“Do you think his wife will wish to see you? My foolish son has grown too attached to you. You do him harm.”
“I would never harm Nicholas. I came here to save him, not to hurt him.”
Lady Margaret glared at her. “From whence do you come? Where did you live before you came here?”
Dougless clamped her mouth shut. She could say nothing, absolutely nothing. If she told Lady Margaret the truth, Dougless’s life would be worth nothing, and there would never be a chance of her seeing Nicholas again. “I . . . I will provide entertainments,” Dougless said, her voice desperate. “I know more songs, more games. And I can tell you many more stories about America. I could tell you about airplanes and automobiles and—”
Lady Margaret put up her hand. “I weary of your amusements. I cannot feed and clothe you. Who are you? A peasant’s daughter?”
“My father teaches, and I teach too. Lady Margaret, you can’t throw me out. I have nowhere to go, and Nicholas needs me. I have to protect him as I protected Kit. I saved Kit’s life, remember? He offered me a house then. I’ll take it now.”
“You asked for your reward and received it. Due to you, my son works as a tradesman.”
“But—” Dougless put out her hands, pleading.
“You will go. We harbor no liars here.”
“I’ll wash dishes,” Dougless said, pleading. “I’ll be the family physician. I can’t do worse than the leeches. I’ll—”
“You will leave!” Lady Margaret half shouted, her eyes glistening like precious stones. “I will have you no longer in my house. My son asked to be released from his betrothal for you.”
“He did?” Dougless almost smiled. “He never told me.”
“You disarray my household. You bewitch my son till he does not know his duty. Be you glad I do not have a whip taken to you.”
“This is better? Sending me out there, into those . . . those people? Sending me away from Nicholas?”
Lady Margaret stood up, then turned her back on Dougless. “I will not argue with you. Say your farewells this day, and on the morrow you will be sent from my house. Now go. I do not wish to see you again.”
Numbly, Dougless turned and left the room. Not seeing anything, she made her way back to Honoria’s room. Honoria took one look at her face and guessed what was wrong.
“Lady Margaret has sent you away?” Honoria whispered.
Dougless nodded.
“Do you have a place to go? One who will take care of you?”
Dougless shook her head. “I will be leaving Nicholas to that evil woman.”
“Lady Lettice?” Honoria asked, puzzled. “The woman is cool perhaps, but I do not believe she is evil.”
“You don’t know her.”
“You do?”
“I know a great deal about her. I know what she’s going to do.”
Honoria had learned to ignore these odd remarks of Dougless’s. She thought perhaps that she didn’t want to know all there was to know about Dougless. “Where will you go?”
“I have no idea.”
“Do you have relatives?”
Dougless gave a weak smile. “Probably. I imagine there are some sixteenth-century Montgomerys about somewhere.”
“But you do not know them?”
“I only know Nicholas.” Nicholas who was by now, no doubt, married. She had thought she had choices, that she could choose to stay or go, but now it looked as though her fate had been decided for her. “I know Nicholas, and I know what will happen,” she said tiredly.