Cinders & Sapphires (20 page)

Rose stood in her mother’s parlor, nervously twisting her fingers together as she waited for her mother to come in. She had known from the moment she stepped down from the pony trap that everyone at Somerton knew about her disgrace. It was in the sympathetic way that James’s eyes followed her as she walked into the house; in Priya’s startled, pitying look; in Cook’s silence and Martha’s malicious giggle. It was Stella’s doing, she was sure of it. And now the only person she had yet to face—the only person she was truly afraid of facing—was her mother.

The clock ticked steadily on, like water dripping away at stone. She had hardly noticed it before, but now it nagged at her. She found herself wishing there was a way to stop it—and then the door opened and her mother came in.

She looked exhausted. Deep shadows were under her eyes, and her face had lost its color. They gazed at each other silently. Then Rose gave a sob and rushed into her mother’s arms.

She felt her mother’s strong arms go around her and her rough hands stroking her hair. Rose sobbed on her shoulder. “Mother…Mother, I’m so sorry.”

“Hush, hush.” Her mother guided her to a chair and sat her down. She stood in front of her. Rose could not meet her eyes.

“Rose, what came over you?” The sorrow in her voice was worse than anger. “How could you do such a thing? Did you not imagine the consequences?”

Rose dried her eyes. She had to set matters straight. “I was foolish but I wasn’t wicked, I promise you. I know it was wrong of me to go to the concert. I know I was getting above my station. But I never enticed Mr. Templeton to kiss me. That I would never do.”

Her mother looked at her steadily, and then drew out an envelope from her pocket. Rose looked at it for a moment before realizing what it was. It was Ravi’s last reply to Miss Ada, directed to her. It must have missed her and arrived at Somerton in her absence. She turned pale.

“I see by your expression that you know something about this.” Her mother’s voice trembled.

“Have you opened it?”

“No. I wanted to give you the chance to explain.” She went on. “I want to believe you did not lead Mr. Templeton on. But then there is this: Rose, can you swear to me this letter is not from a man?”

There was silence. Rose could not reply. She could not bring herself to swear that it was not from a man when she knew very well it was.

“I thought as much. Oh, Rose!” Her mother’s voice broke, pained. “After all I have said to you about the importance of keeping a perfect reputation. If you only knew—” She broke off, and said instead, “Open it now, please. In front of me.”

Rose did not take the letter.

“I—I can’t.” If she let her mother know what was in it, Lady Ada’s secret would be out. How could she do that to her when she knew how it could destroy her life? Perhaps her mother would not tell, but Rose could not betray Lady Ada like that.

“You understand that if you refuse, I have to think the very worst of you.” Her mother’s voice was cold. Rose hung her head.

Her mother flung the letter down on the table and paced back and forth. “I cannot stay here when you have been dismissed. But what are we to do? Where are we to go? Everyone in the village will know your shame, Miss Ward will see to that. I don’t think you understand the trouble you have plunged us into.”

“I do, Mother.” Rose dashed away tears. “But I promise you, I will work at any honest job to support you. I can scrub floors, I can work in a factory or a field. I won’t let us starve.”

Her mother was hardly listening. “Perhaps it was my fault.” She gazed into the mirror above the fireplace. “Perhaps I should have told you the truth.”

Rose frowned. “What do you mean, Mother?”

Her mother turned quickly. “Rose, I—your father—” But before she could go on, there was a sharp rap at the door, and without waiting for an answer, Stella Ward walked in. After the first moment’s astonishment, Mrs. Cliffe drew herself up. “Ward, how dare you burst in here?”

Rose was looking at Stella’s face. The look of sheer triumph on it made her feel sick.

“You’re wanted in the drawing room, Cliffe.” Stella’s grin widened. “And you too, Rose.”

Rose was shocked by the casual insolence with which she spoke.

“Are you drunk?” her mother demanded.

“No need for your cheek. You should get up there at once. Her Ladyship’s waiting.”

She flounced out, head high. Rose looked at her mother in astonishment and fear.

“What can she be after?” Mrs. Cliffe murmured. She hurried after Stella, and Rose followed.

As Ada left the breakfast room, Cooper came up to her. Ada was startled to see that he looked worried.

“I beg your pardon, miss. But Lord Fintan is here.”

“Lord Fintan?” Ada was surprised but pleased. “Well…show him into the library, Cooper, and let my father know. You surely know what to do with a gentleman visitor better than I do!” She laughed, but her laughter died away as she saw his concern deepen.

“I’m afraid, miss, that your father is…engaged, in the drawing room, with Lady Westlake and Miss Templeton. There is no one else to receive His Lordship.”

“Is everything quite all right, Cooper?” Ada asked.

“I would not venture to say, my lady,” Cooper said mournfully. “Shall I show His Lordship into the library?”

“Y-yes. Please do, and I will be there presently.” Ada glanced into the mirror that hung in the hallway, and unconsciously smoothed her hair. Lord Fintan here at this time of the morning, and her father too busy to see him? It seemed extraordinary. But it was against the rules of hospitality to keep a guest waiting. She hurried to the library.

She found Lord Fintan standing in the light that came through the great arched windows, hands behind his back. On the desk beside him were a couple of books, half open.

“Lord Fintan! What a pleasant surprise.” She came forward, and he turned, smiling, to greet her.

“I’m so terribly sorry that my father isn’t available at once. Perhaps you can be persuaded to make do with me for a time?”

“I need no persuasion,” he said, bowing over her hand. “Really, it was you I came to see.”

Ada heard him, but she paid little attention. Her thoughts were on her father in the drawing room. What on earth could he be busy with? A sense of foreboding settled over her heart. There was one explanation, of course. If Charlotte truly had seen that kiss, and if she had told him…

“Shall we walk in the gardens?” Lord Fintan suggested. “It is such a fine morning.”

“With pleasure,” Ada managed; though at the thought of what might be happening in the drawing room, she had turned dizzy.

Lord Fintan unfastened the French windows and they stepped out onto the terrace. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and felt better. The sun glinted on the lake, and the horizon of rolling hills made her relax at once.

They strolled down toward the ha-ha. Ada kept up with Lord Fintan’s conversation mechanically. Had Charlotte seen anything? And if she had, would she tell?

“…must have wondered why I came here to see you.”

Ada became aware that Lord Fintan was looking into her face with a particularly serious expression.

“I—” She remembered, then, that Charlotte saw her as a rival for Lord Fintan’s affections. Could Charlotte have told him about the kiss? She flushed red and could not look him in the eye.

“I see you have some suspicion,” Lord Fintan went on.

Ada could not manage a single word in answer.

“I will take your evident confusion as a hopeful sign,” he went on, more gently. “With all your strength of mind, your nobility of soul, you have never done anything that could cause a true lady to blush. That is why I feel so strongly that I am doing the right thing. Ada, will you marry me?”

Ada gaped at him. She realized that her expression was the opposite of a lady’s, and hastily closed her mouth.

“But—but what about Charlotte?” she found herself saying. At once, she wished she could sink through the ground.

Lord Fintan’s expression changed just a fraction. “Ah. I understand.” He nodded. “No, no”—he waved a hand as she began to stumblingly apologize—“there is no need to say anything. I certainly do owe you an explanation. You are rightly sensitive.” He cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed. “I hardly like to say this, as of course she is your relative now, but Miss Templeton and I—well, our connection at Gravelley Park was not of the kind likely to lead to marriage. I will say no more.”

Ada nodded, shocked and astonished. So Charlotte had behaved…indiscreetly with Lord Fintan. She would never have thought it of such a calculating person. Perhaps she had misjudged Charlotte. Perhaps Charlotte felt about Lord Fintan the way she felt about Ravi.

“I understand you may feel some repulsion at the idea of my connection with your stepsister.” Lord Fintan kicked at a clod of grass with his shoe. Ada realized, to her amazement, that he was embarrassed. “I want you to know that I never meant for her to misunderstand my intentions.”

Poor Charlotte, thought Ada.

She hesitated. Lord Fintan looked up the slope toward the house. “Isn’t that your sister?” he said in quite a different tone of voice. “Should she run like that in her state of health?”

Ada whirled around. Georgiana was running down the slope toward them—really running, with no thought for her dress or the thin indoor shoes, which slipped on the dewy grass. As Georgiana reached them, Ada saw that her face was streaked with tears. Her breath came in great rasping gasps.

“Georgie! What is it?” Ada ran to meet her. Georgiana flung herself into her arms, just as she had done when she was a little girl and she had scraped her knee or fallen in the mud.

“You must come at once—please come at once,” she sobbed. Her legs seemed about to give way.

Ada slipped one arm under her. Lord Fintan instantly took her other arm, and together they supported her.

“The drawing room—oh, it’s too terrible—”

“But what has happened?” Ada’s thoughts jumped to her father. Perhaps he had been taken ill. Terror caught her and gave her new energy. Together, she and Lord Fintan, not needing to exchange a word, helped Georgiana up to the house. Georgiana collapsed on a chair and Ada knelt before her, trying to calm her with words, while Lord Fintan rang the bell vigorously.

“I must go—” Ada was convinced that her father had been taken seriously ill or was dying. She jumped up as a startled housemaid came in. “Please see that Lady Georgiana is taken care of, and call the doctor!”

“Yes, miss!” The housemaid took Ada’s place and Ada went to the door. Lord Fintan followed.

“Can I help? I don’t wish to intrude but—”

“Yes, yes, please come!” Ada clutched his sleeve. If her father were sick or dying, she did not know if she could be of use. Lord Fintan would help; he was the kind of man to take charge.

They ran to the drawing room, and Ada burst through the door. The first person she saw was Rose. She stood in the center of the room, one arm around her mother. Her face was white. Mrs. Cliffe was sobbing into her hands. Her father sat on the sofa, his head in his hands as well. In front of Mrs. Cliffe stood Fiona, her face twisted with rage. She was shouting, for reasons Ada did not understand, at Mrs. Cliffe.

“…shall leave this house this instant!”

Ada ran to her father. “Papa, dear, what’s happened? Are you unwell? Georgiana came to find me—”

Her father groaned, and as he raised his head Ada was shocked to see his face was wet with tears. “Calm yourself, Ada. I’m well. I should shoot myself, no doubt, but I’m in the best of health,” he answered bitterly.

Ada shook her head in confusion. “Shoot yourself? Papa, what do you mean? Don’t say anything so terrible!”

“There, there. I’m sorry to have frightened you.” Her father’s voice softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Very touching indeed!” exclaimed a bitter, furious voice. Ada looked up, startled. She had not seen Charlotte, but now she did, and saw—to her shock—that Ward was also standing by the door. Something about the self-satisfied grin on the ladies’ maid’s face made her blood boil. She jumped to her feet.

“Will someone kindly explain what is going on here?” she demanded, looking around the room.

Fiona turned on her. “I think your father is the one who owes us all an explanation,” she said coldly.

Ada turned to her father in shock. “Papa? What does she mean?”

Her father pinched the bridge of his nose and then stood up, slowly, as if every muscle ached. For the first time, Ada thought of him as an old man. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have deepened.

“Fiona is correct,” he said in a low voice. “I do owe you an explanation. All of you. But I want to correct one impression. Our relationship was over when Rosaline left the house.”

“As if I could believe that, when Ward tells us that you visited her in her room the very night you arrived back at Somerton! This explains why you were so anxious to defend her brat.”

Ada’s mouth was open with shock. Behind her, Lord Fintan coughed discreetly. She had forgotten he was there, and turned around in dismay.

“I think that I had better wait in the library,” he murmured.