part0005

L ady Wainscot settled down to read the missive which had been delivered earlier that day. Her morning had been filled with last minute preparations for that weekend’s house party and she’d only now managed to find the time to attend to other matters.

Her eyes widened with each word she read.

“So, it’s true,” she murmured to herself. “Evangeline Parker will be arriving this afternoon.” Her lips pursed with obvious dissatisfaction. She had heard a rumor, but she hadn’t thought it possible.

Actually, she hadn’t wanted to believe it.

Not only had Evangeline Parker returned from her extended trip to America, but she had also decided to revisit the scene of her crime.

This weekend, of all weekends.

Pressing her hand to her chest, Lady Wainscot drew in a sharp breath. With numerous guests arriving within the hour, she wouldn’t be able to make the rounds and find out more.

Succumbing to the feeling of utter defeat, her hand dropped to her lap. A second later, she perked up. She would send someone else to make inquiries and report back to her.

Determined to take prompt action, she rang the bell. She’d expected the butler to make an appearance but, instead, the maid rushed in. She supposed it had something to do with the household being in an upheaval as everyone rushed around ensuring everything met her exacting standards.

Surging to her feet, Lady Wainscot fussed with her skirt and, lifting her chin, she straightened into her trademark imperious pose. “Ruth, would you please tell the girls to come down this instant. I need to speak with them.”

“As you wish, milady.”

“Tell them to hurry,” Lady Wainscot urged.

As the maid turned to leave, another thought occurred. “Ruth. Tell them they’ll be riding to Yarborough Manor.”

The maid’s brow furrowed slightly .

“Begging your pardon, milady. I just finished helping Miss Eugene into her new dress. It took forever to do all those little buttons up. She’s not going to be pleased about having to change again… what with the guests arriving so soon…”

Lady Wainscot gave the maid a slight lift of her eyebrow, a sure sign of her displeasure and growing impatience.

“Yes, milady. Right away.”

As soon as the maid disappeared to deliver her instructions, Lady Wainscot drew in a calming breath and released it as a shuddering sigh.

Here to ruin everything for her.

“Over my dead body.”

Evangeline’s eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to engage her mind. When she did, she emitted a light groan.

They were trekking through the Yorkshire countryside, making their way to Yarborough Manor for the weekend house party, one of many events in the county organized as a season opener.

If given the choice, she would much rather have stayed at the London house enjoying her semi reclusive lifestyle. However, after two months of limiting her social outings to a few dinners and afternoon teas, she had run out of excuses and so she had sat down to go through the invitations which had begun pouring in the moment she had returned to London.

She wished news about her return to England hadn’t spread quite so quickly. In her opinion, this only gave rise to speculation about her reasons for returning; assumptions she could do without since they would all, no doubt, focus on her marital status...

“If only people would simply let it go,” she mouthed.

Ten years before, in the spring of 1910, she had first set foot on English soil as a spirited debutante urged by her mama to make the best of her season and land herself a titled gentleman.

As a young girl, Evie had traveled the length and breadth of her homeland, including little known tracks of wilderness, and had been eager to experience something vibrantly new.

Unfortunately, she had been disappointed. Instead of the excitement she had yearned for, she had found everyone and everything in England deeply steeped in old traditions and rules. More than she had ever encountered, Evie thought. Feeling stifled, she had pleaded with her mama to take her back home, all to no avail.

Then, to her surprise, she had fallen in love and she had remained in love until destiny had dealt her a hard, cruel hand.

Everything had been altered. She had become a widow. Her first instinct had been to flee back home to America and stay there but, after two years of being cocooned in familiar surroundings, she had made the firm decision to return to England.

She had as yet to determine if this had been the right step to take. While she’d had plenty of time to get used to her new status as a single woman and to overcome the pain of her loss, which everyone had promised would subside in due course, she knew the memories would surely surge to the surface again.

Such is life, she thought and switched her attention to the here and now.

She supposed it would be fabulous to catch up with Bicky.

Albert Brenton, Duke of Hetherington, Bicky to his close friends and family, had been her husband’s oldest friend. He, of all people, would understand why she’d chosen to stay away.

“I slept like a log. The last time I came out to Yorkshire, the driver hit every pothole along the way. You are marvelous.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Evie pressed her lips together to stop herself from correcting him. Tom Winchester had been in her employ for two months and he still insisted on calling her ma’am, but at least he had stopped using her title.

She hoped she hadn’t confused the situation by not providing him with an alternative form of address. For now, it would have to be ma’am. At least until she settled on something less formal. How would she feel if her chauffeur called her Evie?

Of course, despite protocol, she hadn’t thought twice about embracing a first name practice. In reality, she should have addressed her chauffeur as Winchester, but Evie preferred Tom. And, in this instance, she wished to have her way—something that seemed to be happening with increasing regularity, she couldn’t help thinking.

During her recent journey back home to America she had allowed all the formalities that accompanied her life in England to lapse. Perhaps a part of her had hoped Tom would help her maintain it by adopting a more casual approach. It would certainly be a lovely bridge between the life she led and the life she yearned for. Surely that had been her grandmother’s intention when she’d arranged for Tom to become her chauffeur and travel back to England with her.

“Tom. Have you ever lived in the country?”

“On occasion, ma’am.”

Evie waited for him to provide more information but it seemed, where his private life was concerned, he would remain a closed book.

Not if she had her way…

“Tom, I believe we are now traveling through the Duke’s land. Have you ever seen anything so vast?”

Tom appeared to weigh his words before responding, “Yes, ma’am. In Texas. Although, this is much greener.”

Surprised to hear more than a yes or no answer, Evie smiled.

The distraction she has sought did not last.

A sense of trepidation swept through her. The last time she had traveled this way, she had been blissfully happy…

Closing her eyes, she recalled her granny’s warning to brace herself because, in her opinion, Evie’s return would be seen as throwing down the gauntlet, so she shouldn’t be surprised when the reprisals began shooting her way.

Young, wealthy, titled… and available.

Yes, some people would perceive her presence as flaunting her availability. However, they would be wrong.