Evan couldn’t wait to get on the road, to put all of this behind him and get some breathing space to decide what to do next. It wasn’t deserting the field of battle so much as a strategic retreat, right?
Diana gave him one last stricken look as she left the room, as if he’d done something reprehensible. No doubt he’d committed some other societal faux pas.
Whatever it was, she could add it to the long list he was accumulating.
CHAPTER 7
“BETH, HURRY. THROW all Cian’s things into this bag, and pack your things as well.” Diana yanked on the veil at the back of her head, sending her hairpins scattering to the floor and her curls tumbling down. Twisting and trying to unfasten the buttons at the back of her dress, she blinked back tears.
Everything was ruined. Her father would show no mercy. He’d threatened as much in harsh whispers as the guests had departed. She could feel his fury, red hot in his eyes, iron hard in the grip he’d had on her arm.
“My lady? What’s wrong?” The little nursemaid bolted from her chair, the mending falling from her lap to the floor.
“If Cian means anything to you, hurry. We have only a few minutes to get him out of the house before …” Diana choked on the words. “We’re leaving for the country. Right now.”
With the baby sleeping in his cradle, she flew about the room, gathering little gowns and blankets, wrapping the nursing bottle in a handful of clouts and pilchers, and stuffing all into a small bandbox with leather latches.
Frustrated, Diana grabbed the back yoke of her wedding gown and pulled, scattering the cloth-covered buttons and yanking the dress over her head. Her hair must look like a cast-off bird’s nest, but what matter?
“My lady, I started my own packing after you came up earlier. I am ready to leave whenever you say.” Without being asked, she opened one of the cases and drew out a traveling dress and half boots for Diana. She picked up the wedding gown from the floor and folded it carefully. “I think you looked very nice. I’ll sew on new buttons and mend the dress as soon as I can.”
“Bless you, Beth. Now, the next bit is going to be tricky. I need you to put Cian into the laundry hamper and get him out of the house without anyone seeing. We’ll pile your bag with mine. There will be a wagon for the luggage, and no one will notice a couple more pieces. You will ride in the carriage with me as my abigail. We’ll tell the earl you are my ladies’ maid, and hopefully, he’ll opt to ride his horse rather than travel in the carriage.” Diana bit her lip as she tugged the last few pins from her hair and finger-combed the brown curls, separating them into hanks and braiding quickly. Things were moving so rapidly. How could she make smart decisions with no time to think?
It was one thing to lie herself, but now she was asking Beth to lie too. To basically kidnap a child. Guilt smote her, but it was nothing compared to the terror she felt for Cian if she left him in this house.
God, I don’t know what to do. I’m sinning right and left here, and You’re remaining silent. What should I do?
She couldn’t even begin to imagine her father’s rage at this turn of events, nor what he would do when he discovered Cian missing.
But would her new husband be the same? She’d seen him explode with anger at the art gallery. And when he’d learned of her inheritance, it had been all he could do not to create a scene at the reception. He’d broken out in a sweat, fists clenched, jaw tight.
How could she know what his reaction to an illegitimate child in her care would be?
“Beth, I know it is a lot to ask, but if the earl asks about the baby, I want you to say that Cian is yours.”
Beth’s mouth gaped. “My lady,” she breathed.
“I know. I know it’s wrong. And if he cuts up about me having an unwed mother as a maid, if he says he will turn you out without a character, then I will tell him the truth. I will impress upon him that it was all my idea.” She winced as she pulled her hair in her haste to get it braided and pinned. “For Cian’s sake, please?”
The little maid’s expression firmed, though her eyes remained doubtful. “I’ll do it, my lady. For Cian and for you.”
Diana squeezed her hand. “Hurry now. Get the baby out of here. Keep your head down, carry the basket, and meet us around the front of the house. The earl said we’d be leaving within the hour.”
Stomping her feet into the half boots, Diana gathered her cloak. Beth lifted the sleeping baby from the cradle and placed him on a stack of clean towels in the small laundry hamper.
“Cover him well. It’s cold outside.”
She felt as if a piece of her heart were breaking off and going into the basket with him. Please, God, help me get him away safely. Beth gave her a trembling smile before slipping through the doorway with her precious cargo.
Diana took up her bonnet, settling it on her hastily styled hair. Glancing in the silver-backed mirror on the wall, she wondered if her visage told her secrets.
A small knock announced the arrival of the footmen. Diana opened the dressing room door.
“My lady, the earl requests your presence in the parlor, and he instructs us to bring your things to the entryway. The carriages have arrived.” The footman, in full livery of the maroon and gold of the House of Seaton, stood straight as a stair rod, his face giving away nothing.
Her new husband did not intend to linger for even the full hour. It had been less than twenty minutes since she’d raced up the stairs to change.
“Very well.” She slipped her hand through the strings of her reticule. Pointing to her own personal bag and the case with the baby’s things, she said, “Those are to go in the carriage with me, the rest in the luggage wagon.”
“Very good, my lady.”
Diana tied her bonnet ribbons as she descended the stairs. Had Beth gotten Cian out of the house through the back door? Was she even now hurrying along the mews to get to the street? Had her father thought to put anyone on watch?
Angry voices erupted from the parlor, her father’s and Percival’s.
“How can you let this happen? Do you know how many markers I have around town? I was counting on that money!” Percival’s whine grated upon Diana’s already frayed nerves.
“You were counting on it? Your problems are the least of my worries. I am not to blame for your gambling debts or the gullibility of those who would take a marker from you. That money is mine. I worked for it, and I do not intend for it to escape my grasp.”
“How can you get it now? Prinny blabbed before the crème of the ton, and now it’s gone. Gone to that upstart nobody.” Her brother was almost wailing.
Her eyes locked with Evan’s as he waited by the door, cape around his shoulders. He pulled on his gloves, his blue eyes piercing, even from that distance. He was angry. He had to be. She had lied to him, kept her fortune a secret, aiding her father through her silence in stealing from her new husband.
Would he lash out? Would his attack be verbal or physical or both? Her knees felt like well-used dishrags.
The argument continued in the parlor. “I’ll find a way. I’ve got a piece of leverage, but I must decide when it is the best time to use it.”
Her father must’ve realized the parlor door was open, because she heard his heavy footsteps cross the room. The door slammed, echoing through the entryway. The heated voices went on, but muffled now.