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Ainsley pressed her palms over her eyes for a moment, trying to quell her rising panic. “All right. Where is my mother?”
“With Nicholas in the drawing room. I thought it might be a good idea for him to speak with her before you arrived home.”
Royal nodded. “You mean you wanted Nick to intimidate her with his stern Highland laird manner. Not a bad plan.”
“My mother is not easily intimidated, unfortunately.” For her mother to show up like this was a very bad sign. It meant she would try to persuade Ainsley to return to London—or worse.
And if she’d gotten enough of a look at Tira . . .
“I’m so sorry,” Victoria said in an unhappy voice. “If I’d known your mother was coming, I would have taken Tira around to the back of the house.”
“It’s not your fault, Victoria. I had no idea she was coming either. Let me go in and try to find out what she knows.”
“I’ll come with you,” Royal said, starting her toward the drawing room door.
That was averybad idea, for too many reasons to count. “No,” she said, holding him back. “It’s best if Mamma and I speak alone, at least at first.”
Royal made an impatient sound. “I won’t have her bullying you, or forcing you to do something you don’t want to do.”
She mustered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “You know by now that no one makes me do something I don’t want to do, not even my mother.”
Or her father, for that matter. But Ainsley was still tremendously grateful that Papa hadn’t come along. He could be incredibly stubborn and tended to yell when frustrated. That would have gone down very poorly with Royal.
“Are you sure, dearest?” Victoria asked. “Nicholas can stay with you, or I can come in, if you like.”
“Thank you, but my mother is no doubt upset and will not appreciate an audience.”
Royal muttered a few curses before escorting her to the door. “All right, but I’m staying right out here. If you need me, just call out.”
“Thank you.” Although she appreciated his protective instincts, Ainsley was terrified of what her mother might say, and even more terrified that Royal would hear it.
You should have told him the truth right away.
Ainsley squashed that panicked thought. The truth wouldn’t change anything, including how she and Royal felt about each other. Or how she felt about Cringlewood.
She squared her shoulders and nodded. Royal opened the door and then stepped back. As she walked by him, he pressed a quick, comforting hand to her shoulder.
His unquestioning support made her wretched with guilt.
Pausing for a moment after closing the door behind her, she worked to settle her tripping heartbeat. Then she adopted her best social smile and crossed the drawing room to join her mother and Lord Arnprior. They were seated opposite each other, the earl cool and imperious in his high-backed wing chair. Mamma looked like she had the fireplace poker up her backside as she perched on the edge of the chaise.
“Ah, Lady Ainsley,” Arnprior said, rising. “Your mother and I have been getting reacquainted while we waited for you.”
Her mother’s expression suggested she’d find a tooth extraction preferable to chatting with the laird—or setting foot in Scotland, for that matter. Her mother loathed the north.
“Thank you, sir.” Ainsley bent to press a kiss to her mother’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Mamma. If I’d known you’d be arriving today, I would not have gone out. Why didn’t you send me a note?”
Her mother allowed the kiss but made no move to touch her or display any sign of affection. “I arrived in the city late last night and did not have time to send a note around.”
Ainsley frowned. “Why didn’t you have your footman deliver a message to Breadie Manor first thing this morning? I didn’t leave the house till after breakfast.”
“I thought it best to go directly there, instead. I was surprised to discover you had already gone for the day.” Her mother flicked a disapproving glance in Arnprior’s direction. “I didn’t realize you were spending so much time at Kendrick House, my dear,” she said, making it sound like Ainsley was carousing in a pub down in the stews. “It is unfortunate that I had to chase after you.”
“We consider Lady Ainsley one of the family, madam,” the earl said in a matching tone of aristocratic hauteur. “She is welcome here anytime, day or night.”
“How kind,” Mamma intoned. “But need I point out—”
“Where are you staying, Mamma?” Ainsley hastily interrupted. “Next time just send a note, and I’ll come there right away.”
