Page 67 of A Stolen Heart

“You mean you had to leave your house?” It reminded her of what Thorpe had said about the Countess and Exmoor House—that it had been where she used to live, but that it now belonged to the Earl of Exmoor. It seemed a cruel system to Alexandra.

Nicola nodded. “Yes, it was rather painful, especially for Mama. Papa’s cousin Herbert got the place, and his wife and Mama never got along. It would have been impossible for us to stay, although for courtesy’s sake he offered.” She smiled, a dimple popping into the smooth skin of her cheek. “With his fingers crossed behind his back all the while, I’m sure. It was a relief all around to separate Mama and Lady Herbert. So we went to stay with Mama’s nephew—that’s Lord Buckminster.” She smiled, her eyes going a little misty. “It was a wonderful time. I loved Buckminster House.” Her smile turned wistful, and for an instant her eyes were cold and lonely. Then she seemed to pull herself to the present, looking at Alexandra and saying, “Lady Buckminster is wonderful, too.”

“Lord Buckminster is married?” Alexandra was surprised. He had not seemed wedded. She glanced at Penelope.

The girl was laughing. “No. She means Bucky’s mother. She is almost exactly like Bucky, except even more horse mad. As long as you ride well, she’ll like you, and if you don’t, well, she’ll just feel sorry for you and go off for a ride without you.”

“But we are getting far afield here,” Nicola declared. “Lady Exmoor will have our heads if we come back without your acceptance as one of our party tonight.”

Alexandra smiled. “I would love to, but I am afraid I must stay here and help Aunt Hortense. My mother is rather ill, you see, and needs looking after.”

“Don’t be silly, dear,” Aunt Hortense told her. “You go on to the opera. I am quite capable of looking after Rhea by myself.”

“Oh, but Grandmama invited you, as well, Miss Ward,” Penelope assured her. “But it is all right. Sebastian told Grandmama about your mother’s indisposition, and—”

“Oh, he did, did he?” So he had run to the Countess to gossip, after all. Alexandra supposed she should have known better than to hope that he would try to protect her reputation.

“Yes, but you mustn’t blame him. We had already heard all sorts of wild tales about what happened,” Penelope said. “The servants’ grapevine, you know, is the fastest transmission of news known to mankind. Mama had heard that Mrs. Ward was dead and that you had vanished. So of course Thorpe had to step in and set the record right. He told Grandmama that it was errant nonsense—you should have seen Mother’s face!” Penelope’s plain, heart-shaped face lit up at the memory, turning her almost pretty. “She was thoroughly put out.”

“What did he say?” Alexandra asked.

“That you were not gone, that he had talked to you that very morning right here in the house. He said a thief had apparently entered the house, and that Mrs. Ward must have disturbed him, for he knocked her unconscious and fled.”

Alexandra nodded, relief—and a kind of warm pleasure—spreading through her at the thought that Thorpe had covered up the scandalous incident as well as anyone could expect. It would have helped him to separate the Countess from Alexandra if he had told her about Alexandra’s night in a brothel, but he had refrained. He had protected her name. It was also obvious that he had said nothing to anyone about her mother’s mental condition before the blow.

“Mama was not pleased. She asked Thorpe if he was calling her a liar, and he said, ‘Of course not, merely ill-informed.’ That made her even madder, I think.”

“She was furious at Sebastian,” Nicola agreed. “That’s when Lady Exmoor said she thought she would ask you and your aunt to the opera this evening. She thought it would help take your mind off the ordeal.”

“That is very kind of her. But it really is impossible for both of us to leave. Mother’s servant was injured, too, and she is feeling too poorly to take care of Mother, so I’m afraid that—”

“But, no!” Penelope assured her. “Willa Everhart—you remember, the Countess’s companion—offered to come stay with your mother.”

“That is too kind. She must not.”

“She insists,” Penelope told her. “Lady Exmoor said that you must not deprive Willa of the pleasure of feeling useful. Willa, you see, is deeply grateful to the Countess, for she would be virtually penniless if it weren’t for the Countess’s support. She is always looking for some way to pay the Countess back, except that, of course, Lady Exmoor doesn’t have enough errands to occupy Willa’s time. Lady Exmoor said that you would be doing Willa a favor, really.”

“I would like to go,” Alexandra admitted.

“Then go ahead, dear,” Aunt Hortense urged her. “I will stay here and help Lady Exmoor’s companion. You know I’m not very fond of all that singing, anyway. I’m sure she and I will manage just fine.”

“There, you see?” Nicola told her triumphantly. “It’s all arranged. You must come. Lord Thorpe will be there.” She added this last statement with a roguish air, as if Sebastian’s presence would be what convinced Alexandra.

Penelope nodded eagerly. “Yes. I heard him tell Grandmama that he would be attending tonight, and he would drop by her box.”

Alexandra hesitated. It would be an awkward situation if both she and Sebastian were there. “Then perhaps I had better not. Lord Thorpe would not want—I mean, well, we are scarcely friends.”

“No, I would not call it friendship,” Nicola agreed, her blue eyes dancing. “Quite frankly, I’ve never seen Sebastian so smitten.”

“Smitten?” Alexandra repeated in disbelief. “Oh, no, I am sure you are mistaken.”

Nicola chuckled. “Not about this. Trust me, I have known Sebastian for years and years, and I have never known him to act like this about any woman.”

“Truly?” Alexandra could not quite suppress the leap her heart gave at the woman’s words.

“Yes. He’s a tough nut to crack. Believe me, untold numbers of women have tried.”

Penelope nodded. “Mother always said that Sebastian hasn’t a heart, that’s why no one’s been able to capture it.”