that—a heartless villain—in the letter she had left behind. Yet she could not help liking him. Conscience smote her, as it ought to have done much sooner. She really ought not to have used him in such a dastardly way to arouse Lord Heyward’s jealousy, for his behavior toward Miss Goddard had never been improper. And even to herself it had been improper only that once.
As if she needed
She hoped Lord Heyward would
“I believe the word
“Oh, bravo,” Lord Windrow said.
“Wonderfully well expressed,” Miss Goddard said.
“A rake may never be reformed,” Angeline said, “for most men believe it is a
Lord Windrow and Miss Goddard both smiled at her—just as the door of the private sitting room crashed back against the wall and then slammed shut again.
Between the two swift, deafening actions the Earl of Heyward appeared in the room.
Angeline clasped her hands to her bosom. Miss Goddard spread hers on the table. Lord Windrow, who had been sitting with his back to the door, got to his feet and turned.
“Ah, Heyward,” he said. “Come to join us, have—”
Lord Heyward punched him right on the point of the chin. His head snapped back and he would have tumbled backward if the table had not been in the way. As it was, his back bounced off the lid of the teapot, sending it rolling across the table and clattering to the floor. The teapot tipped and spilled its contents over the cloth.
“I rather thought that might be it, old chap,” Lord Windrow said, touching his jaw rather gingerly with his fingertips. “It is one of those occasions when fists have already spoken louder than words.”
“Lord Heyward!” Angeline cried, jumping to her feet. “I was
Oh, she was going to do a terrible disservice to Miss Goddard, whose idea this had been. She was going to have to confess all, Angeline decided. She really had not expected that
“Edward, no!” Miss Goddard was also on her feet. “Oh, Lord Windrow, I had no idea
Lord Windrow flexed his jaw as Lord Heyward’s hold on his lapels relaxed slightly.
“I would be delighted to meet you whenever and wherever is convenient to you, Heyward,” Lord Windrow said, “but I would really rather it not be today, if it is all the same to you. I may already have a bruise to explain away to my mother, whose health is not of the soundest. She may well have a fit of the vapors if I appear before her with bulbous nose and bloodshot, blackening eye—or perhaps even
“A fact that did not seem to deter you last time,” Lord Heyward said from between his teeth. But he dropped his hands to his sides, and some of the fire went out of him. “I will
Lord Windrow brushed his hands over his lapels.
“I suppose,” he said, “you will not take a step back until I say
Lord Heyward took a step back and turned his head to glare at Angeline.
What had he meant by saying Lord Windrow must not bother
“I shall remove myself entirely from the lady’s presence,” Lord Windrow said. “Miss Goddard will doubtless hold me steady if my legs should decide to wobble. Miss Goddard?” He turned to offer her his arm.
She looked pointedly at him as though there were a thousand things she wished to say. But then she closed her eyes briefly and shook her head slightly, took his arm, and allowed him to lead her from the room.
Angeline swallowed.
“I have a confession to make,” she said. “I am so sorry. Not a word of that letter I wrote was true.”
“What letter?” Lord Heyward’s eyes narrowed.
“The one I left for you,” she said. “The one Cousin Rosalie’s butler was to give you at four.”
“There seems to have been a good deal of letter-writing going on,” he said. “Who gave the letter to the butler?”
“Miss Goddard,” she said.
“Ah,” he said. “I begin to understand that I no longer know Eunice to even the smallest degree.”
“But you love her,” she said. “And she loves you. This was all her idea, though admittedly it was I who originally suggested that you must be encouraged to acknowledge your feelings and the truth that you cannot live without her. What better way to realize that than through fear for her safety at the hands of a rake? And what better person to make you feel that way than Lord Windrow? I asked Rosalie to invite both him and Miss Goddard to Hallings so that I could arrange something—