Lady Rosabella's Ruse - By Ann Lethbridge Page 0,32
her element here. Why hadn’t he seen that? ‘What did Mark do?’
She turned her face away. ‘Why would I tell you?’ she said in a low voice. ‘You are his friend. You would just take his part.’
A cold fist clenched in his gut. Dear God, was she about to cry? He looked around desperately for some help. Rose studiously avoided his gaze, though Lady Keswick was watching him with narrowed eyes.
‘Look, Penelope, I don’t know what Mark did, but—’
She pushed to her feet. ‘I’m going for a walk. And no, I don’t want your company. Or anyone else’s.’ There really were tears in her eyes.
Damnation. He didn’t deal with crying women. They cried. He gave them diamonds and left.
‘Go with her, Rose,’ Lady Keswick said, suddenly.
Garth glanced at her in surprise.
‘See if you can find out what is wrong with the poor dear,’ the old lady said. ‘You know how these things are for young brides.’
A frowning Rosa got to her feet. ‘I—’
‘Go on,’ Lady Keswick urged. ‘Before Bannerby sees she’s alone.’
‘She doesn’t belong here,’ Garth said, watching Rose catch Penelope and walk by her side.
The old lady looked at him for a moment. ‘I know. Where on earth is that husband of hers? He should have been here by now.’
Right. Where was Mark? He’d taken to disappearing quite a bit over the past year. Garth swallowed. Surely his friend didn’t have a mistress? He’d seemed so happy with his wife. ‘I don’t know where he is.’
‘Well, if he doesn’t arrive soon, he’ll have a good deal of trouble on his hands. Perhaps Rose can find out what is going on.’
Rose. A woman who searched other people’s houses at night. He wasn’t sure how she could possibly be of help. He wasn’t sure he ought to let her anywhere near Mark’s wife and yet he trusted her a good deal more than he trusted any of the rest of them.
A surprising admission.
Penelope was such a dainty little flower. To Rosa she looked as if she might fly away in a high wind. Fortunately today was calm. Rosa hesitated, her stomach churning even as the question formed in her mind. ‘Did Lord Stanford do something?’
Lady Smythe gazed out across the waves. ‘No.’
Gladness rushed through her. Good Lord, had that horrid feeling in her stomach been jealousy? Surely not? ‘Was it someone else? Lady Keswick will speak to them if one of the men…’ Oh, goodness, what on earth did one say? ‘I mean. If one of them…’
‘It is nothing so simple.’ Lady Smythe turned her head and looked at Rosa, her bottom lip trembled, her clear green eyes filled with tears. ‘It is Mark, my husband. He went away with another woman. I saw them together at the coaching house.’
‘Oh,’ Rosa said, nonplussed. ‘You are sure it was your husband?’
A tear rolled down her face and she dashed it away. ‘Positive.’
‘Might he have been with a friend or a relative? Someone he was seeing off?’ Rosa felt as if she had one foot in a very rocky boat.
‘He followed her in. He was going to S-Scotland.’
‘Did you suspect something was wrong? Is that why you followed him?’
‘No.’ She sounded so woebegone, Rosa couldn’t help but put an arm around her shoulders. The slight body shuddered beneath her arm. ‘I knew he was going away. On business. We had an argument and I w-wouldn’t k-kiss him goodbye. But I felt so bad I went to tell him I was sorry before he left and I s-saw him.’
Rosa winced. ‘Did he see you?’
‘No. I turned and ran.’
‘You know, there might be some reasonable explanation.’
Lady Smythe started walking again, her gaze fixed on her feet. ‘He was expected home two days ago. I thought he would come. I thought he would come riding up and explain it all. And say he was sorry. Now I’m stuck here with all these horrid men.’
‘No, you are not,’ Rosa said. ‘You don’t have to stay.’
‘What if there really is an innocent explanation? I’ve ruined everything. It’s my temper.’ She touched her hair. ‘He’ll never believe nothing happened.’
‘You love him.’
‘Yes.’
‘And he loves you.’
‘I thought he did. He said he did. Mrs Mallow said all men are like that. They marry for gain and abandon their wives.’
‘Not all of them.’ Her father didn’t abandon his wife, even when society turned their backs. And that’s why she wouldn’t believe he’d abandoned his daughters. ‘If he loves you, he will believe you.’