Late the next morning, Virginia was supervising the cleanup of the house when there was a knock on the front door. She opened it to find Thomas standing on the verandah. She stiffened when she saw him but invited him in.
"How are you feeling my dear?" he asked, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. He looked at her with surprise as she avoided his lips and took his coat instead.
"I'm feeling much better, thank you. Is that why you're dropping by?" she asked, leading him into the sitting room.
"Yes, I was a bit concerned since you didn't say goodnight before you went to bed last night. And you said you were suffering from a headache earlier."
"Yes, I had something on my mind, that was causing some worry," she murmured.
"I tried to see you before I left, but Stratford wouldn't let neither I nor Doris up to your room. He quite rudely insisted that we leave, as a matter of fact," he said indignantly.
"And why did he do that?" she asked him.
"I'm certain I have no idea," he replied.
"Yes you do, and so do I," she snapped.
"My dear, what do you mean?" he asked nervously, worried that Drake had told her about his confession and that she believed him. Well, he could easily turn that to his favor.
"You know very well," she said evenly.
"Dearest, I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he replied calmly.
"Do you deny that you're only courting me for my money?" she asked bluntly.
He looked at her, affecting an expression of profound surprise and shock. "Of course I deny it! I care about you a great deal and am not interested in your money. I'm sure you know that I'm quite well off myself and am not in need of any money that you may have," he assured her.
"I did suspect that you were wealthy, but I'm beginning to think otherwise."
"You're beginning to think otherwise? Whatever would give you that idea?" he asked, doing his best to appear thoroughly baffled.
Looking him straight in the eye, she stated simply, "You."
He now was truly confused. "Virginia, what are you talking about?"
"I was on the upper terrace during your conversation with Drake last night. I heard everything," she said, watching for his reaction.
The blood drained from his face and he felt sick. He had known how he would handle it if she had said that Drake had told her, but she had heard it all straight from him. His mind worked feverishly, desperately trying to think of an explanation for what he had said. "My love, I only said those things to anger him. I'm sure you know there is no love lost between he and I and I was only trying to get a rise out of him."
She rose and looked down at him. "I don't believe you. And I think you should go."
"Please Virginia, listen to me. I truly didn't mean anything I said. I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression, but..."
"I would like you to leave now," she said interrupting him.
"I demand that you listen to me," he stated, refusing to rise from his seat.
"And I demand that you leave," she replied firmly.
"I am not leaving until we resolve this misunderstanding," he said, his voice rising. He heard a quiet cough behind him and turned to see Drake standing in the doorway.
"I believe Miss Templeton asked you to leave," he said quietly.
Thomas took one look at the anger burning in Drake's eyes and decided not to press the issue any more today. Finally rising, he turned back to Virginia. "Please, my dear, give it some thought before you make any rash decisions. I'll come back in a few days and we can talk about it."
"I don't need to think about it. Good bye Thomas." She turned and swept out of the room, leaving through the door leading to the back hallway.
"Ogilvy," Drake said, standing aside so that Thomas could pass.
He roughly brushed past Drake and retrieving his coat from a couch in the foyer he quickly left the house, climbed into his waiting carriage and was gone. Drake watched him leave and then went to the library, suspecting that he would find Virginia there. She was curled up in a chair, with a blanket pulled around her.
"Is he gone?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied, kneeling by her chair and stroking her hair.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"I thought he might not like what you had to say and would need some encouragement to leave, so I made sure I was around."
There wasn't a fire in the grate, so he quickly set about lighting one and soon a rosy glow settled over the chairs and sofas gathered around the fireplace. He sank into the chair next to hers.
"Drake, I was wondering. Since Billy's going to be gone for such a long time, would you mind staying on in the house with me?"
"Stay here? Just the two of us?" he asked, surprised that she would risk such an impropriety.
"Yes. Just the two of us. Oh, I know it isn't proper, but I don't care. I'd feel safer with you here. Especially now, with Thomas likely so angry with me. Both of us really."
"Yes, I'll stay, if that's what you want."
"Thank you," she said, looking at him gratefully.
He smiled back at her but was wondering in his mind how long it would be before she was mad at him again.
Thomas stormed in the front door of his house, shouting for Doris. He quickly strode into the library and poured himself a large brandy. Doris calmly walked in the door and saw him gulping the liquor.
"What is it Thomas?" she asked worried. Her usually flustered manner was nowhere in evidence, she was calm and very much in control.
"That damn Stratford! Ruined, it's all ruined!" he exclaimed, taking another gulp of his drink.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, still calm, but beginning to feel a sense of dread creeping over her.
Trying to catch his breath, he said to her, "Do you remember the conversation I overheard at the Christmas Ball between Stratford and Virginia?"
"Yes, but..."
"He knew I was below! He arranged it so that I would hear them. So that I would know about what happened between them!" he almost shouted.
Puzzled at what he was talking about, she asked, "But I don't see how..."
