AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And then he would go to Lavinia as quickly as he could.
* * *
Lucas reentered the house to find everyone talking at once—excepting Simon, who had moved away from the others, and James, who had wandered close to Simon—presumably to keep him from bolting, which is what he appeared to want to do.
“Lucas, I think it is time you told us what is going on,” their father said. “Into the drawing room, if you please.”
It was not to be a private interview, however, as siblings and spouses queued up and followed Lucas and his parents into the room. James poured brandy for all the men—a mere splash for Isaac and a generous measure for Simon, who was looking pale.
“You’re all wondering at the Earl of Cosgrove’s pronouncements just now, no doubt,” Father began.
“Rebecca, perhaps it’s best if you aren’t here,” Mama said, interrupting. “This discussion is likely to be unsuitable for delicate feminine ears.”
Their father looked at their mother in amazement. “Alice, sometimes your logic truly baffles me.”
“I’m eighteen, Mama, and not so delicate as all that,” Rebecca said. “I keep company with Susan, after all.”
“While that is true enough, Rebecca, I would not have our parents think I am filling your mind with radical philosophies or wanton suggestions,” Susan retorted.
“Susan, the very idea,” Mama said. “Very well, Rebecca. Move over, Isaac; I want Rebecca to sit by me so I may cover her ears during the conversation should the need arise.”
“Mama, really!” Rebecca exclaimed. “I know what a bird of paradise is. Isaac gave a Sunday School lesson about that very thing only a few weeks ago.”
“Isaac? InSunday School?”
“It was the woman taken in adultery, Mama. Repentance, you know. ‘Go and sin no more.’ Not the same thing at all, Rebecca,” Isaac said.
“Whatbird of paradise?” James asked. “Andwhois this Ruby Chadwick the earl was talking about?”
“For a barrister, you can be rather dim sometimes,” Susan said, earning a scowl from James.
“It would seem our fair Lavinia is known in London by the name of Ruby Chadwick,” Father said. “I’ll let Lucas explain.”
And Lucas did. Over the next hour, he told them what he knew—of his initial encounter with Lavinia at the White Horse and her public claim that he was her husband, at helping her find her friends and his decision to accompany them to her farm. “Our encounter with Lord Cosgrove this evening has helped fill in some of my gaps of knowledge: that Lavinia had been performing on Drury Lane under the fictitious name of Ruby Chadwick and had become something of a sensation. I was not interested in London social life while I was seeing to Anthony’s health and, therefore, had not heard of her.”
“Apparentlyyouhad though, Simon,” James said. “What was your part in all this?”
“I meant no harm—truly, Lucas,” Simon said, looking beleaguered. “But you must understand that for the past several days, all the talk in Town had been about Ruby Chadwick and her sudden and mysterious disappearance. There was speculation and gossip of all kinds—kidnapping, ransom, murder. A fellow couldn’t go anywhere and not hear about the popular actress who performed breeches roles and what could have happened to her.
“And then I showed up here only to discover my brother’s betrothed, ofwhom none of us had any prior inkling, was none other than Ruby Chadwick herself. It was laughable, really. I wrote to Georgie to tell him my discovery so he could share in the joke. I’d heard Cosgrove had offered a reward, but that wasn’t my reason for writing Georgie. Truly, Lucas.”
“And yet a young man of modest means could surely make good use of a few hundred pounds, I daresay,” Lucas said, unconvinced. “Especially one who has been busy being a man of leisure. Leisure can be expensive, can’t it?”
Simon dropped his gaze to the floor. “The money was tempting; I can’t deny it, I’m ashamed to say. It was mostly for laughs though, Lucas. Now that I’ve gotten to know Lavinia better, I see what a mistake it was.”
“But Cosgrove referred to her as a bird of paradise too,” James said.
“You seem fixated by that term, James,” Susan said.
“Susan, hush,” Mama said.
Susan merely smirked at James, who glared back at her.
“She was not, nor has she ever been such a thing, James,” Lucas said. “Do you recall your introduction to Lavinia? What was your first impression?”
“Ah, I understand. She’s a deuced attractive woman, to be sure. One would have to be dead not to notice. I imagine there have been too many men like Cosgrove who’ve had less than honorable thoughts where the fair Lavinia is concerned.”
“Precisely. As a result, she has an extremely poor opinion of men and has since she was very young.”
