Oliver vaguely remembered from the wedding, and then it was Lady Dempster, with her lorgnette raised. She was shortsighted, and didn’t like to miss a thing. She was fairly panting with anticipation.
“Hello, Lady Dempster,” Oliver said, and from the sound of his voice Belle assumed a setdown was to be forthcoming, before ever the lady opened her mouth. Oliver was not frequently rude, but if there was one thing that annoyed him, it was a gossip.
She underestimated Lady Dempster. It wasn’t often that she was outspoken by anyone, nor was she now. “What a famous joke! Your barging in and catching Belle out the first time she brings her new beau into public. That will teach you, sly puss,” she added, turning to wag a finger at Belle.
“You misunderstand the matter,” Oliver told her, while his wife waited with her heart in her mouth to hear what he would come out with.
“What do you mean?” Lady Dempster jumped in, her eyes bright with joy to be in on a secret. “It was all planned—is that it?”
“There is a divinity that shapes our ends,” Oliver went on, looking about the room in a bored way. “You’ll just have to be patient and see what the divinity has in store for us.”
“But it is all your doing,” she persisted to Avondale. “It was no accident?”
“My doing? No, no, I am monstrously flattered, ma’am, but I did say a divinity. I am only human.”
“What then, was it an accident?” the inquisitive dame pressed on, not to be put off in this fashion.
“A happy accident,” Belle said, and tried to get away before Oliver said something worse. She was detained by Lady Dempster’s bony fingers on her wrist.
“Did you put Kay up to it?” she asked in a voice that was intended to be hidden from Oliver.
“Lizzie, you wretch!” Kay laughed, trying nobly to hide her chagrin. “How dare you badger my guests? It was accidental, and pray let us not make a mountain of a molehill. There is Ralph Ponsonby, Belle. You will want to say hello to him.”
Grateful to get away, Belle went off with Kay, but she noticed that Oliver remained with Lizzie Dempster. Now what was he saying to her? Something nasty, from the satirical face on him. “You caught her red-handed,” Lizzie continued to Oliver, wishing it were Belle she had detained. She’d get no news from this clam.
“Mr. Henderson is a neighbor of my wife’s, and a connection of Kay’s. There is no romance in it.” He longed to give the nosy creature a leveler, but wanted even more to keep her gossip-mongering to a minimum.
“They came together,” Lizzie went on. “I drove up right behind them, and mighty happy they looked too, your grace.”
“But they are not returning together,” he said rashly.
“Is there to be a reconciliation? That’s what I want to know.”
Oliver bent his head close to the old hag’s face and said in a hushed voice, “She hasn’t got me back yet, Liz. This is your chance. Shall we rendezvous at midnight? I may not be available much longer.”
He meant to insult her, but she laughed merrily. She hadn’t thought she would get a thing out of him, and was happy to have a nice repeatable joke at least. “I might take you up on that!” she threatened, and let him escape, for she was eager to pass the conversation on to Lord Eldon.
Oliver caught up to Kay and Belle just as they turned away from Mr. Ponsonby. “Why do you have that harpy here?” he asked Kay.
“To amuse the ladies. It is but a dull crew of gentlemen I have managed to collect, with Raffles not showing up. A gossip will keep the ladies nearly as well entertained as a flirt.”
“Guess what they’ll be gossiping about,” Belle added her complaint indirectly. “What did you say to her by the way, Oliver, to set her cackling?”
“I honoured her with a brief, a very brief, flirtation.”
“You’re good at that,” Belle said, and turned to welcome Marnie Delford, who had come back to talk. She joined the Delfords and
“Hello, Lady Dempster,” Oliver said, and from the sound of his voice Belle assumed a setdown was to be forthcoming, before ever the lady opened her mouth. Oliver was not frequently rude, but if there was one thing that annoyed him, it was a gossip.
She underestimated Lady Dempster. It wasn’t often that she was outspoken by anyone, nor was she now. “What a famous joke! Your barging in and catching Belle out the first time she brings her new beau into public. That will teach you, sly puss,” she added, turning to wag a finger at Belle.
“You misunderstand the matter,” Oliver told her, while his wife waited with her heart in her mouth to hear what he would come out with.
“What do you mean?” Lady Dempster jumped in, her eyes bright with joy to be in on a secret. “It was all planned—is that it?”
“There is a divinity that shapes our ends,” Oliver went on, looking about the room in a bored way. “You’ll just have to be patient and see what the divinity has in store for us.”
“But it is all your doing,” she persisted to Avondale. “It was no accident?”
“My doing? No, no, I am monstrously flattered, ma’am, but I did say a divinity. I am only human.”
“What then, was it an accident?” the inquisitive dame pressed on, not to be put off in this fashion.
“A happy accident,” Belle said, and tried to get away before Oliver said something worse. She was detained by Lady Dempster’s bony fingers on her wrist.
“Did you put Kay up to it?” she asked in a voice that was intended to be hidden from Oliver.
“Lizzie, you wretch!” Kay laughed, trying nobly to hide her chagrin. “How dare you badger my guests? It was accidental, and pray let us not make a mountain of a molehill. There is Ralph Ponsonby, Belle. You will want to say hello to him.”
Grateful to get away, Belle went off with Kay, but she noticed that Oliver remained with Lizzie Dempster. Now what was he saying to her? Something nasty, from the satirical face on him. “You caught her red-handed,” Lizzie continued to Oliver, wishing it were Belle she had detained. She’d get no news from this clam.
“Mr. Henderson is a neighbor of my wife’s, and a connection of Kay’s. There is no romance in it.” He longed to give the nosy creature a leveler, but wanted even more to keep her gossip-mongering to a minimum.
“They came together,” Lizzie went on. “I drove up right behind them, and mighty happy they looked too, your grace.”
“But they are not returning together,” he said rashly.
“Is there to be a reconciliation? That’s what I want to know.”
Oliver bent his head close to the old hag’s face and said in a hushed voice, “She hasn’t got me back yet, Liz. This is your chance. Shall we rendezvous at midnight? I may not be available much longer.”
He meant to insult her, but she laughed merrily. She hadn’t thought she would get a thing out of him, and was happy to have a nice repeatable joke at least. “I might take you up on that!” she threatened, and let him escape, for she was eager to pass the conversation on to Lord Eldon.
Oliver caught up to Kay and Belle just as they turned away from Mr. Ponsonby. “Why do you have that harpy here?” he asked Kay.
“To amuse the ladies. It is but a dull crew of gentlemen I have managed to collect, with Raffles not showing up. A gossip will keep the ladies nearly as well entertained as a flirt.”
“Guess what they’ll be gossiping about,” Belle added her complaint indirectly. “What did you say to her by the way, Oliver, to set her cackling?”
“I honoured her with a brief, a very brief, flirtation.”
“You’re good at that,” Belle said, and turned to welcome Marnie Delford, who had come back to talk. She joined the Delfords and
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