As she walked away, his mother came up next to him. “Are you still planning on taking me in to dinner, Son?”
God, he’d forgotten all about that. “Of course.”
He offered her his arm, and they headed toward the crowd at the end of the ballroom.
“What were you and Lady Verity discussing?” Mother asked.
“Lady Diana.”
Her hand tightened on his arm. “What about her?”
No, he wasn’t ready to have that conversation with his mother yet. “It doesn’t matter.” He cast her a bright smile. “So, our girl danced every dance, did she?”
“She did. Too bad you weren’t there to see it.”
“I had to deal with some relatives of Father’s who were trying to force their way in.”
His mother stopped short. “Which ones?”
“Lord Fieldhaven and his wife.”
“Oh, I hate them. How your father and his sister could be so different is beyond me. They were also mean to you and Rosy when you two were small.”
“I remember.”
“Your father gave them a piece of his mind for it, too.”
“Now that I don’t remember,” Geoffrey said.
“Because he didn’t do it in front of you children, of course. He didn’t want to upset you any more than they already had.” After a quick glance around the ballroom, she leaned into him. “Did the Fieldhavens say anything about you murdering your father?”
Geoffrey blinked. “How did you know?”
“For pity’s sake, Son, our house wasn’t an island in Newcastle. I heard the rumors. Why do you think I was so eager to move to Castle Grenwood?”
“I . . . just assumed the memories in Newcastle were too painful for you after Father died.”
“That, too, I suppose,” she said softly. “But I heard people talking about him having an overdose of laudanum.” She raised her eyes heavenward. “Why your father thought he could keep an apothecary and a doctor quiet concerning his laudanum use is anybody’s guess. If he’d consulted me, I would have instructed him to send me for his laudanum. I would have said it was for my sister and no one would have thought a thing about it.”
Geoffrey’s stomach sank. “So Rosy told you, did she?”
“Told me what?” Her jaw dropped. “Wait, how did Rosy know anything?”
He sighed. “Perhaps we should both sit down somewhere private.”
“Later. Supper is being served, and I’m hungry.” She brightened. “Oh, I know. Let’s get our food and then go to your study to eat. And you can tell me all about whatever it is Rosy was supposed to have told me.”
He thought about all he should say. All that Diana had said. “Actually, it’s not so important that it can’t wait until tomorrow. Tonight is Rosy’s début. I’ve already missed a big chunk of it. So you and I are going to enjoy ourselves. As Diana says, our guests have ‘danced the chalk out.’ I daresay they will dance some more, and I mean to do so as well.” He headed for the supper room now that the rest of the guests had pushed through into it. “We’re going to eat marzipan and blancmange and cheesecakes—”
“And prawns and truffles and little bitty savory tarts.”
“They call those tartlets, Mother. Did you know that?”
She smiled. “I didn’t. Thank you for telling me.”
“While we eat until we groan, we’re not going to be sad about Father. We’re going to be happy about Rosy.”
Her smile faltered. “I shall try.”