to say the least. Had Lady Elizabeth really charmed him?
“I like Lady Elizabeth,” said Miss Crislock. “She is ever so lovely, and so very
tall. John won’t have to get a crick in his neck when he is speaking to her.
What do you think, Lawrence?”
He shrugged then took a sip of his wine. “I trust that she will not take a lover
until after she has bred him an heir.”
There was a heavy bit of silence until I cleared my throat. “I think Lady
Elizabeth is charming. She is perhaps a bit imperious, but she is so beautiful,
it would be difficult not to be. I do not believe she would be unfaithful were
she to wed. After all, why marry in the first place if you planned to be
unfaithful? It makes no sense. It is a disgusting thought.”
I had been too passionate, the age-old bitterness showing through, I knew it.
Judith was staring at me across the table, and she was frowning. I tried to
smile at her, to soften what I had said, but I couldn’t. I sat there, saying
nothing, waiting.
“We will see” was all my husband said. “Perhaps John will have better luck than
most men.”
Amelia immediately went on to talk of Thomas’s new exercise regimen.
“If he becomes as strong as John,” Miss Crislock said, “he will be formidable
indeed. Thomas is already so beautiful, he sometimes makes even my ancient
pulses flutter a bit.”
Amelia loved that.
“Yes,” I said, “Thomas is glorious.”
Amelia loved that even more. She turned to Miss Gillbank, ready to have more
husband-praises heaped upon her head, and that lovely young woman said easily, “I
have never in my life seen a more handsome gentleman nor one who was so very
kind.”
I thought Amelia would begin to purr, she was so very pleased.
Dinner went on until finally Miss Crislock said, “Andy, my dear, don’t you wish
the ladies to go to the drawing room now?”
“An excellent idea,” said my husband, rising with me. “I wish to have Andy to
myself this evening. I have to regain my self-respect. She trounced me at chess
last evening. It is my turn for retribution.”
Amelia just stared at me. “I have seen Uncle Lawrence play. He has never been
beaten.”
“Yes,” I said, looking at him straight on, “he has. I beat him.”
We would be in the study. He couldn’t very well do anything to me in the study.
After everyone went to bed, then I would act. I would be gone from here.
I realized, as I walked beside him to the study, after bidding everyone good
night, that I wanted to play another chess game with him. I wanted to grind him
into the dirt. Poor Judith. She, naturally, had not wanted the evening to end so
quickly, but there was nothing I could do about that. The chances were that I
would never see her again after tonight.
This time Lawrence pointed to my right hand. It held a white knight. I enjoyed
playing black. I played the French Defense well.
He began with a king pawn opening, and I smiled as I moved my king pawn to king
three.
“Ah,” he said, “the French Defense. I wonder just how well you will play it.”
“Very well indeed. It was my grandfather’s favorite defense. As you realized
last night, my grandfather taught me well,” I said, never looking up from the
board. When it was his move, I looked at his bent head, his dark hair streaked
so gracefully with white. I wanted desperately to ask him about my father, but I
kept my mouth shut. I just didn’t know enough yet to do anything. Besides, I was
alone here. All the servants were loyal to Lawrence. I had no idea about his
wretched valet Flynt or if he had other villains hanging about the house.
No, I would keep my mouth shut, and then much later this night, I would leave.
Besides, he did not know that I had searched his bedchamber and that small
little monk’s cell of his, or that I had found that letter about my father.