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Lady Thorburn was sitting very still, her eyes wide as she stared at him in profound shock. Her tea sat forgotten in its saucer, and it crossed his mind to wonder whether she was on the verge of suffering apoplexy.
‘A...farmer?’
‘Mother...’
‘You took tea at the home of some...yeoman?’
‘Isn’t it fairly common for ladies to go visiting farmhouses in the country?’
‘Todistribute almsperhaps!’ Her tone conveyed pinched outrage. ‘And you are not a lady! If you had been to see a tenant—but then totake tea—’
She was sputtering now.
James pressed his napkin to his mouth and stood.
He had had enough.
‘Good day, Mother. You mustn't wait for me. I’ve decided to call at Inverley for a few days.’
‘Inverley! In Berkshire?’
‘Oh come now, Mother, you know very well it’s the Alden estate.’
‘You’re leaving London? Now? Lord Warwick’s ball is only days away!’
‘A fortnight away,’ James corrected her, unable to keep the sharp edge from his tone. ‘I wager I shall have returned by then!’
‘Well!’ she snipped and turned her shoulder to him deliberately.
He knew she meant it as a sign of her great displeasure, but he was far too annoyed now to attempt to appease her. His patience was at an end. Inverley was the only solution.
With that thought, he stalked out of the morning room and ordered his horse to be saddled.
He would be at Inverley by noon.
Kate
‘Kate,’ came her uncle’s voice through the door of her bedroom.
Kate was taken aback. Her uncle was not in the habit of disturbing her privacy under any circumstances.
She had been dressing. She hurried to finish pulling taut the laces on the back of her dress, tying them smartly. Then she opened the door.
‘What is it, Uncle?’
The expression on his face alarmed her.
‘Your aunt is unwell.’
‘Unwell? Oh, Uncle! Should I run for the apothecary?’
Uncle John shook his head. ‘She said not. But there’s no chance she’ll make her deliveries today, on any account.’
Kate blinked. Yes, today was the last Tuesday of the month, when her aunt was accustomed to ride over fifty miles from morning to night, delivering her lovingly crafted cheeses to those who had become faithful customers of the Norwoods.
‘It can wait,’ Kate said. ‘No one will be very put out if they receive their delivery a few days late.’
‘That’s the problem, Kate. Your aunt won’t see reason. She won’t lie easy knowing she’s missing her deliveries.’
