The Heir

Chapter Fifteen

When Ophelia arrived, Sabrina was out enjoying her daily walk, so the London girl was already unpacking to settle in when Sabrina returned to learn of their unexpected guest and joined her upstairs. And she really was unexpected, and alone, without her parents.

A week had gone by since the Reids had returned to London. Hilary had not heard from Lady Mary

yet, so they still didn't know what exactly had happened at Summers Glade that day when they had all been ousted.

They did know, however, couldn't help but know since it was all the entire neighborhood was talking about currently, that the Marquis of Birmingdale had decided to do some entertaining on a grand scale, after all. And it had gotten out, through the servants' grapevine, which was usually much more accurate than the ton’s gossip mill, that the reason for the extended house party was that the marquis was shopping for a new fiancée for his grandson.

That had been a shock, to Sabrina at least. She still couldn't quite credit it, that for whatever reason, the young Highlander had rejected Ophelia after meeting her, which was the tale making the rounds. It was, of course, what Ophelia had hoped for, but still, Sabrina had been sure that once the two young people met, they would both be quite pleased to be engaged to each other. Instead, Duncan MacTavish was apparently looking for a new bride now, and with the wide selection of eligible young misses invited to Summers Glade, was sure to find one in short order.

Sabrina and her aunts, of course, had not been invited to the grand party, no doubt because the old family scandal had resurfaced again and had reached even the marquis's ears, if he didn't remember it from years past. One avoided scandal at all costs when looking into matrimony; one did not marry into a scandal.

Summers Glade had begun filling with the elite of English aristocracy since yesterday. More than a hundred guests had already arrived, including some of those who had been ousted just last week. But then it was being touted as the party of the year, so not to be missed.

That was partly because so many of the ton were as curious as Lord Neville's own neighbors were, to finally meet the reclusive lord. Others were of a mind that you simply didn't tell a marquis no, for whatever reason. But one countess had even canceled her midseason ball so that she could come to Yorkshire instead. That alone would make the invitations highly coveted, once word of it spread.

Hilary and Alice were disappointed that Sabrina hadn't been invited, and even had a row about it. Not that they thought she might catch the eye of the future marquis, but because all the other eligible young men would be at a party that size. Sabrina was disheartened herself, but not for the same reason. She simply regretted the lost opportunity to see Duncan MacTavish again, after enjoying so much her first encounter with him.

But now here was Ophelia, back in Yorkshire, and most likely she didn't have an invitation to Summers Glade either. Once Sabrina's initial surprise subsided, she could only wonder why, and that was the first thing she inquired about, in her less-than-direct fashion, as she joined Ophelia in the room she had been given and got the greetings out of the way.

"I would have thought you would be glad to be back in London where all the excitement is," Sabrina said.

Ophelia all but snapped, "When just about all of London happens to be here just now?"

Sabrina raised a brow at the tone. Ophelia might be here, but apparently she didn't really want to be here, so what the devil was she doing here? Unless ...

"You've been invited back to Summers Glade then? Have they just run out of room—?"

"Don't be obtuse," Ophelia retorted. "Of course I wouldn't be invited back there. I've come here to hide, if you really must know, and to see what can be done to rectify this appalling situation."

Sabrina was having trouble keeping up with Ophelia's thought processes. "Hide from whom? Your parents? Don't they know you've come here?"

"I swear, Sabrina, you can be annoyingly dense," Ophelia said unkindly. "My parents don't care where I go. They are most displeased with me just now. My father even slapped me. Can you believe that? He slapped me! For which I will never, ever forgive him."

"Then you are hiding from them?"

Ophelia threw herself down on the bed with a very loud sigh, indicating that she was done explaining things to people who didn't have sense enough to understand her. Sabrina didn't take offense. She'd witnessed this type of theatrics from the London girl enough to not be impressed by them, though she would allow, Ophelia didn't seem to be pretending this time. She really did seem upset.

Sabrina chose not to comment further. Silence did have a surprising effect on Ophelia. More often than not, it tended to get her to come right to the point of a discussion without any further prompting, where otherwise, she would go round and round a subject until her listeners were ready to expire from curiosity—or exasperation.

This time was no different. After a few moments, she mumbled to herself and sat up, glaring at Sabrina as if it were all her fault, whatever it was that had upset her, though she cleared up immediately just what it was.

"I'm in disgrace," she said, then on a rising note that turned into a wail, "I'm being pitied! Pitied! Can you believe that? No, of course you can't, because it's simply far too unbelievable."

Sabrina, wisely, said exactly what was expected. "I don't believe it."

Ophelia nodded. "It's true, though. Even my closest friends were 'poor dearing' me, before they set off for Summers Glade, official invitations in hand."

"Poor dearing" did indeed sound like pity. Carefully Sabrina asked, "But—why?"

The anger returned, shooting Ophelia off the bed for several paces around the room before she said, "That barbarian Highlander, that's why! The stupid man was supposed to agree that we wouldn't suit for matrimony. It was supposed to be a mutual decision where neither of us would have suffered any consequences for it. Instead, he got all huffy over a little minor criticism and let it be known that he didn't find me acceptable. Now everyone and their mother knows that he all but jilted me at the altar."

"But you didn't reach the altar," Sabrina calmly pointed out.

That got her another glare that said clearly, Idiot, what difference does that make? but aloud Ophelia said, "You still don't understand yet? I was to be congratulated for escaping a match made in hell. Instead I am the latest gossip making the rounds. Because he broke the engagement, everyone now thinks there must be something wrong with me. Why else wouldn't he want me, after all?"

Sabrina sighed at that point. "I guess I don't understand then. I could have sworn you had hoped he would break the engagement." "Not him! My parents were supposed to end it, since they were the ones who got me into it. He was supposed to remain besotted until the end, no matter what I said to him. But he is too barbaric to realize the gentlemanly part he should have played. And now I don't dare show myself until this dies down—or he rectifies it."

Well, that finally explained the "hiding" part of Ophelia's visit. Sabrina couldn't imagine, though, how Duncan was supposed to rectify this situation for Ophelia, unless it was to offer some reason for breaking the engagement that would show her in a better light.

"What did you say to him that did cause him to reject you?"

"I told you, it was just a minor remark that he took undue offense over. I will admit it was rather thoughtless of me, but then I wasn't thinking clearly when he showed up in that barbaric costume of his, which served to confirm in my mind that he was everything I'd feared he would be. If he had been dressed normally, I wouldn't have been so shocked, and that first meeting would certainly have gone much differently"

Sabrina had to agree with that possible outcome. Hadn't she herself thought that surely the engaged couple would be very pleased to be engaged, once they met and got a good look at each other? But she also knew Ophelia well enough by now to realize she was stressing her own innocence a bit too much, and wondered why.

"So you're going to stay with us until the gossip settles down?"

"Goodness, no, that might take forever. I do make a wonderful target for gossip, after all. No, we're going to rectify this ourselves."

Sabrina blinked. "We?"

"Yes." Ophelia nodded. "It's the least you can do, after I befriended you in London and helped with your launch there. You simply must help me with this now."

"Well, certainly—if I can."

"You can," Ophelia assured her. "And you needn't even do much. Just arrange a meeting is all." "A meeting with whom?"

"My ex-fiancé, of course. We're going to get him to ask me to marry him again. Then it will all seem like a silly lovers' tiff that caused the breakup, which will be quite acceptable and put an end to the gossip."