What appealed more than anything right now was a cup of tea, her soft comfortable nightgown, and the book she was currently reading. Since there was no point in appealing to Corinne, once the dance ended, he gave her a final bow, she made a quick curtsey and went on the prowl for her brother.
It was not good manners to abandon Lord Weatherby so quickly since she should have taken his arm and allowed him to offer refreshment before he went in search of his next partner.
But then, that might involve her actually speaking and she’d been forbidden to speak unless absolutely necessary. She had once asked Corinne if she did end up married to one of the gentlemen her sister-in-law dragged in her direction, wouldn’t he be surprised to hear her stutter.
Corinne just waved her off and asked her if she’d been working with the tutor they’d hired to help with her speaking.
Pamela found David near the refreshment table where he held a glass of liquid that did not look like the lemonade being offered. He was in conversation with another gentleman that Pamela had danced with at the last ball. Mr. Davidson, she believed.
David immediately looked in her direction. Pamela glanced briefly at Mr. Davidson who excused himself.
“What is it, Pamela?”
“I f-find I have a m-m-megrim that is growing worse b-by the m-m-minute. May I re-request that you have our c-carriage brought around so I m-may return home?”
“You cannot leave by yourself. I will see if Corinne is ready to depart.” He looked around the room. “I find a megrim starting myself.” He winked and gave her a smile that warmed her heart.
That was the David she remembered from her childhood. They had not been close since there was a discrepancy of seven years between them. By the time Pamela was only five years old, David had been sent off to school, with visits only in summer and holidays.
She had enjoyed those visits, though. He would take her on walks through the woods near their estate, and even had pretend tea parties with her and her dolls.
Pamela took his arm and they made their way to the group of ladies standing together and casting disparaging looks at some of the young ladies who had the nerve to be enjoying themselves. Of course, Corinne was part of the censorious group.
David bowed. “Good evening, ladies.”
The ladies all dipped a curtsy.
“My dear, I’m afraid Lady Pamela is feeling under the weather. I shall request our carriage be brought around. Do you wish to remain? If so, I can have the driver return for you.”
Corinne’s eyes grew wide, then she narrowed them and glared at Pamela. “Not feeling well?”
“N-n-no.” Heaven’s sake, the woman could make her shake in her shoes sometimes.
Corinne straightened her shoulders. “Since I am only here to encourage partners for Lady Pamela, I see no reason to remain.” With a swish of her skirts she took David’s other arm and the three of them proceeded to the front door.
The ride home was filled with tension. Corinne was obviously not happy with the request to leave early. But then Corinne was not happy about most things.
Pamela made her way to her bedchamber once they arrived home and Corinne and David headed to the drawing room. She rang for the maid who had been assigned to her, Corinne’s maid, Penelope, to help her out of her clothes. When she didn’t arrive after ten minutes, Pamela assumed she might be assisting Corinne.
Thinking a tisane might help her relax and sleep, she left her room and reached the bottom of the stairs to the sound of Corinne’s voice coming from the drawing room. Ordinarily Pamela would block out her tirade as David had learned to do but when she heard Nick’s name she came to an abrupt halt.
Eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves, but Pamela was not going to move from this spot.
“You went through all that trouble to get rid of that horrible gambler, Nick Smith, and now you refuse to demand that Pamela attend these affairs? Are we to be stuck with her for the rest of our lives?”
“Corinne, the girl is unhappy. Granted, I do not know my sister all that well, but anyone can see she’s been miserable since she arrived almost two weeks ago.”
“She will get over it. Find the Smith man again and offer him money this time to marry someone else. Once he is unavailable, she will forget him and understand you did what was best for her.”
“Did I? Did I do what was best for her, or for you and your obsession with the Mulgrave name?”
All the blood left Pamela’s head and she had to grasp the doorjamb to keep from falling to the floor. David had ‘gotten rid’ of Nick?
With stiff legs she moved the few steps to open the drawing room door. David and Corinne both turned. David’s shoulders slumped and he pinched the bridge of his nose, but Corinne drew herself up. “Well, you might as well know it. Yes, your brother had the good sense to appeal to Mr. Smith’s sensible side and have him dismiss any silly notions you had about a future with a gambler.”
Ignoring Corinne, Pamela walked over to David. “Why w-w-would you d-do that?” Although she was screaming on the inside, the whispered words barely made it past her lips. “Why w-w-would you take fr-from me the one p-person in my whole l-life who made me h-happy? Who m-made me feel l-like there is nothing wrong with m-m-me even though I st-stutter? The one p-person who I know in my h-heart loved me t-truly and completely? Do you h-hate me so m-much?”
David’s head snapped up and he reached out for her, but she drew back. “No. I don’t hate you. I love you. I only wanted what was best for you.”