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“You may stay if you can abide by it. It’s a simple rule.” She paused. “Be kind.”
“Kind!”
“Yes. Treat others—and yourself—with respect and goodwill. Harm no one.”
Augustus snorted.
That earned a look of disdain from his mother, but she looked truly ill when William slipped an arm around Bea’s waist. After sharing a quick look with him, Bea placed her hand over his and faced his mother again.
“I—yes, of course,” the Dowager Marchioness said impatiently. “That is fine. Now, I hope the menu—”
“Forgive me, my lady,” Bea said and sat down on the settee next to the woman. “As lady of the house, I assure you the menu is settled, nor is it a subject I wish to discuss. We have other matters to resolve. Do you truly promise to be kind? To your children? Your grandchildren? To me?”
Sputtering for a moment, Lady Sabrina then stiffened before smoothing her coiffure. “To attack me so by asking such outrageous questions! William, you won’t stand for this, will you?”
“What I won’t stand for is any disrespect of my wife. Lady Candleton has asked you some questions and they’re not outrageous. You’ll answer them,” he replied.
“Absurd questions, but very well. Yes, yes, I shall be kind. Now…” This time, Lady Sabrina herself trailed off, realizing everyone was peering at her. Assessing her.
Underneath everything, Bea would swear she sensed some genuine cheer in the Dowager at seeing her sons. However, it was subsumed by her self-defeating wiles. Though Bea wasn’t surprised, she was sorely disappointed, and she knew she could no longer extend grace to the woman as she was.
“I don’t believe you,” Bea said without pleasure and stood up. “Please excuse me. I’ll have a tray of refreshments brought so you may rest a bit before you leave.”
“Leave?” The Dowager scoffed. “All this was mine before you!” Her piercing gaze moved to her sons. “Theywere mine! You think I’m going to allow some ugly mouse to displace me and—”
“Enough!” William snarled, stepping in front of Beatrice. “You’re going to leave as soon as the carriage is prepared, Mother. There will be no refreshment offered.”
Augustus moved next to William. “Utteranyfurther vitriol, and I swear on our father’s grave I won’t rest until I convince William to strip you of your allowance and every benefit he has ever extended to you.”
That elicited a gasp of pain from his mother and Bea almost felt sorry for the woman, who stood, shaking, with her fists clenched. But then she looked through the space between her two sons with a look of such animosity toward Bea, she not only knew they were making the right decision, but experienced a hint…or perhaps more…of gratification in the comeuppance.
She, William, and Augustus were nearly to the door when Lady Sabrina followed and made her last sad attempt.
“Lady Candleton!” she wailed. “Surely, you can’t speak of kindness in one breath and then leave me to suffer alone!”
William tried to urge Bea through the doorway, but she placed a gentle hand on his arm before turning to face his mother. “It would be no kindness to my family, nor to you, to allow you to stay and behave the way you do. Whether or not you suffer alone after this is up to you.”
“So that’s it? You’re going to cast me out and then…what? You and William are going to reside together? Beingkindto each other?” Her voice dripped with mockery.
“Just a moment,” Bea murmured to William and Augustus.
She walked up to the Dowager Marchioness, who stared at her with open defiance as she approached. “Yes, Lady Sabrina. That is what we are going to do. By day, we will continue as we always have.William is my favorite companion. My dear friend. Loving father to my children. A devoted husband. A dedicated parliamentarian.”
Bea took inordinate satisfaction in the confusion in Lady Sabrina’s eyes when she stepped closer and dropped her voice so only the two of them could hear her next words.
“And by night, he’s going to fuck me like the most virile bull the Candleton estate has ever known.”
It took a great deal of restraint not to whirl and run while the Dowager stood there gaping, but Bea clasped her trembling hands in front of her and turned gracefully. She left the drawing room on William’s arm, followed by Augustus.
The butler stood outside, and William instructed him to have his mother’s carriage readied immediately. “See to it she leavesforthwith.”
“Very good, Lord Candleton.”
Then William, Beatrice, and Augustus walked in silence to the stairway, where they paused and gathered themselves.
“I’ve never seen Mother silenced. Dare I ask what you conveyed to her, my lady?” Augustus asked eventually.
“Oh, I ought not repeat it, Captain Dalfour. I’m afraid it wasn’t seemly, not at all.”
