Page 71 of Love and the Shameless Lady

“But unlike my sister’s, your manners are those of a well-bred individual.”

“Where is Lord Hythwick’s principal seat?” Melinda interposed.

“Melton Mowbray,” Gloriana said. “He hunts with the Quorn.”

“And never ceases to boast about it,” muttered Miles.

“With good reason,” Gloriana retorted. “He has estates elsewhere, too. I’m not sure where.”

“You mean to say he hasn’t told you about each and every one of them in endless detail yet?” Miles said. “So many opportunities for tooting his own horn! Or were you too bored to listen?”

Everyone laughed, except Gloriana. “Stop it! It’s none of your business, any of you!”

“She’s right,” Daisy said. “Leave her be.”

Melinda nodded. “Back to Daisy’s background. We must pick someplace he doesn’t know well.” She cast an inquiring glance at her husband.

He sighed. “He has no property in Lancashire or Yorkshire, as far as I’m aware. We’ll say you’re a distant cousin on my mother’s side, from . . . oh, Harrogate, perhaps, or Leeds.”

“York,” Daisy said. “I know York better. We used to visit there from time to time. I can go into rhapsodies about attending services at York Minster, or mention visiting Mr. and Mrs. Field, or—” She broke off at a muffled snort from the marquis, lounging in the corner. “You are acquainted with them?”

“A little. They are well known to some friends I visited recently in York.”

“I fail to see in what way you find them amusing,” Gloriana said.

“Only that they are the proud, puffed-up sort of persons you favor,” he drawled.

Gloriana hunched a shoulder and turned back to Daisy. “I agree, claiming friendship with the Fields would underscore your respectability, should that be required, which I heartily hope it will not. Still, I’d best acquaint you with more recent events, such as the marriage of their daughter to an Irish peer last year, and the theft of a precious painting only a few weeks ago.”

“A painting was stolen?” Daisy said. “How horrid.”

“Yes, particularly so, as it was quite old and very pretty. An early still life of white roses by Chardin, rescued from the plundering canaille during the revolution in France and purchased by Mr. Field.”

The marquis made another rude noise.

She whirled on him. “What now?”

“I doubt it was the noble rescue you imply.” A cynical smile curled his lips. “More likely, it was stolen for sale to the highest bidder.”

She huffed. “Regardless, it was a tragic loss for the original owners, who then went on to the far greater loss of their heads. Lord Hythwick was particularly devastated to hear of it, for he, too, suffered a theft not long ago from his seat in Melton Mowbray, a bronze figurine of the goddess Athena.”

A discreet tap sounded on the door, and Reams put his head around it. “My lady, the man Antoine wishes to know if he should show you the lace now or after dinner.”

Melinda glanced at the clock. “It will have to be after dinner, as soon as the ladies have repaired to the drawing room.”

“Very good, my lady.” Reams withdrew.

Daisy recalled another beautiful work owned by the Fields. “I hope that lovely medieval psalter wasn’t stolen, too.”

“The Matthew Paris? No, that wasn’t taken, thank heavens,” Gloriana said. “But I must say that the theft, so close to home, has unnerved me. I think, once I have married and left the Dower House, Miles should take the Book of Hours and keep it in the main house under lock and key.”

Until now, Julian’s attention had been more on the participants and less on the conversation itself. This was the first non-antagonistic exchange he’d witnessed between Daisy and Gloriana. Obviously they shared not only memories but also interests. What a pity they couldn’t remain friends . . .

And then it struck him.

One of the charms in The Lady’s Ruin was a rose. Another a statue of a Greek goddess. A third, a book. This might be a coincidence—the world abounded with paintings of flowers, sculptures, and books—but Julian needed to know more. “A Book of Hours?”

For the first time since they’d arrived, Gloriana smiled. She was quite a pleasant-looking woman when not sneering. “Yes, it’s absolutely glorious, and in my opinion, our most precious heirloom. We’ve had it for centuries.”