Page 30 of The Rogue’s Countess

“May I, my dear?”

“Of course, Grandmama. I wasn’t thinking,” Constance exclaimed as she quickly sprang to her feet to go to the elderly lady’s side. The dowager waved her away.

“I’m not a fragile piece of china, Constance. I’m simply old,” Lucien’s grandmother snapped. The sharp comment made Constance flinch, and the dowager reached out to squeeze her hand.

“Forgive me, dearest, I become frustrated when my body refuses to do what I wish it to do.”

“Of course.” Constance smiled as she kissed the papery skin on the dowager countess’s cheek.

“I was in the library when you and Lucien arrived home. The boy barely greeted me, threw down two glasses of whiskey, then stalked out of the room with a brusque goodnight that was more of a snarl.” Disapproval evident on her face, Lucien’s grandmother pinned her gaze on Constance like a lepidopterist would a butterfly to a display board. “What happened between the two of you this evening?”

“He overheard something that angered him.”

“Shall I guess? You used your gift to help someone who didn’t ask for your assistance.”

The pointed question made Constance feel as if she were a child again, standing in front of Sebastian, who was chastising her for something. She nodded her head slowly, and the dowager countess released a quiet sigh.

“Since you went to Chelmsford House, I assume Lady Helstone is the individual in question?”

“Yes.” At her reply, Aurora nodded sagely while absently playing with the strand of pearls around her neck.

“As I recall, when the young woman was here for tea a few weeks ago, she became very upset when you recommended her as a personal secretary to Lady Wrotham.”

“Phoebe was working for Madame Sabine, and I knew the marchioness needed someone.” Constance shook her head as she remembered her friend’s living quarters. “I knew Lucien would think me meddling again, but I had no choice.”

“So your aunt was correct. Lucien did order you not interfere in the affairs of others.”

“It was wrong of him to do so,” Constance exclaimed fiercely. “I am discreet when I do anything that Lucien refers to as meddling, but he won’t listen to me. Whenever the an dara sealladh shows me something, it’s impossible for me to simply ignore it as if nothing has happened.”

“The two of you have been quarreling about your gift from the first day he found you at the keep cataloging those blasted antiquities of his.”

“I’m not sure I would call it quarreling,” Constance said in a bleak tone as she remembered Lucien walking out of the room just a short time ago.

“Well, what do you call it?” Aurora said in a no-nonsense tone that possessed a small hint of laughter in her voice. “This isn’t the first marital spat the two of you have had, nor will it be the last. William and I had many disagreements when he was alive, and we always mended the rift between us.”

“This is different. While you were ill, we had a terrible row in front of the family.” Constance sighed with regret. “I said some hurtful things I can never take back.”

“We both know how stubborn the boy can be. That he inherited from his mother.” Lady Lyndham frowned. Constance made a soft sound as she choked back a laugh. Aurora arched an eyebrow as she silently demanded Constance explain her amusement. Unable to help herself, she laughed as she met the dowager’s gaze.

“I think there are quite a few close relatives he inherited his stubborn nature from.” Constance smiled at the woman.

“Harrumph,” the dowager uttered softly.

Constance laughed again as she arched her eyebrows at the older woman. As a small smile tipped the corners of her mouth upward, the dowager countess’s features relaxed slightly.

“We were discussing Lady Helstone, not my tenacious nature,” Lady Lyndham said firmly, although there was a distinct trace of amusement in her voice. “The fact that you were willing to arouse Lucien’s wrath to encourage the marchioness to hire Lady Helstone as an assistant tells me there is more to the story than my grandson knows.”

“Exactly. I’m certain if Lucien would just listen, I could make him understand.” Anger swept through Constance as she remembered what she’d seen in her vision. “Several weeks ago, we were at Madame Sabine’s for Louisa to try on her wedding dress. That’s when I discovered Lady Helstone was working as Sabine’s bookkeeper.”

“Bookkeeper?” Aurora frowned in surprise. “Surely, Helstone didn’t leave the poor woman destitute.”

“I can only assume he did given what the an dara sealladh showed me. Her living conditions were horrendous, Grandmama. I couldn’t simply walk away and leave her to suffer.” Constance closed her eyes at the memory of Phoebe’s terrible living conditions.

“Did you explain any of this to Lucien?”

“He hasn’t given me the chance to. He’s furious with me. I tried to broach the matter with him on the way home. He refused to discuss it and didn’t say a word in the carriage on the way home, and he went straight to the library when we entered the house.”

Constance fought off tears as she remembered the cold silence between them on the way home. Even more devastating was how he’d walked out of her room several moments ago without a single word. She shook her head as she met the dowager’s concerned gaze. The elderly woman shook her head in obvious frustration.