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Louisa snickered. “Apparently more than a fifty-year-old man.”
Tessa shot her sister a quelling look. “Mother, as I said, he helped me to my carriage. Nothing more happened.” Her cheeks still heated with embarrassment. She was tired and perhaps had had a bit too much wine tonight. “Besides, Mamma, you are hardly the person to lecture me on discretion.”
“Not another word, young lady.” Her mother’s cheeks were the color of apples in fall.
“What do you mean, Tessa?” Emma questioned. “You certainly don’t mean to imply that Mamma is having—”
“We are finished with this conversation!” her mother exclaimed.
Emma’s eyes widened as she realized the truth. “But who?”
“Emma!” Mamma snapped. “Enough!”
Both Tessa and Louisa pressed their lips together to keep from giggling. It wasn’t often they glimpsed their mother so flustered. Normally she was too busy in their lives. Thankfully, they arrived at Tessa’s home rather quickly. As she reached for the tiger’s hand, her mother’s voice stoppe
d her.
“I expect you to pay a call tomorrow. And we shall speak alone for a while.”
“Of course, Mamma.” Tessa scrambled down from the carriage and hurried up to her home, thankful yet again, that Stanhope had left it to her.
“Good evening, my lady,” Roberts said as he opened the door. “Are you in for the night then?”
“Yes, thank you. Please feel free to retire. I won’t need anything but Anne’s help. And I don’t believe I shall need that for an hour. I will read for a while in the study.”
“As you wish. I shall send Anne up at ten. Goodnight, then.”
“Goodnight.”
Tessa walked to her study and then stared at the books on the shelf. Without choosing one, she sank into a chair by the empty fireplace. How could she even think about reading when Sabita had spilled her secret in front of her mother and the duke? Now Mamma and the duke would conspire to marry her off as quickly as possible so as not to cause yet another scandal. She would have to stop this affair tonight. Once Jack halted his attentions, the gossip would die down, and she could return to her normal life. Her normal exceedingly boring life, consisting of very few social gatherings and no real friendships.
A loud knock sounded at the front door. She glanced over at the clock on the mantle it was half nine. She rose assuming whoever it was most likely brought bad news or they would have waited until morning.
“Milady, Lord Langport and his wife are here to see you.”
“Show them in.” A moment later, she heard soft footfalls running down the corridor. Sabita threw herself into Tessa’s arms.
“I am so terribly sorry, my lady,” Sabita cried. “I had no idea that everyone in England were so...so...I don’t know the word.” She glanced over at her husband. “What is the word?”
“Prudish?” Langport supplied.
“Yes!”
Tessa laughed and looked over at Langport who shook his head.
“She insisted we stop tonight and not wait until morning,” he said with a smile. “I must apologize for her rash behavior."
“Of course.” Tessa moved away from Sabita and returned to the chair. “I know you are not as familiar with our customs but you must never disagree when someone tells you they are not having an affair.”
“Even when you know they are?”
Tessa’s cheeks heated but the poor woman looked absolutely forlorn. “Especially then. And especially in front of her mother.”
“I see...I think.” She sat in the chair Tessa had been sitting. “I do not think I shall ever learn all there is to know.” She pressed her hand to her head. “But I do hope we can be friends and you can help get through it.” She groaned slightly and then looked up at her husband with a frown.
“Are you all right?” Tessa asked, noticing just how peaked the younger woman looked.
“She has been feeling ill since dinner,” Harry said. “Now that you have apologized, we should take our leave.”
