“Has something happened while I was away?”
“It has not yet happened, but it soon will.”
“What? What is it?”
Brianna shivered, the words tumbling from her lips without consideration to the impact they might have on her companion.
“Edmond is about to send notice of my engagement to the Duke of Huntley.”
A shocked silence filled the chamber, but before Janet could find her voice and demand an explanation, there was the sound of approaching footsteps and what might have been the thump of a wooden cane on the carpet.
“No, no,” a soft, but relentless female voice echoed through the silence. “This bedchamber, I believe.”
“But, the master…” the rumbling voice of Boris began, only to be overruled by the twittering, unyielding female.
“Lavender is just so comforting, do you not think?”
Brianna hurried across her bedchamber, quite astonished to realize that she recognized that sweet voice.
Of all of Edmond’s aunts, Lady Aberlane was by far Brianna’s favorite. Oh, it was true she could be extremely annoying when she desired, but unlike most, Brianna was not fooled by the woman’s vague, fluttering manner and preference for being dismissed as a silly old woman.
Beneath all the fluff was a rapier wit and an uncanny ability to see to the truth of any situation.
Which made Edmond’s decision to call for her as a chaperone exceedingly strange. Surely he must know that the woman would not be deceived by his charade for a moment?
Reaching the door, Brianna watched Boris haul the large chest into the bedchamber across the hall before turning her attention to the tiny woman with a puff of silver hair and a heart-shaped face. Although it had been years since she had caught sight of the elder woman, Lady Aberlane did not appear to have changed a wit with her plain but well-tailored gray gown and large gold locket that held a miniature of her beloved husband. And of course, the ebony cane that she never seemed to actually use. At least not unless it was to smack the leg of some unfortunate soul who stirred her temper.
She had never been a lovely woman, but the faintly olive features were well-formed and there was a sweetness in her expression that more than compensated for any lack of beauty.
Perhaps sensing Brianna’s presence, the woman slowly turned, a delighted smile touching her lips.
“Oh, hello, my dear,” she breathed, her dark eyes twinkling. “Did I disturb you?”
“Not at all.” Performing a deep curtsey, Brianna straightened with an answering smile. “Lady Aberlane, it is a pleasure to meet you again.”
“Lovely, lovely Brianna.” Lady Aberlane heaved a soft sigh. “So kind of you to remember an old lady.”
Brianna chuckled. “Of course I remember. You always brought me the loveliest marzipans.”
“A pretty treat, for a pretty girl.” She tilted her head to the side, looking precisely like a quizzical bird. “And now, here you are, a grown lady engaged to my beloved Stefan.”
“So I am. Quite a surprise for everyone, I would think.”
There was a long pause, as if Lady Aberlane were giving the offhand words serious consideration. And no doubt she was. Despite Brianna’s best intentions, she found it incredibly difficult to lie beneath that dark, penetrating gaze.
“Not a surprise precisely,” she said slowly. “Stefan, after all, has always been very fond of you. Still…” A faint frown touched the wrinkled brow before Lady Aberlane was giving a shake of her head. “Well, never mind.” She reached out to lightly pat Brianna’s hand. “How delighted your father would have been. Oh, and your mother as well, of course.”
Brianna smiled wryly. It had been the deepest wish of her parents that she wed into the Summerville family. Her father because he truly believed that Brianna would be happy and well cared for at Meadowland and her mother…well, Sylvia Quinn’s motives had never been quite so honorable.
“Certainly my mother would have been pleased,” Brianna muttered, a lingering bitterness in her voice. “It would have taken her at least a few years to have gambled away the Summerville fortune.”
“Ah, yes.” Lady Aberlane gave a click of her tongue. “Poor Sylvia. Such a beautiful, fragile creature. I always knew she should never have married your father.”
Brianna stiffened at the subtle implication that her father was somehow to blame for her mother’s despicable weakness. Fredrick Quinn had been the finest, most honorable gentleman that Brianna had ever known.
“He loved her very much,” she retorted.
Lady Aberlane offered a sad smile. “Oh, yes…quite, my dear. And Sylvia loved Fredrick. But there are simply some restless souls who should not bind themselves to another. As much as they might wish to settle down and devote themselves to a family they cannot help but feel somehow imprisoned. Really, it is no wonder they seek excitement in unfortunate ways.”