At her first word, Dax shoved Lady Isley away from him, tripping over the low table behind him in the process. It sent him sprawling backwards at it propelled Lady Isley away and into a chair. Eliza didn’t recall seeing Lady Isley’s name on the guest list, and for just a second, a surge of trepidation spiked through her. Maybe she was wrong about all this. Maybe she was destined to be a wallflower forever, trapped in a loveless marriage.
She raised her chin and kicked the thought away. She was done being a wallflower and the coward it made her. She had been happy here at Ashbourne Manor, was still happy if only…
If only she had her husband back.
Dax righted himself against the sofa, his eyes flying to hers. “Eliza—”
She held up a hand to cut him off. It was her turn to ask the questions.
By that time, Lady Isley had shoved the hair that had fallen from her elaborate twistings away from her face and righted herself in the chair. When she met Eliza’s gaze, her smile was feral.
“You,” she hissed.
Eliza placed her fisted hands on her hips. “Yes, it is. I have a rather annoying habit of always being me, and you have a rather annoying habit of trying to steal my husband. Now why is that?”
Lady Isley gripped the chair with both hands as she levered herself up. It wasn’t impressive as the woman could hardly be more than a meter and a half tall.
“He’s mine, spinster, and it will do you well to remember that.”
“Ah, I see where there’s been a mistake. You see, I actually married Daxton Kane, the Duke of Ashbourne, while it was you who jilted him. I could see where this would cause confusion.”
Eliza could not have imagined what Lady Isley expected, but it was certain it wasn’t Eliza’s sharp tongue. Lady Isley’s nostrils flared as her eyes grew wide. The marchioness took a threatening step forward.
“How dare you!” she seethed. “How dare you ruin the beautiful thing Dax and I have.”
“Oh, but you’re mistaken again. What you and Dax had was nothing but an illusion orchestrated by you. You never loved Dax, but you did wish to acquire the duchess title, is that not true?”
It had been entirely a stab in the dark, but when Lady Isley’s eyes shifted quickly to the left, Eliza knew she had her.
Lady Isley recovered herself, straightening her shoulders. “I will not stand for such lies. How dare you impugn my person.”
“How dare you try to extort money from my husband.”
It was as if all the air in the room was sucked from it in but a moment. Eliza had been peripherally aware of Dax in the background, standing rather unkempt from his topple into the sofa, staring open mouthed at his wife, but at her pronouncement, his lips snapped shut and his eyes narrowed as he moved his gaze to Lady Isley.
Lady Isley went utterly pale. “What are you suggesting?”
Eliza took a moment to ponder the room, letting Lady Isley writhe for just a bit longer.
“I’m not sure actually. I’m operating on only enough information with which to build the scaffolding, but the structure of the thing is rather lost to me. I suppose it’s because I’m not inclined to betrayal. I think that’s why I prefer dogs to people most likely. They don’t know how to be disloyal.”
Lady Isley sucked in a breath. “I have never betrayed Dax.”
Eliza snorted. “Oh, quite the contrary. You’ve been leading him around by training strings for quite some time now. I think it’s time to end that. After all, at some point Ashbourne should start respecting himself, don’t you think?”
She could feel Dax’s hot gaze on her, and she knew she’d struck a nerve. It didn’t matter. He needed to hear what she had to say. She might have cowed to every belle society had produced, but here in her home, she would not stand for it any longer.
“You manipulate Ashbourne’s feelings to get what you want, isn’t that true?”
Lady Isley’s hands had fisted in the skirts of her gown. “How dare you,” she repeated, her tone dropping dangerously low.
“And now you’re in need of money, so you come to him again.” Eliza held up a single finger. “What I can’t figure out is how you plan to go about it. Perhaps you plan to be his mistress and hope he might support you financially? I’ve heard such an arrangement might be done.”
Lady Isley’s eyes widened, and her jaw threatened to snap clean off. “I will not respond to such scathing lies.”
“The fact that you require funds is not a lie nor your attempt at getting the money from my husband. But I wonder. Why is it that you believed your plan to become his mistress might fail?”
Like a bolt of lightning splitting the night sky, Lady Isley’s face suddenly cleared. “How do you know that?” she whispered.
Eliza’s smile was slow, and she realized this must be how Henry felt when he knew he was on the scent.
“Because of this.” She opened her palm and let the handkerchief she’d found in the corridor dangle between two fingers.
Lady Isley gasped a breath. “Where did you get that?”
“If you’re going to attempt blackmail, you should really be more careful.” Eliza held the incriminating linen between both of her hands. “Now then. I’d like to know why.”
Color had appeared in Lady Isley’s cheeks, and Eliza wondered if she’d pushed the woman too far. The marchioness took another threatening step forward, but she was stopped by a sudden low growl coming from the door.
“Ah, Henry. Come here, boy. Keep the terrible woman away. I wouldn’t want her ruining my pretty gown.”
Henry trotted into the room and stood dutifully between her and Lady Isley. The marchioness eyed the dog as if he were nothing more than a common rat.
“Lady Isley?” Eliza prompted, and Henry gave another growl, choosing to show just one side of his fangs this time.
Lady Isley jumped back, her lip curling up, words spurting from her mouth as she tried to get behind the chair she had just vacated.
“It’s you!” she spat. “You’re the reason my plan wouldn’t work, you wretched spinster.”
Eliza tilted her head. “Me? Whatever have I done?”
Lady Isley threw out an accusing finger pointed directly at Dax. “He loves you. He actually loves you, you ugly cow.”
For a moment, her confidence fled, and her gaze shifted to Dax, who still stood motionless beside the sofa. He loved her? But there was Lady Isley, what she had done to him, the way he—
“I knew the moment I kissed him my plan wouldn’t work. He was already in love with you!” Lady Isley hurtled the words as if they were an insult.
Eliza couldn’t look away from Dax, realization crashing through her until she nearly forgot entirely where they were. Only when Lady Isley spoke again did she come to her senses.
“He didn’t want to kiss me!” Her tone had turned sullen and whining. “How dare you rob me of him!”
Eliza recalled the handkerchief in her hands. She held it up again. “So that’s when you decided on blackmail?”
Lady Isley lunged, only to be driven back by Henry’s growl. “I didn’t want to get him involved. He’s too stupid for such things, but you left me no choice.”
“I see.”