Page 31 of The Detective and the Baroness

At that moment, the Duchess of Gransford called for attention. “Good afternoon, ladies. If you take your seats, luncheon will be served. You see the crystal bowl at the table by the door? I would appreciate it if you would leave a note of donation for the Hornsby-Wollstonecraft initiative. We sponsor free medical care for those who cannot afford it, along with education and legal services. Thank you.”

The women weaved in and around the tables, finding their seats.

“I will ask around, and so should you. Something is wrong,” Celia said. “And I aim to discover what is going on. I will come early tomorrow, before two, and we can compare notes.”

“Yes, do,” Corrine nodded. Besides finding out any information on Selena for her Galway investigative assignment, she was genuinely concerned for her friend. Was Selena cheating on her husband, the Duke of Barnsdale? It didn’t seem possible. But then, did she really know her friend anymore?

*

As promised, Celia arrived a little after half past one. Corrine led her into the parlor. “I will wait to see if Selena comes before I serve the tea. I’m sorry I never answered your letter after I left school. I discovered soon after my mother’s death that we were nearly destitute. I had to find employment and take over the running of the finances. I will admit I felt shame over our reduced circumstances.”

“What a terrible burden for a sixteen-year-old,” Celia said, tsking. “It explains why you never answered our letters. You could have told us, though. We might have been able to help.”

“I would never encumber my friends with such a burden. I will tell you more if and when Selena arrives. What do you know about her husband? Did you and Selena keep in contact?”

“I stayed at the school until age nineteen. They wouldn’t let me linger about any longer, especially when my detestable uncle stopped paying the tuition. Selena left the year before I did. She is a year older than us. As soon as I married and moved to the Scottish border, I wrote you both, but I never received a response from either of you. As far as Barnsdale, I asked Carlton about him last night.” Celia glowered, her brows furrowed in concern.

“Carlton said the duke must be near fifty-five years of age now. In the few dealings he’d had with him, however, Carlton found the man to be arrogant, vain, and thoroughly unlikeable. He’d also heard rumors that the duke had engaged in multiple affairs, even going so far as to attend those depraved parties where women are passed around as if on a dessert tray. There are no children. Well, there isn’t with Carlton and me, either, which means nothing, really. Carlton is not sure when the marriage took place. Nine years ago or less?”

Multiple affairs? What bloody cheek for the Duke of Barnsdale to hire the Galway Investigative Agency to make inquiries concerning Selena when he was rumored to have indulged in varied extracurricular activities himself. Typical aristocratic men.

“It sounds as if you get on with your husband.”

Celia shrugged. “As I said yesterday, Carlton’s all right. We are friends of a sort. The age gap can sometimes be difficult, but we manage.”

“Yesterday, I asked the ladies at my table about Selena. They told me she rarely attends social events, and when she does attend, she comes alone. ‘Not a love match,’ one lady told me.”

Celia snorted. “I’m not surprised. What aristocratic marriage is a love match?”

Corrine was about to speak when the butler entered the room. “The Duchess of Barnsdale.”

Corrine rose and immediately hurried toward Selena. She embraced her, but Selena stiffened as if she did not like being touched. Corrine stepped back and took Selena’s gloved hand. “I am so very pleased you came. Thomason, bring the tea tray at once.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Celia also got up to welcome Selena. “I knew you would come. Here we are, all together again. The Bluebells are reunited. Remember how we fantasized about marrying handsome men who would become friends, and the six of us would live happily ever after?”

Corrine laughed. “Oh, yes. The dreams of young girls. I had forgotten that we had called ourselves the Bluebells. Was it our eye color?”

“Yes, and the fact that bluebells symbolize humility, constancy, and everlasting love,” Selena replied sarcastically. “We vowed our futures would follow that path.” She barked out a cynical laugh. “Well, none of that came true for me.”

Corrine took Selena’s arm and gently led her to the settee. “I’m not all that certain it came true for any of us.” Celia sat next to Selena, and Corrine sat across from her. “I wish, first and foremost, to apologize for leaving school so abruptly, and not keeping in contact. You were like sisters to me, and yet I callously cut you both from my life.”

“Well, we should have come to you to ask why,” Celia murmured. “I must admit, I silently fumed. And I was hurt. Remember, Selena?”

The duchess nodded. “I felt the same.”

Knowing she had hurt her friends cut to the bone. “I don’t blame you both at all for not seeking me out. There is no excuse, but I’ll explain why I did not answer Celia’s initial letter all those years ago.” Then she proceeded to tell her old friends a condensed version of her life over the past ten years.

Celia’s eyes widened. “A nurse? It’s a noble profession, but to take on the family’s financial problems on your own. Was there no one you could turn to? Other family members?”

“No. There was no one.”

Celia frowned. “Blast money. It’s the cause of so much misery. But good for you for taking the money offered. And now you’re separated from your husband? Any chance of a reconciliation?”

“There was not much of a bond between us to begin with. All I feel is shame for rushing into marriage because the family was near ruin.” Corrine exhaled with a shuddering breath. “Still, my abrupt departure without explanation was not well done of me. We were girls, and our actions and reactions reflected our immaturity. Again, I do apologize.”

“I accept, and we are sorry for not seeking you out. We should have known something was wrong,” Celia replied. “Selena?”