The Lady's Revenge

The Lady's Revenge Chapters 1-4

CHAPTER ONE

Henrietta Paisley fell backwards onto the sofa, fanning her flushed face with both hands. She breathed hard, each breath forced as she panted from the unfamiliar exertion of running. Patience was taken aback at this unusual sight. In general, Henrietta never ran anywhere. She proceeded through life at a sedate, orderly pace as befitted her status in life: a respectable widow of middling years with excellent social connections and superlative matchmaking skills. Right now, Henrietta resembled a woman who had run for her life from some disaster or perhaps even an escaped wild animal from a travelling circus. A torrent of words came out in between desperate gasps for air as she yanked at her bonnet ribbons and let the elaborate confection fall onto the carpet next to her.

"Oh, my dear Patience. What can I say? A disaster. A tragedy, after all my dreams and expectations for you were realised only last week, or maybe it was longer but anyway, it was a remarkably short time ago. In all my life, I've never heard of such a strange thing. It's quite unbelievable." She patted her greying curls back into place. "An act of God, one might say, although I'm not sure how much He has to do with modern life nowadays, and what with all the wickedness in the world I can't see how people can expect divine intervention anyway."

Patience glanced at Lorna, and raised her eyebrows in bewilderment. Henrietta was excitable by nature, but her distraught behaviour and her recumbent position presaged an event of epic proportions. Even dropping an expensive bonnet to the floor was extraordinary, given Henrietta's weakness for extravagant millinery. Patience gestured for Doris to hold the smelling salts under Henrietta's nose, while Lorna, ever practical, chafed her hands. Patience sat next to Henrietta with a reassuring smile.

"Please calm yourself, my dear Henrietta. Such emotional excitement can't be good for you. Think of your blood pressure. Now, tell us everything. What has happened? Has there been an accident? Has someone died?"

Henrietta sat bolt upright, grabbed Patience by the shoulders, and said, "No. Worse, if that's possible. A return from the dead. A veritable Lazarus, I declare." Her eyes bulged more than usual, and then she fell back against the sofa cushions, moaning.

"Help me raise her feet onto the other side," Patience said to Lorna as she retrieved Henrietta's discarded bonnet and placed it on a nearby table. She and Lorna arranged Henrietta more comfortably on the sofa. Henrietta gave a piteous moan.

"Doris, leave the smelling salts. Run and get some feathers instead. I've heard that burning feathers work better than smelling salts."

The parlour maid scampered off to find the feathers while Henrietta uttered several loud wails and tossed her head from side to side. She squeezed her eyelids shut.

"All I wanted was for you to be happy, my dear. I promised your dear departed mama I would do my very best to see you settled and happy in life. Now that creature, that...harpy...that viper has appeared to dash your dreams and all my hopes for you."

Since Mama's death, Henrietta had made it her life's work to secure a suitable husband for her oldest friend's daughter. Lord Blackwood's declaration at the Valentine Ball he had hosted only two weeks ago had seemed to be the culmination of both Henrietta's plans and of Patience's dreams. Patience glanced again at Lorna, who shrugged. Until Henrietta revealed the reason for her distress, Patience could only wait and hope the news was not too bad.

"Mrs. Paisley." Lorna patted Henrietta's hands harder to attract her attention. "What has happened to upset you so much?"

Henrietta's eyelids flew open and she stared at Lorna, her face now chalk white with some deep anguish. "She's back, Miss Hartley. Who would have believed it could happen?"