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“There you are, Edwards. Come on in,” Aidan said when the woman appeared in the sitting room, but he didn’t offer her a seat.
The only person seated within the room was Petal, his wife.
Edwards threw Petal a cold look of contempt.
“Is there some sort of problem, darling?” she murmured in an intimate tone that belied the contrived look in her eye.
“I should say so,” Aidan snorted.
His contemptuous look he threw her should have rooted her to the spot.
Edwards was oblivious to it, though or chose to ignore it because she continued across the room unabated, and took a seat before the fire uninvited. The look she levelled on Petal was nothing short of evil.
“What are you doing here?” She demanded as if it was her right to know. “Do you not have any chamber pots to empty?”
“I will ask you to remember your manners in my home,” Aidan warned.
As he spoke, he watched the dowager climb down from her carriage and stalk toward the house. He nodded toward Rollo, who disappeared into the hallway.
Stilted silence settled over the room while everyone waited for the dowager to make an appearance. Petal’s stomach was in knots. She kept her gaze trained on the floor and her hands in her lap but was immensely grateful that Aidan had taken up a rather protective stance beside her chair. A discrete cough drew her attention over to Jerry, and she watched the silent interplay between him and Aidan, just as the dowager appeared in the doorway.
“What is going on? I got word that there is a problem,” his mother declared, sweeping a dour look around the room. “I will have you know that I have had to cancel tea with Francesca.”
“Sit down,” Aidan ordered quietly.
The dowager threw a wary look at Edwards, who shrugged unconcernedly. In spite of her smile, she couldn’t hide the hint of worry in her eyes that continued to grow as the silence thickened.
Petal felt the dowager’s piercing stare as starkly as though she had been branded. She waited for the dowager to pass some sort of acerbic comment about servants sitting on the chairs again. Strangely, she didn’t, and merely perched on the edge of the chair Aidan pointed to.
“I want it known to everybody who matters that there has never been, nor could there ever be any sort of relationship between you and me, Edwards,” Aidan began firmly. “Not only do you not appeal to me in that way, Edwards, but I find you uncouth, irritating and extremely offensive. I take strong exception to you giving me medication against my wishes, and object vehemently to your feeling at liberty to enter my bed without my permission. I have made it clear to Petal that your little scheme this morning could never have come to fruition because it was founded on lies. With that in mind, I order you now to gather your belongings and leave this house at once. I do not wish to hear who has employed you, or why. I accept no excuses that you are ill. I can see that you appear to have swiftly recovered from whatever malady hindered you this morning. Therefore, it is safe to assume that you are now well enough to pack your things and leave. This is my house, and I am the one who decides who does and does not stay. I am telling you now that your presence in my house is no longer required, or welcome. You are causing great offense by imposing yourself upon me in this fashion. I shall have no hesitation in informing your father of your bad manners.”
“Oh, come now,” Edwards drawled. “Do you not think it is time, to be honest with these people?”
“I am honest with everyone,” Aidan assured her. “It is a pity you cannot say the same.”
“Don’t think I am going to allow you to lie about what we shared last night,” Edwards argued, her eyes flashing in temper.
“We shared nothing last night except the bed you should never have crawled into in the first place. Absolutely nothing happened between us and you know it. You, Edwards, are a liar.”
“You are nothing but a scoundrel,” she protested. “We are lovers and have been for a while. How can you stand there and deny it?”
“I deny it because it is a lie,” declared firmly.
“Oh, come now.” Edwards snorted inelegantly. “You and I both know th
at you have been dallying with this little trollop. While I don’t mind your little liaisons for now, once we are wed I will insist you cease all association with her at once.” She suddenly rounded on Petal. “What are you doing sitting in here, anyway? You are a servant. Get up at once and get below stairs where you belong.”
“Petal is where she belongs,” Aidan replied crisply.
“You should know that Lady Quigley-Myers is the new mistress of the house, and I demand that you address her with the respect she deserves given her position within this family. She is my sister-in-law now.”
“What?” The dowager cried, staring at Jerry in stunned disbelief.
Edwards sniffed contemptuously. “You are lying. Why, do you seriously expect anybody within the ton to believe that you would allow him to marry a guttersnipe like that, and cast the family into ill-repute? She is a servant!”
“You, madam, will lower your tone in my house,” Aidan countered. “Petal is my wife. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Edwards stared at him while she absorbed that. She turned cold eyes on Petal. Her gaze fell to the ring now adorning her ring finger before she glared at Jerry.
