Chapter 17 #3
Amanda realized she had been holding her breath. Rigid with tension, she somehow exhaled. Someone had learned the truth about her and had spread it about town. Someone was trying to hurt her. It simply didn’t make sense. Amanda couldn’t begin to imagine who would do such a thing.
“Those witches!” Eleanor gasped. She was shaking with rage. “Oh, I shall find a way to make them pay! And wait until Cliff hears of their viciousness. Amanda, you were wonderful!”
Amanda barely heard. She had come so far and that petty Jane Cochran wished to destroy all she had thus far attained. But she didn’t know her, so this was the plot of someone else. She looked at Eleanor. “Even I know that ladies do not act so reprehensibly.”
“She is a skinny, ugly hag, with the nature of a shrew! She will never find love or affection, just some poor fortune hunter! We must plan our revenge.”
Amanda almost smiled. “You are such a loyal friend!”
Eleanor hugged her. “I meant it when I said you have become a sister to me! Oh, what shall we do to her? Shall we spread some terrible rumor about her?”
Amanda smiled grimly. “It is tempting, but while she was rude and nasty, she only spoke the truth.”
“Amanda, she can hurt your prospects. We must squash this rumor at once!”
Amanda sat down. Some of her tension was easing.
Cliff would be furious when he learned of this visit.
She was still furious. “But it isn’t a rumor, Eleanor.
” She wished she could tell Eleanor that the gossip didn’t matter, because she wouldn’t be in town for very long.
“When I first came to town, I was so afraid that something like this would happen. I have endured such condescension my entire life. I was a wild child once. I did beg and steal when I was alone on the island during Papa’s cruises.
But I have changed Eleanor. I can read and write and your father said I am a good dancer.
Papa was a gentleman once, and my mother is Lady Belford.
I am not hiding, not from Jane Cochran and not from anyone.
” She knew Cliff would approve of her firm stand.
Eleanor sat down beside her. “I know you dislike discussing your mother, but if she would only step forward, this would be so much easier.”
Amanda shot to her feet. “No! I don’t need her help.”
Eleanor took her arm. “Amanda, this accusation must be put down as a vicious lie.”
Amanda stared. “Perhaps you are right. But if I am ever faced again this way, I am not going to deny the truth. I am not going to cower. We have three calls to make tomorrow. I promised the countess I would accompany her and I will.”
Eleanor stared. Finally she said, “You do not know society as well as I do. I do not want to see you hurt.”
Amanda thought about Cliff, who had broken her heart.
“Gossip can’t hurt me.” She did not add that only Eleanor’s brother could achieve that.
“I am behind in my reading and Monsieur Michelle is testing me this afternoon. I think I should study. And I don’t think we should dwell on Lady Cochran anymore.
” Then she added, “Eleanor, it really doesn’t matter. I am not a pirate’s daughter anymore.”
Eleanor smiled grimly, hugging her briefly again. “You are so brave.”
Amanda had just left the room when Lizzie came in, Chaz in her arms, struggling to get down. She turned. “Where are the ladies?”
“I take it you do not know them well?” Eleanor asked bitterly.
“I do not know them at all. I was introduced to Lady Cochran once, several years ago, at a supper party. We did not even converse after the introduction. What happened? You seem upset.”
“They came here to taunt Amanda. Someone knows the truth and they know it now, too.”
Lizzie paled and gave up on Chaz, letting him down. He ran across the room, knocking over a small table as he did so. “Oh dear,” Lizzie whispered. “Now what do we do?”
“Amanda has decided to do nothing, as if nothing has happened at all. But I know better. We need Mother, and we need to make certain this rumor dies today.”
AMANDA NEVER OPENED her book. Instead, she touched the pearls at her throat, the precious gift Cliff had given to her, missing him so much that it hurt.
It was hard to be upset about Jane Cochran and her friends when her heart was so broken, yet she remained angry.
She did not deserve their scorn, but she had weathered their plot easily enough.
She actually felt sorry for Jane, who was clearly an unhappy shrew.
Tomorrow she might be cut and scorned anew, yet she would manage.
She was proud of how far she had come and she would never hide from anything or anyone again.
An ugly rumor—even one that was true—couldn’t bring La Sauvage back.
She thought about Cliff, who was somewhere in Holland, who wouldn’t even look at her now.
Even as angry as he was, he would have been angrier with those women if he had been present, and he would have instantly come to her defense.
She knew it and it pleased her. Maybe, in spite of his terrible resolve, he would still be her champion from a distance, just as she would always love him from a distance. She smiled a little.
Amanda turned as a knock sounded on her door. The Countess of Adare appeared, and from the solemn expression on her face and the compassion in her eyes, Amanda knew that Eleanor had told her what had happened. “I understand there was a very awkward moment downstairs,” she began quietly.
Amanda almost pretended not to comprehend her. Then she sighed and sat down. “I am so sorry that such a distasteful encounter occurred in your home, my lady.”
The countess started. “Do not apologize to me, my dear! I am worried about you. Eleanor said you were fine, and you do not seem terribly upset.”
Amanda hesitated. Finally she said, “It hurt. Of course it did. I did nothing to provoke such an attack.”
Mary sat down in an adjacent chair and reached for her hand. “Amanda, dear, this entire family is behind you. We will never abandon you. You do know that?”
The countess’s generous and gracious nature had never been more evident.
In that moment, Amanda wanted to become a great lady exactly like her—a lady who was unstintingly kind, generous to a fault and always gracious, no matter the provocation.
“I think I do. Countess, I know I have thanked you for your hospitality but your affection means so much to me.”
Mary squeezed her hand. “I think of you as a daughter,” she said simply. Then, with a gleam in her eyes, “But Eleanor is right. At some point, there must be some retribution.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. She was stunned.
Mary smiled. “My dear, I am an Irishwoman first and last and my ancestors were great warriors, even the women. A bit of their hot blood still runs in my veins.”
“But you are the Countess of Adare!”
“True. And I wasn’t thinking of taking that dagger of yours and doing anything with it.
I was thinking of a more personal form of vengeance.
Jane’s mother is great friends with Lady Carrington, and I assure you, she will be there at the ball.
Hmm…shall I lend you my diamonds for the ball?
Perhaps with my pearl and diamond tiara? Jane will die of envy.”
Amanda bit her lip, then laughed. “She would be pea-green, but I can’t borrow such finery, my lady.”
“Of course you can,” Mary said, patting her hand, another gleam in her eyes. Then she directed her regard to Amanda. “But first things first. I approve of your pride, but there is no point in allowing this rumor to ruin your prospects. Therefore, we will make a fourth call tomorrow.”
The countess had a plan. “Who will we call on?” she asked, terribly interested now.
“We will call on my good friend Lady Marsden, a very esteemed and powerful dowager countess, and we will put an end to the absolute nonsense begun by Lady Cochran.”
Softly, Amanda said, “But it isn’t nonsense.”
And Mary de Warenne’s eyes turned to steel. “Oh, it is nonsense, my dear, for I shall have it no other way.”
THE NEXT AFTERNOON Amanda and Mary de Warenne were shown into an opulent salon.
Eleanor, Lizzie and Tyrell de Warenne were with them.
The heir to the earldom was a tall, dark man who bore a shocking resemblance to his brother Rex.
Amanda found him as imposing as the earl, even though they had conversed pleasantly enough before the opera the other night.
Amanda was nervous in spite of her resolve.
She knew the first few calls would be difficult indeed.
And Lady Marsden was as dignified as she had imagined.
She was a heavyset woman with blue-white hair who dared to wear royal blue velvet and sapphires for day.
She was entertaining mixed company; two gentlemen and three young ladies were present.
Swallowing, Amanda realized that Garret MacLachlan was one of the callers.
She finally felt some dread. It was one thing to face those she did not care about, but another to face a man she genuinely liked.
He saw her and his eyes widened in surprise, and then, as if he had not heard the rumors, he smiled quite disarmingly at her.
As the countess led the way into the salon, Tyrell de Warenne pulled her aside. Amanda was very startled.
He smiled at her. “Miss Carre, you are my brother’s ward, which makes me responsible for you, as well.”
She nodded, wondering where he would lead.
“You are under my protection, which is the protection of Adare. You must calm your fears. We will navigate our way through this very small but highly unpleasant crisis, and by the time my obtuse brother returns home, we will have forgotten there ever was such an unfortunate event.”
“I hope that is the case,” Amanda said, not at all at ease with the earl’s heir. But she smiled at him. “You have many duties, my lord. You really don’t have to add me to them.”