Chapter Sixteen
It was slowlysinking into Winsome’s mind that she might have been entirely mistaken about Lord Manderbey’s proclivity for gambling. “Lord Landry,” she said, “you are sure Lord Manderbey has not got himself deep into debt?”
Lord Landry laughed. “Not that I know of,” he said. “He’s never been keen on cards or dice. He does bet on one of his own horses from time to time in the usual way, but nothing too extravagant, I do not think. Anyway, he’s very rich and can afford it, and far too sensible to get into any trouble with it. Why did you think so?”
Winsome swallowed a sigh. She’d thought it because she was the most suspicious lady living and had been determined to root out any evidence of roguishness she could find. She heard something, and then rather than consider all the variations of its meaning, she’d homed in on the worst possible meaning. Lord Manderbey had admitted to being dunned and she’d not bothered to ask why.
“I was misled by my own suspicions,” Winsome admitted.
“Did any of those suspicions come from Lord St. John?” Lady Edith asked.
Winsome nodded. “Indeed they did. It seems I was taken in by him. He kept talking about what was owed, so naturally…”
“Ah, I think he meant Manderbey ought to haul him out of trouble every time he got in it because of the family ties,” Lord Landry said.
“I think we might confidently make the leap that Lord St. John isthe villain,” Lady Edith said. “He will be very lucky if he does not hear about it from me.”
“She can give an awful dressing down when she wants to,” Lord Landry said gleefully.
“My advice, Lady Winsome, is proceed to the masque this evening and straighten it out with Manderbey. He’ll know what ought to be done about St. John. As for society, once you have it fixed with Manderbey they will close their mouths.”
“Or she’ll make them!” Lord Landry said, pointing at his fiancée.
Just then, Valor came into the room, looking very pale and holding a letter. “Lord Manderbey wrote me back,” she whispered.
Lady Edith looked her over. “You correspond with Lord Manderbey? Whatever for?”
Valor appeared supremely uncomfortable at being questioned so directly. Winsome said, “Lady Edith, Lord Landry, this is my younger sister, Lady Valor. She was hoping that I would never leave the house and may have written a letter to Lord Manderbey to drive him off.”
“That was bold,” Lord Landry pointed out.
“Yes, she can be very bold, unfortunately so,” Winsome said. “Val, let me see the letter.”
Valor handed over the letter. Winsome scanned it. It was surprisingly shouting, with exclamations on the end of every sentence. As far as she could gather, Valor had written posing as Winsome and claiming to hate him and he must stay away. It was very encouraging that he wrote he did not believe it and would not stay away.
Then at the bottom, in smaller letters, “P.S. Very entertaining, Lady Valor.”
He was so clever to at once see it was from Valor and not herself. She suspected using Winny rather than Winsome had given Valor away. As well as the general tone of the letter. Based on the response to it, Winsome guessed it had been ridiculous.
Lady Edith leaned over her shoulder. “He will not stay away.Excellent. Though why is he shouting? I never saw so many exclamations in one bit of writing in my life. Manderbey has never struck me as particularly hysterical.”
“He’s mocking me,” Valor said darkly.
“Chin up, Lady Valor,” Lady Edith advised. “If you keep sending out preposterous letters, it will not be the last time that happens to you.”
Valor, shocked to her shoes to be so scolded, turned and marched out of the drawing room. She would no doubt track down Sir Galahad and pour out all her condemnations and refutations to him. He would, as always, be in hearty agreement.
Lady Edith and her grateful fiancé took their leave and left Winsome to contemplate Lord Manderbey’s letter. It really was very funny and it did make clear he was not planning to go anywhere.
She felt lighter than she had in days. And, as for Lord St. John, he would not get anywhere with his machinations and ought to get on the first possible boat to Brazil. Very much alone.
*
Leland had startedhis morning with the newspapers and had almost fallen off his chair over what he read there. There wasanotherpiece about him.
This one had said that the initial report of banns being read was not true, which he obviously knew. But further, it claimed the writer had particular knowledge that a certain person was deliberately causing all this trouble, including the gossip going round about Lady Winsome being compromised at Sir Jonathan’s scavenger hunt.
That, he would really like to know more about. He was certain Landry was the only person who could shed light on it. At a decent hour, he’d set off for Landry’s house. Before now, he’d sent footmen and they’d not been admitted. He would demand entry and have alook at the fellow. It seemed impossible that he was still unconscious. These sorts of situations did not stay static. A person either improved or worsened.
