“Sylvia, we’ve brought you some bad news. I think we should go inside.”
“Do you indeed, Miss Bossy?” Sylvia said. “Well, I don’t want to. I’m leaving that ghastly house and not coming back.”
“You’re returning to the country?”
“Lord, no!” Sylvia gave a brittle laugh. “If you must know, I’m leaving my husband. I’m going to live with Victor in Paris.”
“Your cousin, Victor?”
“Who else? You didn’t know, did you, Lily dear, that Victor and I are in love, and have been for ages. Yes, I helped him trick you, little dummy that you are. That inheritance of yours is wasted on you. Still, we’ve hatched another plan and Victor is even now securing our future income with another useless little heiress.”
“If you mean he tried to abduct Lavinia Fortescue-Brown, he failed.”
Sylvia gasped. “How did you know?”
“We saw it happen. And he didn’t just fail, he was killed while trying to escape,” Rose said. “He dived into the Thames and . . . died.”
Sylvia looked from Rose to Lily and back. “I don’t believe you. Victor can swim like a fish. I don’t know how you found out about silly little Lavvy Fortescue-Brown—I suppose the wretched chit left someone a note—they always do”—she bared her teeth at Lily—“unless they can’t.” She laughed nastily. “You’re too late to ruin my life again. Victor and his little pigeon will be halfway to the border by now.”
“Ruin your life?” Lily was stunned by the accusation. “You’re the one who tried to ruin my life. What did I ever do to you?”
Sylvia sneered. “Apart from having the fortune we needed? I hate you, Lily Rutherford—and you, Rose Rutherford.” She looked at George. “And you, whoever you are. But I especially hate you, Lily. At school nobody wanted to be friends with me—”
“Hard to understand why,” George said.
“But they all loved you! Why? You’re stupid and you’re fat and you’re not even pretty, but even so, everyone in that school loved you. And then you made me your friend, you—the dumbest girl in the school! So I would look stupid too!”
Lily was staggered. “You hate me because I tried to be friends with you?”
“Not only that. Because of you, I was expelled from Mallard’s. Because of you, I was forced to marry a miserly old man who I despise!” She shouted the last bit to the upper stories of her house. A curtain twitched. The figure of a man stood behind it. Sylvia really was burning her boats.
“But I had nothing to do with you being expelled,” Lily persisted.
“You did! I borrowed that tatty old painted locket of yours and someone found it in my drawer and claimed I’d stolen it.”
“Along with a hoard of other people’s jewelry that you just happened to have as well,” Rose said.
Lily added, “That gold locket contained my only portrait of my mother. It was precious to me.”
“All you girls had too much of everything. I had nothing!” Sylvia flashed.
“I think your coach is ready to leave,” George interrupted. She stepped forward and opened the door.
Sylvia flounced into the coach. “Good-bye, Rutherfords, and good riddance. Think of me when you’re rotting in London fogs and Victor and I are living it up in style in Paris.”
“But Victor is—” Lily began.
“Leave it, little sister,” Rose said. “She doesn’t want to know, and to be honest, we’ll all be better off if she’s gone.”
“But she conspired with her cousin to kidnap me. Lavinia too, I’m sure. She should be punished!” Lily started forward, with some vague idea of stopping Sylvia.
Rose held her arm. “She will be punished. Think about what she’s doing. She’s leaving everything behind her to meet up with a man who won’t be there. She’ll be alone in France, with no money, no support, and no friends. She can’t ever come back to England—if she does, she’ll be arrested, and I don’t imagine her husband will lift a finger to help her.”
Considering that, Lily almost felt sorry for Sylvia. Almost.
The laden old coach trundled away. Lily watched it go, still a little dazed by the savagery of Sylvia’s attack and the hatred she’d nurtured for so long.
“Poisonous little flower, isn’t she,” George commented as the coach turned the corner and disappeared from sight. “I don’t think even the French deserve her. Now, isn’t it time for lunch? Violence and vitriol always give me an appetite.”
• • •
Lily took out the key to Galbraith House and handed it to her husband. “I thought, for the first time . . .” She was dancing on her toes, excited to show him what she’d done with their new home, and a little bit nervous. What if he didn’t like it? She knew he’d left here when he was a child, and that he’d never been very happy here, but men generally didn’t like change.
He took the key from her and inserted it in the lock. The door opened soundlessly.
“If there’s anything you don’t—Edward, wh—?” She gave a squeak of surprise as he lifted her off her feet. It turned into a giggle. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying my bride across the threshold, of course.” He kissed her, then set her back on her feet. “Tomorrow we’ll finalize the staff.”
“We? You mean both of us?”
“Yes, Atkins, my man of business, has prepared a list of suitable applicants and he’s arranged for them to call here in the morning. Of course, if you don’t want to help me choose . . .”
“I want to. Only . . .” She bit her lip.
“You’re thinking of the list, and having to sort through character references.”
She nodded.
“I’ll be there, but in any case, the first staff member we’ll decide on is your confidential secretary.”
“A confidential secretary? For me?” It sounded rather intimidating. On the other hand, she couldn’t go running to Emm and Rose for everything.
“Yes, I’ve arranged for her to come first thing in the morning.”
“Her? You mean a female secretary?” She’d never heard of such a thing. Every secretary she knew of was male.
He nodded. “I thought you’d be more comfortable with a female.
