affected him profoundly. No doubt she had trifled with enough men to know just how to drive them to distraction. But she would find that Dominick Markham was not so easy to control. He was damned if he would let this latest challenge go unanswered. If he could not wound her, he could at least demonstrate indifference, false though it might be. But how?
Of course! He would fight fire with fire. Yes, that was it.
* * * *
While the men were out fishing, the ladies of Merrywood had not been entirely idle. Closeted in Dorinda’s chamber, they engaged in a weighty discussion of their own.
‘It is a woman. It must be,’ Dorinda said, looking down at the hands clasped tightly in her lap. She had never been so downcast, so despondent in her life. And in whom could she confide, if not her own sister?
‘I do not believe it.’ Elizabeth spoke with conviction. ‘Alastair admires women as he does horses. Indeed, I rather believe that he has a greater interest in the latter.’
At any other time, Dorinda would have smiled at this and responded in kind. Now she could only frown and shake her head. ‘I wish that I could be as certain. But he has changed so much in these past months, Lizzy.’
‘Have you discussed the matter with him?’
‘Heaven knows I have tried.’ Dorinda raised her hands in a gesture of desperate resignation. ‘But all he will do is tell me not to worry my head about it.’
‘Then I suggest that you heed his advice.’
‘Easy enough for you to say.’ She sniffed. How could Elizabeth ever comprehend her miserable uncertainty? Her sister’s marriage had not been a love-match, and she probably would have been grateful had Gerald developed an interest in some other woman and left her to herself.
But the thought of Alastair’s betrayal was a festering sore which grew daily more painful to Dorinda. And whatever Lizzy might say, there seemed no other reasonable explanation for his unusual behaviour of late.
His uncharacteristic distraction and increasing withdrawal from her were bad enough. After all, they had been used to tell each other everything. Now he scarcely spoke two words to her in the course of a day - he who used to dote on her! Even more disturbing were the mysterious letters he had been receiving, followed by his visits to London. He had been to town no less than five times in the past two months. It was unheard of!
‘If he has a ladybird in town,’ Elizabeth said slowly, ‘it should not be too difficult to discover. Such secrets are notoriously hard to keep, and you may be sure that someone of our acquaintance will know of it.’
‘I can hardly ask one of my friends anything so indelicate,’ Dorinda protested.
‘Of course not,’ Elizabeth agreed. ‘However, I could make discreet enquiries. Lord Maples would very likely be aware of any goings-on in that quarter.’
‘Lord Maples?’ Dorinda was shocked. ‘Of course, you are probably quite right, though I never even considered.... Oh! How odious men are!’
‘But I thought that Oswald was a very paragon of all manly virtues.’
Dorinda put up a hand in mock defence, acknowledging this hit. ‘Must you rub salt in the wound, dear sister?’ she asked. ‘Let me own that Oswald is not as congenial as I had first believed.’
‘You are no longer planning our nuptials, then?’ Elizabeth continued to quiz her.
‘I have acknowledged that your reading of his character was more accurate than mine.’ Dorinda pouted as she confessed her error. ‘But you must admit that he is excessively handsome.’
‘I never denied it.’
Dorinda sighed. She felt inexpressibly weary. Nursing her daughter might account for some of her fatigue, but Selina was much improved. This continued want of spirits and appetite was rooted in something deeper. The fact was, she did not know whether she wanted to discover the truth about Alastair. She felt that she could not bear it.
‘I beg,’ she said at last, ‘that you will not even so much as
Of course! He would fight fire with fire. Yes, that was it.
* * * *
While the men were out fishing, the ladies of Merrywood had not been entirely idle. Closeted in Dorinda’s chamber, they engaged in a weighty discussion of their own.
‘It is a woman. It must be,’ Dorinda said, looking down at the hands clasped tightly in her lap. She had never been so downcast, so despondent in her life. And in whom could she confide, if not her own sister?
‘I do not believe it.’ Elizabeth spoke with conviction. ‘Alastair admires women as he does horses. Indeed, I rather believe that he has a greater interest in the latter.’
At any other time, Dorinda would have smiled at this and responded in kind. Now she could only frown and shake her head. ‘I wish that I could be as certain. But he has changed so much in these past months, Lizzy.’
‘Have you discussed the matter with him?’
‘Heaven knows I have tried.’ Dorinda raised her hands in a gesture of desperate resignation. ‘But all he will do is tell me not to worry my head about it.’
‘Then I suggest that you heed his advice.’
‘Easy enough for you to say.’ She sniffed. How could Elizabeth ever comprehend her miserable uncertainty? Her sister’s marriage had not been a love-match, and she probably would have been grateful had Gerald developed an interest in some other woman and left her to herself.
But the thought of Alastair’s betrayal was a festering sore which grew daily more painful to Dorinda. And whatever Lizzy might say, there seemed no other reasonable explanation for his unusual behaviour of late.
His uncharacteristic distraction and increasing withdrawal from her were bad enough. After all, they had been used to tell each other everything. Now he scarcely spoke two words to her in the course of a day - he who used to dote on her! Even more disturbing were the mysterious letters he had been receiving, followed by his visits to London. He had been to town no less than five times in the past two months. It was unheard of!
‘If he has a ladybird in town,’ Elizabeth said slowly, ‘it should not be too difficult to discover. Such secrets are notoriously hard to keep, and you may be sure that someone of our acquaintance will know of it.’
‘I can hardly ask one of my friends anything so indelicate,’ Dorinda protested.
‘Of course not,’ Elizabeth agreed. ‘However, I could make discreet enquiries. Lord Maples would very likely be aware of any goings-on in that quarter.’
‘Lord Maples?’ Dorinda was shocked. ‘Of course, you are probably quite right, though I never even considered.... Oh! How odious men are!’
‘But I thought that Oswald was a very paragon of all manly virtues.’
Dorinda put up a hand in mock defence, acknowledging this hit. ‘Must you rub salt in the wound, dear sister?’ she asked. ‘Let me own that Oswald is not as congenial as I had first believed.’
‘You are no longer planning our nuptials, then?’ Elizabeth continued to quiz her.
‘I have acknowledged that your reading of his character was more accurate than mine.’ Dorinda pouted as she confessed her error. ‘But you must admit that he is excessively handsome.’
‘I never denied it.’
Dorinda sighed. She felt inexpressibly weary. Nursing her daughter might account for some of her fatigue, but Selina was much improved. This continued want of spirits and appetite was rooted in something deeper. The fact was, she did not know whether she wanted to discover the truth about Alastair. She felt that she could not bear it.
‘I beg,’ she said at last, ‘that you will not even so much as
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