Free Gayle Buck by The Hidden Heart Page A

heard nothing of this.”
    “Perhaps you would like to be apprised of the whole, then,” Mrs. Burlington said.
    There was a short silence while the two ladies exchanged stares. Lady Caroline said quietly, “How is it that Lady Eddington has written to you, Amaris? I had no inkling that you and she were on such friendly terms.”
    Mrs. Burlington smiled with a certain satisfaction. “Lady Eddington and I became quite close in those short weeks that she, whilst in company with her stepmother, was visiting Berwicke before her marriage to your brother, the earl. Surely you must recall that Lady Eddington was often to be found in my company.”
    “Yes, indeed. It became something of a joke with my brother that he always knew where to look whenever he had misplaced his prospective bride,” Lady Caroline said, deliberately deflating her aunt’s pretensions. She was still in a flaming temper, and if it were not for the information that Mrs. Burlington claimed to hold, she would not have willingly chosen to stand about bandying words with the disagreeable woman a moment longer than necessary.
    Mrs. Burlington’s eyes flashed at the set-down, and she snapped, “I found Lady Eddington to be just as she ought to be, most respectful and accommodating to one who must by age and experience be thought to be wiser than she in her own tender years.”
    The implication was plain, but Lady Caroline did not react to it. “When are my brother and his lady returning, Amaris?”
    “The letter was postmarked nearly three weeks before I received it, so they must already have set out. I expect that Lord and Lady Eddington will be returned to Berwicke in less than a fortnight,” Mrs. Burlington said shortly. She paused a moment, then added, “Lady Eddington and I are as one in our agreement that your continued presence here at Berwicke would be a matter of considerable upset to Lord Eddington.”
    There was a short silence.
    “I beg your pardon?” Lady Caroline’s voice was at its most controlled, quiet and yet not at all retiring.
    Mrs. Burlington was unheeding of the danger signals telegraphed by Lady Caroline’s eyes. Her own eyes were bright with triumph. “Lord Eddington will naturally wish to indulge his new bride in all her little whims. And I do not think it at all unusual. After all, a newly wedded couple should not be required to divert their attentions from one another to accommodate the awkward presence of a family relation. His lordship will also wish Lady Eddington to take on the responsibilities of her new position, which she cannot easily do under the present circumstances, as even you must agree.”
    Lady Caroline stared at her aunt for a long moment. Her delicate brows had lifted slightly as Mrs. Burlington had spoken, and now there also came an unmistakable curl to her lips. “I see. What of your own presence, Amaris? I should think that if mine was de trop, yours must be equally so.”
    Mrs. Burlington was momentarily taken aback. Her surprised expression quickly smoothed, however. “My dear, it is hardly the same thing. I am an old woman and unlikely to demand much either in the way of entertainment or lavish civilities. In addition, Lady Eddington has most graciously assured me that she does not regard my presence at Berwicke as inhibiting in any way. To the contrary, I believe she thinks of me mostly in the guise of an amiable aunt.”
    “And what has Lord Eddington said?”
    Mrs. Burlington’s eyes slid away. She smoothed her sleeve. “As to that, I couldn’t say.”
    “What you mean is that my brother has not been consulted one way or the other, but that you have taken it upon yourself to make every attempt to eject me from my home before ever he arrives, so that you will be firmly ensconced as mistress of the house,” Lady Caroline said. “Pray allow me to inform you, Amaris, that I have no intention of packing my bags and bidding leave to Berwicke Keep in accordance with your opinion, nor on the basis