Millicent protested, her brown eyes wet with tears.
"Anyone can see he’s dotty for those boys. Probably out of guilt for the way he treated his own son. You’d have done better to pretend a similar interest."
"In those brats?!"
"Hush! Yes. Your behavior was disgraceful! You’ll never win Royce now. We’ll have to arrange another situation."
Millicent brightened and sat up. "When?"
"Not until we’ve taken care of Jane. In the meantime, I want you to very prettily apologize to Lord Royce and Edward. Probably to your cousin, as well. Play up ill health, or whatever."
Millicent slouched back, mutinous. "I told him I felt faint. That’s why I leaned on him."
"Good. We’ll use that. Here’s Burry with your wine. Drink this, then I want you to lay back here and look interestingly pale and wan. When we return to the manor, stay in your room for the rest of the evening."
Down in the little temple, everyone was slowly relaxing. The earl’s boot was off. Carefully Lady Elsbeth wrapped the cold cloths the boys had brought up from the lake around the swollen ankle. Jane used an extra cloth to wipe away the perspiration beading on the earl’s forehead.
"I advise you to rest for a moment before we jostle you further to get you into the carriage."
The earl smiled thinly. "At this point. Lady Elsbeth, I do not think I could do anything but rest."
Lady Elsbeth rolled back on her heels and allowed Lord Conisbrough to help her to her feet. She shook out her skirts. "I have some salves I should like to put on it when we get back to the house. They will help relieve the pain and take down some of the swelling. You will, of course, remain at Penwick overnight. Lord Conisbrough is welcome, as well. We shall send a groom to Royceland with a message to your people. They can send over anything you’ll need."
Lord Royce opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. He turned his head to look at Conisbrough. "Wellington could have used her on the peninsula," he observed, faintly smiling.
Everyone laughed, the tensions broken. Lady Elsbeth blushed.
Royce struggled up on his elbows. "If I must get up sometime, we might as well get it over with."
Helmsdon and Conisbrough each grabbed an arm and hoisted him up, then they put his arms about their shoulders and half carried, half led him to the carriage. Lady Elsbeth got in first and instructed Jane to get in as well and sit opposite her. "Do not try to get up on a seat, my lord. Just slide backwards on the floor. The less weight you try to place on the ankle, the better." She looked up at Conisbrough and Helmsdon. "Please see that the others get back safely. Give them our apologies, of course. We’ll meet you back at Penwick," she said, waving her arm at the groom and signaling him to set off.
At Penwick two strapping grooms carried the earl into the house. Lady Elsbeth directed them to take him to the third bedroom in the ground floor family apartments. Jane looked at her quizzically.
"It is fortunate we had these rooms cleaned. The stairs would be much too difficult to maneuver," her aunt responded.
"I agree. But won’t the others think it a trifle. . .odd?"
"I am more concerned with Lord Royce’s speedy recovery than I am the glib tongues of our guests."
Jane laughed. "Just remember the quote about gossip you copied in your journal and made me read."
"Touché, my dear. It is always easier to preach than to practice. But what would they expect a man with a game leg to be able to do? Let alone wish to do, under the circumstances," she said, a hint of acerbic humor coloring her words. "I have to go to the stillroom for my salves. Would you please request Mrs. Phibbs to get some clean linens to wrap the ankle in? Then you’d best see about taking his lordship a large medicinal glass of port. After the jarring the ankle has taken already, it will hurt when I touch it, but we have no choice."
"Lord Royce was correct. You would have been an able commander!" Jane wryly observed before she went off to do her aunt’s bidding.
The guests and the children arrived at Penwick as Elsbeth was preparing to slather one of her salves on the earl’s ankle. Lady Serena insisted on visiting with the earl to offer her sympathies. The rest of the picnic party followed, trooping through the