From the expression of joy on Penelope’s face, she might have been announcing the arrival of an angel from Heaven. Sir John’s face, shining with perspiration, showed the same desperate relief.
“Mrs. De Lacey!” He bounced out of his chair with alacrity and gestured sweepingly to the closest open seat. “Come in, come in, do! I hope you’ve enjoyed some rest? Have you—”
“Itisgood to see you, my friend.” Lady Hathergill smiled at Elinor with unaffected pleasure. “I am so glad you changed your mind about visiting us, although I must say, I do think you have made a mistake. I know you were lying when you claimed a putrid sore throat in your last letter, but it was a perfectly good excuse. I can’t imagine why you’ve decided to come after all instead of staying in London. It is deadly dull in Somerset, and particularly in our house—why, I feel as if I fell asleep years ago and have only just woken up!”
Gavin Armitage coughed loudly but didn’t quite manage to disguise his laugh. His face was flushed and his brown eyes sparkling as he rose to his feet. “Mrs. De Lacey,” he said. “You have missed quite a…fascinating discourse by her ladyship.”
“Indeed?” Elinor raised her brows in a quelling look.
Perhaps she should have been glad that Penelope and Sir John were experiencing even a tiny fraction of the humiliation that she had suffered in their house. Perhaps she even would have been, under different circumstances. But Elinor couldn’t bring herself to be a partner now to the malicious delight that sparkled in Mr. Armitage’s eyes.
“Mrs. De Lacey.” Benedict nodded to her, unsmiling, as he stood.
Mr. Aubrey, alone of all the gentlemen in the room, remained sitting in his armchair…and for once, Elinor couldn’t blame it entirely on his book. The moment he saw her, he had scowled and lowered his head. She only just caught his muttered imprecation as he pointedly turned the page in his book.
“…blastedfairy tales!”
She sighed.
Sir Jessamyn craned his neck to look around hopefully. It had, after all, been nearly three hours since he had last eaten.
“Aha!” Miss Armitage said.
It was so unexpected that they all turned to look at her. Even her astonishingly well-trained dragon gave a start of surprise. She directed a look of stern reproof at him, then relaxed to smile at the rest of the company, waving one hand in graceful apology. “I do beg your pardons. I didn’t mean to be uncouth. It’s only that I’ve finally discovered the answer to a question that has been bothering me ever since we arrived. Until now, you see, I simply couldn’t think of what had changed about Mrs. De Lacey.”
“Mrs. De Lacey?” Gavin Armitage raised his eyebrows and turned to face Elinor. So did everyone else in the room.
Elinor swallowed, and forced her face into an expression of light interest. “Good heavens. I didn’t think I could have changed so much in only four days.”
“Four days?” Miss Armitage frowned at her. “I didn’t see you four days ago, did I?”
Oh, dear. “But I thought—the rout that your brother mentioned, where I’d seen him last…” What had he called it? “At the Redmans?”
“The Rothershams,” Gavin Armitage corrected her. She could hear the bafflement in his tone.
Elinor’s heart sank. Mrs. De Lacey wouldn’t have made that mistake. How could she? “Of course,” she said. “I only misspoke—I attend so very many routs, you see, it’s terribly difficult to keep track.” She thought about trying for a careless laugh.Best not. In her current state, it might come out as the squawk of a dying duck. “But I had thought—”
“I wasn’t at that rout, I’m afraid,” said Miss Armitage. “Gavin claimed it wouldn’t be suitable for an unmarried lady, you see.” Her tone was dry…and her dark blue eyes were fixed on Elinor’s face with open speculation.
“Of course,” Elinor repeated. “I had…forgotten.”
She sat down on the first empty seat she could see, a spindly chair just to the right of Sir John. Her vision was tunneling with panic. Benedict was frowning at her from the couch, but she forced herself to ignore him and look straight into Miss Armitage’s eyes.
“So,” she said. “Have you come to a conclusion? What is so different about me today?”
Miss Armitage looked back at her with raised eyebrows…and all too much intelligence in her gaze.
“Oh, that was my mistake,” she said. “It wasn’t you who had changed, after all. It was your dragon.”
Chapter 19
“My dragon?” Elinor repeated. She didn’t look away from Miss Armitage, but she still sensed Sir John stiffening in his seat beside her and heard his bitten-off curse as he spilled sherry across his leg.
Sir Jessamyn noticed, too. Seated on Elinor’s left shoulder, he was only a foot from Sir John’s furious stare. He pressed himself against Elinor’s neck, shivering.
Elinor put one soothing hand to Sir Jessamyn’s back. “I can’t think what you mean, Miss Armitage. What exactly do you think has changed about my dragon?”
“Well…everything!” Miss Armitage said. “Of course he is a completely different dragon, to begin with. Whatever happened to your last one? I thoughthewas quite an attractive creature, and he looked perfectly healthy when I saw you riding in the park with him last week.”
