Taking a step back, Livinia was about to retreat when Thomas came forward and cornered her against the wall.
“You need to put these money-grabbing ideas out of your head. A man as wealthy as the earl will never fall in love with a woman like you, and even if he did, he would only entertain you for one night before casting you off. I’m warning you now that you had better squash any kind of romantic notion that has entered that head of yours.” He glared at her with his eyes narrowed.
The bitter words unexpectedly stung her heart, yet Livinia couldn’t help feeling protective towards the family.
“I fully understand why you would say or even think anything along those terms. Yet I can’t help wondering where your loyalties lie, Thomas. You speak of His Lordship as if he were a common whore monger? How dare you forget the fact that His Lordship and even Lady Theodora are decent, well-bred people. I urge you to find your humanity. I know it must be rattling somewhere around in that smug head of yours!”
She balled her fists at her side and glared at him.
Thomas took a step back and looked at her as if he’d been slapped.
Good, let him realize how disloyal he’d sounded. The family’s well-being rested on more than just Thomas’s notions of what was proper and what wasn’t. Turning, she left him standing in the hallway with his mouth agape.
She retained her composure all the way to the front steps before lifting her dress and breaking into a run. She needed to put as much distance as possible between her and the man who had turned her world upside down. She’d need to come up with a plan to keep her sanity if Lady Eleanor Spencer were to become a permanent fixture in the house.
Her heart ached with every breath as the cool air in the gardens stung her lungs; her breath was visible with every step she took.
Chapter 16
Livinia caught her breath as she stopped at the far end of the gardens. She hadn’t wanted to go as far as she had, but the aching feeling in her chest had driven her forward like a rudder steering a ship.
Why do I feel like this?
She clutched her chest and shut her eyes against the images of Benedict kissing her at the ball. Why was she so taken by him when she knew there was little to no hope of them ever having a future together? The sinking feeling that she could possibly be falling in love with the earl made her sick to her stomach.
What would she do if she found herself in love with the man who paid her wages? Everything she’d worked so hard to achieve in life would have been for nothing if she found herself without a stable position.
The distant sounds of a carriage door drew her attention back to the present.
That will be Lady Eleanor leaving.
She took a deep breath and reminded herself of her duties that had yet to be fulfilled. Lady Theodora would be waiting for her in the study by now, wondering what had happened to her. She composed herself with one final breath and shook her head; it didn’t matter what Benedict or even Lady Eleanor was up to; she needed to get on with her day.
Her boots crunched on the dead leaves that covered the walkways. Fall was in full swing, and winter would be knocking on their door before they knew it. The thought of the seasons changing helped her focus her mind on better things. Soon, the world would be covered in a blanket of snow that would help her focus on her studies.
Reaching the border of the garden, she paused when something strange caught her eye.
Thomas was helping Lady Eleanor into her carriage, but the two seemed locked in a heated debate of sorts.
Did Benedict tell her to leave?
Her heart soared a little despite having cautioned herself against getting her hopes up. Flattening herself against the trunk of a nearby tree, she tried to ascertain what they were saying. Even from where she was standing, she could see that Thomas was standing far too close to her for anything proper to be happening.
Lady Eleanor seemed upset about something as she gestured towards the house.
Livinia wished she could hear what they were saying, but the pair were too far away for her to make out anything of substance.
Thomas shook his head with a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped down. What Lady Eleanor said to him left him less than pleased as she entered her carriage and slammed the door in his face.
Making herself as small as possible, Livinia hunkered down behind the tree. Something was definitely afoot, and whatever it was, she was sure that Thomas was very much involved.
***
Livinia looked out the study window with her arms folded over her chest. Thomas had gone inside after the scene she had witnessed in front of the house. She’d waited a few minutes to ensure that no one had seen her before returning to the house and continuing her studies.
Lady Theodora had been waiting for her just as she had suspected, but to her great surprise, the girl hadn’t asked why she had been late. The unexpected visitor had left them all in a strange mood, and Livinia wasn’t about to let it continue any longer.
“Lady Theodora, did you happen to see Lady Eleanor? She was asking for you this morning.” She decided to broach the subject as gently as she could.
Lady Theodora blinked as she looked up from her book. Livinia had decided to introduce her to poetry and the new subject seemed to have caught her interest more than any of the others.
“I was told that she was here, but she was gone again by the time I came down. Benedict looked like a bear with a sore foot, and I wasn’t about to ask.” Theodora shut her book with a sigh. “Did you meet her?”
“Hmm?” Livinia faked indifference, not wanting the girl to catch on to the fact that she was fishing for information.
“Lady Eleanor, were you in the parlour when she arrived?” Theodora tried again, clearly distracted by the new topic.
Livinia walked back across the room and began tidying the books on the desk. “I did see her, but I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting her. I was too busy planning today’s lesson to pay closer attention,” she said, fibbing a little, hoping that Theodora would venture further information on her own. If she were truly like Lady Adelaide, as Livinia knew she was, she would offer up the gossip out of sheer habit.
“It’s just as well; talking to Lady Eleanor is much like walking in the forest at night. You know a snake is waiting to strike; you just don’t know when it will happen.” She made a strange face that immediately caught Livinia’s attention.
“Didn’t you get on with her? She seemed to be very fond of you when she asked how you were?” She shifted the books aside and took a seat. Now that the conversation had started, she wanted to see it through to the end.
Theodora chewed the inside of her cheek as she sat thoughtfully for a moment or two. “It wasn’t that we didn’t like her; it just always seemed like she was trying too hard. She’d be nice to us, but there would always be the inevitable comment that never went unnoticed,” she eventually explained.
“Do you mean you and Benedict?” Livinia knew exactly what Theodora was referring to. Women like Eleanor put on a seductive persona around men but would eventually show their true colours to those around them. The picture she’d seen of the woman arguing in front of the carriage stood in stark contrast to the one that had been flirting with Benedict in the study.
“No, not Benedict; he seemed quite in love with her back then. I meant our mother. She always tried to get us to like her, and it seemed quite false after a while. We’d always make our excuses when we knew she would be present at any social events.
