Page 34 of The Marriage Wager

Dominic cast Constance a dancing glance, murmuring, “Well put, Miss Woodley.”

Muriel, far from appearing grateful for Constance’s aid, glared at her. “I think it is time to return to Redfields, Dominic.”

“No doubt you are right,” Leighton said mildly and nodded to Constance and Mr. Willoughby, who had come up to stand beside her. “Miss Woodley. Willoughby.”

He started back toward the church, Muriel’s hand tight on his arm. Willoughby looked after them for a moment, then turned to Constance.

“Odd sort of woman,” he commented and smiled at Constance. “It was good of you to say what you did.”

Constance shrugged. “It was an awkward moment. Perhaps Miss Rutherford did not mean to be insulting.”

“Perhaps not,” he agreed. “Indeed, her speech is so universally insulting that one must wonder if she does not understand what she says. She more or less told me that I would have to do as an escort through the graveyard, presumably because Lord Leighton and Lord Dunborough were already engaged.”

Constance chuckled. “Then I would say that it is you who are very good to have given her your arm.”

He smiled. “Well, you see, I was willing to settle for her, as well, as you were engaged, so it all worked out.” He offered her his arm. “May I escort you to your carriage?”

Constance took his arm, thinking that it was most unjust that putting her hand on Mr. Willoughby’s arm caused not a single flutter in her heart.

The ride back to Redfields was uneventful. Mr. Willoughby rode beside the carriage all the way, joined after a time by Margaret. Constance would not let herself watch Lord Leighton, but she was aware, nevertheless, that he spent the entire time at Miss Rutherford’s side.

When they reached the house, Constance went first to check on Francesca. She was sleeping, but Maisie told Constance that Lady Haughston was feeling no better. If anything, she was a little worse, having developed a fever during the day.

Constance offered to relieve Maisie for the evening. At first the maid protested, but Constance pointed out that the maid would need to eat and have a few hours’ unencumbered sleep if she intended to spend the night on a truckle bed in Lady Haughston’s room, as Maisie had told her she planned to do. Maisie gave in to her reasoning and allowed Constance to take over for a few hours.

It was easy enough work, requiring only that Constance sit beside the bed and periodically wring out a fresh cool cloth to put on Francesca’s hot forehead. Francesca woke once or twice, and another time Constance awakened her to give her a spoonful of the tonic that Maisie had left on the bedside table. Her fever was not great, so she was lucid, seeming more fretful and irritated that she was stuck in bed than anything else.

“You are good to sit with me,” Francesca croaked.

“Nonsense. I would not even be here if not for you,” Constance pointed out. “In any case, I am quite content not to spend an evening in company. I have been trapped in a carriage with my aunt for much of the afternoon, and I vow my ears are still sore.”

Francesca chuckled, then grimaced as her laughter turned into a cough. When she finally finished coughing, she said, “Why were you trapped with her in the carriage? Why did you not ride?”

“I did not have a riding habit. I did not think to acquire a new one, and I left my old one at home in Wyburn.”

“Oh, dear. I should have thought…” Francesca shook her head in regret. “Well, it does not matter. I shall have Maisie lower the hem of mine. When you are on a horse, it will not show if it is a trifle short.”

“Oh, no, you must not lend me yours.”

“Well, I shall not be using it,” Francesca pointed out, making a sweeping gesture across her bed. “It looks as though I shall be spending much of my time stuck here. And even when I can get out of bed, I doubt I should do much riding. No, you must have it. What is a party in the country if one is unable to ride?”

Constance gave in, knowing that Francesca was right. But she could not help but feel a niggling tendril of guilt. Would Francesca be so willing to lend her her riding habit if she knew that Constance’s main reason for accepting it was the fact that Lord Leighton had asked her to go riding with him?

She could not help but feel that she was deceiving her friend and benefactress by not telling her anything about her interactions with Lord Leighton. But, on the other hand, it seemed remarkably foolish and even presumptuous to tell her that the two of them had talked or that he had asked her to ride with him, as though she believed that Francesca’s brother had any serious interest in her. So she kept silent, reminding herself that nothing had happened between them, nor was anything likely to.

Constance spent most of the evening in Francesca’s chamber, eating her supper from a tray that one of the maids brought up to her. Late in the evening, Maisie bustled into the room, trailed by one of the footservants, who carried a low cot for Maisie to sleep on.

“There now, miss,” she told Constance, smiling. “I’m here, so you can get to bed. You’re ever so good to spell me.” She rounded the bed and leaned over Francesca, laying her palm on her forehead. “How has she been?”

“Sleeping, mostly,” Constance replied. “She was restless for a while, and then she woke up, but after a bit she went back to sleep.”

“Well, her fever seems no higher,” Maisie said. “That’s good. I hope you don’t catch it, miss. My lady would be fussed about that something proper.”

“I don’t imagine I shall,” Constance assured her. “I am invariably healthy. So tell Lady Haughston not to worry on that regard.”

Promising to look in on Francesca again the next morning, Constance returned to her own room. Once again, she found it difficult to settle down to sleep. She kept thinking of the afternoon and the walk she had shared with Dominic—when, she wondered, had she fallen into the way of thinking of him by his first name?

And why did even thinking about him leave her feeling so odd and aching inside, as if some part of her were not complete? How could she feel excited and scared and yearning all at the same time?