‘That is no concern of yours.’ God, she looked lovely, her colour high, her bosom heaving, her eyes flashing. All the anger drained away, leaving nothing but pure, aching desire.
‘We agreed to trap the Nugents, did we not? Have you forgotten they could have killed Jethro in that fall down the stairs? I will wait downstairs.’
Hester stared at the closed door until Susan said, ‘Shall I fetch your water now, Miss Hester?’
‘Oh, what? I am sorry, I forgot you were there. Yes, please, Susan.’
She was standing there when the maid came back with the steaming jug. ‘He’s still in love with you, you know,’ Susan observed, pouring the water. ‘Come along now, do, Miss Hester or he’ll come up here again looking for you.’
‘Yes.’ Hester untied her robe and began to wash. Everything felt rather numb. ‘It isn’t as easy to fall out of love as people say. I can’t fall out of love with him just because he hurt me, and perhaps he can’t fall out of love with me just because he thinks I was a kept woman and a trollop.’ She rubbed her face with the towel. ‘I expect he’ll manage it soon enough.’
‘But why not try again?’ Susan demanded, shaking out a petticoat.
‘What, with a man whose first reaction on hearing his betrothed accused of being an Impure is not to refuse to believe it, not to defend her, but to ask why?’
But, oh, she did still love him, did still want him so very, very badly. What would she have done if he had taken her in his arms just now and kissed her? Struggled? Perhaps not. It was a mortifying thought, but then she had seen the desire in his eyes. It had burned hot, hotter than she had ever seen, and yet he had been quite capable of not acting upon it. But of course, he would not want to touch another man’s leavings.
Buoyed up by angry pride, Hester came downstairs and found Guy standing in the kitchen with Jethro rather stiffly laying the table for five and Maria rattling pans on the stove.
‘I thought a council of war over breakfast might be a good idea.’
‘Indeed? I am sure you would be more comfortable in your own dining room. May I help you with anything, Maria?’
‘I have a great deal to do today that depends upon your agreement, and would prefer an early start.’ Frustrated by Maria, who was hastily disclaiming any need for assistance and able to see that Guy might have a point, Hester sat down and waited with what composure she could muster.
Guy took the chair at the other end of the table and watched her steadily from blue eyes that seemed shadowed, perhaps by sleeplessness. Poor darling. She wanted to go to him, smooth her fingers over his brow and temple, pull his head back until it rested on her breast and kiss away that expression. What was he thinking? That he wanted this over and done so he could leave and forget her?
And what would he want to do about the Moon House once the Nugents were dealt with? His sister had delivered the perfect way to make her sell it to him. Once the word was round in the village about her reputation, she would have no option but to leave.
At last they were all seated. Hester found she was ravenous, tried to remember what she had eaten for dinner and failed. It seemed losing one’s temper had an invigorating effect on one’s appetite. She took a sip of coffee and decided that attack was the best defence.
‘You are assuming there will be a party, my lord.’
‘You no longer wish to hold it? It will be the safest way to deal with the Nugents, you know.’
‘I may wish to hold it, but if my neighbours stay away in droves then it will be pointless.’
He picked up her meaning without her having to spell it out. ‘Georgiana has said nothing to anyone about your previous life.’
Ignoring Maria’s muttered ‘So I should hope’, Hester swallowed hard. The intense relief made her feel quite dizzy, but it would not do to show her emotions. She raised an eyebrow.
‘I assume she will not be attending?’ She half-hoped to goad him, but she was not succeeding.
‘My sister will not be among your guests, that is for sure, and in fact, although she has met Mrs Redland and Mrs Bunting, she is unlikely to go about much in the next few days. She will probably miss church tomorrow, a fact that will lend conviction to my explanation on Monday that she is suffering from a severe head cold.’
‘I see.’ Hester tried to hide her intense relief. It was going to be hateful enough to have to entertain a house full of guests while pretending to be on good terms with Guy without having his sister there, regarding her as a fallen woman. But doubtless she had refused to cross the threshold and Guy simply did not wish to say so.
‘What is your plan, my lord?’ Maria enquired frostily.
‘Some of it I can tell you all now, some I will only tell Susan and Jethro because on your reaction, Hester-and yours, Miss Prudhome-much of the success of this scheme lies. I want you to be as surprised and mystified as any of the guests.
‘Now, I will bring two other gentlemen with me. They will be strangers to you, and, I hope, to all the guests. Please accept them as though they were friends of mine you had kindly invited.’
‘Very well.’ Hester nodded her agreement, deciding that to try to second guess any of this would only reduce the element of surprise. She felt more comfortable with Guy now, and tried to stiffen her resolution. It would do no good to let down her guard, forget what had happened.
‘I imagine you will be using both front rooms and one of the bedrooms for cloaks.’
‘Yes. I was going to lay out a buffet in the dining room with the table against the wall and chairs and little tables scattered around. Then more chairs in the drawing room. All the surplus furniture except the piano will have to go out in the sheds. Will you lend me chairs?’ She had been worrying about how she was to manage, having cut herself off from Guy’s practical help, and had decided she would have to approach Mrs Bunting for the loan of chairs and china.