Page 41 of Sinfully Daring

“No, wait!” Hargreaves shouted, opening a window, but it was too late.

Before either of them could decide on the best exit, Mr Humphrey Price strolled into the room and made a great show of looking shocked.

“Good God, Lady Rosamund, and Hargreaves!” he exclaimed, eyes wide.

His friend guffawed loudly. “You was wrong, you said it was Kilbane, but… eh, wait a moment.”

Whatever puzzled his friend, Price did not want to hear it and elbowed him sharply, glaring him into silence.

“You son of a bitch,” Hargreaves said, advancing on Mr Price, only to stop in his tracks as a group of a dozen giggling young women entered, gasping and shrieking with apparent upset when all Rosamund could see was the delight in their eyes.

“A tryst!” one of them exclaimed. “With a married man! Oh, Lady Rosamund, for shame!”

“Get out!” This cool, furious voice came from Lady Montagu and Rosamund felt herself tremble uncontrollably at the compassion in her eyes. Oh, this was beyond bad. “All of you, out now.”

“Oh, but we would not wish to miss this,” Lady Hargreaves said, sweeping into the room behind her as if she was the wronged heroine in a bad play. “My sainted husband is not so very noble as we all thought, is he? Seducing innocents, Sebastian? How could you? Especially when you knew the poor child was already in love with you.”

Rosamund felt giddy and ill and very much like she might do something as appalling as swoon, but the satisfied smirk on Lady Hargreaves’ face made her stiffen her spine.

“You spiteful bitch,” Lord Hargreaves said as the young ladies gasped in shock, the tone of his voice so terrible that Rosamund shivered. “I’ll kill you for this.”

He lunged forward, only the sudden appearance of Lord Montagu and Gabriel Knight holding him back, and still he fought to get to his wife, his face blanched with rage.

“I stayed, Adelia. I did everything you wanted! I stayed, damn you! I’ll see you in hell for this, you see if I don’t, you evil witch!”

Even his wife seemed taken aback by the power of his fury, staring at him with her chin defiantly raised, though she was chalk-white.

“My dear?”

Suddenly Matilda was in front of Rosamund, holding her hands, her face full of understanding.

“Don’t let them see,” she said, her voice very low, her hold on Rosamund’s hands so tight it was almost painful.

Rosamund understood; she was not the daughter of a duke for nothing. She knew how to face the world and show nothing of what she felt. Though her knees felt odd, trembling as if they may not support her for long, she turned and faced the assembled company.

“Well, Lady Hargreaves. It seems you have accomplished your desire to ruin me and drag your poor husband into another scandal. Bravo. Of course, we all know this is an utter fabrication, but the truth has never been of much importance to you, has it? I pity you if you want the truth, but for now, I am tired of the circus you have created. If you will excuse me, I would like some privacy, and you will no doubt be eager to spread your poisonous gossip, so please do not let me stop you.”

With Matilda at her side, Rosamund walked calmly out of the room, walking blindly as Matilda guided her to a small parlour. Once the door closed behind them, she managed only a few more steps before her knees buckled, and she sank to the floor, holding tight to Matilda as her chest heaved with sobs so overwhelming she could not breathe, but gasped and clutched at her bodice, which was constricting her lungs beyond bearing.

“Oh, my dear. Oh, love, I’m so sorry, so desperately sorry. That wicked woman. She won’t get out of this unscathed, Rosamund, I swear it. By the time I’m done, there won’t be a family in England who will receive her, you have my word.”

But that was scant comfort now, when Rosamund knew by tomorrow morning the scandal sheets would be full of the story of her affair with a married man. Of all the things they could have accused her of, and of course everyone would believe it, because they had been friends. They had thought they could escape censure if they played by the rules of propriety, but in the end, they had been foolish, and Rosamund would pay the price.

The door opened, and Matilda looked up to see her husband and Mr Knight enter with Lord Hargreaves between them.

Rosamund gave a choked sob at the sight of him.

“My lady,” he said, so obviously devastated that she tried her best to calm herself.

This was not his fault.

“Oh, Lucian, whatever is to be done?” Matilda asked, turning to her husband.

Montagu shook his head, his expression grave. “The story was spreading like wildfire before you even entered the room, only everyone was talking about Rosamund and Kilbane. They laid the groundwork well for this malicious piece of work. I can only promise you the people involved will pay, Rosamund.”

Rosamund looked up into the austerely beautiful face of a man she had regarded as an uncle and saw the sincerity there. He would destroy anyone who hurt his family, and she fell into that category. It would not help her, though. It could not repair the damage.

“I want m-my mother,” Rosamund said, aware she sounded like a child and not caring.