Edwin sighed. “I should get to the hunting party.”
“Eat something,” Audrey insisted. “You need your strength.”
“You’ve always tried to take care of everyone, sister,” Edwin said slowly. “I guess it’s time for someone to take care of you.”
Audrey bit her lip, then pushed her fork through her cold eggs, touched by the sentiment. But what she wanted to say was—it was time for her to take care of herself.
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll remain with Mrs. Blake,” Lord Knightsbridge said from behind her.
“No, my lord, you must enjoy your morning,” she insisted. “I have much packing to do.”
He paused. “If you’re certain …”
“I am.”
She heard her father’s chair scrape back, and he stomped from the room without speaking. Would he come up with a plan to keep her here, some way to drive off the earl? Audrey felt a bit panicked, wondering how fast she could pack—and then realized Blythe was taking their only carriage to London. They would have to hire one in the village. She mentioned this to Lord Knightsbridge as he and Edwin ate a quick breakfast, and he promised he would see to it later in the morning.
As the earl passed her, following Edwin toward the far door, he took her hand again and brought it to his mouth. “That didn’t go so badly, did it?” he whispered.
He still hadn’t donned his gloves, and the soft press of his lips was almost shocking. She reminded herself that she was a widow, that she knew the ways of men.
But one night of intimacy with a man who didn’t want her had not prepared her for the attentions of Lord Knightsbridge as he put on a show for her family.
“We all survived the telling,” she murmured at last.
She shivered as he touched her hair at her temple, then said his good-byes.
She was alone, her hands shaking, her appetite gone. But she nibbled on some of the cold toast and tried to tell herself that it was done, that she could escape.
But she wasn’t out the door yet.
6
Although Robert was not in the mood to hunt, he could not risk alienating another member of the Collins family, so he walked the woods with Mr. Collins, even as the beaters ran before them to chase out the birds, rabbits, and foxes. He received cautious congratulations from the other young men, and he knew they considered him eccentric or just plain crazy. None of them understood that there was more to marriage than being able to look upon the average debutante for the rest of your life. The surface things faded, especially appearance. He’d seen war damage so many people, yet often, if they were lucky, they were still the same inside.
He shook his head, bemused at his thoughts. He should take his own advice when it was time to find a real bride. What kind of woman would that be? He had no idea, but he should give himself at least a Season to figure it out.
He certainly hadn’t gone without women all these years. British Society flourished in India, and although he’d stayed away from the eligible misses, there had always been an eager widow who appreciated his companionship when he was in Bombay.
When the hunting was finished, he had his horse saddled and rode into the village to the blacksmith’s shop, where Mr. Collins had suggested he look for a carriage. One would be available on the morrow, so he resigned himself to another night under Lord Collins’s roof. Robert hoped his subtle threats had been enough to dissuade the baron from trying anything to stop their departure.
Audrey’s room was a disaster,with clothes sorted into piles everywhere. Molly rushed about gleefully, escorting the footmen as they brought the trunks, talking nonstop until Audrey’s head spun.
Molly had taken the news of the engagement with shock and then excitement. After all, Audrey was marrying a handsome earl. It was a fairy tale as far as the staff was concerned, and she had received several offers of congratulations from below the stairs as the morning went on. The housekeeper had actually dabbed at her wet eyes and whispered that it was time Audrey had her own household. Audrey had agreed, and gradually stopped worrying about what her father might do.
Molly had happily decided to accompany Audrey, to “see the world,” she kept repeating, even though Buckinghamshire was only the next county. But Audrey felt the same way. She might not be able to “see” it like everyone else, but she had Molly to describe things, and she could experience the world her own way. After all, there were new sounds and smells, things that were very important to her. And she had Molly, for without her … Audrey hadn’t even considered what she would do if her faithful friend didn’t want to go.
By midmorning, the first trunk was packed, and they were sorting through the “maybe” pile for her last trunk.
Molly stopped speaking in mid-sentence, then said uncertainly, “Good morning, Miss Collins.”
Surprised, Audrey turned, wishing she could read her sister’s expression. “What can I do for you, Blythe? Isn’t it strange that we’re both packing for a trip?” Oh, now she was babbling. Of course it was strange—Audrey was never allowed to go anywhere. And she certainly hadn’t intended to sound sarcastic.
She smelled her sister’s jasmine perfume as the woman drew closer.
“I think you’re making a terrible mistake.” Blythe’s voice trembled.
