Page 66 of Otters and Obstacles
“Hmph,” his mother said.
Clearly not expecting anything more, Peter introduced Georgie to the ladies on the settee, who indeed proved to be Lady Philip, his brother’s wife, and Lady Catherine, Peter’s youngest sister. Both of them beamed at Georgie as she curtsied, and nodded to her in return.
“We are so pleased to meet you, Lady Peter,” Catherine said, and Georgie burst into giggles. There was only a small edge of hysteria to it as she wiped her eyes.
“I am sorry. It is difficult to accustom myself to the new name.”
“I understand completely,” Lady Philip said, her dark eyes twinkling. “For at least a month after we married, I kept thinking people were talking to Philip and not to me.” Intriguingly, herwarm voice still held some of the soft accents of her American birthplace.
“We are family now,” Peter’s sister said. “You must call me Catherine.”
“And you must call me Junia,” Lady Philip said with a friendly nod.
Georgie smiled back at them, relieved that at least some of Peter’s family members were welcoming. “Please call me Georgiana. Or Georgie.”
“Sit down, young woman,” the dowager said. Junia and Catherine made room for her on the settee as Peter moved to stand against the mantel of the fireplace.
“So you are the daughter of Sir George Morland.”
“Yes, your grace.” Clearly, no warm invitation to use the dowager’s Christian name would be forthcoming.
“And what do you bring to the Avondale family?”
“She has her otters,” Miss Welburn piped up, only to be shushed by her friends. “Well, she does!”
“Ah, yes. You share your father’s interest in natural philosophy and broughtwild animalsinto the family.” The dowager’s icy tone was unmistakable. Clearly, she did not care much for otters.
To her own surprise, Georgie’s spine straightened, and she looked the dowager in the eye. “Yes, your grace. They were entrusted to my family by the Prince Regent himself. We have cared for them ever since.”
The mention of the otters’ royal connections made the dowager duchess subside, but only for a moment. “And your dowry?”
“Is in the process of being transferred,” Peter cut in smoothly, directing a nod to Georgie. “We have at last succeeded in freeing it from her cousin’s grasp. I do believe he plannedto embezzle it once he had run through the rest of the estate’s funds, but your father’s solicitor was able to keep it safe.”
“Oh. Thank you.” With everything else happening, she had not even thought of that. He smiled back at her and, for a moment, the rest of the room faded away.
Next to her, Catherine cleared her throat, and Georgie blushed. She turned back to the dowager duchess with a bright smile as Junia hid her giggle behind her handkerchief.
The dowager frowned at this interruption before returning her attention to Georgie. “And where did?—”
Even as she spoke, the drawing room door was flung open and Olivia, Duchess of Livesey, strode across the threshold, wiping her hands on a paint-streaked cloth that she handed to the nearest footman.
“I apologize for being late. The light was at just the right angle and I did not wish to miss it.” She looked around the room and nodded cheerfully as all of the visitors, Georgie included, rose to their feet and curtseyed. Her gaze landed on Georgie and her expression brightened.
“Youmustbe the new Lady Peter.”
“Yes, your grace. And these are… these are my friends.”
Olivia nodded to each member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary, taking a moment for a low-voiced conversation with Mrs. Kilvington. To Georgie’s surprise, the stern woman laughed.
“Lady Peter is an artist as well, your grace,” Mrs. Clarke said, and Olivia turned to Georgie, her expression delighted.
“How wonderful! What do you paint?”
“Er … my otters, for the most part. I do scientific illustrations.”
The duchess clapped her hands in glee. “Oh, I do wish I had the patience for that sort of work. Everything must be so meticulous. Do you use watercolors?”
From the corner of her eye, Georgie could see a footman whisper in Peter’s ear. Peter stiffened, then nodded. He faced his mother.
