As soon as they turned the corner, blasted Sarah, her husband, and her mother had all turned to wave a cheery hello as they also made their way down the drive. His drive. Which only led to his house.
“What are they doing here?” Because frankly, the Peterses were the last thing he needed today. He dragged everyone out for a long ride to give Minerva the privacy and space to talk to her sisters, but had been on tenterhooks the whole time wondering how Diana and Vee had taken the news of their father and, more importantly, how they felt about him courting their eldest sister.
“I invited them for tea, dear.” His mother waved back, and Hugh realized why she had been so determined to be back home before two. “I thought it was high time they met Minerva and her family properly. Sarah says she’s hardly seen you these past few years. I take it Minerva knows you have a sister?”
“Of course she does! Minerva and I have no secrets.” Or at least they didn’t anymore … apart from the big one they were keeping from his mother. “But I haven’t apprised her family of the connection, so your little impromptu tea party is insensitive. It’s really not the sort of conversation one should have over tea.”
“Nonsense … The Landridges are not the least bit judgmental. Why would they be when they’ve had their own fair share of scandals? It’s not as if Sarah is a deep, dark secret.” More was the pity. “The whole county knows she is Hugh’s daughter. The pair of you are two peas in a pod.” Oh, how he hated that term. “And besides—it is much too late to change plans now. We can hardly turn them away from the front door. Not when they were so thrilled to receive the invitation.”
She kicked her horse into a trot and went off to greet them.
“Did you know about this?”
“Do I look as if I knew about this?” Jeremiah did seem a little confused. “Your mother is a law unto herself. Heaven forbid she tell me what’s afoot. I know they chatted at the assembly the other night and your mother has always gotten along well with Charlotte and Sarah … but did I know she had orchestrated a quaint English tea to enlighten the Landridges with the unorthodox peculiarities of the Standish family? No.” He shrugged in a what-will-be-will-be sort of way. “It will be all right. Minerva’s family are good people … or, at least her sisters are. The jury is still out on the mother—although between you and me, I much prefer her drunk than sober.… Come on. Let’s make the best of it.”
Hugh had no choice but to grin and bear it. As the groom relieved him of his horse, he offered pleasantries to his father’s favorite mistress, marveling at how his mother could natter away with her like they were old friends rather than bitter rivals. He stiffly greeted Sarah and Captain Peters, then trailed after them all as they wandered back toward the house.
It was surprisingly quiet inside, thank goodness, which made him hope the revelations hadn’t been too traumatic. A maid, rather than Payne, hurried forward to take their coats, and was swiftly dispatched by his mother to fetch tea. “Shall I bring it to the morning room, my lady?” There was something about the maid’s fraught expression as her eyes flicked nervously between his mother and him that made Hugh a little anxious. They rarely sat in that room in winter.
“Oh no … It’s always much too chilly in there even with the fire. We shall have it in the drawing room. Can you also send word to the ladies we have company?”
The maid bobbed a curtsey and dashed off, and always the perfect hostess, his mother led the way to the drawing room and ushered them all in.
Too late, Hugh saw the unmistakable shape of Lucretia DeVere fast asleep in the chair by the roaring fireplace, her mouth wide open and her silly riding hat at an odd angle. As if she sensed she had an audience, her eyes blinked open and slowly focused, then she shuffled to sit straighter and failed miserably.
“We are so sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Landridge.” Like him, his mother was looking for any damning evidence that might suggest their rotund and theatrical houseguest had partaken of a little nip of spirits unsupervised.
“I apologize profusely. I must have fallen asleep.…” She certainly sounded lucid enough. “This chair and fire are much too cozy.”
“I am just glad you feel at home.” Nothing fazed his mother, who beamed. “Mrs. Landridge, might I introduce you to Mrs. Edgerton, her daughter, Mrs. Peters, and Captain Peters, her charming husband. They are particular friends of our family.” She glanced at Hugh, her expression letting him know she was being subtle so he could break the truth his way.
“Mrs. Edgerton … Mrs. Peters … Captain … What a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” As regally as any duchess, the actress greeted the new guests from the comfort of her wingback. “Has somebody summoned my daughters? Only I have three girls, Mrs. Edgerton. The eldest, Minerva, is betrothed to darling Hugh here.”
Beside him, he felt his mother relax, too, just in time for a flustered Minerva to skid into the room with Diana.
“You are back … and with guests.” Both ladies had overbright smiles pasted on their faces. “How lovely … my love.” She squeezed out the endearment through impressively gritted teeth, her expressive emerald eyes boring into his. He instantly picked up her cue but was powerless to act upon it while the introductions were about to be made.
He smiled weakly.
“Minerva … Diana … meet Mrs. Edgerton.” They bobbed a polite curtsey. “And as Minerva has already had the pleasure of meeting Sarah and her husband, Captain Peters, it is only you who needs to be introduced, Diana. And Vee, of course.” He looked to his intended. “Is Miss Vee on her way?”
“She was finishing the chapter in her book but will doubtless join us shortly. In fact, I shall check on her now.”
She spun on her heel and disappeared back through the door. Hugh left it all of twenty seconds before he could think of a lackluster excuse to follow while the others took their seats.
“I think I will just chase the tea tray. Riding is such thirsty work…”
Thankfully, Minerva was waiting for him, appearing from behind a suit of armor as he was about to dash up the stairs. She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the closest room. “Lucretia is intoxicated! What possessed you to allow her to ride home alone?”
“She said she felt ill and needed to go back to bed.”
Although, she hadn’t looked particularly ill. Hugh had let her go because it seemed like the ideal opportunity to speak to his mother and inform her of the truth. Get it over with and return home unburdened of all the lies and ready to start a new chapter with the angel who had stolen his heart and didn’t deserve to share the blame for all his stupidity.
Except he hadn’t. He’d procrastinated like a coward, couldn’t find the right words, and felt thoroughly wretched as a result, convinced he was doomed to be a disappointment forevermore if he had fallen at the first furlong. Then the appearance of Sarah and her mother had plunged him into a considerably worse mood.
“Well, she managed to avoid her bedchamber and wandered to yours, where she found brandy and drank the lot. We couldn’t budge her from the drawing room and left her to sleep it off.”
“How long ago?”
“Two hours—or thereabouts. Not long enough for her to be entirely sober! That’s for sure. She demolished an entire decanter of brandy in a very short space of time.”
“Oh dear.”
“And Vee has locked herself in her room and refuses to come out.”
“She didn’t take the news well, then?”
“Neither of them did. Vee is in a state because she’s convinced we’re all out to unjustly sully our father’s name and has declared her intention to leave with him as soon as he comes to fetch her. She hates me for betraying him and Diana for backing me. But while my dear sister has never had any illusions concerning our father, I’ve had the devil of a job convincing Diana that you are not the vile seducer she has always suspected you of being. It has been a very trying morning and clearly, the ordeal isn’t over.”
He took in the taut, pinched expression and pulled her into his arms, unable to resist kissing the top of the dark head he adored so much. “Alas, it isn’t. My mother apparently invited them over for tea without telling anyone after she discovered I haven’t kept in touch with Sarah—and decided to remedy that. I am livid at her and I tried to get us out of it—but you know my mother.”
“I suppose it’s nice she wants to encourage your relationship with your sister. It cannot be easy on her knowing her husband had a family with another.”
“It seems easier on her than on me. I’ll never understand why she tolerates them.”
“Have you ever asked her?”
“Not exactly…”
He hadn’t.
In the past she had tried repeatedly to talk about the betrayal, and he had refused to hear it, let alone condone it. But Minerva raised a good point. Why did his mother tolerate his father’s mistress? Why didn’t the existence of Sarah—a woman the exact same age as Hugh—hurt her like it hurt him?
“Then perhaps you should?” Her head burrowed against his chest, and he liked the feel of it there. “Ask her when we tell her the truth. It strikes me as the most fitting time. We might as well get it over with in one totally hideous, unswallowable lump.”
“I tried to tell her this morning…” He sighed and held her tighter. “But not very hard. I was in too fine a mood and I selfishly didn’t want to spoil it.”
“I wonder why?” Just from the tone of her voice, he could tell she was smiling. He tipped up her chin so his eyes could confirm it. He loved her smile. It had the power to turn every dire situation, like the one currently awaiting them in the drawing room, into something not quite so dire.
“I wonder?” Because he no longer had to restrain the urge to kiss her, he did, and just like her smile, it miraculously made the drawing room and the buzzing hornet’s nest within it disappear from the face of the earth.
“Hugh, what are you … Oh!… Oh…” They guiltily broke apart only to see his mother grin from ear to ear. “Never mind. I thought you two were merely avoiding the Peterses. Silly me! I should have known you two lovebirds would need to say a proper good afternoon after I deprived you of each other all morning.” She pulled the door back. “Don’t be long.”
Minerva’s vibrant blush was charming, so he kissed her quickly again. “Look on the bright side, at least she now knows our affection is genuine, if nothing else.” He took her hand and laced her fingers in his. It felt utterly perfect. “Once more into the breach?”
“I’m not sure my nerves can take much more. I wish it was over.”
“It will be very soon—but now is not the right time.”
They returned to the drawing room hand in hand, where Hugh was greeted by the full force of Diana’s scowl. He supposed he couldn’t blame her, it came out of deep love and loyalty for her sister. Anyone who loved Minerva was all right by him, and he resolved in that moment to make a concerted effort to win the crotchetiest Merriwell over.
“Where do you all hail from?” The dreaded Mrs. Edgerton, who almost everyone in the room knew had never been a “Mrs.” at all, smiled at Lucretia, who still seemed coherent despite listing slightly on the wingback.
“Oxfordshire. It’s such a beautiful county. I’d argue its beauty rivals Hampshire.”
“It does indeed.” Captain Peters smiled as he sipped his tea. “Rivals it and exceeds it.”
“But he is horribly biased,” added his wife, looking exactly like their father used to when he was amused by something. “Teddy hails from Oxfordshire, too. His family still resides there.”
“Really?” His mother helped herself to the plate of biscuits Payne was holding out. “Isn’t the world a small place? I wonder if you ever collided before today?”
Despite Minerva’s hand in his, Hugh began to feel uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking. “How are you finding life at Aldershot?” Sarah turned to him amazed, as if such a chatty question had never come from his lips before. Which he conceded it probably hadn’t.
“It’s a lovely town. One well used to and tolerant of the militia.”
“I suppose it is highly likely we have collided.” Clearly Captain Peters was still eager to reminisce. “Which part of Oxfordshire do you hail from?”
“Chipping Norton.” Lucretia’s tea sloshed over the rim of her cup as she spoke.
Captain Peters beamed from ear to ear. “By Jove, it really is a small world! Whereabouts in Chipping Norton? My father has his practice in Goddards Lane just off the market square. He’s the local physician.”
A huge gust of wind suddenly wafted much too close to Hugh’s suddenly flimsy house of cards. “And how are you liking having your grandchildren so close, Mrs. Edgerton?” In his experience, older ladies were obsessed with their grandchild—or their need for grandchildren, so perhaps she wouldn’t notice his voice was suddenly wobbly.
“Oh, I love it, Hugh! Priscilla is an absolute joy and now that little Hugh is walking, he is a handful. The scrapes that child gets himself—”
“Little Hugh?” Diana stopped glaring at him long enough to look perplexed, making Mrs. Edgerton’s mouth close like a frightened clamshell as she blinked at her, embarrassed.
“After his grandfather,” offered his mother helpfully. “He was a Hugh, too.”
“There are suddenly so many Hughs, it’s hard to keep up.” She resumed glaring at him again. “Is ‘Hugh’ a Hampshire name?”
He felt Minerva’s fingers tighten in his, but before either of them could say anything, his mother did.
“It is a Standish name, Diana dear. Little Hugh is Hugh’s grandson.”
“Hugh has grandchildren!”
“Not my Hugh, dear. He is named after his father. Little Hugh is his half nephew.” Brazen, blatant, as if such a bombshell was of absolutely no consequence at all. Diana’s cup paused midway to her mouth as she looked from him to Sarah and back again. “And that is absolutely right, dear.… Sarah is indeed Hugh’s half sister.”
“I see.”
“So you see, Diana, your father marrying an actress is nowhere near as scandalous as this family.” Then, as if she hadn’t done enough damage, his mother turned to Captain Peters. “I suppose you know all about the scandalous Landridges, don’t you, Captain Peters? I suppose juicy titbits of gossip fly around Chipping Norton as quickly as they do here in Hampshire. I should imagine the tale of a country squire marrying an actress fresh from the stage of Drury Lane made quite a stir in sleepy Chipping Norton?”
“I confess, up until today, I’ve never heard of the Chipping Norton Landridges.”
“We live in one of the outlying villages.” Minerva spoke for the first time, and Hugh loved her all the more for loyally trying, but the putrid stink of the end was in sight, and he knew it would take a miracle at this stage to stop it. “It’s … um … quite remote.”
“Which one? Being one of the only physicians for miles, my father knows them all well. I used to accompany him on his rounds as a boy. Heythrop? Swerford? No … don’t tell me…” Suddenly, “Guess the Remote Village” was a diverting game. “Adlestrop? Churchill? Enstone? One of the Tews?”
“Oh!” Diana slipped off the sofa into a heap on the floor, wafting her hand around like Lucretia. “I feel faint … so dizzy…”
“Fetch the smelling salts, Payne!” Jeremiah jumped to attention and immediately went to her aid.
The reprieve galvanized Hugh. “Open the windows! Let in some air!” He was sorely tempted to throw himself out of them. But alas, the fickle finger of fate was not done with the surprises, because Giles chose that exact moment to appear in the doorway.