Adoration

With a disgusted sniff, she stared hard at the woman Morgan was gazing at so adoringly as he was escorting her up the steps toward the entrance hall. By the time Mariette joined everyone she had a ready smile of welcome on her face that both startled and amazed Morgan and Alicia. Rather than leave, Mariette did as Alicia had instructed and remained with the party as they moved into the morning room. She perched on the chair and remained, outwardly at least, the epitome of a genteel lady. She didn’t engage in conversation but took tea and a small piece of cake off Boris with a quiet murmur of thanks. There was absolutely nothing in her demeanour that betrayed what she was truly feeling, she made sure of it.

While Morgan was relieved that his sister’s tantrum appeared to be over, he didn’t trust Mariette’s abrupt change of behaviour for one second. He rather suspected she was up to something but for the life of him couldn’t understand what it was. She had greeted Sissy and Norma with open if somewhat distant friendliness and was behaving as any polite, well-bred young woman should. But it was so uncharacteristic of Mariette that Morgan had to wonder what was behind it.

She is planning something, he decided and so made sure to keep a wary eye on her.

‘What is it, Boris?’ Morgan asked when the butler sidled into the room. He slid his cake plate onto the table between him and Sissy. Instinctively, his gaze slid to her, as it had every time she had moved since she had arrived. He was so entranced by her delicate beauty he struggled not to stare at her.

Boris’s reason for interrupting them soon jolted him out of his musings.

‘Miss Mariette’s guests are here, sir. I have put them in the library,’ Boris murmured for Morgan’s ears alone.

‘You let them into the house?’ Morgan launched out of his chair.

‘They made their own way inside, sir,’ Boris replied with a disgruntled look.

‘Leave it to me.’ Morgan turned to the women in the room. While he addressed them all, his eyes were on Sissy. ‘Please excuse me.’

‘Ah, there you are,’ a jovial voice called from the room opposite the morning room.

Mariette grinned at the man in the doorway of the library, a young fob of about twenty who was smiling widely at them, clearly enjoying helping himself to the Lord’s house. Her smile fell when Morgan blocked her view of her friend.

While Morgan quietly let himself out of the room, Alicia turned to engage Norma in conversation. Sissy stared at the closed door but before she could join in the conversation found Mariette sliding into Morgan’s chair.

‘I hear you are going to Scotland,’ Sissy began.

‘Yes. Out with the old and in with the new and all that,’ Mariette replied.

‘Mariette,’ Alicia rapped with a warning glare. ‘That is not the case and you know it.’

‘You must excuse us. My dear mother has decided that I should be packed off to the wilds of Scotland to rot away quietly because Morgan cannot socialise with his set anymore.’

Like spectators, Norma and Sissy looked from one side of the chaise they sat on to the other as they looked from Mariette to Alicia and back again. They then shared a look, wondering if they should make their excuses and go. In the space of just a few seconds the atmosphere within the room had become stiff and awkward. A thousand words were said between mother and daughter and hovered like a dark cloud over them all.

‘Morgan can socialise as much as he wants to. He just doesn’t want to socialise with your friends, Mariette,’ Alicia bit out. She offered Norma and Sissy and smile, but it didn’t enter her eyes which remained cold and hard.

‘Really?’ Mariette murmured in a tone that made it clear it wasn’t the truth.

Sissy suspected that the aside had been meant for her because of the sly look Mariette slid her.

‘I don’t see why there should be a problem. I mean, men take mistresses all the time. Morgan is no different to many men frequenting the ballrooms of ton,’ Mariette continued.

‘Morgan doesn’t have a mistress, Mariette, and I will thank you to not try to besmirch your brother’s character while under his roof,’ Alicia bit out.

‘Well, he isn’t going to tell you about his base needs, is he? You are his mother,’ Mariette smirked.

‘Maybe you shouldn’t avail yourself of the gossip and be so agreeable to thinking so poorly of your brother,’ Sissy murmured, seeing no reason why she should excuse or apologise for being friends with either Mariette’s brother or mother. ‘He has a reputation to uphold.’

‘One would think he would remember that when he chooses who he is seen out with,’ Mariette replied.

‘Mariette,’ Alicia snapped.

Before Alicia could throw her out of the room and scold her for saying what she had, Mariette pasted a smile on her face. But as she turned to slide her teacup onto the table, she rammed her saucer into Morgan’s, which slid across the table and landed in Sissy’s lap.

Sissy cried out when her dress was immediately soaked in tea, which ruined the material and left her drenched from the legs down.

‘Mariette,’ Alicia cried. ‘How dare you?’

‘Oops, I am sorry,’ Mariette offered with a spiteful smirk.