Free Death of a Dowager by Joanna Campbell Slan Page A

be brief.” Mr. Waverly abruptly turned his back on the Ingrams. He wore a cutaway coat and a gray waistcoat that had seen much use, but his boots were shined to a glasslike finish. Although he was not as tall as Edward or Mr. Douglas, he carried himself in a manner that precluded any dismissal of his authority. He pointedly did not bow to the Ingrams or to Lady Grainger, and I noticed the Dowager’s lips curling downward in distaste. However, he did turn back toward her as he said, “Ma’am, I must dispute your conjecture. I have reason enough to know that there is nothing common about Mrs. Rochester. Nothing! In every way, she is exceptional, and His Majesty wishes to applaud her meritorious conduct as should every citizen. Thanks to her singular bravery, a killer was brought to justice.”
    “Is that so?” Lady Grainger lifted her quizzing glass to study Waverly.
    “Edward Rochester’s wife involved with a murderer? How unseemly! Of course, what can one expect? She not only reaches above her station to marry a squire, but also dips below it to mingle with low criminals,” Lady Ingram cackled.
    “Silvana!” Lady Grainger hissed at her sister-in-law. “I had warned you!”
    “How dare you? If you were a man, I would call you out!” Edward snarled.
    But before my husband could continue, Mr. Waverly avenged me. The Bow Street Runner turned on the Dowager Lady and said, in the manner of a general announcement, “Mrs. Rochester did the Crown a great service. She posed as a teacher to catch a killer, a fiend who suffocated a child to death.”
    There was a collective gasp from the gathered patrons of the upper circle who’d all been openly eavesdropping.
    “Mrs. Rochester’s bravery is unquestionable, as is her character. The King wishes to thank her personally.” Waverly turned to me. “Mrs. Rochester,” he said, “would you be so kind as to wait right here? I shall divert the King on his way back to the royal box. When I told him that I had seen you in the crowd, he expressly asked that I present you to him so that he might show you his gratitude.”
    “This is an unheard of honor!” Lucy whispered in my ear.
    “What do we do?” I asked, having never had the occasion to study royal protocol.
    “Curtsy, wait for him to lead the way in conversation and in actions, do not attempt to touch him, and never turn your back on him. If you must leave his presence, after securing permission, you continue to face him and back away. The usual procedure would have been for Mr. Waverly to lead us to the sovereign, where you would stand in line to see His Majesty, and might eventually be presented. Or he might send around a note inviting you to be presented at court. But for the King to come to you? This is a high honor, indeed.”
    One glance at Edward and Mr. Douglas told me she was not exaggerating. Both men looked stunned, but that quickly dissipated as they stood a little straighter and adjusted their waistcoats.
    Suddenly, the sting of Lady Ingram’s insult mattered not at all. A new emotion roiled within me: pride. I swallowed hard, as my mind raced. All eyes were on me, and I was not sure how to react. Should I allow myself to look pleased? Should I wear an expression of calm? Should I simply remind myself that I was deserving, because I had, indeed, helped solve a crime of passion? Each of these emotions fought for dominance.
    A heat rose in my face. I reminded myself that Mr. Waverly was a man skilled in serving his own purposes, and the glint in his eye when he spoke had suggested that through his actions he planned to vanquish the Dowager Lady Ingram. As the son of a cobbler, he knew all too well the disparity between those with titles and the working class. On that point, he and I were firm allies.
    Perhaps this was little more than a game to him. Perhaps the King wasn’t really behind this introduction at all.
    Meanwhile, the Ingrams stood dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open with shock.

Chapter