Scandal Meets Its Match (The May Flowers #7) - Merry Farmer Page 0,86
condoned this horrid publication will—”
“Mr. Mercer isn’t the author, my lady,” Lenore shouted to interrupt her. She took a dramatic step forward. “I cannot let the truth remain hidden any longer. I am the author of Nocturne.”
It was all Phin could do to keep his expression neutral. He wanted to burst out laughing with the insanity of it all, but the most he let himself show was mild surprise. Gleason, too, looked both shocked and amused by Lenore’s declaration.
“You?” Lady Hamilton recoiled, blinking rapidly.
“Yes, my lady, me.” Lenore took another step forward, then did the most outstanding thing he had ever seen her do. She burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, my lady,” she said, crossing the hallway to grasp Lady Hamilton’s hands as tears streamed down her face. “I was a stranger alone in a strange land. My life was so uncertain. I knew that as soon as Freddy learned I was already married, he would toss me aside. I knew that once that happened, I would need to support myself with income of my own. I felt simply awful for resorting to the lowest form of entertainment to secure myself, but what could I do, my lady? What could I do?”
Lady Hamilton’s mouth dropped open, and she gaped like a fish for a few moments before finding words. “I…well…I cannot imagine….”
“I know that what I did was cruel and crass, but I merely wanted to find acceptance with the people I admired so much and wanted to emulate,” Lenore went on. “You cannot imagine how intimidating it is for a humble, backwater American such as myself to become a part of a society that includes such eminent personalities as you, madam. Penning those scandalous tales was the only way I could think of to find acceptance. I assumed that the subjects of my stories would be flattered by the mention, that they would see it as a way to gain attention themselves. I never could have dreamed I would hurt anyone by seeking to elevate them.”
“Oh…I did not realize…I’m sure I….” Lady Hamilton continued to blink and shift restlessly as Lenore clasped their hands together and bowed her head over them.
The scene was so melodramatic that Phin would have laughed, if he weren’t so dumbfounded by the turn the evening had taken. Here he was trying to save Lenore’s life, and she had found a way to save his in the middle of it all.
“Please forgive me, Lady Hamilton,” Lenore rushed on. “I had no way of knowing I would hurt someone as fine and noble as you. I’m just a rube compared to you. I should have come to you first to instruct me in the ways of society.”
Phin had to cover his mouth as Lenore laid it on a little too thick. Gleason did the same, his eyes wide with disbelief. Lady Hamilton lapped it up, however.
“There, there,” she said, freeing one of her hands so that she could pat Lenore’s head, as though she were a child. “It’s perfectly understandable that someone of your limited background wouldn’t know how these things are done.”
“Are you…are you forgiving me, my lady?” Lenore glanced up at her with tear-damp eyes and a look of contrition that was so convincing even Phin felt her regret. “That would be so astoundingly magnanimous of you.”
“I suppose I am,” Lady Hamilton sighed. “And in the end, no real harm was done. Lord Compton seemed very taken with my Agnes this evening, and she with him. I asked around, and do you know, it turns out he is to inherit an earldom one day. And his family is quite well off and well-connected. In fact, I’m not sure I could have found a better match for her myself.”
Phin’s mouth quirked into a grin. Lionel knew what he was doing better than anyone Phin could name when it came to making society matches. He should have hired out those services to make his way in the world instead of other services, though Phin was fairly certain he knew which services were more enjoyable to hand out.
“Now that we’ve sorted this out,” he said, clearing his throat and stepping forward. “If you will excuse us, Miss Garrett and I are in a bit of a hurry. We have a train to catch before—”
His excuse was cut off by a flurry of angry voices coming from the street. The commotion approached the door, and a moment later, someone pounded on the door with a heavy fist.