Punishing His Ward (Domestic Discipline 3)

Perhaps she was finally growing up.

Her next move was part of that. Irene drew a deep breath, feeling humbled and ashamed, and yet also feeling a small sense of relief.

"I've come to apologize."

Another one of those heavy blinks, a tilt of her head, and that same wariness. Silence descended and after a moment, Irene realized that Lady Grace might not know how to respond. After all, Irene hadn't been very specific.

"My behavior the other evening was deplorable. I'm very sorry for what I did to your dress and I hope you believe me when I say I didn't intend... well, I didn't intend any of what happened." She drew in anther breath for courage as Lady Grace continued to stare silently at her, frozen in place. Irene had no idea how the other woman was taking her apology, but she was determined to finish it. "Even more so, I need to apologize for my behavior over the years. I was more than immature in my manner towards you after you married Alex, I was insulting and presumptuous. I understand now how upsetting that must have been for you, and you didn’t deserve my scorn or my snide remarks."

Irene realized that Lady Grace's blinking was so pronounced because of the long, heavy lashes that ringed those bright blue eyes. She shifted uncomfortably, having run out of things to say. The silence in the room was deafening.

"Would you like to sit down?"

Now it was Irene's turn to blink in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Would you like to sit down? I can ring a maid for tea." The offer was made somewhat tentatively, but it sounded sincere.

She only hesitated for a moment. "That would be lovely, thank you."

Staying for tea hadn't been in her original plan, but it seemed rude not to take Lady Grace up on the invitation. Besides which, the entire point of being here was to establish more cordial relations, and what could be more cordial than enjoying a cup of tea together? And with her newfound insights, Irene realized she was incredibly curious what a conversation with her ladyship might reveal.

Lady Grace rang for the tea and then waved to Irene to take a seat again. Lowering herself back onto the couch, Irene watched as Lad Grace sat across from her in a delicately carved chair. The easy, graceful manner in which she settled her skirts was something to be envied. "I must admit, when Peters told me you were here... this was not what I expected."

"I can only imagine," Irene said, smiling somewhat ruefully. How would she have reacted if Lady Grace had one day shown up on her own doorstep? What would she have thought? Nothing good, certainly.

"When you said you wanted to apologize," Lady Grace continued, as if Irene hadn't spoken, "I thought that you might be trying to mend fences because of Eleanor. But that was a rather descriptive and sincere sounding apology."

"Because I mean it," Irene said earnestly. She felt slightly taken aback by Lady Grace's bluntness, but hadn't Irene been just as blunt in the past? And she could understand the lady's suspicions. Perhaps it was best to speak bluntly at this point, Irene certainly preferred that over speaking sideways around an issue. She respected that Lady Grace was still unsure of Irene’s motivations, and she did want lady Grace to know that her apology was sincere, rather than taking it at face value and always wondering. "After marrying Hugh... well, let's say I've grown up a bit. At least, I hope I have. And I see quite a few things in a different light than I did before. Especially when it comes to the difference between a friendship between a man and a woman and the relationship between a man and his wife."

"Ah yes... Hugh, the entirely reformed rake despite the fact that his marriage was arranged and not a love match," Grace said, her voice light and almost mocking.

For a moment Irene bristled, but then she realized that Grace wasn't even looking at her. Those bright blue eyes were unfocused as if peering inward, as if the comment had been directed more at herself than at Irene. Irene suddenly realized that Alex had a reputation as a rake, yet obviously he wasn't reformed.

Irene had always taken Alex's word that Grace had separated from him without provocation, that he'd intended to be a good and faithful husband to her, but something about Grace's demeanor made her wonder... The woman sounded almost envious of Irene’s situation. The brittleness was back. As was more than a hint of bitterness.

And Irene didn't know what to say in response.

Fortunately the maid arrived with the tea then, and they were able to take refuge in the meaningless social chatter that the tea service made possible. It was soothing, balancing. The appropriate topics were far away from Alex or Hugh.

"Where will you be going when the Season ends?" Lady Grace asked, perfectly cordial and poised. Irene wondered if she would ever be able to perfect that kind of social facade, the bland face that covered all manner of anxieties. She imagined that Lady Grace must have had a lot of practice, in a manner that Irene would prefer not to experience. "Hugh must be eager to return to Westingdon."

"Eventually," Irene said, brightening as she remembered that they were leaving the Season early. "Next week we leave for Bath to attend Spencer's wedding."

Grace's eyes widened, her lips curving in an obviously unanticipated smile and then she threw back her head and laughed. It was a light, bright, tinkling laugh, one that wiped away her cynicism and made her look like a young girl. She absolutely chortled, and Irene watched fascinated. The reaction was so genuine, so unanticipated, and she couldn't help but grin in response. Hugh's reaction had been similar. Her smile faded a bit. How well did Lady Grace know Spencer? Had he been one of her lovers at some point?

That would not go over well with Alex at all…

"Oh dear... and the last of them falls," Lady Grace said, still giggling a bit as she composed herself. "I should have made a bet with someone that they'd all go down in the same Season, they always did everything else together until Wesley went to India."

Now Irene's smile returned to full force. It was rather amusing that the three friends were all married during the same Season. How often did such an occurrence happen? Especially when all three had reputations as firmly entrenched bachelors? She knew that Edwin and Eleanor's wedding had been considered a surprise to many, even if Hugh’s wasn’t, and that Spencer's was apparently even more so going by Hugh and Lady Grace’s reactions.

"The three of them," Lady Grace said, shaking her head, now fully composed again although her eyes were still sparkling. She looked much less like an ice princess now and Irene suddenly wondered if this was the side of her that Eleanor normally saw, the side the Hugh remembered. Was this, perhaps, the Lady Grace that Alex had met and proposed to? "And who is Spencer marrying? The last I heard he was running from Lord Windham, who was not nearly as accommodating as Lady Windham led him to believe."

The gossip had gone round the ton rather quickly, to the amusement of many. Of course, the only one damaged by it was Lady Windham, who had been hurried from the capital by her angered husband. Rumor had it he planned to keep her there until she was with child again, as she so obviously needed something to occupy her time. Still, it was the Lady’s own fault for being indiscreet. Wesley had done the proper thing, which was why Irene had been so convinced that, however he’d become engaged, it had been through the proper channels. That was just the kind of gentleman he was, no matter what Hugh had implied.

"His ward, a Miss Cynthia Bryant."

A little twist of those perfect pink lips made Lady Grace look almost as though she was sneering. "Another love match, I suppose," she drawled, sounding rather derisive. “How predictable.”