Read A Bright Particular Star Online

Authors: Elizabeth Hanbury

A Bright Particular Star (16 page)

From over her mother
’s
shoulder,
Olivia silently mouthed “
I’m
sorry”
, in reply t
o which Sophie flashed
a
brief,
reassuring smile.


But t
he idiotic
maid did not inform me
you had help
,

Eudora
continued
, her
gaze
resting for an
instant
on Theo.

Fo
r that omissio
n, she will be
severely
punished.

“T
hat would be
ill-advised,
m
ad
am,

said Theo
sternly
.

Your servant had no notion
I was involved.

Mrs
Sloane coloured but pressed on, addressing Sophie again.

I
t was a simple matter to calculate
where you might stop
on your way to London
if you
had
taken the m
ail
coach
or even,

she grimaced
,

t
he common stage.
Peregr
ine
was eager to bring you back
himself, but I decided to follow in t
he post-cha
ise and ordered
Olivia
to
accompany us.

The corners of her mouth lifted in
an unpleasant smile
.
“S
he perf
ectly understands
my displeasure
now
.

Sophie did not do
ubt it
.
Ol
ivia was as white as the wall behind her
and
Sophie could
well
imagine the
tongue
-
lashing she had been subjected to.


Olivia is not to blame,

said
Sophie
.
“T
he idea was
mine alone
.

Mrs
Sloane pursued her lips.
“S
he assisted you, albeit in a small way, and is therefore complicit in your disgraceful behaviour.
I

ve always known you were wild to a fault, but to involve us in a scandal like this is beyond belief.
Such ingratitude!

Eyeing Theo
again
unfavourably, she observed,

I am surprised at you,
Mr
Cavanagh.
Even when subjected to the pleadings of my wayward niece, I would not have countenanced a member of the
ton
, indeed, the
brother
of an Earl,
acting
improperly!

Th
eo bowed, then lifted
an
eyebrow as he pointed out
,

As
I’m
only
brother to an Earl, I don
’t
feel the need to always act with propriety
.
Quite the opposite.
And
I don
’t
feel the nee
d to apologise
.
Miss Devereux
’s
situation sounded difficult and, as a
matter of honour
, I could not
ignore her request and leave her at
the mercy of less principled men
.

Eudora Sloane, a proud woman with none of the tonnish connections she longed for, had nurtured a lifelong admiration
for members of the aristocracy
. T
his
deference
now battled with her fury.
If he had
been anyone else, she would have scythed him down with her
tongue but
,
thinking it
unwise to antagonise a member of
the
ton
, s
he settled
for shifting the blame.

Be that as it may, you should not have
helped Sophia
.
B
ut no doubt the deceitful wretch
lied to you
.
The circumstances were therefore peculiar and extenuating
and
I shall not hold you responsible.


Generous,

muttered
Theo.

Mrs
Sloa
ne, missing the sarcastic
note in his voice
, bestowed a
graci
ous smile of absolution
upon him
.

As for you
,

she snapped,
turning back to Sophie
,

I
will tolerate no more of this.
You will
return to Ludstone immediately!


No.

Mrs
Sloane
’s
eyes flashed.
“D
o you dare to defy me?


I am going to London.

“S
o t
his is how you repay me after I welcomed you into my home.
Ungrateful girl!

A shrill note
had
crept into Eudora
’s
cultivated tones.


You haven
’t
starved me, or locked me
in a garret, but you

ve
made my life
un
pleasant and now you want me to marry P
eregrine,

Sophie
flung back
.

Well,
I won
’t
do it!
I

ve got the Star with me and you

ll never get your hands on it.

Peregrine,
now
sprawled
nonchalantly in a chair
, remarked
,
“T
his conversation is already becoming a dead bo
re.

“T
hen why don
’t
you leave
?”
retorted Sophie
,
giving him a cold glance.

He laughed, a curious combination of a
snort and a titter.

You don
’t
get rid of me so
easily
,
cousin
.
I

ve travelled
miles to get here and I

ll be deuced if I set foot in my carriage again this evening.

Mrs
Sloane gaped at him in
astonishment.

But Peregrine—


We

re s
taying here
,

he i
nterjected
.


In this place?

Eudora regarded
her surroundings with
distaste
.


It
’s
one of the best coachi
ng inns on the Bath road, not a
hedge tavern
.

Mrs Sloane shuddered.

It is not what I am used to and I have no maid to attend me.


Olivia c
an do the necessary,

said
Peregrine
blithely.
“D
id you bring your overnight things
as I told you to?


Yes, but I never dreamt
it would be nec
essary
to use them
!

E
udora
’s
fury
swung back on
her
niece.
“S
ee
what you have done!
This is
your fault.
Your shocking conduct has overset my nerves and now I am in danger of losing my temper

some
thing I rarely do!
I
deman
d you collect your bag
so we can go home at once.

Sophie, her heart sinking
at the prospect
of her cousin
and aunt staying at
T
he Pelican
,
remained resolute.

No.

Mrs
Slo
ane
’s
jaw sagged.

M
onstrous!
Have you no consideration for me at all?


I’m
determined to
go to London,

repeated Sophie
.


You are determined to persecute me to within an inch of my life!
After eve
rything I have done for you too.

The hand
Mrs
Sloane put to her brow shook slightly
.

I
am unequal to arguing
further at this hour.
We will do as Peregrine sugge
sts and stay here
.
The matter can be discussed
again in the morning when I trust
a period of reflection will have brought you to your senses.


Leave it to me to sort out
the rooms,

said Peregrine,
unwinding his long body from the chair.


Miss
Devereux
already has
a chamber
on the first floor,

snapped
Theo.

Perry
acknowledged this with a
brief
nod.


Ungrateful girl!

cried
Mrs
Sloane for the third time.


You

re
overwrought, Mama
,”
said Perry.

Best lie down for a time.
Cavanagh will und
erstand and excuse your
agitation.

Eudora
accepted her son
’s
directions
with obvious reluctance
.

Olivia, you will take the room next
to me!
I have the beginnings of a headache and may require my vinaigrette.
A bowl of soup in my room will suffice for supper
.
You will join me
.


But I want to stay
with Sophie,

protested
Olivia.

At this added
dissent
from an unexpected quarter, Mrs
Sloane
’s
face took on a mutinous expression
once more
. She
caught Peregrine
’s
warning glance and, conscious of making the scene even more unedi
fying, replied
brusquely
,

Oh
very well, but do not be tempted to
linger
!
Sophi
a
’s
reputation is beyond repair
and
I will not have your name sullied by associatio
n.

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