Chapter Three

The Insult

Lucas sighed dramatically as Arabella prattled on about some other inane thing he was not listening to. He stared dully out over the grounds of Havershire Park, smothered in a cotton blanket of low lying mist.

They sat drinking tea in the drawing room, in front of French doors thrown open to let in the pale morning light. It was obvious to Lucas that Arabella was infatuated with him; as she babbled about the latest gossip from the elite of London, she would lower her chin to look at him coyly through her eyelashes and titter at anything remotely amusing that came out of his mouth.

Poor deluded girl, he thought. If only she knew that Lucas had no use for women or love in his life; and even if he did he would hardly waste it on a child such as her. A man only needed three things: a sound occupation, respectable friends and fine ale.

And this frilly little doll is taking me away from them all, he thought irritably.

He wished his father would just speak to Lord Lindsay and get the entire business over and done with. Was this slow, careful cultivation necessary? Surely he did not expect them to stay with them for the whole winter? The thought made him want to drown himself in the Lindsay's ridiculously gauche fountain.

To add insult to injury, Arabella's monologue was interrupted by the announcement of Lillian Gower.

"Good morning, Arabella, Mr Gower, thank you for the invitation." Lillian said as she curtseyed.

Lucas rose with Arabella who clapped her hands gleefully but then paused. "Where is Rosie?" She asked, frowning.

Lillian thought back to the fight she had had with Rosemary before leaving their home.

"Rosemary," She had said sternly, "I will not go alone."

"You shouldn't have to go at all! I know you don't want to Lily, it's only Arabella."

"That is not the point, you are being rude and selfish."

"Ha! Me being selfish? Have you forgotten who you are visiting? I can't leave anyway, I must help Hetty prepare for our dinner with the Stanleys. Or had you forgotten?"

It was a convenient enough lie that Lillian could not argue against it. She scowled and walked out into the clinging mist, toward Havershire Park

"She had some home duties to attend to." Lillian offered pathetically.

"Home duties?" Arabella asked incredulously, who had never had a duty yet in her short life. "Well, never mind, I suppose we can still play Whist with three players, however boring it may be. Lily, would you be a darling and fetch my cards for me? They are on the table in the lounge."

Normally, Lillian would have scolded Arabella for being so bossy, but she could not today, not in front of Mr Boyd. She wandered off in search of the cards, meeting a maid along the way, who told her that Arabella had last left them in the same room she had just come from.

Rolling her eyes in frustration, Lillian made her way back into the drawing room, but the mention of her name stopped on the threshold.

"Lillian and I were speaking of you the other day..." Arabella told Lucas with feigned indifference.

"Really?" he responded in a voice that said he had no interest at all.

"Yes, I was just informing her of what an accomplished young architect you were, and that you were opening a firm in London. I told her that any young lady who grabbed your attention would be fortunate indeed--"

"Good Lord Bella," he cut her off, "You didn't give her the impression that I had money, did you? The last thing I need is some wretched woman sinking her money-grabbing claws into me because she is under the impression that I have a small fortune..."

"Lucas!" She hit his arm playfully and giggled, in the manner one does when know they should not be laughing. "Don't be horrid!"

Lillian's face burnt with resentful anger. She turned quickly on her heel to flee the hateful pair.

"What? I am merely protecting my-" But his sentence was cut off by an almighty smashing sound. He and Arabella immediately rushed to the source of the noise and found Lillian, standing stiff and white-faced, in the centre of a hundred shards of china.

In her rush to leave, Lillian had not seen the expensive vase sitting at hip height, and sent it crashing to the floor.

"Lily! What have you done!" Screeched Arabella, just as a maid appeared and seeing the mess, disappeared again to fetch help.

"I- I'm-" Lillian stammered.

"That was Mama's favourite vase!" Arabella scolded her.

"I was just walking out and I did not see it there."

"You were leaving?" Lucas asked, with a shrewd look.

Lillian cursed herself for the mistaken omission. "Yes, I am suddenly feeling unwell." She curtseyed. "Arabella, Mr Boyd." She said shortly, turning and exiting as quickly as possible down the hallway.

With an unsettling jolt Lucas deduced, by the look on Lillian's face and by her proximity to the drawing room when she broke the vase, that she had heard them. What do you care? A voice taunted.

As Lillian disappeared from view, Arabella crossed her arms. "Now how are we supposed to play whist with only two?" She pouted, her little brow creasing.

Lucas barely contained the urge to roll his eyes.