Page 21 of Return to Wildsyde

Mrs Rosie’s gaze flew back to her, and it took her a second to rearrange her face to something less shocked. It had taken them an hour and a half to reach Wick, and yet the gossip had certainly reached here. Luella supposed that Lord Buchanan’s business must be of interest to everyone hereabouts. How it must gall him.

Once Mrs Rosie had composed herself, she settled a smile upon her face and asked hesitantly, “Oh. Aye, and er… ye will be wanting…?”

“Everything,” Lady Morven said firmly.

“No, we won’t,” Luella said with equal conviction.

Lady Morven gave Luella a look that dared her to contradict her again in front of Mrs Rosie, who was looking between them with avid interest. Luella held her tongue for the moment, not wanting to add to the gossip which she did not doubt would fly the moment they left the shop. She must have a quiet word with Lady Morven the moment they were alone again.

“She’ll certainly be needing new under things, petticoats, et cetera. If at all possible, I shall need something for her to wear at once, the rest can be sent on, but as quickly as you can, if you would, please. As you can see, our need is rather pressing.”

“Certainly, my lady,” Mrs Rosie said, looking thrilled by the prospect. “I think I may have something that would do very well, with just a little alteration. If you would like to come through to the fitting room?”

Mrs Rosie led them behind a curtain and down a corridor, turning into a room which was furnished with a large looking glass and a pedestal at the centre with several comfortable chairs arranged around the perimeter.

“If you would care to sit down, I’ll be back in a trice,” she said, hurrying away.

Luella seized her chance. “Lady Morven, I cannot afford to spend such a lot of money on—”

“Oh, hush, child,” the countess said, not unkindly. “I have explained the situation to you.”

“Yes, but no one can even see my under things,” Luella exclaimed. “And if I am to have a chance of making a life for myself and Jack, I must be careful with the inheritance my father left. If the minute it is handed to me, I must give half of it over—”

“You will not need to pay Lord Buchanan back, Luella. This is all part of him being your guardian.”

“We both know he ought not to be my guardian!” Luella said furiously. “If my father hadn’t put us both in this ridiculous situation—”

“But he did, and neither of you can get out of it now, so you must both make the best of it. My son is a wealthy man, Luella, and the amount we spend here today may be large to you, but it is not to him.”

“I don’t care,” Luella said stubbornly. “I will not be beholden to a man who hates me, no matter how good his reason for doing so.” She folded her arms, glaring at Lady Morven.

The countess looked back, regarding Luella steadily. She folded her hands neatly in her lap. “Luella, would you like to know how much your father left you in his will?”

“Yes,” Luella eagerly, abandoning her defensive posture. “At least then I can make plans for the future and figure out what can be done with—”

“Two pounds.”

Luella’s voice trailed off, her hopes crashing down around her ears.

“Two pounds,” she repeated stupidly.

Luella sat down heavily on the chair behind her, grasping the sides to keep her steady. What a fool she had been, to believe for a moment that her father had set money aside to keep them if anything happened to him. Indeed, two pounds was not to be sniffed at. She had seen nothing like that sum in years and it was a wonder he’d had that much, considering how they had been living the past months, but she was not fool enough to consider that an independence. It would keep them in board and lodging for a short while, but it would not buy them a home, it was not security.

“Well,” she said, putting her chin up. “It’s better than nothing, but it only underlines my point. I cannot afford to—”

“Luella,” Lady Morven said, and her tone was soft now, filled with sympathy. “You cannot afford much of anything, but my son can, and you will let him provide what you need whilst you are under his roof. I beg you will not fight me or him on this. I know you have no more reason to trust him than he does you, but he would never…” Lady Morven hesitated, choosing her words with care. “You know as well as I how much he resents this situation, but he would not… he would never…”

“Expect me to repay him in kind?” Luella said, quirking an enquiring eyebrow.

“Quite. Thank you,” Lady Morven said with a sigh. “He is a gentleman above all things. Like his father, he is prone to bluster and making a lot of noise when he’s angry and out of sorts, but his bark really is worse than his bite, and the idea of treating you in such a way… well, he’d be horrified we were even having this conversation.”

Luella let out a huff of laughter. She felt as though all the stuffing had been kicked out of her, more desperate even than that day in the solicitor’s office when she discovered just what her father had done to them. She was trapped with no hope of escape, for when the three years were up, and Lord Buchanan could rightfully turn her out… what then? She would be all alone, without even Jack for company.

A gentle hand covered hers and she looked up in surprise to see Lady Morven had moved to sit beside her and was regarding her with concern.

“I’m sorry about the money, Luella.”

“Not your fault,” Luella replied, her throat tight. “I ought to have known better. I do know better than to rely on my father for anything.”