A Bright Particular Star (16 page)

From over her mother
’s
shoulder,
Olivia silently mouthed “
I’m
sorry”
, in reply t
o which Sophie flashed
a
brief,
reassuring smile.

“
But t
he idiotic
maid did not inform me
you had help
,
”
Eudora
continued
, her
gaze
resting for an
instant
on Theo.
“
Fo
r that omissio
n, she will be
severely
punished.
”

“T
hat would be
ill-advised,
m
ad
am,
”
said Theo
sternly
.
“
Your servant had no notion
I was involved.
”

Mrs
Sloane coloured but pressed on, addressing Sophie again.
“
I
t was a simple matter to calculate
where you might stop
on your way to London
if you
had
taken the m
ail
coach
or even,
”
she grimaced
,
“
t
he common stage.
Peregr
ine
was eager to bring you back
himself, but I decided to follow in t
he post-cha
ise and ordered
Olivia
to
accompany us.
”
The corners of her mouth lifted in
an unpleasant smile
.
“S
he perf
ectly understands
my displeasure
now
.
”

Sophie did not do
ubt it
.
Ol
ivia was as white as the wall behind her
and
Sophie could
well
imagine the
tongue
-
lashing she had been subjected to.

“
Olivia is not to blame,
”
said
Sophie
.
“T
he idea was
mine alone
.
”

Mrs
Sloane pursued her lips.
“S
he assisted you, albeit in a small way, and is therefore complicit in your disgraceful behaviour.
I
’
ve always known you were wild to a fault, but to involve us in a scandal like this is beyond belief.
Such ingratitude!
”
Eyeing Theo
again
unfavourably, she observed,
“
I am surprised at you,
Mr
Cavanagh.
Even when subjected to the pleadings of my wayward niece, I would not have countenanced a member of the
ton
, indeed, the
brother
of an Earl,
acting
improperly!
”

Th
eo bowed, then lifted
an
eyebrow as he pointed out
,
“
As
I’m
only
brother to an Earl, I don
’t
feel the need to always act with propriety
.
Quite the opposite.
And
I don
’t
feel the nee
d to apologise
.
Miss Devereux
’s
situation sounded difficult and, as a
matter of honour
, I could not
ignore her request and leave her at
the mercy of less principled men
.
”

Eudora Sloane, a proud woman with none of the tonnish connections she longed for, had nurtured a lifelong admiration
for members of the aristocracy
. T
his
deference
now battled with her fury.
If he had
been anyone else, she would have scythed him down with her
tongue but
,
thinking it
unwise to antagonise a member of
the
ton
, s
he settled
for shifting the blame.
“
Be that as it may, you should not have
helped Sophia
.
B
ut no doubt the deceitful wretch
lied to you
.
The circumstances were therefore peculiar and extenuating
and
I shall not hold you responsible.
”

“
Generous,
”
muttered
Theo.

Mrs
Sloa
ne, missing the sarcastic
note in his voice
, bestowed a
graci
ous smile of absolution
upon him
.
“
As for you
,
”
she snapped,
turning back to Sophie
,
“
I
will tolerate no more of this.
You will
return to Ludstone immediately!
”

“
No.
”

Mrs
Sloane
’s
eyes flashed.
“D
o you dare to defy me?
”

“
I am going to London.
”

“S
o t
his is how you repay me after I welcomed you into my home.
Ungrateful girl!
”
A shrill note
had
crept into Eudora
’s
cultivated tones.

“
You haven
’t
starved me, or locked me
in a garret, but you
’
ve
made my life
un
pleasant and now you want me to marry P
eregrine,
”
Sophie
flung back
.
“
Well,
I won
’t
do it!
I
’
ve got the Star with me and you
’
ll never get your hands on it.
”

Peregrine,
now
sprawled
nonchalantly in a chair
, remarked
,
“T
his conversation is already becoming a dead bo
re.
”

“T
hen why don
’t
you leave
?”
retorted Sophie
,
giving him a cold glance.

He laughed, a curious combination of a
snort and a titter.
“
You don
’t
get rid of me so
easily
,
cousin
.
I
’
ve travelled
miles to get here and I
’
ll be deuced if I set foot in my carriage again this evening.

Mrs
Sloane gaped at him in
astonishment.
“
But Peregrine—
”

“
We
’
re s
taying here
,
”
he i
nterjected
.

“
In this place?
”
Eudora regarded
her surroundings with
distaste
.

“
It
’s
one of the best coachi
ng inns on the Bath road, not a
hedge tavern
.
”

Mrs Sloane shuddered.
“
It is not what I am used to and I have no maid to attend me.
”

“
Olivia c
an do the necessary,
”
said
Peregrine
blithely.
“D
id you bring your overnight things
as I told you to?
”

“
Yes, but I never dreamt
it would be nec
essary
to use them
!
”
E
udora
’s
fury
swung back on
her
niece.
“S
ee
what you have done!
This is
your fault.
Your shocking conduct has overset my nerves and now I am in danger of losing my temper
—
some
thing I rarely do!
I
deman
d you collect your bag
so we can go home at once.
”

Sophie, her heart sinking
at the prospect
of her cousin
and aunt staying at
T
he Pelican
,
remained resolute.
“
No.
”

Mrs
Slo
ane
’s
jaw sagged.
“
M
onstrous!
Have you no consideration for me at all?
”

“
I’m
determined to
go to London,
”
repeated Sophie
.

“
You are determined to persecute me to within an inch of my life!
After eve
rything I have done for you too.
”
The hand
Mrs
Sloane put to her brow shook slightly
.
“
I
am unequal to arguing
further at this hour.
We will do as Peregrine sugge
sts and stay here
.
The matter can be discussed
again in the morning when I trust
a period of reflection will have brought you to your senses.
”

“
Leave it to me to sort out
the rooms,
”
said Peregrine,
unwinding his long body from the chair.

“
Miss
Devereux
already has
a chamber
on the first floor,
”
snapped
Theo.

Perry
acknowledged this with a
brief
nod.

“
Ungrateful girl!
”
cried
Mrs
Sloane for the third time.

“
You
’
re
overwrought, Mama
,”
said Perry.
“
Best lie down for a time.
Cavanagh will und
erstand and excuse your
agitation.
”

Eudora
accepted her son
’s
directions
with obvious reluctance
.
“
Olivia, you will take the room next
to me!
I have the beginnings of a headache and may require my vinaigrette.
A bowl of soup in my room will suffice for supper
.
You will join me
.
”

“
But I want to stay
with Sophie,
”
protested
Olivia.

At this added
dissent
from an unexpected quarter, Mrs
Sloane
’s
face took on a mutinous expression
once more
. She
caught Peregrine
’s
warning glance and, conscious of making the scene even more unedi
fying, replied
brusquely
,
“
Oh
very well, but do not be tempted to
linger
!
Sophi
a
’s
reputation is beyond repair
and
I will not have your name sullied by associatio
n.
”