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CHAPTER8
“And then I heard that Lady Eliza was caught holding a letter from her lover…” Rosalin whispered, and Eleanor had to cover her mouth with her gloved hand to hold in her shocked gasp.
“No,” she replied, watching Rosalin’s light eyes twinkle mischievously.
“But, of course,” Rosalin said, sitting back in her chair, a satisfied smile covering her pretty face. “Everyone knew that Lady Eliza was going around with other men behind her husband’s back. It was only a matter of time before he caught her, and now…” Rosalin shook her head in a playfully reproachful way “… she’ll be forced to suffer the consequences.”
“And what are the consequences?” Eleanor asked. She didn’t normally like to listen to the gossip of theton, but she found that she enjoyed the activity so much more when her friend Rosalin was the one relaying the news.
Rosalin laughed haughtily. “I suppose she’ll be forced to stay wed to her husband.”
“And how is that a consequence?” Eleanor wanted to know.
“Have you seen Eliza’s husband? He’s positively dreadful.” Rosalin gave Eleanor a wry smirk.
“Oh,” Eleanor groaned. “You seem to delight in the predicaments of others, dear Rosalin.”
“That’s not true,” Rosalin said, pouting her full lips. “I just think it greatly amusing to poke fun at our friends and neighbors. For if we cannot laugh at ourselves and our acquaintances, at whom can we laugh?”
Eleanor thought this over as she sipped her tea from the dainty blue and silver cup. “I’ve missed our talks, Rosalin,” Eleanor said, glancing at her friend over the rim of her cup.
“Missed our talks?” Rosalin echoed incredulously. “Why, you’ve only been married a few days. I just saw you at your wedding not a week ago. How could you possibly have had time to miss me?” She arched her eyebrow.
In the silence that followed, Eleanor contemplated telling her friend about her predicament. She was still unwilling to welcome Henry into her bedchambers, and outside of her own apartment, she constantly felt uncomfortable in the presence of Henry’s grandmother, the Dowager Duchess. At every mealtime, the Dowager Duchess would sit directly across from Eleanor and pepper her with questions. Eleanor found the elderly woman’s gaze disconcerting as she felt like those violet eyes of hers could see right into her mind and discern her every thought. But Eleanor didn’t want to tell Rosalin any of that.
No matter how much she liked Rosalin and was happy to welcome her friend into her home, she didn’t rely upon her fully. Rosalin was too much of a gossip to be trusted with Eleanor’s secrets and if Rosalin knew the reality of Eleanor’s marriage… she would unquestionably spread the word.
Eleanor mulled over exactly what to tell Rosalin, but she was saved from having to make any sort of explanation when the door to the drawing-room swung open. Jerome moved aside to admit the Dowager Duchess and the lady walked with her head held high across the room. “Lady Clay,” she said, formally greeting their guest. “I did not realize you were taking tea with us today.”
Rosalin placed her teacup on the table in front of her and stood at once. She curtsied and said, “Your Grace, my friend Eleanor invited me to come at my earliest convenience, and so I just arrived a few moments ago.”
“I wish you had rung the bell for me,” the Dowager Duchess said, turning her piercing gaze on Eleanor. “I should have liked to welcome Lady Clay to the house upon her arrival.”
“I apologize. I will not make the same mistake again,” Eleanor said resolutely, tipping her head respectfully at Henry’s grandmother. The Dowager Duchess shuffled around the table and then sat across from Eleanor. As she took her seat, Rosalin returned to hers. She shot Eleanor a discreet look, and Eleanor did her best to keep her features calm. She very much wished that the Dowager Duchess would warm to her, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon, and it certainly wouldn’t speed along the process if the Dowager Duchess caught Eleanor exchanging frustrated glances with her friend.
Once the Dowager Duchess settled herself, she turned toward Rosalin, and the cool stare she had been giving the ladies just a moment before vanished quite inexplicably. “Now, Lady Clay, tell us all the hot gossip.”
Eleanor gasped, surprised at the way the Dowager Duchess could shift her disposition so quickly, but Rosalin laughed delightedly.
“I was just telling Eleanor all about Lady Eliza,” Rosalin said, leaning toward the Dowager Duchess.
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard everything about the poor girl. I suppose her husband will start keeping a closer eye on her now,” the Dowager Duchess said, and Rosalin tittered minutely. “Should a lady decide to step out on her husband, she ought to be more careful.”
Eleanor nearly choked on her tea. “You can’t mean that,” she said, looking from Henry’s grandmother to Rosalin.
The Dowager Duchess took a slow drink of her tea. “I didn’t say that I betrayed my husband, Eleanor. I only said that if a woman were to do so, she ought to take more precautions to make sure she doesn’t get caught. Think of what she will endure now. The wholetonknows of her wretched behavior.”
“Quite so,” Rosalin added. “I heard whispers yesterday, but if I know theton, word has already spread all over.”
“Indeed,” the Dowager Duchess said, placing her silver and blue teacup back onto its matching saucer. “A lady should always remember that her reputation will precede her. If she behaves in an unacceptable fashion, she should expect the people of thetonto take notice.” Henry’s grandmother narrowed her eyes at Eleanor, and a sudden understanding flooded Eleanor’s being. The Dowager Duchess must have heard all the rumors about Eleanor’s bizarre behavior and her affinity for her pets. She must be holding those stories against her. Eleanor put her own cup down then and returned the elderly woman’s deep look.
She was just preparing to defend herself when the door to the drawing-room burst open a second time. This time, Jerome was nowhere in sight, but Henry was standing in the doorway.
“My darling,” he called out exuberantly. As Henry marched through the doors, Eleanor caught a strong whiff of blood and she had to cover her mouth and nose with her gloved hand.
Eleanor stood and turned to look more closely at her husband. Henry looked wind-swept as his long brown hair fell loosely around his ears. His eyes were bright with excitement, and he was grinning from ear-to-ear.
“I’ve brought you a present, Eleanor,” Henry said, moving forward even further into the room. As he moved, his boots, which were covered in mud, left tracks on the floor, and what looked like a pair of birds swung lifelessly at his side.
