Page 54 of The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington
Mrs. Honeywell, who saw her dream of becoming mother to a marchioness dissolving before her eyes, rushed to the bed and shook her daughter until her teeth rattled in her head. “You’d throw away the chance to become a marchioness over aghost? God in heaven, that I should be cursed with such a fool for a daughter!”
Mrs. Honeywell was now as hysterical as Miss Honeywell, and she might have shaken her daughter into unconsciousness if Lord Darlington hadn’t intervened, and dragged her away from the bed. “Release your daughter at once, madam.”
“What duke would have you now, you selfish, ungrateful girl!” Mrs. Honeywell had quite lost control of herself, and was spitting and scratching to get free. “You’ll be lucky to get a lowly viscount if you jilt a marquess!”
“I don’t care! I’ll marry a farmer if I have to!” Tears were once again leaking from Miss Honeywell’s eyes, and she buried her face in her hands.
Mrs. Honeywell gave up trying to reason with her daughter, and turned to clutch desperately at Lord Darlington. “My daughter is a bit…distraught, my lord, and doesn’t know what she’s saying. She’ll come to her senses by morning—”
“No.” Lord Darlington plucked his shirt out of Mrs. Honeywell’s grasp.
“No? But my lord,I promise you—”
“Forgive me, Mrs. Honeywell, but I’ve no wish to marry a lady who doesn’t wish to marryme, nor do I want a wife who believes I’m a murderer.” He turned to offer Miss Honeywell a stiff bow. “I release you from our betrothal, Miss Honeywell.”
If any specters still lingered near Darlington Castle, Mrs. Honeywell’s deafening shriek would have sent them all scurrying. “I warn you, Lord Darlington, I won’t have every malicious tongue in London wagging about my daughter jilting a marquess. Either you marry her, or I’ll put it aboutyoujiltedher. It will be your reputation left in tatters, not hers!”
Lord Darlington let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Do what you will. I don’t givea bloody damn.”
Mrs. Honeywell gasped at the curse.“Howdareyou?”
“Far more easily than you’d imagine, madam. I trust you and your daughter will be gone from Darlington Castle before breakfast tomorrow.”
Silence followed this announcement. It seemed even Mrs. Honeywell thought better of arguing with an enraged marquess who’d just ordered her and her daughter to leave his castle. Sensing this was the end of the discussion, Cecilia whirled around and scurried down the hallway to her own bedchamber before she could be caughteavesdropping.
She closed her own door with a quiet click, but even then, she heard Mrs. Honeywell’s shriek of fury, followed by the abrupt slamming of a bedchamber door.
Dear God, thatshriek.
Miss Honeywell would have done better to take her chances with the ghost, rather than her mother.
Cecilia hovered by the door and waited, her heart pounding, and after a few moments she heard the tread of footsteps coming down the hall. She assumed it was Lord Darlington returning to his bedchamber, but when the steps didn’t pass her door, she eased it quietly open and peeked through the gap.
Lord Darlington and Lord Haslemere were standing in the shallow alcove just off the landing, mumbling to each other. Cecilia could see by their earnest expressions that whatever they were saying was of some import, and she edged the door open a bit wider.
It was an evening of eavesdropping, it seemed.
“…didn’t believe ituntil tonight.”
It was Lord Darlington speaking. Cecilia would have recognized that deep voice anywhere. His next words were muffled, then he said, “It’s possible she’s come back, Haslemere.”
She?Who’d come back? Who could Lord Darlington mean?
Lord Haslemere murmured something Cecilia didn’t catch, then, “…even then, how can she simply disappear as if she’s vanishedinto the air?”
Cecilia pressed her eye to the gap and saw Lord Darlington run a distracted hand through his hair. He said something else, too low for Cecilia to hear, then, “…knows the area better than I do.”
Lord Haslemere made a frustrated sound and mumbled a few words in reply.
Cecilia held her breath, her ears straining. Oh, why couldn’t theyspeak clearly?
“…know where to start…groundstoo extensive.”
Dear God, it was maddening. Cecilia caught her tongue between her teeth to keep herself from shouting at them to speak up.
“…unstable, Haslemere. Miss Honeywell’s story…go after her.”
Unstable?Cecilia’s hands curled in an agony of frustration.Go afterwho?
