Halstead laid his cane against the fence as he removed his jacket. “I’m sorry. I should have offered when I first saw you were without a cloak.” It took him almost a full minute as he tried to shuffle out of his jacket while keeping his balance. I could sense his mounting frustration at a task that should have been the work of seconds.
At last he set it about my shoulders. And though the coat was warm, rich with his smell, I shivered.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I was on my way up to change for dinner when Lady Ellen’s voice came echoing down the corridor. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to run, for I had not the strength to face Halstead’s third female relative of the day.
“Miss Graham, you’ve certainly made yourself scarce of late.”
I turned as she caught up with me and almost spouted off some trivial reply, but I stopped myself. Lady Ellen’s lips were pursed in a way that communicated an unwillingness to be put off. It was hopeless to keep her at bay. And I found I no longer wanted to.
What I needed, more than anything, was someone to confide in. And to whom else could I turn?
“I hope you aren’t offended by my distance,” I apologized. “Only I thought it might be better for . . . better if I stayed out of the way.”
“Better for whom, exactly?”
There were so many ways I could have answered her, but the truth fell from my lips. “For me.”
Lady Ellen searched my face for a moment before tugging my arm into hers. “May I join you in your room, Miss Graham?”
I nodded. We walked together in silence, but the moment the door fell closed behind us, Lady Ellen turned every bit of her attention on me. “No,” I said quickly.
“No?” Her necklace swung as she whipped her head toward me. “I haven’t even asked anything yet, though my first question would most decidedly be why are you wearing Halstead’s coat?” She looked me over from head to toe, waiting.
I glanced down in embarrassment. I had been so comfortable wrapped up in its warmth that I’d forgotten. “I am not yet ready for your interrogation,” I replied. “So you shall have to wait. In the meantime, perhaps you could inform me of your progress with Lord Everdale.”
A fierce blush rose up her cheeks. I smirked at her. “You aren’t quite so forthcoming when someone else is asking the questions, are you?”
She laughed. “I see I have met my match. Fair enough.” She took a seat on the fainting couch in the corner of my room. “Come,” she invited, even though as a guest, the room was temporarily mine. “There is room for both of us.”
Once I was seated next to her, Lady Ellen turned toward me, hardly able to contain her smile. “I find myself unexpectedly pleased with Lord Everdale.”
I shook my head. “One can be pleased with a great many things. The latest fashion in bonnets, for example, or a turn in the weather.” There was a fair amount of sauciness in my tone.
“Very well.” She laughed. “I find my affection for Lord Everdale growing day by day. And I think you know I wouldn’t say so if I did not mean it, especially since Mother takes credit for every good character trait he has. I wonder if she will be willing to shoulder the blame for the weaknesses I discover after Hugh and I are married.”
I turned to stare, grabbing her arm with more force than was ladylike. “Married? So it is settled?”
Happiness beamed over her face. She gave a quick, forceful nod.
My chest pricked with joy. One piece of uncomplicated, happy news. Heaven knew I needed it. “So we shall be family! I couldn’t be happier.”
She pulled at her glove, as if trying to hide her embarrassment at being so happy. “I’m a little giddy myself, which is quite disconcerting, as I pride myself on being a sensible female.” But even as she said it, I sensed a contentment in her I’d not seen previously.
I let a smile wash over my face. “I’m inclined to believe sensible females miss out on quite a bit of the fun.”
She ducked in toward me, and without thinking, I reached out and put my arms around her. “So we shall be cousins.” She hugged me back, and the comfort of her arms was like a safe haven from the swirling confusion that had plagued me these last few days.
When we released one another, Lady Ellen remained close. She held up a finger in warning. “You mustn’t say anything. We are waiting to announce it tomorrow at the ball.”
Could the ball really be tomorrow? That meant our departure was only two days hence. My stomach swooped.
“And now,” she said, wasting no time, “I’ve answered your questions. It is high time you answer mine. Will you please explain to me what is going on? I cannot stand to stay in the dark for another moment.” She looked up at the ceiling for a moment and then fixed me with a stare. “It all seemed to start with the Wollertons’ arrival.”
I glanced around the room, avoiding her gaze. “Yes, I suppose it did.” But from there I was helpless to go on, for where did I even begin? A week ago my life had seemed so simple, and now it seemed a helpless tangle of knots. I feared tugging at even one of the threads, afraid I might make the whole thing worse.
“I am inclined to warn you, Miss Graham, that having ensnared Lord Everdale, I feel very little need to obey Society’s strictures. I don’t plan on leaving until my curiosity is satisfied, even if it means I go down to dinner in this.” She gestured to her mauve-colored day gown. “After all, it is one of Lord Everdale’s favorites.”
That brought a smile to my lips. “If we truly are going to be cousins, and you insist on being so overbearing,
