An Indecent Gambit

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Bad Habit

While James was being publicly denounced by Sir William, Grace was sitting on a bench in the churchyard where her father had been buried and thinking very quietly. It was the first really fine day of the year, and she had gone for a solitary walk before somehow ending up here. The last time she had been here, she had been able to recall none but the most unpleasant, angry memories of her father. Now, oddly, she found it hard to remember much about him at all. She sat there for a long time, trying to remember, until eventually she realized her mother would be getting worried, uncurled from her seat, and went home.

She was taking off her gloves and bonnet in the hall when the maid Eloise came down the stairs and saw her.

"If you please, Miss Follet, they've all gone off to Mr Redwood's," she said. "They went half-an-hour ago. Mr Redwood sent his coach for them. I was to tell you as soon as you got home."

"Thank you, Eloise." Grace started to unclip her cloak. "Could you send me up some tea?"

"No, Miss. I mean, you're to go after them. Mrs Follet left a note."

Now, Grace saw the folded letter on the entry table. It was quite brief, and written by Alice, not her mother.

G.

Mr Redwood summons us to conference. "A crisis has eventuated and requires expedience in its management." What a way of saying a pot's over-boiled! Mother is too of a fret to put hand to pen, so I write for her. She has told the groom to keep the horses ready and wants you to follow us to the Redwoods' — with expedience.

A.

Grace wondered what the problem was — money, she thought vaguely. Or perhaps, since Emma and Alice had been summoned as well, something to do with the wedding party. She sighed, put on her gloves and bonnet again, and went out to the stables.

When she knocked on the door of the Redwood's house, she was led straight up to the drawing room. The moment she entered, she knew that something was very wrong indeed. Everybody was there — Mrs Follet, Emma and Alice, Mr and Mrs Redwood, and James, though at first she did not see him, because he was hunched motionless in a chair, his head in his hands.

"What's wrong?" she said. "James?"

He looked up, his face so pale that his blue eyes seemed almost black, and shook his head.

"I told you!" Alice said, her own cheeks scarlet. "I told you when you first got engaged to him! You wouldn't listen!"

"It's not true," said Emma. "You can't possibly believe such a horrible thing!"

Alice merely looked contemptuous, then her gaze slid to Grace and faltered to the floor.

Grace looked helplessly at Mr Redwood. "What is happening?"

Mr Redwood, sitting upright in a hard chair, his stick held across his knees, gestured to a tray of glasses and a decanter on the table. "First, would you like some sherry, Grace?"

"What is happening?" Grace repeated. She ignored the sherry tray and went instead to James and touched his shoulder. "What isn't true?"

He took her hand in both of his, almost pleadingly. She had never seen him look so hurt before. It made her own heart ache.

"I was at Tattersall's today." His voice was hoarse. "There was a... I found out... In front of everyone, Sir William Balley accused me of— of fathering his daughter's illegitimate child." He shook his head helplessly. "She gave him my name, Grace. Catherine Balley says it was me — I've never met her."