Barking and everything?”
“Yes, yes. Barking, crawling about on the floor. You even tried to bite people.”
“I think I understand now why you wish me to remain in my room tonight. No one wants a dinner companion who might try to bite them during the soup course.”
“So you understand?”
“Yes, and I will remain up here for tonight, if you desire. Or I can go home.”
“No, I don’t think you should leave so soon after your…injury.”
“Fine. I’ll concede for tonight. But tomorrow, I will come down and will mix with company, and I won’t so much as growl at anyone. I promise.”
Adrington looked as if he was trying to smile. “You really believe it was simply the drink?”
“I do. I feel well. Does my behavior seem at all odd now?”
“No.”
“You see? Whatever may have happened last night, you can depend on it—it will never happen again.”
Chapter Six
“Lucia, will you come into my room for a moment? I’ve something to show you.” Eugenie nodded toward her room with a conspiratorial wink and a glance back at Helen who followed them along the upstairs hallway.
Lucia shook her head, but it was too late.
“Why may I not see it too? Why did she not invite me?” Helen hurried on without giving anyone time to respond to her indignant outburst. “You can’t expect me to go down a strange hallway by myself. I won’t do it.”
“No, no, dear,” Lucia soothed her younger sister, gently taking her arm. “I shall walk you down the hall.”
“I want to see what’s in her room.”
“You know it’s not polite to insist when you’ve not been invited.”
“She invited you. Why did she not invite me? We are sisters of the same blood and family. I am as good as you. If you’re good enough to be invited, then I am as well. So it was wrong for her to—”
“Yes, yes, it was wrong,” Lucia narrowed her eyes at Eugenie, “for her to issue such an invitation, and I won’t be going, rest assured.” She moved her hands to Helen’s elbow and slowly guided her down the hall. “Our room is just down here, directly across from…this mousehole, see.” She pointed to a miniscule opening in the baseboard.
“Lucia!” Eugenie huffed down the hall after them. “That is not—”
Lucia waved her objection away. “Now, I shall open the door first, very slowly, and you can see that—”
“You’ve been sleeping on my side of the bed!” Helen rushed into the room, pointing accusingly at the pillow on the right side of the bed which looked, to the untrained eye, exactly like the pillow on the left.
Lucia made a quick mental calculation, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Last night you would have been sleeping on the other side, so I slept on this side. Tonight is Tuesday,” she ushered Eugenie inside and closed the door, “so naturally, Helen, you will be on this side.”
“Ha, that was silly of me, wasn’t it? I forgot that it would be a different side last night.” Helen laughed, a bright sound almost desperate with relief. “That was so silly of me, wasn’t it, Lu? I say, wasn’t it, Lu?”
“It was indeed. You are a very silly girl sometimes.” Lucia kissed her on the top of the head. “Would you like to fix the pillow now or do you want to wait,” she leaned in to whisper “until after you’ve changed into your night rail?”
Helen giggled as she looked at Eugenie.
“It really is not improper to speak about undergarments in front of a lady, Helen, particularly a close friend.”
“I know,” Helen snickered. “But it still sounds so funny.”
From the expressions crossing her face, Eugenie seemed to have recovered from her initial shock and had now settled into a general sense of confusion.
“Shall I help you,” Lucia leaned in again to her sister, “undress?”
“No! I said I was going to fix the pillows first. I always fix the pillows first. I have to fix the pillow first. I can’t very well—”
“I am indeed sorry, Helen. I did not hear
“Yes, yes. Barking, crawling about on the floor. You even tried to bite people.”
“I think I understand now why you wish me to remain in my room tonight. No one wants a dinner companion who might try to bite them during the soup course.”
“So you understand?”
“Yes, and I will remain up here for tonight, if you desire. Or I can go home.”
“No, I don’t think you should leave so soon after your…injury.”
“Fine. I’ll concede for tonight. But tomorrow, I will come down and will mix with company, and I won’t so much as growl at anyone. I promise.”
Adrington looked as if he was trying to smile. “You really believe it was simply the drink?”
“I do. I feel well. Does my behavior seem at all odd now?”
“No.”
“You see? Whatever may have happened last night, you can depend on it—it will never happen again.”
Chapter Six
“Lucia, will you come into my room for a moment? I’ve something to show you.” Eugenie nodded toward her room with a conspiratorial wink and a glance back at Helen who followed them along the upstairs hallway.
Lucia shook her head, but it was too late.
“Why may I not see it too? Why did she not invite me?” Helen hurried on without giving anyone time to respond to her indignant outburst. “You can’t expect me to go down a strange hallway by myself. I won’t do it.”
“No, no, dear,” Lucia soothed her younger sister, gently taking her arm. “I shall walk you down the hall.”
“I want to see what’s in her room.”
“You know it’s not polite to insist when you’ve not been invited.”
“She invited you. Why did she not invite me? We are sisters of the same blood and family. I am as good as you. If you’re good enough to be invited, then I am as well. So it was wrong for her to—”
“Yes, yes, it was wrong,” Lucia narrowed her eyes at Eugenie, “for her to issue such an invitation, and I won’t be going, rest assured.” She moved her hands to Helen’s elbow and slowly guided her down the hall. “Our room is just down here, directly across from…this mousehole, see.” She pointed to a miniscule opening in the baseboard.
“Lucia!” Eugenie huffed down the hall after them. “That is not—”
Lucia waved her objection away. “Now, I shall open the door first, very slowly, and you can see that—”
“You’ve been sleeping on my side of the bed!” Helen rushed into the room, pointing accusingly at the pillow on the right side of the bed which looked, to the untrained eye, exactly like the pillow on the left.
Lucia made a quick mental calculation, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Last night you would have been sleeping on the other side, so I slept on this side. Tonight is Tuesday,” she ushered Eugenie inside and closed the door, “so naturally, Helen, you will be on this side.”
“Ha, that was silly of me, wasn’t it? I forgot that it would be a different side last night.” Helen laughed, a bright sound almost desperate with relief. “That was so silly of me, wasn’t it, Lu? I say, wasn’t it, Lu?”
“It was indeed. You are a very silly girl sometimes.” Lucia kissed her on the top of the head. “Would you like to fix the pillow now or do you want to wait,” she leaned in to whisper “until after you’ve changed into your night rail?”
Helen giggled as she looked at Eugenie.
“It really is not improper to speak about undergarments in front of a lady, Helen, particularly a close friend.”
“I know,” Helen snickered. “But it still sounds so funny.”
From the expressions crossing her face, Eugenie seemed to have recovered from her initial shock and had now settled into a general sense of confusion.
“Shall I help you,” Lucia leaned in again to her sister, “undress?”
“No! I said I was going to fix the pillows first. I always fix the pillows first. I have to fix the pillow first. I can’t very well—”
“I am indeed sorry, Helen. I did not hear
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