passage. Oh, and then Lord Landry did say there was someone else in the billiards room. A lord, though he could not recall his name.”
“Well, in any case, somebody has invented the story going roundabout the scavenger hunt. This ridiculous bit of gossip I put in the newspaper gives us a chance to negate it.”
“I suppose it’s all we can do,” Winsome said. “I was hoping Lord Manderbey might come to the house to inquire about it. Why does he not come? Is it because he would believe such a report?”
“Do not fret over it, my girl,” Mrs. Right said. “I will be off to put in the new story.” She paused for a moment. “You do not suppose the villain could be Lord St. John? The letter does warn us of him.”
“I cannot think so,” Winsome said. “If the culprit is the other lord in the billiards room, it could not have been Lord St. John. Lord Landry could not recall the name, but he knows St. John quite well.”
“And you are certain you wish to go forward with Lord Manderbey, even though you know about his gambling? Before the season, you did say, repeatedly, that you would not be taken in by a rogue.”
“I did say that,” Winsome said. “I meant it, too. And yet, I feel there is a lot of good in Lord Manderbey, if only he can get this one difficulty under control. In any case, I tried to talk myself into turning away and was entirely unsuccessful.”
Mrs. Right sighed. She saw clearly enough that there was no point in further argument. Of all the duke’s girls, Winsome was perhaps the most stubborn in her opinions. The housekeeper also saw clearly, from living in the world longer, that the chances of a rogue reforming himself were slim indeed.
She was very afraid that Winsome would be the one daughter who ended settled unhappily.
