be the only one to suffer for her foolishness tonight, would she? Isabella would be hurt, too, if Cecilia was dismissed and sent away from Darlington Castle. A wave of bitter regret rolled over her, drawing fresh tears to her eyes.
Mrs. Honeywell might be haughty and despicable, but Cecilia hadn’t acquitted herself well tonight, either. Now, gazing down at Isabella, she wished with all her heart she’d put her before her offended pride.
But it was too late for that now. She’d escaped dismissal twice, but after tonight, what choice did Lord Darlington have but to dismiss her? One did not sing about drunkenness and copulation in the drawing room. Surely that must be the first and most sacred rule of ton etiquette?
A sudden knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Cecilia started toward it, thinking it must be Amy, come to commiserate with her. But when the knock sounded again, louder this time, Cecilia realized with dawning horror it wasn’t the hallway door that was under assault.
It was the connecting door between her bedchamber and Lord Darlington’s.
She raised a shaking hand to her mouth. Oh, no. Was he going to dismiss her tonight? She’d hardly dared to look at him when she fled the drawing room earlier. He hadn’t looked angry, but that knock sounded like a death knell—
There was a third knock, this one louder still, then Lord Darlington’s deep voice. “I know you’re in there, Cecilia. I’d like to speak with you, but I won’t enter your bedchamber under these circumstances without your permission.”
He wouldn’t? Cecilia was tempted to test the truth of his statement by hiding behind the door all night, but what was the sense in putting it off? She’d have to face him sooner or later.
She crossed the room to the connecting door, drew a deep breath for courage, then opened it to face her fate. Lord Darlington was standing there, one hand on his hip and the other braced on the top of the door frame.
“Er…good evening, Lord Darlington.”
He straightened and stepped past her into her bedchamber. “Would you call it good, Cecilia? It’s something, certainly, but I wouldn’t call it good.”
“I, ah…no, I wouldn’t call it good, either.” Cecilia thought of the shock on Mrs. Honeywell’s face and grimaced. “It’s quite the opposite, and I beg your pardon for it, my lord. I shouldn’t have…I didn’t intend to…there’s no excuse for my—”
He took a quick step forward, and to Cecilia’s shock he grasped her chin and tilted her face up to his. He studied her in the light from the fire for long, silent moments, the strangest expression on his face, then he asked in a hoarse voice, “Have you been crying?”
Cecilia stared up into those bright blue eyes, her throat working. If her humiliation hadn’t been complete before, it was now. “I-I do believe I’m overwrought, my lord.”
He released her chin, but he didn’t step back, and to her surprise, the trace of a smile curved his lips. “Yes, I imagine you are, though perhaps less so than Mrs. Honeywell is. Lord Haslemere had to help her from the drawing room to her bedchamber. He wasn’t at all pleased about it, either. I daresay he’ll take you to task for it tomorrow.”
“Oh, dear,” Cecilia muttered, worrying at her lower lip. This evening continued to worsen with every moment. Perhaps she should retire to her bed, before she caused further trouble.
But first, she’d get the last, worst bit over with. She cast a guilty look at Lord Darlington. “I’ll gather my things together tonight, so I can be gone first thing tomorrow morning.”
He went still. “You’re…you intend to leave Darlington Castle?”
Cecilia’s eyes widened. “I assume you intend to dismiss me.”
“Is that why you think I came to speak to you tonight? To dismiss you?”
“Well, yes.” What other reason could he have for appearing at her bedchamber door?
He stood quietly before her, his hands braced on his hips and his head down. Then, without a word he crossed the room to his niece’s bed. He gazed down at Isabella for some time, then reached in and stroked his big hand gently over her curls.
When he turned toward her again, his face had softened. “I’ve no intention of dismissing you, Cecilia. I won’t say I approve of your musical performance tonight, but I also don’t condone Mrs. Honeywell’s behavior. The way I see it, you were…unbearably provoked.”
Cecilia stared at him, mouth agape.
“You were unbearably provoked, weren’t you? You don’t make a habit of singing