A Wedding In Springtime(15)

“My dear Cora, it is all over Town,” replied the dowager. “The Comtesse de Marseille visited me earlier today.”

“Odious gossip! Did she mention the situation?”

“She talked of little else.”

Lady Bremerton wilted gracefully back in her chair and put her hand to her forehead. “This is dreadful. Simply dreadful. The comtesse will spread it like the plague. I have never been more humiliated in all my life. Genie is certainly ruined!”

“You know the Comtesse de Marseille,” said the dowager.

“Yes, I do, that heartless viper! I do not dare throw Genie a ball now. Who would attend? I fear my reputation will be forever tarnished by this affair.”

“What are you going to do?” asked the dowager.

“If she could marry and quickly, but who would marry her now?” asked Lady Bremerton.

Genie’s cheeks burned at being the center of such blunt conversation. “I understand, Aunt Cora, if you would prefer for me to simply return home.”

“Surely this one incident can be overcome,” said Miss Rose, joining the conversation. “I have witnessed far worse breaches of etiquette tolerated in society.”

“But one must first be established in society before one can break the rules,” observed the dowager.

“You also heard of the incident?” Genie asked Miss Rose.

“It was in the papers,” the girl explained with an apologetic shrug.

“It was?” asked Genie. Did not London have anything better to talk about than her terrible gaffe?

Lady Bremerton leaned back in her chair and groaned softly. “No wonder the butler said the papers had not been delivered. My dearest Antonia, I am relying on you to help us!”

“She is young,” said the dowager. “Surely some allowances can be made. If you handle it correctly, she could be known as an original. Of course, she must have an offer soon.”

Lady Bremerton shook her head. “But who? I doubt Genie will be receiving any invitations now.”

“Is she well dowered?” asked the dowager in her straightforward manner.

“She has twenty thousand pounds for a dowry, but I would be willing to add to it if only she could be respectably taken off my hands.”

“Would you now?”

“I could not ask that of you, Aunt Cora,” said Genie. “I think it would be best if I leave for home.”

“Yes, perhaps there is nothing else to do,” sighed Lady Bremerton. “Mayhap Antonia can give you a ride out of London when she moves to the country.”

“I have no plans to leave London,” repeated the dowager crisply.

“Is there nothing that can repair Miss Talbot’s reputation?” asked Penelope.

The dowager gazed at Penelope as if just noticing her. “My dear Miss Rose, you must think me a cruel host, making you carry around that bandbox.”

“Not at all, Your Grace,” said Penelope. “I fear I arrived at an inconvenient time, when you had visitors.”

“Not at all. Let me show you to your room, so you may put away your things. I believe your trunks have already arrived. Cora, dear, do you mind if I step out for a moment?”

Lady Bremerton demurred and the dowager led Miss Rose out of the room. As soon as they had quit the room, Lady Bremerton walked over to the paper the dowager had placed on the side table and snatched it out from underneath the book.

“Aunt Cora!” gasped Genie.

“Quiet! I must find out what had Antonia is such a state. Ah, it is a letter from Marchford.”

“Really, Aunt, I do not think—”

“Good. Do not think. Ah, see here, Marchford has threatened to cut off her funds unless she moves to the country.” Aunt Cora’s eyes gleamed. “Good lad, I did not think he had it in him.”

“Why would he do such a thing?” asked Genie, shocked that a grandson could be so heavy-handed with his own grandmother.

“You do not understand,” said Lady Bremerton, placing the letter back under the book and returning to her seat. “The dowager did not approve of the previous Duchess of Marchford, and while I cannot say I quite approved of the previous duke’s choice of a second wife, the dowager was perfectly beastly to her. Eventually… well, the less said about that the better, but suffice to say, I will not have my daughter treated in such a dreadful manner.”

Genie hoped her aunt would expound on what happened to the previous Duchess of Marchford, but her aunt apparently approved of snooping but not gossip and said nothing more. Genie clasped her hands in front of herself. What had she gotten herself into?