Mrs Pridham disclaimed in a fluttering voice, only to be interrupted by her husband.
‘It would be a most ineligible match!’
‘Oh, why?’ He did not respond and Natalya’s hands clutched at her napkin. She said boldly, ‘I demand you tell me what you mean.’
‘Natalya, my dear!’
Mr Pridham waved his hand to silence his wife. He glared at Natalya.
‘You demand? Ungrateful girl! We have given you every indulgence, every advantage and this is how you repay us?’
‘I wish only to know who I am. Who are my parents?’
She kept her head up, her eyes on his face, determined not to give in.
‘Mr Pridham?’ Her aunt whispered the name. ‘Perhaps we should tell her.’
‘I am awaiting a letter,’ he replied, goaded.
‘A letter?’ Natalya echoed. ‘From whom?’
He ignored her question.
‘It should arrive any day now, with instructions on how we proceed. You must be patient a little longer, Natalya. I hope I shall be able to answer all your questions very soon.’
‘But I do not see why you cannot tell me now!’ She pushed back her chair and rose. ‘I am one-and-twenty. You cannot keep me here. If you will not tell me, then I shall have no choice but to leave this house.’
‘You are quite free to leave whenever you wish, but where will you go? You have no money, save the pin money we allow you. Will you throw yourself on the mercy of your friends? Mrs Ancrum, perhaps?’ His brows rose and he said coldly, ‘What will you tell her—that we have abused you, treated you harshly? No one would believe you and think how it would look! All will be revealed shortly, I promise you.’
Mrs Pridham touched her hand. ‘My dear, pray do not be too hasty. Believe me, it will be very much to your advantage to be patient a little longer.’
She wavered.
Her uncle said, more gently, ‘Your aunt is right, Natalya. We know what is best. Pray bear with us. You will thank us, once you know everything.’
Natalya looked at him suspiciously. ‘And when you have told me everything, will I still be free to leave here?’
‘Your future will be out of my hands.’
‘But will it be in mine?’
‘What nonsense is this?’ exclaimed Mrs Pridham. ‘No one wishes you to be unhappy, Natalya. Now, if you have finished eating, shall we withdraw? Perhaps you would like to play for me, while Mr Pridham enjoys a glass of port here.’
‘No, thank you.’ Natalya struggled to keep calm. ‘I think I will retire, if you will excuse me.’
When Aggie had helped her into bed, Natalya begged her to leave the curtains pulled back and she lay alone in the darkness, wondering what she would do. Her uncle had said she was free to leave, if she so wished, but where would she go? The thought of leaving the only home, the only family she had ever known was quite terrifying and even Tristan was no longer in Bath to support her. She might fly to Mrs Ancrum, seek refuge with her, but her uncle was right, that would only give rise to the worst sort of speculation, and what had Mr and Mrs Pridham done to deserve the ignominy of being the subject of such gossip?
There were no physical walls to her cage, but she was trapped, all the same.
By morning Natalya was no closer to finding a solution to her problems, but after a good night’s sleep her fears and anxieties seemed foolish. After all, they were not living in the Dark Ages. Perhaps, after all, there was a reasonable explanation to everything.
She was just finishing her breakfast when Mrs Pridham came into her bedchamber to invite her to join her at the Abbey for the morning service.
‘I should be delighted to attend,’ replied Natalya, suddenly feeling more cheerful at the prospect of leaving the house. ‘I will need time to change my gown.’
‘Excellent!’ Mrs Pridham beamed at her. ‘I will meet you in the hall in, say, half an hour. And bring a wrap, my dear. You know the sermons can be very long and I wouldn’t have you get chilled.’ She bustled away.
Thirty minutes later Natalya was almost ready to go out. She went to the linen press to fetch a shawl. A colourful array of woollen and silk wraps were folded and stacked on the shelf. Her fingers hovered over the pink shawl which Aggie had washed and placed on the top of the pile, then she pulled out the plain green cashmere beneath it. She did not want to think of Tristan today. He had left and she must not rely upon his returning.
Once they were settled in the carriage for the short drive to the Abbey, Natalya said, ‘Perhaps, afterwards, we might call upon Mrs Ancrum. I should so like to enquire after her, as she has done for me this past week.’
‘I think not, my dear. Your uncle does not want you to overexert yourself. We shall return directly to the house.’
Natalya hesitated, wondering if she should argue, but in the end she decided against it. If her elderly friend was not well, she needed to rest.
‘Very well. Perhaps I can take Aggie with me in the morning and I will leave a note for her.’
‘Yes. Perhaps. Now, Natalya, when we reach the Abbey we shall go inside directly,’ said Mrs Pridham. ‘There is a chill wind today and dawdling out of doors could well set back your recovery.
Natalya laughed at that. ‘It is not as though I have really been unwell, Aunt!’
‘Pray guard your tongue, Natalya,’ she muttered. ‘We have been most careful to keep your disappearance a secret from everyone. We must depend upon Lord Dalmorren’s discretion, but he is a gentleman, and as long as he stays silent, no one need know the true facts.’
Natalya stared at her. ‘But when you found I was not in the house, surely you made
