Mistress - Amanda Quick [21]
“And tried to blackmail her with the facts eighteen years later?”
“Yes. Do not forget that the news that Maryanne is actually Lord Otis’s daughter, not Guthrie’s, was not worth much until the Earl of Sheffield asked for her hand in marriage a few months ago.”
Iphiginia did not have to go into the details. They both knew that if there was a scandal connected to Maryanne’s name, Sheffield would no doubt retract his offer.
The Sheffield family was notoriously high in the instep. They very likely already had doubts about the wisdom of the heir marrying someone such as Maryanne. True, she had a respectable portion to recommend her, but it was not a great fortune. And she was quite lovely, but there was no denying that her family was somewhat undistinguished.
Sheffield could have looked much higher and everyone knew it. His alliance with Maryanne was a love match and love was considered a frivolous reason for marriage in the ton.
“I don’t know, Iphiginia,” Amelia said after a moment. “This whole scheme was dangerous enough when we thought the earl was dead. But now that he is alive, I have a feeling that matters could get considerably more complicated.”
“Yes.” Iphiginia glanced at the nude centurion. “But I must tell you that I am very glad that he is alive, Amelia.”
“I can see that.” Amelia’s mouth thinned as she rose to her feet. “It comes as no surprise. You have been falling in love with him for weeks.”
Iphiginia felt her face turn very warm. “You exaggerate.”
“I know you better than anyone. Even better, I believe, than your sister or your Aunt Zoe. I have never seen you react like this to any man. Not even Richard Hampton.”
Iphiginia grimaced at the mention of her sister’s new husband. “I assure you, I never found Richard as …” She strove for the appropriate word, “as interesting as Lord Masters.”
“Not even when he was courting you?” Amelia asked gently.
“Richard never actually courted me,” Iphiginia said briskly. “I completely misread his intentions for a time. It was all a terrible misunderstanding. The mistake was soon sorted out.”
To Iphiginia’s acute chagrin it had been her sister, Corina, whom Richard had really loved.
“You were not the only one who misread his frequent visits,” Amelia said. “We all did. I am still convinced that he did fix on you in the beginning, if you want to know the truth. And then changed his mind as he watched Corina bloom into a great beauty.”
“That is unfair, Amelia. Richard is not shallow.”
“Don’t be too certain of that. And I’ll tell you something else. He would never have offered for Corina, either, if you had not settled a large portion on her. His parents would never have given their approval if they had not believed that she could bring some money into the family.”
“You are right on that point.” Iphiginia wrinkled her nose in disdain. She had never liked Richard’s parents.
Iphiginia had known Richard most of her life. They were the same age. The Hamptons and the Brights had been neighbors in the small Devon village of Deepford.
Squire Hampton and his wife had never fully approved of Iphiginia’s parents. People with uninhibited, artistic natures were always suspect in small villages dominated by unspoken rules of decorum and behavior.
Iphiginia had always liked Richard, however, and he had always been kind to her, especially during the difficult time after her parents had been lost at sea.
When she recovered from the impact of the first dreadful shock of their deaths, Iphiginia had found herself left with her nine-year-old sister and herself to support.
Unfortunately, the Brights had left very little in the way of an inheritance. Iphiginia’s mother had never made much money from her paintings. Her father, a gifted architect, had lacked the business acumen to turn his elegant, classical designs into reality.
The unexpected hidden