The Lady's Fate (The Reluctant Grooms Volume II)

by Anne Gallagher

  Violet woke the sleeping Jane.

  “Dearest, I am sorry to wake you. I must go now. Our time is over for this visit.”

  “Imma, stay with Jane,” the little girl said sleepily. She curled further up onto Violet’s lap.

  “Jane, I’m afraid I cannot stay. I have some very important business to attend and I must take my leave.”

  She brought the child to a sitting position, allowed her to wake some more, and then led her to the kitchen for a biscuit and milk. Violet kissed her cheek, promised Jane she would visit again soon, and turned to leave.

  Haverlane stood in the doorway. “Are you already departing, Violet? I thought we could have a cup of tea together.” His smile was warm and lit his eyes. No trace of the conversation she had overheard remained.

  “I beg your pardon, my lord, I must take my leave. I have several errands before I return home. Forgive me.” Violet ran from the room and down the hall. Haverlane called to her as she flew out the front door into the sunshine. She did not stop, not even to retrieve her bonnet.

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she batted them away as she raced to Grosvenor Square. Oh, the humiliation! She prayed the whole way Penny would be there, able to receive her.

  Quiggins answered her knock. “Lady Violet, please come in.” He opened the door wide and allowed her to step inside the grand entry.

  “Mr. Quiggins, please say Lady Penny is receiving. I must speak to her at once.” Violet clutched her skirt in soft bunches.

  “I’m sorry, my lady, she is from home this morning.”

  Violet felt the tears start up again. Now what would she do?

  “Lady Violet, please come in and allow me to bring you tea. Forgive me, you look very ill.” Quiggins took a step back.

  “No, Mr. Quiggins,” she said, wiping her tears. “I am well.”

  Lady Olivia appeared down the hall. “Quiggins, who is there?”

  “Lady Violet, mum. She is quite distressed,” he said.

  The dowager came toward her. “Whatever is the matter, Violet? You look completely done in. Quiggins, fetch us some tea, in my sitting room, if you please.” She turned to Violet and laid a hand on her arm. “Now come child, come with me. You shall tell me all about it.”

  Lady Olivia led Violet upstairs to her private quarters and bid Violet to sit on the divan. Lady Olivia sat in her chair by the window. Quiggins brought tea, Lady Olivia poured out, and Violet tried to regain control of her spinning emotions.

  “Now, tell me what has happened,” Lady Olivia said after Quiggins departed.

  “Oh, Lady Olivia, I do not know if I dare. This is so wicked, and I am so ashamed, even though it is not my fault at all. I cannot actually believe it is happening.”

  “Violet, there is nothing I have not heard in my lifetime. Nothing you say will shock me. Now tell me so that I may help you. You are quite overset.”

  Violet twisted her fingers in her lap. “There are rumors, horrible rumors spreading about me. They are saying Haverlane and I have been…intimate. And they are not true. I did not understand why everyone was being so cruel to me last night, but I have just heard the despicable assumptions and now I fully understand about last night. But it is not true, Lady Olivia. I have never lain with him.” Violet looked up at the older woman to see if she believed her.

  “Of course you haven’t,” Lady Olivia said. “Fornication with Haverlane, why that is absurd, who would think such a thing?”

  “Everyone, Your Grace. Lilly’s friends, Mr. Garrick, now even the Duke of Chesnick. He thinks Haverlane and I had an illicit affair at Fairhaven. And when my mother finds out, I do not know what I shall do. Mr. Garrick shall never marry me now and I have no family to protect me.” Violet couldn’t stop the tears and sobbed until the handkerchief Lady Olivia handed her was sopping wet.

  The dowager had the patience to wait out the torrent. Violet dried her tears, sniffed, and looked at the old woman.

  Lady Olivia patted Violet’s hand. “Now, you must start at the very beginning and tell me everything. Leave out no detail so I may see the whole ugly picture. From there I will decide what needs doing.”

  Violet talked for more than an hour and told the duchess everything that had happened since the fateful day with the ducks, from the letters she shared with Haverlane, the stolen kisses, and her run-in with Lady Baxter’s wine and threats. Lady Olivia sat and nodded, asked a question here and there, but for the most part remained silent as Violet told her tale.

  When Violet finished, Lady Olivia sat back in her chair.

  “Well, well. To think Haverlane has finally gone and done it,” Lady Olivia said.

  “Done it? Done what, Your Grace?”

  “Landed in a scandal. I have been waiting almost twenty years for something to happen to that boy and now, it has finally occurred.” The old woman smiled and then let out a bark of laughter.

  “Your Grace, I mean no disrespect, but this is hardly a laughing matter.”

  The duchess straightened. “No, my dear, you are right. It is not amusing. I think I may know how the rumors started, and that is a very good thing. But now we must come up with a plan to bring the treachery out into the open.”

  “Oh, no,” Violet cried. “We mustn’t. I must think about my sisters. This scandal will hurt all their chances. Lilly is so close to gaining my mother’s consent to marry Welbey. I had hoped to make a match with Mr. Garrick for that to happen, but now I know not what to do.” Violet could not help the tears that started again.

  “Now, now, dry your eyes. The scandal will not touch you or your sister. Poor choice though, that she has made. She could have done much better than Welbey,” Lady Olivia said with a sigh.

  “My sister loves Welbey. And although my mother wished for an Earl, she is happy with a Viscount.”

  “Yes. Love. There is that,” Lady Olivia mused. “And your mother has her head in the clouds if she thought Lilly would have snared better than she has.” She paused and looked at Violet. “Now you, on the other hand, will be married to a Marquess and your mother should be very thankful for that.”

  “Married to a Marquess? Your Grace, Lord Haverlane is to marry Lady Baxter. I heard his father say he wishes an engagement before the Season is over. Especially now that the rumor mill has lauded it these last months. His Grace, the duke said I have nothing to recommend me and he is right. I am not foolish enough to believe Haverlane would go against his father’s wishes.”

  “And if he does not, child, you do not want him. Haverlane was brow beaten into his marriage with Anne. They found their way to love. If he does not stand up to his father now, he will be nothing but a shadow to the Chesnick name. As for him taking up with that contemptible creature Georgiana Baxter, I know why he has done it, but it did not serve him as well as he thought.” Lady Olivia moved the curtains and looked out the window. She turned back to Violet.

  “Certain things are obvious to me and I will speak none of them to you. The less you worry, the better off you shall be. However, I must consult with several people before we decide in which way to attack this travesty. You shall stay here for the time being and I will brook no refusal. Now come, I shall show you to a room where you may rest.” Lady Olivia stood and took Violet’s hand. “All will be well my dear, you will see.”

  Violet could not understand how, but she trusted Lady Olivia and followed her down the hall like a puppy on a leash.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  In the end, Violet cried herself to sleep in the room Lady Olivia showed her. When she woke several hours later, night had fallen. Violet laid there in the dark wondering if her mother had found out about the rumors. Of course, she had. There could be no denying, it was probably all over Town by now. How would she ever set things right?

  Violet pushed herself off the bed and sat up. Whatever her fate, it awaited her downstairs. She washed her face in the small basin set on the dresser and realized it would not help her puffy red-ringed eyes. She opened the door and descended the st
airs.

  She asked for Lady Olivia, and Quiggins directed her to the yellow parlour.

  “Ah, you are awake,” Lady Olivia said. “Come in, I have much to share with you.”

  Violet walked slowly into the room and sat on the small settee next to Lady Olivia.

  “Would you like something to eat? Cook will make whatever you wish.”

  “No, Your Grace, thank you. I am not hungry.” Violet cast her eyes to the floor. She would never be able to repay this kindness.

  “Well, perhaps some soup then, you must keep up your strength. We have a long night ahead of us and it is better to be prepared on a full stomach.” She rang the bell, and when Quiggins appeared, asked him to bring Violet a bowl of soup and some bread.

  “Now,” she said, after Quiggins departed, “I have set the wheels in motion. You were correct. Your mother has heard the rumors and is quite overset by the whole thing, naturally.”

  “You spoke to my mother?” Violet was shocked.

  “Oh, yes. And a good thing I did too, or I would never have realized just how far she was willing to go to keep what little remains of her husband’s name. I am sorry to have to tell you this, Violet, but your mother did not believe me when I told her the rumors were false.”

  Deep down in her heart, Violet had known this. Still, it hurt to realize her mother would rather believe a pack of lies than her own daughter.

  “I am sorry, Your Grace, for dragging you into this madness.”

  “Nonsense,” the dowager said. “This madness, as you so call it, is going to set the ton on its ear. I have waited years for some of these people to get their comeuppance and it will be a pleasure to watch them crumble. I also find it highly gratifying that I will be the one to do so.”

  Quiggins arrived with Violet’s soup, and Lady Olivia and she moved to the table near the fireplace. After Quiggins’ departure, Lady Olivia began to unfold her plan.

  “Owing to the fact that your mother has now disowned you…”

  “My mother disowned me?” Violet could not believe it. But then, she could. Violet had never been a favorite daughter.

  “Yes, but I believe it was more a show for your sisters’ benefit than anything else. Setting you as example. Do not take it so hard. Your mother will soon realize her mistake, and I will take great satisfaction as I watch her eat crow.” Lady Olivia grinned. “Now, owing to this fact, you will now reside with me.”

  “Oh, Your Grace, I could not possibly live here. I would not wish any of this to touch the duke and duchess.”

  Lady Olivia patted her hand. “None of it shall, my dear. None of it shall. You and I will be staying elsewhere in Town. Penny and William will remain blind to what is about to happen, and that is the way I wish it. Penny will lend the next several days credibility as she goes about Society in her fury to find the culprit of these rumors. No, you and I, my dear will be in hiding. As soon as you are finished your soup, we shall set forth.”

  “Hiding? But do we not want to find out who the perpetrator of the rumors is? How can we achieve that by hiding?” Violet was confused.

  Lady Olivia smiled. “Oh, I know exactly who the perpetrator is. There is no doubt in my mind. However, for you to get what you want out of this….” She paused. “You do still want your father’s name held in good stead by Society, do you not?”

  Violet looked at Lady Olivia. “With all my heart.”

  “And to marry Haverlane?”

  Violet nodded, uncertain how Lady Olivia would achieve that feat.

  “Well, in order for you to get what you want, we must let others do most of our work for us. And to that, we must play cat and mouse. They will be the mice, and we, my dear, will be the cat waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting creatures. There is more to this game than meets the eye and although I have not played in a very long time, the rules have not changed. Now come, finish your soup. We must away before my niece and her lord and master arrive home from their party.”

  *****

  Penny and William stood across the ballroom. As Ellis approached them, Penny’s gaze met his, and she was not happy. In fact, she seemed quite livid. Oh, God, what had happened now?

  “What, by all that’s Holy, were you thinking?” Penny asked when Ellis stood before her.

  Several people heard, and the chance to spread the latest on dit, made Ellis take her by the arm and lead her closer to the corner.

  “Penny, pray, what have I done to displease you this time?” Ellis hoped it was just another misunderstanding.

  “I take it you have not heard then, of the rumors plaguing Violet?” she asked, a sarcastic bite to her words.

  “Rumors, no, I have not heard of them.” Ellis kept his face trained to its usual mask of disdain and boredom, but inside his stomach began to roil. Had she eloped with Garrick?

  “Let me inform you, dear brother, of the latest. It seems you and Lady Violet had a passionate affair while she was in your employ at Fairhaven. She is now with child wandering piteously through the streets, begging for someone to help her. Some accounts say she has thrown herself off the Bridge.”

  “What!” His shout caused quite a few people to turn and stare. He looked at his brother for confirmation.

  “It is true,” William said. “It is spreading around Town like a wild fire gone mad. I am surprised you have not heard of it before now.”

  “The perpetrator is always the last to know what has been said about him,” Ellis said. He did not have to ask where the fabrications started. He knew Georgiana had had a hand in it. And after the conversation with his father yesterday, there was blame to be laid elsewhere.

  “Where is Violet?” Ellis had to find her. By God, he would make this up to her. This and every other thing Georgiana Baxter had done to her, and then he would kill Georgiana Baxter with his bare hands, lady or not.

  “No one knows. From what we ascertained from Lilly, Violet is in the hands of Lady Olivia,” William said.

  “Lady Olivia?” How could the dowager have become involved?

  “It was my dear aunt,” Penny said, “who informed Countess Flowers of the rumors, hoping to gainsay any potential disaster. However, Lilly informed me her mother believed the lies and disowned Violet. My aunt then had Lilly pack her trunk, and while the footman retrieved it, Lady Olivia berated the Countess on the correct way to handle such a scandal. Of course, the Lady Flowers ignored my aunt, as you can plainly see.” Penny turned and looked over to the corner of the room, where Violet’s mother held court to anyone that would listen.

  No doubt, she was having a delightful time raking him over the coals. The woman was insufferable. “Where is Lady Olivia then?” Ellis would find her and then surely, find Violet.

  “I do not know. She has left Caymore House,” Penny said. “As soon as I heard the rumors and spoke with Lilly, I sent William back to Grosvenor Square to make sure Violet was with her. Our under-butler informed my husband Lady Olivia has packed a trunk and taken my dear Quiggins with her. There was no mention of Violet even being in her presence.”

  “Are you sure, Penny? I can hardly believe the other servants did not notice Violet with Lady Olivia.” Ellis would go mad if he could not at least find out if Violet was all right. Although, she must be if she was with Lady Olivia.

  “Unfortunately, Friday is the servants’ day off in our household,” William said. “Only Cook and Quiggins remained at the house with Lady Olivia. Cook said Lady Olivia requested a cup of soup and some bread a short time ago. That was the last she heard. And Quiggins ran our under-butler to ground at his lady-bird’s and told him he was needed to report back to Caymore House, but that was all he told him.”

  Ellis began to panic. What if Violet was not with Lady Olivia? Where could she have gone? What if Lady Olivia had gained Violet’s clothes, but dropped her off somewhere? The unanswered questions tormented him. He had to find her.

  Penny placed a hand on Ellis’ arm. “I must ask you. Is there any truth to these rumors? I know what Violet ha
s told me. I want to hear it from your own lips.”

  Ellis looked at his sister-in-law. “I cannot believe you would ask such a thing, but I shall allay your fears. No. There is absolutely no truth to the rumors. Now you must excuse me, I have to find Violet.”

  Ellis stormed out of the ballroom, nearly stopping to vent his rage on Lady Flowers, but thought the better of it and left.

  Slamming the door into his house, he headed for the library, Manning following.

  “Where was Lady Violet yesterday morning when my father was here?” he demanded of the butler.

  “I believe she was outside in the garden with Lady Jane, my lord.”

  Ellis sighed. Well, that explained the first part. She had overheard him and his father discussing his relationship with Georgiana. Ellis wished he could punch himself in the face for being so foolish.

  “Manning, do you have any idea where Violet went after she left here? Did she make any mention of it at all when she first came?”

  “No, my lord. Is something amiss?”

  “Yes, Manning, something is very much amiss. If Lady Baxter, Lord Axminster, or my own father, come to this house, bar the door and do not give them admittance. Do I make myself clear?” Ellis stood at the tantalus and poured himself a generous brandy.

  “Of course, my lord.” Manning bowed and left.

  Ellis paced in front of the desk and tried to retrace Violet’s steps. She had left here after hearing the conversation between him and his father. Where would a young girl go after learning such a story? To her best friend, of course. So, not finding Penny at home, Lady Olivia must have listened to Violet’s heartbreak and taken the matter into her own hands. The question was – where were they now?

  *****

  Violet sat in her nightrail and robe, in slippered feet, in the Olmstead kitchen with Lady Olivia, who poured tea in the semi-darkness. She leaned back in the chair, took her cup, poured two generous helpings of sugar, and passed the sugar to Violet.

  “Drink up,” she said. “It will soothe your nerves. You look as if you will jump out of your skin at any moment.”