Page 70 of Last Night with the Duke
MISSMAMIEFORTESCUE’SDO’SANDDON’TSFORCHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS,ANDNURSES
The afternoon tea party was elite, lavish, and noisy. True to her word, Miss Irene Froste had befriended Lady Sara and Lady Vera by first having just the two of them over for afternoon tea a week ago and today by inviting them to a garden soirée at her home. More than two dozen beautifully dressed young ladies and handsomely dapper gentlemen sat at white linen–covered tables that held a small bouquet of roses in the center of each one. A trio of musicians had been set up at the far end of the small lawn, but the soft, mellow sounds coming from the harp, violin, and viola were no match for the cheerful chatter and laughter, or the teacups and spoons clinking against saucers.
The sky had been threatening rain all afternoon. Moist air held a chill. The gloomy day hadn’t dampened the enthusiasm of the small group. Esmeralda stood off to the side talking with other chaperones and some of the mothers who had accompanied their daughters to the gathering. She occasionally added to the conversations about gowns, parties, and what gentlemen were interested in which young ladies, and what the fathers had to say about the match. However, more often than not, Esmeralda remained quiet and let her thoughts drift in other directions.
Over the past two weeks of the Season, there had been relatively few questions and little mention of the fact she was cousin to the ailing Viscount Mayeforth. She had expected more gossip about that revelation. One lady had asked how she managed to obtain the prized position of chaperone for the Duke of Griffin’s sisters while another had suggested she must have known someone in the family. Still another had said that the duke wouldn’t have allowed anyone with a lesser social standing than the cousin of a viscount to get anywhere near his sisters.
Esmeralda accepted all their comments with a smile and was thankful they left Josephine out of their observations. Not one of them seemed to know she was found through the highly trusted Miss Mamie Fortescue’s Employment Agency. She had no desire to enlighten them.
They were into the third week of the Season and all was well. There had been no further mishaps with Josephine or Napoleon, for which she was grateful. Both had settled into a regular routine quite nicely.
For all of Lady Vera’s bluster insisting Lord Henry was the man she wanted, she had the strangest way of showing it. She’d rebuffed him earlier in the week when he asked if he could take her for a ride in the park, citing it was much too early in the Season for such a forward outing. Which of course wasn’t true at all.
Mr. Lambert was clearly besotted with Lady Sara, and Esmeralda felt Lady Sara had given up on Lord Henry and was smitten with Mr. Lambert too.
The Duke of Rathburne and the Duke of Hawksthorn had both sought Esmeralda out at times to greet her, to ask about the twins, and to offer to get her a glass of champagne. Despite the fact they were dukes, rakes of the highest order and terribly spoiled by always getting what they wanted, she’d enjoyed and even welcomed their repartee with her each evening. Neither had asked her to dance again.
So far there had been no further talk from Griffin about dismissing her from his household, for which she was grateful. He arrived in the evenings, handsomely dressed, to escort her and his sisters to the parties, then left without coming inside after delivering them back home. During the course of each evening, they would discuss the twins, the gentlemen pursuing them, and little else.
At times, she’d catch him looking at her, and then at other times, he’d caught her watching him. There was an undercurrent of tension between them that hadn’t surfaced. They’d both done quite well in keeping their personal feelings and thoughts to themselves.
The only thing that had bothered her was the fact the duke hadn’t made one comment concerning her new gowns. She felt certain she’d seen glowing appreciation for her in his eyes the first time he’d seen her wearing a color other than gray, but he said nothing.
Several times she’d watched him dance with Miss Froste and Miss Waldegrave too. And at least twice he’d invited Lady Agatha to join him for a quadrille. All the young ladies were beautiful, poised, and more than acceptable as brides, if he was looking. She could only hope that the envy that bubbled up inside her chest every time she saw him with one of the young ladies didn’t show on her face.
Then there were other young ladies the duke danced with whose names she didn’t know. And probably still more dances, quiet conversations, and interested glances she hadn’t seen because she and the duke spent little time together once they entered the ballroom, party, or whatever event they were attending that night. Esmeralda would find other people to talk with and so would Griffin.
She couldn’t count the times she’d thought about Griffin’s kisses or how she’d felt the few heavenly moments she’d been wrapped in his strong embrace. She remembered his touch, his sighs, and his deep excited breaths. Recalling that night with the duke was especially lovely when she went to bed and let thoughts of him ease her into sleep. That one night in the duke’s arms sustained her.
The afternoon passed, the sky grew darker and the air heavy with moisture. Esmeralda looked around the garden and saw that Lady Sara was sitting at a table with Miss Waldegrave and Miss Froste, and Lady Vera was talking to Mr. Lambert. Knowing the twins, that situation could have a bad ending. Esmeralda decided to suggest to the sisters they leave before a downpour started.
She excused herself from the group of ladies she was with and walked over to the table where Lady Sara sat and was about to lean down and speak to her when she heard Miss Waldegrave say, “Lady Sara, are you at all concerned about your Season being ruined?”
Esmeralda’s first impulse was to step in quickly and stop this conversation before it went further, but she heard Lady Sara say “Worried?” in such a carefree tone that she wanted to wait and see how Griffin’s sister handled herself.
“Why should I be worried about such a ridiculous thing?” Lady Sara asked. “The Season has been enchanting.”
“That’s good to hear,” Miss Waldegrave said, fingering the pink bow under her chin. “There was that horrid gossip about you and your sister. I thought perhaps it might have upset you.”
“Horrid? I’ve heard there’s been talk about us since coming to London. We are twins after all. That makes for a roomful of idle talk. And then our aunt fell ill and we are now being chaperoned by the young and lovely Miss Swift. I’ve heard there is much discussion recently about who she is and why she has taken on a paid position in our home. There are so many things that people find to talk about concerning us that I’m simply not sure which gossip you’re referring to.”
“None of that,” Miss Waldegrave exclaimed, as if she couldn’t believe Lady Sara was not comprehending what she was alluding to. “Surely, you’ve heard the tittle-tattle I’m referring to. It has nothing to do with you being a twin, your aunt, or the chaperone.”
Staying calm, Lady Sara said, “Then I’m afraid I don’t know what’s in your mind. You’ll have to tell me if you want me to know.”
“I know what you are talking about,” Miss Froste said, coming to Lady Sara’s defense while giving a harsh look toward Miss Waldegrave. “I really don’t think this is a subject you should be bringing up. Let’s talk about something else.”
“No, it’s quite all right,” Lady Sara told Miss Froste, patting her hand. “Let her tell me. I want to know what she’s heard. It might be something new that I don’t know yet.”
“Of course, I’ll tell you if I must. Everyone knows that you and your sister are being pursued by an unknown and unscrupulous man or men out to ruin your Season or possibly even your reputation. All because of your brother’s misdeeds a few years ago.”
Esmeralda listened intently and remained poised to step in at any moment if she felt needed, but so far her charge was handling herself with perfect aplomb.
Lady Sara gently pushed her teacup aside. “What nonsense. Where did you hear such ridiculous blather?”
“It’s not blather. I actually read it in one of the scandal sheets myself. More than one of them I might add, so it must be true.”
“Oh my, I find it quite surprising that your mother allows you to read those things, Miss Waldegrave. We’re forbidden to look at them.”
