He hadn’t sought her out, not all afternoon, not all evening. Which made no sense at all. At least nothing that leapt mind. Why wouldn’t he tell her? Had he devised some sort of plan, a scheme that would prevent such an unfortunate outcome for her? That didn’t sound like Papa, as he wasn’t really the scheming sort, but perhaps he had come up with something. There wouldn’t be any reason to frighten her with the details if he’d already set a plan in motion, would there?
She glanced down the dinner table toward her father, but he appeared engrossed in the roasted duck on his plate and didn’t seem to notice the intensity of her gaze in the least. Across the table from Bella, her brother Elliott, Baron Gillingham, whom she hadn’t spotted in nearly a month, caught her attention, frowning most deeply at her.
She blinked at her brother in surprise. Elliott very rarely noticed anything about anyone around him…unless one was an actress. But since Bella was no such thing, she couldn’t imagine why he was looking at her, much less frowning. “Is something wrong?” she asked quietly.
Elliott shrugged, just barely enough for her to notice, then he turned his silvery eyes back to his plate, letting his dark hair fall across his brow.
Good heavens, what was a shrug supposed to mean? Before she had time to contemplate the situation, her grandfather entered the dining room and cast his dark eyes across the room. “Gillingham,” he said, his voice laced with disdain, “what are you doing here?”
A feigned smile settled on her brother’s face as he met the duke’s gaze. “Just thought it might be nice to spend dinner with my family tonight.”
Grandfather snorted as he assumed his spot at the head of the table. “Don’t mistake me for one of those fools you cavort about Town with. I know when your allowance dries up. Your creditors start sending your bills here, in case you haven’t figured that out by now.”
Elliott ignored the comment, lifted his wine goblet to his lips, and downed a healthy portion. The second footman approached from his left and refilled his drink.
So he was here because he was out of funds again? That would certainly explain her brother’s presence, his shrug and his frown. No matter that Elliott would be the Duke of Chatham at some point, Grandfather did like to keep him on a tight leash. And that leash did not bode well for her brother’s temperament.
“I’m not getting any younger,” Grandfather snapped at the footman. “I may be late to dinner, but I do want to eat.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” the servant mumbled before rushing from the room to retrieve the duke’s plate.
Everyone sat in silence. And for the second time that day, Chatham House was as quiet as a vicarage at midnight. The clinking of silverware against the porcelain plates was the only sound reverberating about the room. Bella, and Prissa beside her, exchanged a look that said better than words could how much they both wished they were nearly anywhere else just then.
After a moment, Papa looked up from his roasted duck, cleared his throat, and smiled in Bella’s direction. An obvious attempt to break the sudden tension in the room, but Bella didn’t mind. She’d welcome just about anything that would make dinner more bearable. “Your cousin Johann is coming for a visit in a few weeks.”
Bella’s throat constricted. Now he wanted to discuss her predicament? And in front of Grandfather?
“Isn’t that nice?” Papa continued, conversationally.
“Nice?” she echoed numbly. Nice certainly wasn’t the word that sprung to Bella’s mind. Did Papa really find it nice? Was that the grand scheme she’d hoped he would come up with? That he hoped she would simply go along with Grandfather’s plans? Did Papa think Bella, with all of her strangeness and lack of suitors, would believe herself fortunate to have her cousin’s attention?
“Mmm.” Her father nodded. “I expect you and Prissa will do your best to make him feel welcome.”
Make him feel welcome? Welcome enough to offer for her? Bella’s stomach twisted at the thought. But of course, Johann wasn’t going to offer for her. There was no need for such formalities. Grandfather had already made up his mind about the situation. It might as well be etched in stone.
Across the table, Elliott caught her eye, and he frowned once more. He looked as happy about the prospect of Johann coming to visit as Bella felt. At least they had that in common. There was no need to glance down the table at the duke. She knew her grandfather’s eyes were on her, she could feel it in her bones. He was most likely looking for some sort of a reaction from her. But she wouldn’t give him that. Not now, not ever. Showing weakness to the Duke of Chatham was tantamount to surrender. And she wasn’t quite ready to do that. At least not yet.
The footman returned to the dining room and placed the duke’s plate before him. Then the man quietly returned to his post against the far wall.
At least with Grandfather eating his dinner, his dark eyes weren’t trained on Bella any longer.
But what was she to do? Papa seemed resigned to the idea of letting her return to Prussia with her cousin, more resigned than he had been that afternoon. Grandfather must have worn him down. She couldn’t expect any help from her father, that much was perfectly clear.
She glanced back at Elliott, across the table. He wasn’t the best of allies as far as power or influence went, but he hadn’t ever had any love for Johann either. Besides a mediocre ally was better than no ally, wasn’t it?
* * *
As soon asdinner came to an end, Bella and Prissa started for the drawing room. She was relieved when her brother entered the room less than a minute later. If he was to be an ally, there was no time to waste.
“You’re not having port with Grandpapa?” Prissa asked, her silver eyes wide.
Elliott’s gaze shifted from Bella to Prissa and back. “I was uninvited. Apparently, I’m too foxed as it is.”
Prissa nodded understandingly, just like she did at everything. “He has been in a temper today.”
Elliott snorted. “Not sure how you can tell the difference from one day to the next, love.”
“He’s not that bad. You just have to know how to deal with him,” Prissa said as she spun away from her siblings.