Page 86 of Counting on Love

Perhaps it had been a childish sort of vengeance, embarrassing him as he had embarrassed her, but Georgiana now understood the satisfaction such pranks afforded the Taverstons. After all, no one was hurt. Jasper would smooth things over with brandy. But they had put Billings in his place.

Reginald had put Billings in his place.

When they went inside, Jasper took Lord Billings off to his study. Reginald and Olivia went upstairs to sit with the Earl. Crispin announced he was going to the music room to learn a new piece, so he’d appreciate it if everyone else avoided that wing of the house.

Georgiana flinched inwardly, thinking he must be speaking to her, warning her out of the library. But by the way, the others laughed and groaned, it seemed it was not an uncommon request—his talent was not effortless, for all he might like it to appear so. Besides, he couldn’t know how much time she had been spending there. Moreover, she would not be going there now, or ever again. Instead, she followed Alice back to their chamber because it had been a strenuous morning and, after such, ladies were supposed to rest.

The list of what ladies were supposed to do was exhaustive.

The list of what they could not do was infinite.

*

The Earl awakened briefly but remained in some sort of delirium. He took a bit of broth from Mother’s spoon and a few sips of tea laden with honey and rum from the cup she held to his lips, then murmured a thank you, calling Mother “Lucy.” After that, he lapsed back into a sleep racked with alternating shivers and sweats.

“Lucy?” Olivia whispered. “Who is that? He called me that once before.”

Mother sighed. She looked terribly weary. “I believe his nursemaid, when he was very young, was called Lucy.”

That wasn’t right. Reginald remembered stories. “Wasn’t that Lilian?”

“What does it matter, Reginald? Maybe there were two.” She sounded snappish. Of course, she did. It was an annoying habit of his to seize on details that no one else considered important.

He sat, watching his father suffer, then staring at the window, then watching his father. All the while, he attempted to put thoughts of Georgiana out of his head. It didn’t seem possible for him to have felt so many intense emotions in one day. And the day was but half over. Bloody hell. Now he felt drained.

At one point, he heard a carriage in the drive and went to the window to watch Lord Billings depart. He felt a little guilty for his part. The man was a blowhard, but generally harmless. He wouldn’t have intentionally insulted Georgiana. The devil. If Billings had been correct in his assumption that Jasper had already secured Georgiana’s hand, they would have more readily excused his choice of words and the crass wink. But Jasper had not.

And Jasper had been livid. Livid. If he had not been, he would never have humiliated a guest in his home. He certainly would not have enlisted Reginald’s help to do so.

Seeing Jasper so livid was concerning.

Reginald returned to his chair, flexing his fingers, then tapping his feet, then staring, bleary-eyed, at his father. The room was beginning to darken when Mother started in her chair and looked quickly about. “Oh. I think I fell asleep.”

“You should go to bed, Mama. I’ll stay,” Olivia urged.

“No, I’m awake now.”

There was a rap on the door and Crispin entered. He focused on Mother and spoke very low. “How is he?”

“Still sleeping.”

Crispin let out a long sigh. “If you’ll excuse us, I need to borrow Reginald for a while. Jasper needs to speak with us.”

“Of course. There’s no need for us all to sit here. I’ll send for you all if there’s any change.”

Reginald stood, feeling guiltily relieved for an excuse to escape the sickroom, and frightened by what Jasper might have to say. He hoped Billings’ nudge had not led Jasper to rush his proposal. He left the room with Crispin. As they departed the west wing, Crispin headed for the main staircase.

“Where are we going? Not Jasper’s study?”

“No. Jasper has not sent for us. I sent for him. And for Georgiana. We’ll be congregating in the library.”

Reginald stopped dead and grabbed his brother’s arm. “What have you done? What did you tell Jasper?”

Crispin lifted away Reginald’s hand. “Nothing. And nothing yet.”

“Then why the library?”

“Because that is where I’ve been for the past two hours. I need to know what Georgiana found because…well, because I could not discover it.” Damn it! Crispin meant to interrogate her. And in front of a witness. “Why bring Jasper into this?”