CHAPTER THIRTY
After taking a strangely quiet Emma home and handing her into Gladys’s excellent care, Audsley left the house to make the short trip to his mother’s house. He pounded on the door until the bleary-eyed butler opened it. Normally, Audsley would feel bad for disturbing sleeping servants, but tonight he could muster no feeling other than the rage he felt toward his mother.
The door was barely open before Audsley brushed past the butler to take the stairs two at a time to reach his mother’s bedchamber. After pounding on the closed double doors to her sitting room, he threw them open to see the physician Friedman drinking a brandy on the settee next to Audsley’s mother. “Get out,” he said to the man.
“Audsley!” said his mother. “You are being terribly rude.”
He ignored her and repeated his command to Friedman. “Wait in the hall until I’m finished with her.”
Friedman nodded his head insolently, sauntered to the sideboard to refill his drink, then finally left the room.
“What is the meaning of this?” asked the dowager.
“What have you done, madam?”
“I cannot begin to imagine what you mean and while using such an insolent tone.”
“I’m about to get much more insolent. Did you give Lady Embry the impression that I would be open to a liaison?”
“That’s absurd!”
“It is. But I’m asking if you did it.”
“Of course not!”
“Then why would she suggest one to me?”
His mother shrugged. “I cannot see how it is any concern of mine, but it is what ladies do in our set after they’ve done their duty by their husbands.”
“She seemed to be under the impression that I would act favorably upon her suggestion.”
“Most men would, you know.” She was maddeningly calm in her response.
“I have no desire to have an affair with Lady Embry or anyone else. I love my wife.” Audsley realized he had now told two people about his feelings, neither of whom was Emma. He was really going to have to remedy that soon.
His mother’s carefully neutral face changed to disdain. “That’s such a common sentiment.”
“Love is anything but common, especially among, as you put it, our set.”
His mother didn’t like to be contradicted. “You should send her back to the country before she embarrasses us further.”
“She has never embarrassed me. She is my wife and will remain by my side.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“No, madam, I am not. You seem most anxious to send her away. Is there a particular reason for that?”
His mother shrugged. “She is an embarrassment to me.”
“And this has nothing to do with the fact you’ve overspent your allowance and have debts all over town?”
For the first time, his mother lost her composure, becoming startled and angry. “What do you know about my finances?”
“Probably more than you do. My man of business is thorough. You’ve been spending lavishly, both on yourself and, I suspect, on Friedman. Are you under the impression that by sending Emma away I will somehow give you more of an allowance?”
“You’ve been spying on me!”
“I am tending to the finances of the earldom.”
“I am the countess!” She raised her voice, finally losing some of her distance.
“The dowager countess,” countered Audsley quietly but firmly. “I’ve instructed Danvers to pay what you owe to all the honest merchants, drawn against your future allowance. But not a penny will be given to cover Friedman’s extensive losses at the gaming tables or opium dens.”
“But he has no money to pay them.”
“That is not my problem and it certainly won’t be the estate’s.”
“He is my…friend.”
“I suggest you either sell some of your possessions or find a less expensive friend.”
His mother blinked. “You’re not serious.”
“I am.”
“This is unconscionable neglect!”
“It is nothing of the kind. And if you ever try to interfere in my marriage again, you’ll find your allowance sharply curtailed.”
Her color rose, making Audsley know just how furious she was. “Your father left me that money!”
“He left you a fraction of what you draw every month. You couldn’t live on the portion he left you and you know it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to be with my wife.” He was long past due for a conversation with her.
“I always knew she’d be your un-doing!” His mother’s voice was filled with hatred. “If only I’d been able to stop you from marrying this time, I would have.”
Audsley had been on his way out of the room but came to a halt and turned to his mother. “What do you mean, ‘this time?’”
“All those years ago when you fell like a fool for her. One tumble in the grass had you on the verge of proposing.”
“How do you know about my past with Emma?”
His mother approached, her eyes filled with hatred. “I knew about all the walks, then one day you returned to the house, the back of your coat covered in grass. I knew the mistake you were about to make. So, I paid a visit to that wretched cottage and told her you would never forgive her for tricking you into marriage.”
Audsley felt like he’d been struck. “That’s why she left.”
There was a sound near the door and Audsley turned to see Emma standing there looking as surprised as he felt. He immediately went to her. “You should be home in bed. How did you even find me?”
“I followed you when you left. I was afraid of where you’d gone.”
“How could you order a carriage that quickly?”
“I didn’t. I came on foot.”
Audsley was gripped with a fear so visceral he broke into a sweat. “Emma, that was incredibly dangerous!”
“Gladys followed me, as did Deakins and one of the footmen. They tried to convince me to go back. They only relaxed when they saw I’d come here. Did I hear that correctly?”
“What did you hear?”
“A great deal, including what you said about Lady Embry, as well as something wonderful which we should discuss as soon as we’re alone.” She took his hand and squeezed it, before turning to Audsley’s mother. “You lied to me all those years ago? Audsley didn’t tell you what we had done?”
“I would never have told her about that,” said Audsley. “And I certainly didn’t want you to go away. But I did handle myself poorly. My only excuse was I was young and an idiot.”
“You were both those things,” said Emma with a glorious smile.
Audsley laughed, despite the circumstances. “I bungled everything in the immediate aftermath. But I wanted to marry you, Emma. In the intervening years I learned just how much I regretted not having made you my wife.”
Emma put her hand on his cheek and Audsley felt the warmth pass through his heart to his very soul. “We will discuss that very wonderful thought later. But for now, I want answers from the dowager. Well?” she said, turning to his mother without a hint of polite deference. “What do you have to say for yourself, woman?”
If Audsley hadn’t been so angry, he would’ve laughed. His mother, however, became enraged.
“I would’ve paid you to leave all those years ago, but you were too stupid to ask for money. The best thing that can be said about you is you had enough pride to leave, unlike my son, who’s been besotted with you ever since.” She turned to Audsley. “Did you know she kicked me out of that hovel she lived in?”
Audsley almost laughed because he could so clearly picture the scene in his mind. “Did you really?” he asked Emma, whose hand he still held.
“Yes. Though at this moment, I regret I didn’t throw something at her, as well.”
“Do you really throw things when you’re angry?”
“Not often, but I had very good cause since she’d just ruined my dreams by telling me the gentlemen I’d been in love with half my life didn’t care for me.”
“You loved me?” he asked, wondering if it could possibly be true.
“I loved you then. I love you now. I never stopped, though it’s true you could have done things just a bit better in the immediate aftermath of our adventure in the maze.”
“I am truly sorry for that,” he said, as he squeezed her hand.
They were interrupted by more vitriol from the dowager. “So, this is what I’m to be subjected to? This obscene declaration of feelings?”
“No, my lady, you will not be subjected to it,” said Audsley, realizing it was long past time to take Emma home. “I doubt we will see much of each other from this moment onward. You will do as I said about your finances and, if you do, my man of business will ensure you have your previous allowance that I gave you. If you do not do that, you’ll get the one Father accorded you.” From the way his mother’s eyes widened it appeared she knew he was in earnest.
“You are a disgrace to the earldom, both you and your common wife.”
“Mother, Emma is anything but common. In fact, in addition to possessing any number of wonderful attributes, she is, without a doubt, the greatest Countess of Audsley in history.” Then he did what he’d been longing to do since she walked in the door. He kissed his wife.
Then they both went home.