Winsome was indeed startled. The last she’d heard of Lord Landry he’d been bedridden and asleep to the world. He must have made a recovery. And then why should they have come together?
She could guess it had something to do with the report in the newspapers that Lord Manderbey was engaged to Lady Edith. They would have no way to know that she knew it all to be nonsense, as her own Mrs. Right had put it in the newspaper to begin.
“Do show them in and bring up more tea, Thomas,” she said. Goodness, she sounded so calm and unperturbed. It was just as she must sound at the masque.
Lady Edith strode in with Lord Landry on her heels. “Lady Winsome, sorry to barge in without so much as a by your leave,” Lady Edith said.
“She did think it would be all right, though,” Lord Landry said.
“I’m delighted to see you. Do sit. I’ve sent for a fresh pot of tea.”
“Very gracious, I’m sure,” Lady Edith said, taking a chair. “Now, I’ll fly straight to the point, as I do not like to dilly-dally round a thing. This report of my engagement to Lord Manderbey is rubbish. I am engaged to Lord Landry. We’ve seen my father and it’s all squared.”
“You are engaged?” Winsome said to Lord Landry, entirely forgetting to appear shaken by the newspaper’s gossip. “That is wonderful news. Really wonderful.” She had thought Lord Landry had it in his mind, she just had not known if he could get it done.
“Yes, we’re thrilled,” Lady Edith answered for her betrothed.
Lord Landry nodded vigorously. Thomas hurried in with a fresh pot and two more cups and saucers.
Winsome picked up the pot and said, “How do you take it, Lady Edith?”
“A dash of milk. Landry will have plenty of milk and liberal sugar.”
Lord Landry nodded. “She knows how I take my tea.”
Winsome smiled in what she hoped was an approving expression. Lord Landry seemed poised to have every aspect of his life managed for him, and he seemed delighted to have it so.
Lady Edith took her tea and said, “Now that we’ve got that report in the newspaper cleared up, what are we to do about all the talk going round about that scavenger hunt? I, personally, did not believe it for a minute and was very stern with my father on that point. However, people do like to talk.”
Gracious, she was direct.
Lord Landry hooked a thumb toward Lady Edith. “She knew I would never compromise a lady.”
Lady Edith snorted. “Goodness no, could you imagine?”
“I do not know where the talk came from, nor what to do about it,” Winsome admitted. “It was only the dowager there and I feel less and less confident that she would have invented such a tale. And there is still the question of who locked me into the ladies’ retiring room.”
“You were locked in?” Lady Edith said. “That, I had not known.”
“I had not known it either,” Lord Landry said.
“Yes, well, I did not mention it to anybody. My father knows, of course. I just feel that whoever did that might also have started the rumor, though I cannot think why. I do not have any enemies that I’m aware of.”
“Most mysterious,” Lady Edith said, tapping her chin with her forefinger.
“Lord Landry,” Winsome said, “you did mention there was another lord in the billiards room. Can you not recall his name if you really think on it?”
Lord Landry took that moment to turn several shades of red. “As to that, I might have been mistaken about somebody else being there.”
“Mistaken about somebody being there? I do not understand,”Winsome said.
Lady Edith looked him over, as if she were sizing him up. “Landry, was it the greasy potatoes?”
He nodded sadly.
Now Winsome was really confused. What did potatoes have to do with anything?
Lady Edith said, “My lord was faced with an untenable situation.”
