The Fire's Center (41 page)

She soothed her swollen mouth with the cool drink he gave her, then he led her away from the pointed stares of some of the more gossipy tabbies.

"Really it’s so crowded here, the library would be quieter," he urged, leading her out of the packed ballroom.

Riona, still appalled by the brutal assault she had been subjected to at Dr. O’Carroll’s hands, gratefully clung to him for fear she would faint. She numbly allowed herself to be conducted to a more private spot where she could think straight and try to make sense of what had just happened.

Meanwhile, Lucien, fuming over what he had just seen, stalked up to his brother in the ballroom and said, "That offer to find Riona a job here and give her a place to live. Does it still stand?"

"Yes, of course. But I thought you were in need of her?" Quentin asked, completely puzzled.

"Well, let’s just say that she would be better suited to life in the country. You know, she was good for the children today, and I suppose she can’t have much of a life at Merrion Square West. I’m a crusty old bachelor. It can’t be much fun for her to be cooped up in my townhouse all the time," he said almost angrily.

"She seems happy and contented enough with you there and at the clinic, from what I've seen."

"Would tomorrow suit?" Lucien asked abruptly.

Quentin raised his eyebrows but could see his brother was in no mood to argue. So he simply said, "Yes fine. Come to Sunday luncheon, and you can both help us clean up all this mess."

"Prior engagement, old chap," Lucien lied, "but I'll send her out with her things in the morning if I may."

"Fine, fine." Quentin nodded, at a loss as to how to interpret his brother’s expression.

Why did he look so angry? He and Riona had seemed so happy on the lawn that morning, playing with the children, hugging, and even kissing. Yes, Quentin had seen them under the tree after luncheon.

Was it possible that just as Antoinette had tried to do, Riona had got too close to him?

Quentin was sure he had never dared allow himself to love anyone since their sister and mother had died so many years before. Was Lucien throwing away his one true chance of happiness because he was
afraid
?

But Quentin knew this was neither the time nor the place for a heart to heart with his grim-looking brother, even though he disliked the thought of letting him ruin his life without at least trying to talk some sense into him.

As Lucien swerved left away from him, Quentin followed hard behind.

 
Lucien marched into the library without bothering to check if anyone was there, only to meet with the sight of Charles Durance down on bended knee asking Riona to marry him.

Quentin nearly crashed into his paralysed brother, and with a quickly muttered embarrassed excuse, he tugged Lucien away and shut the doors before the glowering doctor had time to react.

"Well, that certainly is sudden," Quentin sighed. "Did you have any idea?"

"No, none," Lucien gritted out, audibly grinding his teeth together.

"Well, perhaps she won’t be looking for a job tomorrow after all." Quentin shrugged and moved away to join his wife.

Lucien stood stock still for a moment, the dual impulses of running away, or racing back inside to demand an explanation warring in his breast.

He opted for the former course of action, and stalked out into the garden to be alone with his murderous thoughts.

What kind of woman was Riona? She was dallying with not just one man, but two?

He had been a fool not to have realized that what he had taken to be a warm and affectionate nature was actually a wanton one.

He paced up and down amongst the trees for a few moments, and was about to storm back into the library and confront Riona and Charles Durance, when he heard scurrying near the conservatory, and saw Riona come into view.

Taking long angry strides forward, he shouted, "Riona! I want a word with you."

Closing on her like a greyhound after a rabbit, he declared furiously, "I saw you! With both men! How could you, after all we’ve shared together?"

He grabbed her by the elbows angrily, and shook her so roughly that her hat flew off and her hair slipped out of its ribbon and went tumbling in every direction.

After having been mauled by the revengeful Dr. O’Carroll, and an incredibly ardent Charles, Lucien accosting her was the last straw.

"I haven’t done anything wrong, damn you! Let me go, Lucien, just let me go!" Riona cried hysterically.

Using all of her strength, Riona broke away from him, and ran down the avenue into the darkness.

Lucien shouted after her, but Riona, kicked off her dancing slippers and ran like the wind away from him.
 
She kept on running and running down the long drive until she could barely draw breath.

She was numb after the events of the evening. The day had been so wonderful! How had the ball turned into such a nightmare?

The sound of carriage wheels on the main road behind her finally reminded Riona that she had fled from the ball in her eighteenth century gown like a blue ghost and was walking around in the dark without a cloak on in her stockinged feet, with her hair tumbling down around her shoulders like a mad woman.

For a moment she shrank into the shadows, sure that Lucien was coming after her. Even worse, it might be someone from the fete, who would see her in such a state and gossip….

But no, it was a carriage passing on the way into the city.
 

"Are you going into town, my dear?" an elderly woman’s kindly voice suddenly called from the interior of the carriage. Before she could wave it on, the brougham stopped and the door opened.

"Get in. We'll take you home, child," the darkly-clad woman insisted in a tone which brooked no refusal.

She looked up, cheeks flaming, but was reassured by what she saw. Judging from the woman's clothing, and that of her elderly male companion, they had not attended the fete.

Riona was deeply embarrassed by her predicament, but it was better to accept their offer now than have any of Lucien's friends or Antoinette's snobbish set see her in such a dishevelled state as they left the ball.

With a few murmured words of thanks she took the proffered hand and stepped up.

It was only once Riona was inside the coach that she found herself recognizing Mr. and Mrs. Crozier, whom she had last seen on the way down to Dublin from Donegal.

"My child, what are you doing out here at this time of night? Where's your husband?" Mrs. Crozier asked with obvious concern.

"He’s not my husband, and my life has become a terrible mess," she blurted out before she even realized she'd opened her mouth.

"Oh, my dear, surely it can't be that bad!"

"It is," she wailed.

"Tell me, then, and let's see if we can help."

She looked uneasily at the gentleman sitting across from her, but Mr. Crozier nodded encouragingly.

Amid heart-rending sobs, she told the older couple the whole story of how she and Lucien had come to meet, and what she had been doing since she had last seen them.

Husband and wife exchanged looks, but they were more than sympathetic to Riona. When she had calmed herself, they began to ask her detailed questions about her life in Donegal, and all the deprivation she had witnessed as a result of the Famine.

They drove to the Croziers’ house, where Mrs. Crozier insisted she come in for a hot drink. She fetched her one of her niece’s gowns to put on to replace the Gainsborough type dress which was now decidedly the worse for wear.

"Really, I don’t want to put you to any trouble," Riona sniffed.

"It’s no trouble at all," the older woman insisted, holding out the expensive mulberry-coloured velvet gown.
 
"Come down to us in a moment, as soon as you've put it on."

She also left a pair of slippers that were nearly Riona’s size next to the bed, and left her alone in the guest room.

Riona thanked her lucky stars she had run into such kind people, but it wouldn’t do to abuse their hospitality. Besides, Lucien would eventually wonder where she was, that is if he hadn’t stayed at the party.

Riona went down and sipped the cocoa a drowsy-looking maid brought her, and tried to make polite conversation with Mr. Crozier about her work at the clinic.

"Forgive all the questions my dear, but you see, I'm a retired doctor. For some time now I've been wondering what to do about the Famine myself. We would offer you hospitality here, and of course you could remain in the house if you don’t mind having only one or two servants to cater to your needs whilst we are away, but we've already made plans to go down to Skibbereen and the whole south and east coasts to make enquiries as to the Famine provision in the parishes there."

"I see. It's a very kind offer."

"But we have reason to ask about your life in particular.
 
We had thought about going back up to Donegal some time in the near future. I'm tired of living in the big city all the time. I’m too old for all the hustle and bustle.

"Will you give me your brothers’ and sisters’ address? Then if you do decide to return there yourself, we can contact you. Or, you could come with us next time we go up there, and be our guide?

"Really, it is very kind of you, but..." Riona began to decline.

The old man's patient began to slip. "Riona, don’t allow the terrible events of this night spoil what you have," he argued. "Surely you're strong enough to stand your ground, and not simply run away when things get a trifle uncomfortable. This Dr. O’Carroll doesn’t seem to be the sort of person you should even give another thought to, crude monster that he is."

"But Lucien thinks—"

"If he does, he's a damned fool," Mrs. Crozier said sharply.

"Language, my dear," her husband remonstrated in a mild tone.

"Well he is. Anyone can see what a snake in the grass he is," his wife said with an indignant toss of her head.

Her husband nodded his agreement, and waited for Riona to speak.

"I
 
only wish that were true," Riona said with a sigh. "But he's as thick as thieves with Antoinette, Lucien's sister in law, and has powerful connections. It's his word against mine, and even if I spoke against him, they would try to avert scandal by marrying me off to him. It's unthinkable."