Love Comes in Three

Chapter Twenty-One "Facing the Sisters Stanhope"

            "Margaret? Margaret, is that you?" Patience was waiting for me anxiously, I should have expected that. I removed my pelisse and headed towards the parlor to face her.

            "Yes, Patience, it is," I replied as I crossed the hall.

            "Where have you been all day? Leah and Mrs. Evers returned hours ago and you were not with them! It is wholly improper for a young lady to be out alone! What if word got back to Lady Edgehill? What would we do then?" she barely caught breath in between her accusations and questions, but I moved to take a seat on the sofa while she continued to charge me, "Are you going to tell me what you were doing? Did anyone see you?"

            "Please calm down, Patience," I tried to soothe her, "I spent the day at the Royal Academy of Arts . . . "

            "Don't even try that!" her eyes narrowed, "if you were why did you not return with Leah?"

            "I was with Thomas," I retorted, "he joined us there and when Mrs. Evers' rheumatism . . . "

            "Ha!" Patience laughed with scorn, "Why did no one say as much?" a soft knock scarcely attracted her attention away from me.

            "Excuse me, Mrs. Woodbridge, Miss Woodbridge," Leah curtsied upon entering the room, "Margaret is telling the truth, my brother did meet us at the gallery. He ordered the carriage and helped Mrs. Evers inside."

            Patience looked cross, "My dear, why did you not tell us this when you arrived home?"

            "I apologize, Mrs. Woodbridge, but it must have slipped my mind as I was helping Mrs. Evers to her room," Leah looked down as if she was an admonished child.

            "Oh, don't worry yourself," Patience's voice returned to the overly sweet tone, "thank you for making it all clear."

            "Yes, thank you, Leah," I chimed in. She raised her eyebrows at me and nodded, I returned the gesture assuming that I was letting her know that all was well. "As you now know, Patience, I was not alone and we were in a very public place all afternoon."

            "While I am glad to hear that you are spending more time with Mr. Edgehill, pray tell why he did not return with you?"

            "He said that he was not expected to tea and since it is such a fine day out, he had errands to run," I said as a matter of fact. "Besides if you remember the events of last night and this morning, I would not dare seek Mr. Edgehill out and it was only that he arrived and found us that I spent any time with him at all."

            "If you detest him so then why not return home with Leah?" Patience countered thinking she had won.

            "Excuse me, Mrs. Woodbridge," Leah interrupted again, "that is my doing." We both turned to her and instead of apologizing like a child again, this time she held her head high, "you see, I am aware of certain predicaments here and I know I would count myself lucky to have Miss Woodbridge as a sister. So I hoped that if she and Thomas had spent some time together that perhaps she would overlook the debacle that happened last night."

            "Oh did you now?" Patience looked from Leah to me, "Well, did it work?"

            "Mr. Edgehill was very agreeable today," I stated.

            "Well that is good news," she smiled, "Thank you for your assistance, Miss Edgehill." Patience stood smiling down at Leah like she had just helped her win a great prize. Leah curtsied again and quickly left the room, I can only guess that Patience's overly pleased countenance frightened her. As she knows more about the agreement than I do, I can only speculate it gave her enough cause to run. "I am very pleased that you and Mr. Edgehill are getting along..."