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“I may be able to come tomorrow night. My parents are dining with friends, but I have no plans. They won’t know that I’m gone if I return before sun-up.”
“Then tomorrow night, I shall collect you at eight. We can dine and then retire for a night of carnal pleasures.”
The dance ended, so the couple left the dance floor. Andrew was leading Tabitha over to the refreshment table when they were stopped dead in their tracks by Miranda, Andrew’s sister-in-law.
For a moment, Andrew was taken aback. He hadn’t seen Miranda since the days right after William’s death and the reading of the will. He assumed Miranda would be at her parent’s country estate, not in London.
“Good evening, Miranda. It’s nice to see you again.”
Although it was odd that she was at the ball since she wasn’t out of her time of mourning. Andrew doubted she grieved much for his brother, but rather mourned the loss of money that had come with the title.
Miranda’s gaze darted between Andrew and Tabitha, sneering at the couple.
“I see you have moved on to another innocent girl. Be careful, my dear. He is a viper. He will promise you anything to get you in his bed, if he hasn’t already.”
“I don’t know to whom you are referring as innocent, Miranda, because it certainly is not you.” Andrew replied quietly so those around them could not hear, even though several guests near them had paused to try to listen.
Miranda stood there, her mouth agape and her eyes wide in shock. But it didn’t take long before she narrowed her gaze. “You know exactly what you did. You robbed me and my baby of our rightful inheritance. You threw me out of the house, with barely anything but the clothes on my back.” Her voice rose in pitch.
Andrew kept his voice neutral, wanting to be done with the confrontation. “Miranda, you know as well as I do that I had nothing to do with your inheritance. It was all spelled out in William’s will.”
“Which you had him change for your own benefit,” Miranda exclaimed, loud enough for people near them to take notice.
Andrew was familiar with his sister-in-law’s tactic of using hysterics to get her way. This was not the place to have this discussion, so as politely as possible, he said, “Perhaps we can have this discussion in private at some other time. I can call on you at your parents’ home.”
She laughed. “You would like that—ply me with your charms and spout your lies. You stole what was rightfully mine!”
Now more guests were turning their full attention towards them.
“Miranda, I understand you are upset, but you cannot blame me for something that happened before I came to see William. We hadn’t seen each other for years. The solicitor even said he had drawn the will up more than a month before I returned to the estate. Whatever changes William demanded be made to his will, he must have had a good reason... or suspicion.”
If she wanted to make a public display of herself, that was fine, but Andrew would not be a participant. He’d be damned if he was going to be made out to be the villain once again. He knew there were plenty of interested ears nearby and wanted to save what little of a reputation he still had.
Miranda’s eyes doubled in size at his veiled accusation about her. She took a step closer to Andrew, only a few inches away from him. “Mark my words, you will pay for what you have done to me. I will make you sorry. And you,” she said, pointing to Tabitha, “don’t spend another second in this man’s company. He is poison to everyone around him. Look what happened to his brother! My loving, healthy husband, taken from me before his time. That is why I lost my baby. It was the grief, you see, the grief over losing my husband, and then Andrew came and stole everything away and tossed me out the door. He’s a vile, cold-hearted snake.”
Andrew wrapped an arm around Tabitha, trying to shield her from Miranda’s words. He was about to reply when Miranda’s father appeared out of the crowd of onlookers and whispered something into his daughter’s ear.
The older man looked at Andrew and Tabitha. “I am sorry for the scene, Your Grace. She hasn’t been the same since William’s death. I believe that, and losing her child, has caused her to become prone to hysterics.”
“Apology accepted, sir, but I think it would be best if Miranda was taken home to rest.”
“I agree, Your Grace, and again, my most sincere apologies.”
With that, Miranda’s father led her through the crowd, which parted to let them pass, leaving Andrew and Tabitha the focus of the curious onlookers. He did his best to conceal his anger. How dare Miranda publicly confront him. Just as things were looking up, his past had come back to haunt him. It didn’t escape Andrew’s notice that several ladies whispered behind their fans.
Fine, let them talk. They didn’t know the facts, not that he’d ever let them know. No one knew everything, not even Gran or Tabitha. Andrew turned to Tabitha, her features composed. Like him, she seemed determined not to let anyone see how affected she was by Miranda’s outburst. He took her arm, leading her away from the crowd when his grandmother approached.
Lady Holcombe gently placed her hand on Andrew’s arm. “Are you all right? I’m sorry I didn’t see Miranda here. If I’d known, I would have demanded that she leave at once.”
“It’s all right, Gran. I don’t blame you.”
“It was in very poor taste for her to confront you in that way. I shall write Miranda’s father a note telling him myself. She’s not fit to be in polite society, acting like that.”
Gran was always his staunchest supporter.
“Come along. After that display, I need a drink.”
“We’ll be right there, Gran.”
