Page 114 of A Much Maligned Miss

Edgar moaned. “I wish to God—” He broke off with a sob. “It’s been terrible! Terrible. Even worse than I had anticipated.”

“Has Mama taken to her sickbed?” Caroline asked with misgiving.

“On and off,” he answered. “It’s worse when she’s out of it. The rows, the recriminations… She gets almost hysterical. Saying I have killed her. That I sunk a knife into her bosom. She said she always expected such treatment from—” He halted guiltily.

“From me,” Caroline finished quietly. “But not from you.”

He lowered his gaze. “She and Diana cannot abide one another. They cannot be in the same room even without the worst kind of allegations arising from it afterward. Mama says that Diana is cruel and vicious and seeking to supplant her. She even said that Diana attempted to push her down the stairs!”

He looked shocked even by the recollection. “She says that Diana won’t rest until she is cold in the grave and she can take over as mistress of Benham.” Edgar covered his face with his hands. “I don’t know what to believe.”

“What does Diana say?” Caroline asked in a level voice, fighting down an inappropriate impulse to laugh. So, Mama has found a new scapegoat to pin all the evils of the world onto.

“She says…terrible things about Mama. Things I cannot possibly repeat. And Mother Hipworth says even worse. That I am a worm not to listen to my own wife. She says—she says—” He gulped, unable to continue. He rubbed his eyes and said desperately, “Diana is threatening to leave me and return to Exeter with her mother if I do not get Mama to cease her slander.”

“Well, I wish you good luck with that task,” Caroline said mirthlessly, lifting her glass to her lips.

“Caroline,” Edgar said brokenly. “Won’t you—won’t you come back with me? It is a generous offer,” he said desperately, seeing the flat refusal in her expression. “More generous than you could possibly have hoped for after your—your transgressions of late,” he added in a choked voice.

“Few brothers would take back a sister who had besmirched their reputation as thoroughly as you have. But I would be willing to overlook all if you would only accompany me back home, immediately!”

“Oh, you mean you want me to act as a buffer between Mama and your wife?” she enquired politely. “You think they might unite when confronted with a common enemy?”

Edgar’s face fell. “Caroline! No! I would never—!”

“I’m sorry, Edgar, but my days as Mama’s whipping boy are over. It sounds like she has found a new victim, though Diana is not so defenseless as I. She is fortunate indeed to have a mother who holds her in affection and who will offer her some protection, though in truth, Edgar, the role of protector should now be yours as her husband.”

Edgar stared at her. “Caroline,” he uttered in dejected tones. “You cannot mean—” He swallowed. “You expect me to believe—?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I gave up expecting you to believe me years ago. I have lived entirely without hope since early childhood, while Mama made wild and unfounded allegations against me, garnering everyone’s sympathy whilst hardening everyone’s hearts against me.

“I have grown up friendless and entirely hopeless, and I would not wish such a fate on my worst enemy, let alone someone I once viewed with affection.” She paused as Edgar stared across at her. “You tell me you do not know what to believe. I will tell you now, Edgar. You should believe Diana. You should believe in your wife. Believe everything she tells you about Mama, for that woman is pure, unadulterated poison.” She rose from her seat.

“Caroline! Wait!” Edgar struggled to stand up, making a grab for his discarded coat.

Ignoring his desperate plea, Caroline walked out of the booth, making eye contact with Reg, who swiftly shifted his position to block Edgar into the booth. “Wait!” she heard her brother cry feebly, but she was already heading toward Gervaise’s booth.

“I am going up to our rooms,” she said, only afterward reflecting that she was landing Gervaise in a good deal of hot water if he had claimed their relations were entirely blameless.

He stood up at once. “Let me take you up.”

“No, no,” she protested. “You need to return to your gaming tables. I will be perfectly fine—”

“I am escorting you upstairs, Caroline,” Gervaise reiterated. “Now bid good night to Lord Faris.”

“Good night, Lord Faris,” she murmured, not quite able to meet his eyes.

He hesitated, shooting a look at Gervaise before he responded. “Good night, Miss Halperston. Please be assured I will call again on the morrow.” His words hung in the air, part threat, part promise, and Caroline’s heart thudded with foreboding.

46

Gervaise unstoppered the brandy, poured a splash into a glass, then carried it over to Caroline. “Here, take this.”

“Will you help unfasten me?” she asked, turning her back to him.

Gervaise set down the glass and tackled her hook and eye fastenings. There was a sort of heaviness in the air, and for whatever reason, Caroline found she was apprehensive about what Gervaise was about to say next.

“Caroline—” he began gravely.