Chapter Seventeen
The polite clink of teacups echoed through the parlor as Deery served both ladies.
Grace nodded at him, and Kitty murmured her thanks.
It was, she realized, awkward as awkward could be. She sipped, sighed and put down her cup. “This is most awkward, Ma’am.”
“Call me Grace, if you would?” She put down her cup as well. “Yes, I suppose it is. I cannot imagine too many ladies are sitting down to breakfast with their brother’s mistress this morning.”
Kitty’s chin came up. “I’m sure that is true.” She looked straight at what she could see of Grace’s face. “Should I retire? I will if my presence is making you uncomfortable.”
“No.” Grace made a brief negative motion with her head. “No, don’t leave. Max brought you here, to Mowbray House. That is out of character for him, so I decided it would behoove me to make your acquaintance.”
“To find out what kind of woman would become a mistress on a wager?”
“Something like that.”
The part of Grace’s face that Kitty could see curved into a slight smile.
Kitty nodded. “I would do the same, I suppose for either of my brothers. Should they act unlike themselves, of course. Although since there really isn’t much one could label as normal in the Ridlington family, I doubt I shall be called upon to do so. Not in the near future, anyway.”
“I’ve heard of the Ridlingtons,” Grace said hesitantly. “Not all good things, I’m afraid.”
“That would be our father,” sighed Kitty. “To set the record straight, he married three times. Edmund, Simon and Letitia are from his first wife. My twin Richard and I were born of his second, and our sister Hecate is the only child of his third wife. All our mothers are gone, and all of us children were glad to see the back of our father when he passed.” She shrugged. “A terrible thing to say, but he was a terrible man. Which is why we’re all…out of the ordinary style, I suppose.”
“That bad?” Grace sounded sympathetic.
“Yes, that bad.” Kitty rose and gathered jam and butter from the sideboard. They were private now, since Deery had left them with full teacups, doubtless knowing they would prefer to be alone. Butlers were awfully good at that sort of thing.
“He was a cold hearted brute,” she continued. “He mistreated his wives and either ignored us, his children, or treated us as if we were beneath contempt. Edmund left and went to sea to get away from him and Simon became a vicar and took the Ridlington living just to escape the house.”
“And your oldest brother…Edmund…he is now Baron?”
Kitty smiled. “He is. He also has a wife he worships and they have a brand new addition in their son, Hugh, who is the most perfect child ever born.”
Grace had to laugh. “I’m sure of it.”
“We are a family, Grace, in spite of our father. Perhaps because of him. I believe we clung together as a way of providing each other with the support and encouragement not offered by a parent.”
“And you, Kitty…what are your plans for your life? You are a member of Lady Allington’s extended family, are you not?”
Kitty tilted her head. “You are well informed, Ma’am. My compliments.”
Grace sighed. “I am a voracious reader. I don’t come to town or get out into Society at all, so my news is gleaned from the news sheets. Lady Allington’s good fortune was mentioned, several times, I believe.”
That was true. “Yes, you’re quite right.” Kitty helped herself to toast. “So here you are, assessing me as a mistress to your brother.”
“No, not so.” Grace finished her tea. “I’m here because I was curious as to what kind of woman could make my brother break his one most steadfast rule about bringing any woman here.”
Kitty gazed at her. “And have you reached a conclusion yet?”
There was a long silence, then Grace moved backward in her chair a little, raising her napkin from her lap and dabbing her lips. “Not quite.” She raised her head and met Kitty’s gaze. “I think it’s time I removed this…” she touched the thin layer of silk lace obscuring half her face.
Kitty watched as she unpinned it from her hair and let it fall to her lap.
“Now you see why I don’t go out, or visit London, Kitty.”
Kitty could indeed.
From just in front of Grace’s earlobe to the tip of her eyebrow and then back to her hairline, there was a scar. Thin, but ragged. It would most certainly have attracted attention and comment, if not outright distaste, from people who valued appearance over everything else.
“My dear Grace. I scarce dare to ask how you came by that mark, because it must have been quite terrible,” faltered Kitty.
The other woman ran her fingers over the length of the scar in a casually familiar way. “It was.” She swallowed. “My late husband gave it to me, moments before he took his own life with the same blade.” She looked at Kitty. “I loved him very much. I had no idea his mind was not healthy, nor that he had such violence within him. So perhaps you can now understand why I am here. If Max is strongly attracted to you, which his actions would suggest, I need to know you won’t hurt him.” She gripped her hands together on the table top, knuckles whitening as she spoke.
“Love can be amazingly powerful and beautiful on the surface, Kitty. But I learned there can also be another side to people. One that is filled with darkness and horror. I will never ever let anyone inflict such pain on Max. He’s all I have left.”
*~~*~~*
“Then why don’t you spend more time here, love?”
Max walked in on Grace’s dramatic statement, hurrying to her side. He bent over and place a kiss on her cheek as she raised a hand to touch him. “Max, dearest. I hope you don’t mind my impromptu arrival? I couldn’t sleep last night, so I packed a few things and hopped into my gig. I’m afraid I shocked Deery by arriving so early, but your people are so wonderful. I’ve had breakfast, a lovely cup of tea, and…”
“And you’ve met Kitty,” finished her brother.
“I have, yes.”
Max glanced across the table. “Did you suffer much under her interrogation?”
Kitty laughed. “Oh yes, it was quite terrible. I think the thumbscrews were the worst.”
Grace laughed back. “How ridiculous you are, Max. Kitty and I just talked.”
“I know you, sister.” He flashed her an affectionate glance. “You pried, wheedled, casually dropped pertinent questions into a simple conversation and generally intruded into someone else’s mind.”
“I do that?” She looked at him curiously.
“Sometimes, yes.” Max smiled at Kitty. “And given the circumstances, I can forgive you all of it.”
“This is a somewhat unusual situation,” added Kitty. “I just told Grace that if I were in her shoes, I’d probably do exactly the same for Richard.” She frowned. “I am quite concerned about him, you know. I’m pretty sure he’s well, but I do wish he’d leave Brussels and come home.”
“Your twin is in Brussels?” Grace’s eyebrows rose, tugging on the scar as they did so. “I understand there is a lot of activity there. Balls and assemblies put on by those amazing British visitors for the benefit of Wellington and his men.”
“Mostly the titled ones, I should think,” commented Kitty wryly.
“Well, yes,” answered Grace. “But you can’t expect a Duchess to entertain a young army private, can you.”
“Actually, I can,” said Kitty. “Why should a Duchess enjoy the benefits of money and position, be served glorious meals and dance with beautiful people, when that young private is going to go out onto the battlefield and perhaps die for her freedom?” She took a breath. “Doesn’t he deserve to leave for the fight with a full belly and the memory of a lovely girl in silks held close in his arms?”
“Such equality would be difficult to attain, and almost impossible to maintain, though, wouldn’t it?” Grace leaned forward, her face alight with interest.
“Here now.” Max interrupted. “If you two start debating England’s social system, I will end up napping on the couch over there. Perhaps you could save the discussion for another time?”
Kitty, who was about to do just that, wrinkled her nose. “Damn you, Max. I so seldom enjoy the opportunity of having an intelligent conversation with anyone, and now you’ve just forbidden it.”
Grace leaned her arm across the table and gently touched Kitty’s hand. “We will continue our talk, Kitty. I promise. I too would enjoy the chance to talk about matters of import.” She shot a glare at her brother. “And be listened to, not lectured.”
“Wonderful.” Kitty nodded.
“Well then,” Max fetched his breakfast and sat down. “Grace, you must have heard of our recent crisis…the coach accident and the injuries to Kitty’s sister?”
“Deery told me.” She turned to Kitty. “I was so glad to hear Miss Hecate reached your home in one piece, and is eating now. Such good news.”
“What you may not know is that my wheels were sabotaged. It was no accident, Grace. It was deliberate.”
His sister’s jaw dropped. “Oh good God, Max.”
“Exactly. So while you’re here…”
“Oh dear, here it comes,” smiled Kitty. “Grace, you are now about to be reduced to an innocent eighteen-year-old girl.” She turned to Max. “Go ahead, Grandfather. Give us our orders.”
Max frowned in irritation. “This is not a joking matter, Kitty. What happened may well pose a threat to either myself, or anyone associated with me. Which includes Grace, and as of a couple of nights ago, you, as well.”
Kitty shook her head. “I still cannot believe I would be in any danger at all.”
“If you and I had been in that carriage?”
“Then Harris would have been driving much more slowly. In addition, it would have been over roads in much better condition than the ones where the accident occurred. We certainly would have run the risk of breaking wheels, but the likelihood of either of us being killed…I would put that as a distant possibility.”
Max glowered.
“That is quite logical, brother dear. You must admit Kitty has a valid argument there.”
He sighed. “So you’re saying the point of the sabotage was not to kill?”
“If you look at it from an impersonal perspective, yes.” She tapped her fingers on the table in emphasis. “We leave the ball, get in the carriage and drive back here. Our wheels break on the way. We get bumped around, bruised, maybe even break a limb. But…nobody is killed. The result would be some discomfort for us, and probably a lot of additional gossip.” She pursed her lips in distaste. “Not that we need it.”
Grace chuckled. “True.”
Max shot Kitty a glance. “If I recall correctly, you were the one who wished to be known as the scandalous Miss Ridlington.”
She blushed. “Well, yes. All right, that was what I said.” Her chin lifted. “However, I did not anticipate these events in any way, shape or form.”
“I’ll allow that,” agreed Max. “But I’m still going to ask you both to use a great deal more caution until this matter is settled. The incontrovertible face remains that someone, some malefactor sawed through the spokes on the wheel of my carriage.” He bit back the oaths that came to mind. Fury, while still simmering, wouldn’t help the conversation. “Their intent was to do harm. I would not have harm come to either of you. So that, as far as I’m concerned, is that.”