Page 53 of The Wallflower Ruse

The gatekeeper pulled his forelock. “Eh, Mr. Pearce, sir, good to see you.” He ambled over and opened the gate.

They drove on and came to a halt before an imposing Queen Anne mansion. “Here we are,” Mr. Pearce said. “This is Delworth House.”

The stone wall enclosed what she could see of the property, which might make escape difficult. On the other hand, carriages would come and go during the masquerade. “Your aunt owns it?”

“No, she has a life interest in it. Lord Delworth, her stepson, prefers his estate in Derbyshire and spends most of the year there.”

The groom let down the steps—the same man who had thrown her into the coach. Mr. Pearce got out first and handed her down, and she gazed at her surroundings, pretending to be not only reconciled but pleased. “What a charming house.”

The groom leapt up beside the coachman and they drove off. Briefly, Lucinda wondered what would happen if she turned and ran into the street, shrieking that she’d been abducted.

“Come meet my aunt,” Mr. Pearce said. “You’ll like her.”

That decided Lucinda, not that she had seriously considered running away. Causing a fuss wouldn’t deter these people—more likely, they would imprison her, or worse. They needed her for something to do with the plot. It made far more sense to wait for Restive and the others to come.

Lady Delworth was a plump little widow with a sweet smile. “Welcome, my dear. My maid will take your pelisse. Would you like some tea?”

Lucinda surrendered her pelisse to the maid but kept firm hold of her reticule, because for all she knew, the maid was involved in the plot.

“Melrose has told me so much about you.” Lady Delworth led Lucinda to a drawing room furnished in the latest style—in other words, no sign of penury here. “Beautiful and well-read, he said, and open-minded, too! Which is difficult for a lady, for society does its best to discourage rational thought. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the masquerade.”

“Indeed, ma’am,” Lucinda said, taking the proffered seat in a Sheraton chair with delicate inlay on the back. “There’s no reason why one can’t be both educated and fun-loving. So very kind of you to invite me.”

“I daresay you haven’t attended one before,” the widow said. “Should I have invited your mother?”

“She may come later, using Mrs. Hale’s invitation,” Lucinda said, for the sake of keeping her stories straight. “I confess, I’m a little uneasy—but excited as well.”

“You needn’t fear for your safety and honor in my house,” her ladyship said. ‘Everything is proper and above board, with only the best people in attendance.”

“Thank you for that reassurance, ma’am,” Lucinda said, not reassured at all, while at the same time finding it difficult to mistrust Lady Delworth. Surely an elderly lady with a life interest in a charming estate not far from London had very little reason to get involved in sedition. Either the lady was a superb actress or she had no idea what was going on in her house.

“Dear Melrose is an honorable man, but one never knows what to expect from others,” Lucinda ventured.

“Any gentleman who upsets a lady will be dealt with speedily by my footmen,” Lady Delworth said. “I hired several extras to help keep order. They’ll be dressed as Roman soldiers.”

Which was all very well, but what if the plotters knew this and wore the same costumes?

A maid came in with a tea tray and cakes. “Thank you, Dora. Ask Miss Wallace to join us.”

Miss Wallace? Good Lord, no.

A minute later, Alfreda Wallace danced merrily in and clapped her hands at the sight of Lucinda. “You’re here! How marvelous.” She dropped into a chair. “How did you manage to escape your mother? I hear she’s in town.”

“Mr. Pearce whisked me over here,” Lucinda said. “Mother may come later.” For a moment, she almost wished her Mother really would come—which was impossible, for she didn’t even know where Lucinda had gone. “The problem is that I don’t have my costume.”

“Lady Delworth has plenty of extra costumes.” Alfreda lowered her voice to a whisper. “I tricked Mama by saying I’m spending the night with a friend. If she finds out it’s not true, it will be too late to stop me, because she’ll have no idea where I am.” She raised her voice again and turned to Lady Delworth. “The party will last most of the night, won’t it?”

“I expect so, for the younger guests at least. You young people have so much energy.” Lady Delworth poured, and Lucinda passed a cup of tea to Alfreda and took one for herself. She passed the plate of cakes as well.

“Dear me, it’s getting late,” Lady Delworth said after they had finished all the tea and cakes. “Soon the guests will begin to arrive, and I must have a restorative nap first. Alfreda, please take Lucinda—I may call you that, mayn’t I, dear?—upstairs. Just ring for the maid to bring her a costume.”

“Do you really mean to stay up all night?” Lucinda said as they approached the stairs. “That sounds awfully risky.”

“Not really,” said Alfreda. “I know how to take care of myself.”

This bit of nonsense made Lucinda uneasy, as did Alfreda’s air of suppressed excitement. “How will you get home afterwards?” she asked. “A hack?”

After a pause, Alfreda shrugged nonchalantly. “Perhaps...but I expect someone will offer me a ride.”