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“Lady Dervin,” he said, striding into the room, his footfalls powerful. Margaret sat up, and a dreadful silence descended upon the room. “Take your daughter and remove yourselves from my estate,” he commanded.
Margaret gasped and raised her hand to her chest. “Y-your Grace, what brought on this sudden change?”
“I think you know what,” he replied coldly as Florence appeared behind him, her eyes filled with tears.
Diana immediately knew, and her stomach clenched. “Florence, what did you do?” she demanded.
Florence could not speak and only shook her head. Margaret gave Matthew a wide-eyed stare. “There must be some sort of misunderstanding, Your Grace.” The glare he responded with could chill one’s blood, and Margaret fretfully turned to Florence. “What have you done? Apologize to His Grace at once!”
“You made me do it!” Florence cried, her body shaking.
Oh, Lord!Diana grimaced, looking away from Matthew.
“How dare you lie, you insolent chit!” Margaret countered.
“You asked me to do what it takes to make him mine, Mother!” Florence yelled. “You have done nothing but make me grant your horrible wishes.” She looked at Diana. “I swear I did not want to do this. She threatened to toss me out and I have nowhere to go. Please, believe me!”
“You should have come to me, Florence,” Diana said. “I could have helped you.”
“Your Grace, she is lying,” Margaret pleaded but Matthew stared ahead, unmoving. Her aunt looked at her now. “My dear, surely you can see that this is a misunderstanding.”
“Is it?” Diana asked. “You should leave.”
Florence began to sob hysterically. She covered her face with her hands and ran out. Diana would have followed her if her foot permitted but she hoped her cousin would be fine. Still insisting on her innocence in this horrid scheme, Margaret began to beg Diana again. “My dear—"
“I am sure you have no wish to be forcibly removed from the castle,” Diana cut her off. “Please respect yourself and leave.”
Although she was not surprised that Margaret had forced Florence to try to seduce Matthew, Diana was gravely wounded by it, especially because they knew she was engaged to him. However, her thoughts urged her to believe her cousin and give her an opportunity to redeem herself. Diana had sympathized with her when she had found that her aunt had spent all of her dowry, and then revealed she had been threatened to be tossed out, and she could see how Florence had no choice but to obey.
Margaret looked desperately from Diana to Matthew, and when neither of them would look directly at her, she bowed her head and walked out shamefully.
Diana closed her eyes and swallowed. She felt Emma’s hand touch hers, and when she opened her eyes, Matthew was kneeling in front of her and taking her right hand.
“I have the deepest respect for you but your family overstepped,” he said.
“Margaret is not my family,” she whispered, too weary to speak any louder. “I have a new family now.”
“Yes, you do.” His thumb stroked the back of her hand. Abruptly, he rose. His gaze was gentle but everything else about him at that instant conveyed how angry he was. “I shall see you again soon, darling. Please, excuse me.” He turned and walked out of the room. Albert stood and followed him.
Diana sighed and let her head hang. “I hope I will not see them again.”
“I think they are truly defeated now,” Emma said, patting the back of her left hand, which rested on her lap.
“Thank you,” Diana murmured. “For everything.”
“Oh, you do not have to thank me, Diana.” Emma smiled. “I am your sister.”
“And one of the people I adore the most in this world,” Diana finished, feeling better and incredibly grateful.
The physician had seen her in the morning and declared that her foot was recovering well and quickly. She had been able to walk from her bed to the dressing room to have her bath with less pain than she thought, but a footman had helped her downstairs.
She was not married to Matthew yet, and the reasoning voice in her mind cautioned her to not become comfortable in the castle until she had appended her signature in a register, but the care she was receiving was making her act in the contrary. She had found a home for the first time in her life, and she dearly hoped it was hers to keep.
Chapter 32
The following day, Diana was sitting in the Garden with Emma when Matthew joined them, the late afternoon light casting a glow around him as he stood in front of them.
“I have written to Viscount Edgington,” he told her. “I expect his response soon.”
