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Groaning, he rose from the floor and walked to his bed again. Hopefully, his drink from the cook would be here soon. He needed to think about what to do. But no matter what, he had a job to do, and that would come first.
Chapter 4
Regina lay in bed,waiting for her mother to enter, but spending all this time since returning home this morning, she was growing weary of waiting for her mother. If only her head would stop throbbing with confusion. What kind of mother didn’t pace the floor waiting for their daughter, who hadn’t made it home after the ball? Did Ma even care that Regina had been with a man, alone in his coach? Then again, if Ma knew what was going on, Regina wouldn’t have lasted two minutes with Wayne Nichols.
At three-thirty this morning, when she had crept into the house, everyone was asleep. That was the moment her extra set of worry began to crawl its way through her mind and body. Why hadn’t her parents checked on her before they retired if only to know that Regina was in bed asleep? After all, they knew she was out of sorts last night.
Out of sorts? That was an understatement!She didn’t know what had made her lose her mind, but insanity didn’t run in her family, so she crossed that idea out.
Although she should have been relieved her parents hadn’t sent out the servants looking for her, she thought perhaps fate was on her side after all. She had quickly changed into her nightdress and jumped into bed. Yet, as the hours ticked by with her staring at the ceiling and counting the shadows moving in the room, then moving her attention to the window as she waited for the sun to rise, her worry grew until she became ill once again.
Perhaps her parents had discovered what really happened, and they were washing their hands of her. Regina had shamed their family terribly, bringing her mind back to the first worry. What had happened to make her act in such a way with Mr. Nichols? And why had she felt as though she wasn’t inside her body at all since her mind was spinning out of control the whole time she was in the coach. Yet, she remembered his tender touch and his sultry kisses, so she hadn’t died, and her spirit left her body as she had thought.
Maybe she was insane.
Not being able to stay in bed any longer after the sun had made its debut, she climbed out of bed and dressed for the day. Leaving the comforts of her bedchamber made her nervous to walk down to the dining room for breakfast. If not for her grumbling stomach, letting her know she hadn’t eaten for several hours, she could have continued to stay in her room. However, seeing her parents was important right now. She would know if they shunned her or not. The suspense was nearly killing her, and she couldn’t wait any longer.
Her legs shook as she came closer to the dining room. She listened for the sound of her parents talking – or crying. For certain, her mother would wail loudly if she knew that Regina had caused a scandal. They continued to have high hopes that she would find a good man with a title and marry him, even though her family wasn’t very wealthy, and her father was only a baron. Regina was closer to being considered an old maid at the ripe age of twenty-four than to finding a husband. And, if anyone knew about what she had done last night with Mr. Nichols, she would never find a man to marry.
She stopped in front of the dining room door. The scent of freshly made biscuits and gravy filled the air, making her empty stomach rumble. She rested her hand on the doorknob and hesitated. Nothing but silence from the other room greeted her. Why weren’t her parents having breakfast? Had she embarrassed them so badly that they couldn’t eat... or look at her?
Blinking back the tears stinging her eyes, she entered the dining room and walked to the table. Immediately, one of the kitchen maids hurried out with a plate of food and placed it in front of Regina. The maid then found a teacup and proceeded to pour some tea.
“Mary?” Regina asked in a tight voice. “Have my parents been down yet?”
“No, Miss Regina. They are still asleep, I believe.”
Her chest squeezed so tightly she thought she would stop breathing at any moment. However, the scent of the food overrode any heartache she experienced. She should be worried about her parents’ reaction to last night’s scandal, but she would eat first and ask questions later.
She was almost relieved that her parents weren’t at the table to witness her shoving the food in her mouth so fast and eating with her mouth open. Never had she acted this way before, but it was as though she was starved, and her body couldn’t get enough. In fact, she recalled acting similar to that last night with Mr. Nichols. Her body had been starved for a man’s affection. How disgusting!
Indeed, something maddening was happening to her. It wasn’t like her to act in such a heathen way.
Finally, her stomach felt full, and the food became less enticing. She leaned back in her chair, wondering what to do next. Her tummy was too full to walk up the stairs. Perhaps a turn around the yard might be what she needed to clear her mind and make her stomach feel less bloated.
She pushed away from the table and walked out of the dining room. The grandfather clock in the corridor chimed the eleventh hour. Confusion filled her, and she frowned. Were her parents still in bed? How late had they stayed up last night? And had they stayed up waiting for their daughter to return home?
