“Thea, please sit down. There is something you should know.” Dom rarely spoke to her in such a firm tone.
“What?” She found herself sitting again. “What has happened?”
He sat in the chair across from her, planting his elbows on the table. “First, tell me what was said in your conversation with her.”
Dotty twisted the glass of porter she still had not finished. “The long and short of it was that when I forbade her to marry Fotherby, she informed me that she already had permission to wed him. I told her if she did, I would not have anything to do with her. That was when she announced she would move to Exeter House and left the parlor. I did not know she went to rescue a child until I returned from taking Vivi for a walk.”
“Fotherby was called upon to assist as well. He suffered an injury to his head. Henrietta is nursing him.”
“You went to Fotherby House?”
Dom nodded. “I did.”
“Have you forgiven him?” Dotty forced herself to breathe.
He leaned back in the chair and touched his fingertips together. “When he abducted you I was furious. If you had wanted it, I would gladly have sent him to India or the Antipodes. But you did not wish me to do that. By giving him to his mother to discipline, you gave him a second chance.” Dotty shifted in her chair, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. “You know I spoke with him.” She nodded. “I also fought with him at Jackson’s.”
“Men.” She closed her eyes. “Why is it that men can have a fight and all is well?”
Dom shrugged one shoulder. “I have no idea. But back to the matter at hand.” He sat up again and leaned his arms on the table. “You were the one who gave him a second chance. An opportunity to better himself. You should know that your actions succeeded beyond what I ever thought could happen. I’ve known the man most of my life and never thought he could change as he has.” He caught her eyes with his. “My love, you should be proud of the results. What I do not understand is why you are angrier now than after the event occurred.”
“I do not know.” Dom was right. Ever since she learned he might be in Town, she had become angrier with Fotherby than she ever had been before. “I am going to see Grace.”
“I’ll be here when you return.” Dom came around the table and drew her into his arms. “I love you. If you still want me to try to stop Henrietta from marrying Fotherby, I will find a way to do it.”
“I am not sure you could accomplish more than delaying the marriage.” Dotty kissed her husband. “I must send Grace a note.”
Dotty took a sip of porter, then took out a piece of pressed paper, ink, and a pen. Her best friends were not yet in Town, but Grace was. Dotty had known Grace Worthington all her life. It was because Grace had agreed to sponsor her when her younger sister, Dotty’s closest friend, Charlotte, came out that Dotty had met Dom. If anyone knew what she should do, it was Grace.
Dear Grace,
I need to speak with you as soon as you have time. Please give your answer to the messenger.”
Your friend,
D. M.
Less than fifteen minutes had passed when her butler knocked on the open door. “Lady Worthington said she is available now if you would like to visit her.”
“Thank you. Please bring the town coach around.”
“Yes, my lady.”
It did not take long to reach Worthington House in Berkeley Square. Dotty had strolled up the steps to Worthington House and raised her hand to knock on the door when it opened and Royston bowed.
“Her ladyship is waiting for you.”
“Thank you. Is she in her study?”
“Yes, my lady. She is.”
“Please do not announce me.” Dotty forced herself to give him a smile. “I know the way.”
“As you wish, my lady.” Royston bowed again.
She walked slowly, trying to organize her thoughts. She had acted on a sudden need to talk to Grace, but Dotty had not considered what she would say once she arrived. Words, arguments, jumbled around in her head, but when she stepped through the open door, instead of greeting her friend like the calm person she always prided herself in being, she burst into tears. “I’m go-go-going to lose my sister.”
The next thing she knew she was sobbing in Grace’s comforting arms. “Shush, now. Everything will be fine. Come and sit with me. We’ll have a nice cup of tea and a talk, and you will feel better.”
Putting her arm around Dotty’s shoulders, Grace led her to a sofa facing the fireplace, which had been lit, and Dotty let herself be gently guided to sit on the sofa.
“Now,” Grace said as she poured two cups of tea, fixing one cup exactly the way Dotty liked it. “I suppose this is about Henrietta and Lord Fotherby.”
Dotty blew her nose and, not yet trusting her voice, nodded, then picked up the cup of tea and drank, letting the warmth of the liquid soothe her. Everyone seemed to know about them long before she did. “Yes. She is determined to have him. He says he loves her. Even Merton has grudgingly given his approval, as have my mother and grandmother.” She drained her cup and set it down. “But I cannot think of him without being reminded of his callous disregard for me when he abducted me. I do not want my sister to marry him. I never want to see him again! But she says she loves him, and that the man she knows is nothing like I have described him. Grandmamma gave them permission to marry, and I don’t know what to do.” That last part ended on a wail Dotty never thought could come from her. She thought of what she had said to Henrietta, and the stern set of her face. “I behaved badly when Henrietta told me.” Tears clogged Dotty’s throat and Daisy, Grace’s Great Dane, shoved her head under one of Dotty’s hands. For a few moments she stroked the dog. “I do not want to be estranged from her.”
Grace poured another cup of tea and handed it to Dotty. “I have a fair idea of what you are going through.” Grace gave a wry smile. “After all, I was also abducted. Even though I knew Matt would rescue me, it was terrifying.”
Dotty remembered hearing the story. If Matt had not been there almost immediately, Grace would have suffered much more than she had. At least after Dotty had discovered her kidnapper was Fotherby, she knew she would not be physically harmed. Although her reputation would have been in tatters if anyone found out. “You were fortunate to be rescued so soon.”
“Indeed I was. However, what you suffered was not unimportant,” Grace said gently.
“No. It was not.” Ever since then, she had carried sufficient funds at all times to enable her to get home from as far away as France if need be.
Grace set down her cup and raised a questioning brow. “But despite everything, Henrietta loves him?”
“Yes.” Another lump had formed in Dotty’s throat and getting the word out hurt.
“I had a feeling that might be the case.” Grace made up a plate of ginger biscuits and a lemon tart and handed it to Dotty. “She came to speak to me when she discovered who he was. She also said the same thing she said to you, that he was nothing like the man you and Merton told her about.”
“When was that?” The query came out sharper than Dotty had wanted it to.