Wicked Nights With a Proper Lady(47)

Always your

Leo

Genny had to wipe away more tears that spilled over her cheeks. She loved him, too, but that didn’t mean she could forgive him.

Lying back on the chaise, she fingered the chocolate-brown ribbon that sealed the box’s contents from sight. The brown matched Leo’s eyes exactly and the comparison had more tears gushing down her face. Handkerchief completely sodden, she gave up wiping the salty liquid and let them flow freely.

Accepting Leo’s gift meant accepting him back into her life. Should she send the box back to him by post? Or maybe it was better to open it and give the bauble to someone else? That would be a divine punishment, the only flaw being that he’d never know.

She slowly pulled the end of the satin ribbon, questioning her sanity until the whole thing unraveled at the center. It was too late to turn back now. She flipped the lid off, letting it tumble to the floor.

Her breath caught on seeing the beautiful piece inside. It wasn’t any of the hair combs she’d tried on for him. This one was far prettier than any of those.

White ivory, she guessed, as she lifted it from the box.

Little round carved balls lined the top. A flower bloomed below the top edge from the center and vines swirled in a delicate pattern through the rest of it. It was smaller than the palm of her hand and incredibly beautiful. Five tines about two and some inches long stretched out below. She ran her finger over the bottom edge then brought it close to inspect the detailed work of the decorative head.

She could never wear something so beautiful and obviously expensive without anyone asking her where she had obtained such a piece. She put it back in the box.

It seemed pointless to send it back to Leo. He had given it to her, knowing that she might refuse to ever see him again, so it was hers to do with as she pleased. Wrapping it back up, she pulled out her portmanteau from beneath the bed, and placed the box inside where no one would ever know about it.





Chapter 21

None other than the recently rusticating Lord B___is back in Town. With him comes a wave of speculation about his current attraction to a young lady. A reliable source has heard that he escaped from his holiday the moment he was caught in a compromising position with his young lady friend. Of course she’s been ruined for any others now that Lord B___ has taken advantage of her. Everyone wants to know if this is a new entertainment he’s partaking in. In time we will know the answer to this, for the season has yet to end and there are so many more spinsters for one such as him to weed out.

The Mayfair Chronicles, August 6, 1846

The unthinkable had happened, and it had necessitated Genny’s quick removal from the house party.

It had been two days ago now that she and Barrington had fought and she’d said good-bye to him one final time. It had been forty hours since Barrington had left the Carleton Estate. It had been a mere eight hours since Lord Ponsley had arrived after receiving a note that his daughter’s chaperone was an unseemly character indulging in a very public affair.

A maid had been sent up to her room to tell her that her uncle wanted to speak with her.

She’d been dreading this moment since she knew her card had been played. This was the moment when everything in her life was about to slip through her fingers and rush downhill faster than she could recover.

With her hands folded neatly in her lap to stop her from fidgeting, her foot tapped restlessly against the carpeted floor.

She’d waited nearly an hour now.

Did her uncle intentionally make her wait, expecting her nerves to wear her down with every minute that passed? Did he want her to feel terrible about her actions and mull over everything that had gone wrong? Why couldn’t he just come into the parlor and get it over with?

She couldn’t abide the waiting. It was awful. She wanted to scream her frustration. Pound her fists into the cushions beside her. Anything to assuage her need to … run.

The absence of sleep did not help this situation. Goodness, she hadn’t even seen her cousin since yesterday afternoon.

Genny heaved a sigh and rubbed her forehead and temples. She felt a headache coming on; this was all too much stress. Too much to deal with. Though she’d known this was a possibility when she’d started her liaison with Leo, she’d never expected to actually be caught.

When the door opened, she got quickly to her feet, keeping her head downcast. There was a long pause of silence before the door clicked shut and heeled boots approached her.

She felt her lip quiver and had to bite it to still her outward emotions. Like a drop of water in the bucket of time, she slowly raised her eyes, knowing that this was the end of her comfortable life as a companion.

Lord Ponsley’s expression was dour. There was no pity present when he scowled at her as though she were the lowest of life forms. She almost expected a growl to pass his lips where it was kicked up on the left in a vicious sneer.

Even though she wanted nothing more than to be strong and brave and pull back her shoulders and face him head-on, she couldn’t. It would do her no good to defend such an indiscretion as the one she’d committed. She lowered her gaze like any good servant and slumped her shoulders forward as she waited for a thorough set down from her uncle.

“You have disgraced my family.” His voice reverberated around the room.

“I’m sorry, my lord.” What else was there to say? How else could she apologize and make up for her wrongs?

“Not to mention that you have shamed my daughter with this indiscretion.” Lord Ponsley leaned up against the mantel, a severe look of disdain settled into the wrinkles lining his face. “How did you ever think you could play the whore and not be found out?”

She gasped. “Whore” was such a vile, dirty word. And she’d done everything in her power to protect Charlotte. She’d even turned Leo away after his confession to her. Tears fell copiously from her eyes. She went to where he stood, fell to her knees, and pulled his hand toward her; intent on kissing the heavy gold signet ring he always wore. The tears wouldn’t let up.

“I cannot apologize enough for what I have done.” Her voice broke, and the tears didn’t let up. “Please take some mercy on me; I am of your blood.”

Because she held his hand, she was forced to wipe her running nose on the shoulder of her dress.

He pried his hand away from hers and rubbed it on his trousers as though she were a filthy street urchin covered in grime. “I begin to wonder if your mother was a whore, too. You are no blood of a vicar. You are nothing but a harlot. You are no blood of mine.”

“Please.” She tried to grasp his hand again but he moved it out of her reach. “Let me prove otherwise. You are the last of my family. How can I possibly go on without your help?”

“You are no longer my problem.”

Genny looked up at Lord Ponsley from where she knelt on the floor. His expression was severe. Hard. He had no love for her. There was nothing for him to lose in denying their relation.

“What am I to do?” she cried.

“I do not care.” He slapped his gloves in the palm of his hand. “You’d be best suited for a whorehouse. You are familiar with spreading your legs for any man that will take you in your unmarriageable state.”

She had to cover her mouth to keep the bile down that viciously rose in her throat. “How dare you suggest such a thing!”

“I’m taking Charlotte home tomorrow.” He continued to speak as if she had not spoken at all. “You, on the other hand, I want to leave immediately.”

How could anyone be as unkind as he was being? Yes, she’d made a bad choice, but did she deserve this callousness and cruelty? No one did. “Lady Carleton—”

“She cannot protect you. You’ve brought this upon yourself.”

“You—you don’t care what happens to me?”

His eyes narrowed in disgust. “No. I don’t. Make sure you stay away from my daughter.”

And with that, he walked away from her. She sank down onto the floor. She shook so badly that she couldn’t find the ability to stand. Lady Hargrove and a couple of the other houseguests must have been listening at the door because they apologized to Lord Ponsley when he exited the room. Then the door slammed in his wake and she was left alone once again.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat on the floor, crying silent tears, but someone eventually came into the room and sat next to her. Genny could barely see through her swollen eyes, and she didn’t know who it was until she spoke.

“Lord Ponsley was always a pompous ass, dear.” Lady Carleton put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her to her side in a tender embrace. “I’ll get you back to London and help you find accommodations.”

“You’re being far too kind.” Genny hoped that her tears had started to dry up and that her voice wouldn’t catch on another sob as she spoke. “I’ve made a terrible mistake and I’ve not only brought shame on Lord Ponsley and his daughter but on this household.”

“I’m sure I’ll fare better than everyone.” Lady Carleton gave her a hug and rubbed Genny’s back. “I’ve had far worse scandals during these parties. They’ve always worked out for the better.”

She and Leo would be the first guests involved in a scandal to not marry, then. But she hadn’t the energy to explain that to Lady Carleton. Genny closed her eyes and rested her head on the countess’s shoulder for a while. She felt completely defeated and lost.