‘He told me yesterday she was his mother. His father is, as the rumours say, an Italian prince. Marguerite—or Margery—abandoned the child with his father, who left him to the servants to bring up. She only claimed him years later.’
‘How awful, poor child,’ Jessica said compassionately. ‘But that doesn’t make her Margery.’
‘One, she gave him the surname Hurst—half of Ravenhurst.’ Maude ticked off points on her fingers. ‘Two, he’s been reminding me of someone, I just couldn’t put a finger on it. Three, when he came into the box that evening you were all there, Papa mistook him for Gareth, when he saw him in silhouette in the doorway, and, four, look at the portrait of Lord Standon in the hall.’
‘There is a scandalous aunt in the family, I know that,’ Jessica said. ‘Gareth is mildly curious, but apparently even Sebastian doesn’t know the story—the older generation just refuse to speak of it. Do you think Eden knows?’
‘He is very unruffled about associating with Bel and Gareth, who are his first cousins, if he does,’ Maude said. ‘But then, Eden is unruffled about most things, except attacks on his control of the Unicorn. I will ask him.’
‘Maude, you can’t, not just like that! If he knows, he hasn’t said anything, so he wants it kept secret; if he doesn’t, think what a shock it would be.’
‘Yes, I can. And, Jessica, don’t you see, Papa can hardly object on the grounds of breeding—an Italian prince for a father and a duke for a grandfather, for goodness’ sake.’
‘You are overlooking the minor detail of a lack of a marriage certificate to link the two,’ Jessica said wryly. ‘It doesn’t make it better; in some ways, it makes it worse.’
‘True.’ Maude swallowed, feeling as though she had been punched in the stomach. For one moment she had thought it would all be fine now. Of course it wouldn’t. ‘It has been such a big secret, what happened to Margery. Bel and Gareth’s parents—all that generation—are going to be furious.’ She began to put the books back on the shelf. ‘I’ve got to find some way to make Eden acceptable to Papa.’
‘You’ve got to make him fall in love with you first,’ her friend added with brutal honesty.
Maude thought about confiding in Jessica. Perhaps she would understand what that strange, gentle kiss in the darkened alleyway had meant.
‘Oh, there’s the front door knocker, the committee is arriving.’ Jessica hopped off the desk and became, once more, a dignified countess. The moment was lost.
‘Go and greet people in the hall. I’ll stand under the portrait and try to get Eden to talk to me there so you can see,’ Maude urged as the Reverend Makepeace’s fluting tones reached them.
Eden was exactly on time. Several of the others, more familiar with the household and less on their society manners, had arrived earlier and were gossiping in the dining room. ‘Lady Standon, I apologise, I have kept you waiting.’ He glanced towards the open door and the sound of voices as he handed his hat and coat to the butler.
‘No, not at all, they are early, Mr Hurst. Ah, there’s Maude, she will show you the way.’ Jessica smiled, affecting just to notice Maude poised under the portrait. Maude smiled and held out her hand to him, turning so that he was forced to stop and stand in three-quarters profile to Jessica, just like the figure in the painting. Maude saw her friend’s eyes narrow and she nodded, just as her husband strolled downstairs.
‘Maude, good afternoon. Hurst.’ Gareth held out his hand and Maude slipped away to stand with Jessica, regarding the two men standing under the portrait.
‘I think you are right,’ Jessica whispered. ‘There is a resemblance. Are you going to tell the other cousins?’
‘How can I?’ Maude murmured back. ‘That is up to Eden and I have no idea whether or not he knows.’
Maude found herself watching Eden during the committee meeting. He was managing to control any surprise at Bel taking the chair, although she could read him well enough to see his impatience at Mr Makepeace’s long, and rambling, report.
There was no disguising the fact that Mr Makepeace and Lady Wallace were treating Eden with some reserve. Presumably neither really approved of his presence on the committee.
‘Now then, tactics for Lady Hethersett’s ball,’ Bel announced. ‘She tells me that several ladies who are on our list as potential sponsors, but who have so far eluded us, will be attending.’
‘And both I, and Dereham, will be absent,’ Gareth remarked. ‘So the duty of charming the ladies is, I am very happy to say, all yours, Hurst.’ There was the slightest edge to his voice.
Eden’s eyebrows rose. ‘That sounds hazardous. Might I remind you, Standon, that while you and Dereham are safely married, I am perilously single.’
‘We are not asking you to propose to them, Mr Hurst,’ Jessica said, with a dimpling smile. ‘Just flirt. You can flirt, can’t you?’
There was silence, broken only by Mr Makepeace’s faint cluck of disapproval. Eden regarded Jessica steadily. How he did it, Maude had no idea, but somehow those cool brown eyes gained heat, the severe lips softened and, ‘I never flirt, Lady Standon,’ he said, his voice somehow huskier than before.
Jessica, sitting next to her own husband, blushed like a peony.
It seemed to Maude that the committee held its collective breath, then Jessica burst out laughing. ‘Mr Hurst, that was outrageous! If you can make the toes of a happily married lady curl in her slippers like that, I shudder to think what havoc you can wreak on Lady Hethersett’s guests.’
‘Ma’am?’ Eden looked blank.
‘An excellent demonstration of just what is needed,’ Gareth commented, his tone steely. ‘I need hardly add that should you make my wife’s toes curl again, there will be hell to pay?’
Eden inclined his head gravely, Mr Makepeace looked shocked and Lady Wallace was seized with a fit of coughing. Bel consulted her list again, ‘There are also some gentlemen…I will distribute them amongst the ladies of the committee later and we can agree tactics over tea. Now, the next item on the agenda is our fund-raising event. Maude?’