“How dare you? I am merely asking a question and you treat me with such disregard!”
Rachael threw her a quick glance and then smiled tightly.
“I do not answer questions from those I am not yet acquainted with. Quite how you know who I am, I cannot say but I certainly have not been introduced to you – and even if we were to be introduced and acquainted, I would still have every right to refuse to answer you. Good evening.”
Lady Alderton, however, was not about to be ignored and, even as Rachael attempted to walk away, Lady Alderton stepped forward and moved directly into her path.
“Youwilllisten to me,” she hissed, one finger pointing directly at Rachael’s chest. “I mean this to be a kindness, and yet you treat me with such disdain, I ought to keep what I have to warn you of to myself! It is just as you deserve.”
Interest pricked up Rachael’s ears, but she chose to remain steadfast, glad of the company of Lady Frederica, Miss Fairley, and standing a little further back, Lady Alice and Miss Bosworth, who were both watching the unfolding situation with careful eyes.
“You may keep your warnings entirely to yourself. I have no interest in them.”
Lady Alderton took a step closer, her face red with anger over Rachael’s refusal to listen.
“You are even more foolish than I imagined! Will you truly allow yourself to be placed in such a dark situation as to become Lord Blackmore’s bride? You have a shame all of your own clinging to you, I well understand that, but there is no good reason for you to add to that.”
Fire burned up Rachael’s spine, heat behind her eyes.
“I have no shame whatsoever. I have nothing clinging to me, as you say. All that exists is whispers, none of which have any bearing upon my own standing.”
Lady Alderton sneered, her hand dropping to her side.
“And yet, society does not believe that. They push you back to the shadows, for that is where they believe you belong. Will you now put yourself into an even darker situation? Any children you bear to Lord Blackmore will carry the same shame as their mother, and all because of your choice to marry the illegitimate heir to the Earl of Blackmore.”
Rachael scrunched up her hands, her breathing coming in short, sharp gasps, such was her anger. Thankfully, seeing this, Lady Frederica stepped in at once.
“There is no truth to that rumor. There is no truth at all, and for you to speak it to Miss Simmons is designed only to bring her pain.”
“I seek to warn her! Lord Blackmore is not as he seems, and I know that all too well.”
“How can you know it?” Hearing that her voice sounded faint, Rachael closed her eyes briefly to steady herself. “There is no proof of that. There are only whispers.” Opening her eyes again, she looked back into the face of Lady Alderton, disliking the way that the edge of her mouth twitched as though she weretrying to hide a smile… or a sneer. “I will not take the word of a stranger over the promise of Lord Blackmore. And until there is proof of this, I will not believe a single part of it.”
“Then you are even more foolish than I had at first thought.”
Rachael took a small step closer.
“Insulting me will do nothing to encourage me to believe you,” she said, quietly. “You are not known to me. You are nothing but a stranger who is, for whatever reason, seeking to break me apart from Lord Blackmore… unless, of course, thatisyour reason.”
Her breath caught as she looked into the lady’s face for a long moment, realizing, as she did so, that what she had suggested was entirely correct. That was the only thing that Lady Alderton was trying to do. She was doing her utmost to make certain that Rachael stepped away from Lord Blackmore, that their betrothal would come to an end, and he would be all the more injured in that.
Her breath caught as her anger reignited, seeing now exactly what it was that Lady Alderton wanted. Shewasresponsible for all of the rumors and gossip surrounding Lord Blackmore, Rachael was sure of it, and in hoping to get Rachael to break off their betrothal, would be then able to spread yet more gossip about him.
But to what end?
“It was you.”
The faint, half whisper came out of her lips without Rachael having intended to speak those words aloud, but Lady Alderton heard them, nonetheless.
“What are you talking about?”
Lady Alderton frowned, her hands going to her hips, but Rachael let out such a loud exclamation that her hands fell back to her sides and her eyes went wide.
“Iknowit was you!” Rachael cried, entirely unaware of the small crowd that was gathering around her. “You are the one who has been spreading rumors and stories about Lord Blackmore. Is that not so? That is why you want me to end my betrothal to him so that you might take it and throw it across London in the hope of mortifying him all the more!”
The confidence that had been in Lady Alderton’s face began to fade from her expression, though her eyes remained sharp.
“I do not know what you are talking about!”
