The Beauty

by Connolly, Rebecca

  The Beauty

  Rebecca Connolly

  Copyright © 2019 by Rebecca Connolly

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, copied, or transmitted without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Preview of The Spinster

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Prologue

  The situation was hopeless.

  She was hopeless.

  Caroline Perkins sat in the dormitory with her friends, her fingers knotting anxiously with each other. It was time for them all to leave Miss Bell’s school, and she felt the pressure of the next part of her life more with every passing breath. How was she possibly to be a companion to a great lady of high station? Caroline was barely a passable companion to her friends most of the time, and now she would have to earn her way into Society in this manner?

  It was positively hopeless.

  “Don’t look so forlorn, Caroline!” Adelaide Elliott pleaded as she sat down beside her. “It will make me feel worse, and we need to encourage each other.”

  “I know,” Caroline moaned, rubbing at her brow. “I know. I keep reminding myself that this is a fortunate situation for me, and it is. I just… I think I would much rather trade places with you, Addy.”

  Johanna Grey released a loud laugh as she tossed herself onto a nearby bed. “Why in the world would you want to trade places? You would rather be a governess like Addy?”

  “In truth, yes,” Caroline insisted firmly. “At least then I won’t feel like I am pretending.”

  “You’re not pretending,” Penelope Foster reminded her for the hundredth time. “You have money, Caroline, and it is not to be scoffed at. Your uncle saw to that. You may not be an heiress, but you are perfectly respectable, and a companion to a wealthy lady of such a stature as Lady Ashby is bound to give you plenty of opportunity.”

  Caroline gave her friend a despairing look. “I’m from the London docks. I know it doesn’t matter to you all, but it will matter very much out in Society. I don’t know what my mother and Uncle Paul were thinking when they made this arrangement for me. Taking me directly from the docks and sending me here with girls I couldn’t hope to match? And then sending me to Lady Ashby? What is the point? Mama shamed the family when she married my father, there is no reason for any of this to take place.”

  “I think,” Adelaide said slowly, rubbing soothing circles on Caroline’s back, “they were thinking that this would be an excellent way to improve and secure your future. I would give anything for that myself.”

  Now Caroline winced and reached over for her friend’s hand. “I’m sorry, Addy, I didn’t mean… I know I am fortunate, and I hope you don’t think that I…”

  “No one thinks you have been snobbish or rude or insensitive or whatever else you think you need to apologize for,” Johanna insisted. “Caroline, you really should stop thinking that you are the lowest creature on the earth. Honestly, you may be one of the best.”

  Caroline gave her a dubious look. “You’re biased.”

  “Bias does not necessarily eliminate truth,” Penelope pointed out with a grin. “Caroline, you know you will see something of us in London when we visit. Even Addy will be sure to come with her wards, and I’m quite sure Jo and I will be along. The duke will surely let me, and Jo has her own freedom. Then we will all find proper husbands, even the beautiful governess, and be happy forever after.”

  Caroline nodded at that, knowing it was what they had all planned on, but the truth of it was that she was not sure how much she would see of anyone or anything. She had never met Lady Ashby, knew nothing about her but their family connections and her address in London.

  Until Caroline knew exactly what her situation would be, she couldn’t be sure of anything, least of all finding a proper husband.

  That, she was afraid, would be a far more imposing task than anything else.

  But it was the one task that would save and secure her.

  It was the reason for everything.

  Chapter 1

  Ashby House was a dark sort of place. Not in the sense of containing evil or that it received poor care, but in the manner of arrangement and the style of decor. The tapestries were a deep shade of green, some fading in spots, and there seemed to be quite a few, though the details of each were difficult to make out without candles by which to see them. The wood paneled walls behind them were just as dark, extending up into pale plastered ceilings with rather gothic and shadowed carvings in places.

  The dark walls held several equally dark sconces, but only every third held any candles, and each of those only held one. Light from the flames distorted everything, casting long shadows where shadows ought not to be, only adding to the darkness rather than taking from it.

  Even the grand stairs were dark, and there was no light to be seen at the top. They must have been covered with rugs or carpet, for they seemed to be nothing more than a cascade of gaping caverns ready to ensnare the ignorant trespasser.

  “Oh, really, Caroline Perkins,” she hissed to herself as she stood in the currently empty foyer, dripping remnants of rain from her bonnet, ribbons, hair, hem, and cloak onto the floor. She clung to her tatty carpetbag and cast a look at the lone trunk the carriage driver had brought in before abandoning her to the stony-faced butler.

  Who had gone to fetch his mistress and had been gone for an age.

  Leaving Caroline to the dark, lonely, empty expanse of Ashby House, a place as foreign to her as France, Italy, or Africa.

  She pushed a damp and dripping strand of her golden hair off of her brow and behind her ear, exhaling slowly as the urge to fidget raced down her legs.

  But she would not.

  Miss Bell had taught her better.

  So here she would stand. Perfectly still.

  And wait.

  Above her, she could hear footsteps and the creaking of ancient floorboards. Her heart leapt into her throat and she worked three attempts at a swallow before successfully managing it.

  Steady, she reminded herself. Steady.

  She desperately wished one of her braver friends were here with her, if for no other reason than to make her feel better about the awkwardness of her situation. She was not a shy creature by nature, and neither was she terrified of the world as it stood. On the contrary, she likely understood more than a great many of her classmates from Miss Bell’s School for Ladies, given her upbringing and family ties. But time could be a great hindrance to one’s former nature, and Caroline was no longer accustomed to being bold or intrepid.

  She was a lady now.

  She would behave as such.

  But oh, it would have been lovely to have Penelope or Johanna by her side. Even Adelaide would have made her feel better, and Adelaide was the most sensible of all of them.

  Caroline shook her head slightly and lifted her chin. She would not wish her friends here now, not when she had failed to inform them of the whole truth of her situation.

  It wasn’t all that bad, considering her fortune was very m
uch intact. But no one with a respectable fortune and handsome enough looks wished to leave finishing school only to become a companion in the hopes of gaining entrance into Society. There was nothing for it, as Caroline had no connections into that world herself, but it was not favorable all the same.

  She needed Society if she wanted to have any sort of future or station of safety.

  And Lady Ashby had promised Society.

  For a price.

  Caroline was grateful for it, price and all. She would not have been able to bear leaving Miss Bell’s and her friends only to return to her father’s house, which had not changed in the last fifteen years, despite their increase in fortune. In fact, her father’s house had gotten closer to the docks, and had been placed in an even less ideal location than it had been before.

  If she had returned there, she would never leave.

  Again, the floors above her creaked, but this time towards the stairs. Caroline fixed her attention there, waiting.

  “Oh, if only you were a sturdier girl, Millie Bays. I would be down to see my cousin and already comfortably situated. I fear you may be more unsteady than I!”

  Caroline’s head tilted of its own accord at the almost chirped tone of voice, a scattered image of Lady Ashby beginning to form in her mind. She had never met the lady and hadn’t even known of her existence until she turned fourteen. On that day, she had discovered what plan had been set out for her future, all arranged before her mother had passed. It seemed her mother had managed to salvage some of her family connections, if only just, and only Caroline would benefit from them. It had been beyond imagination, hearing what lay in store. Once she’d got over the shock, it had been the grandest day of her life to be sure, though at this moment she felt far more terrified than enthralled.

  The stairs groaned under the weight of their current trespassers, and Caroline lifted her chin in expectation, then lowered it quickly.

  Better to appear meek than haughty, even if the action was a play at confidence.

  She watched the stairs, step by step, as her hostess gradually came into view, heavily supported by an average sized, but by no means frail, housemaid.

  Lady Ashby was not as old as Caroline had expected her to be, but just as feeble. Her hair was a blend of mahogany and silver, her eyes a faded brown, and her skin was a sickly, pallid color. She wore a gown in a shade of mauve edged with lace that was beginning to yellow in places, but all was covered, at least in part, by a thick, brown, woolen shawl that Lady Ashby tried to clutch even as she clung to the maid with one arm and grasped a cane in the other.

  In truth, Lady Ashby could not have been much older than Caroline’s own father, and that seemed a rather bewildering thought.

  “Well,” Lady Ashby said without preamble as she reached the main floor and eyed Caroline, “you don’t look exactly like your mother, but I won’t blame you for that.”

  Caroline could only blink at the statement.

  Belatedly, she curtseyed. “Your ladyship,” she murmured.

  “Can’t hear you, dear,” came the barked reply, followed by a rather warm smile. “Part of the curse of being so often sickly. I am old beyond my years, blind beyond my eyes, and deaf beyond my ears. But my mouth works perfectly.”

  Caroline had to smile and dipped her chin in acknowledgement.

  Lady Ashby was before her now and straightened to her full height, which was, in fact, just above Caroline’s own, though the older woman seemed so much smaller. She reached out two wrinkled fingers and laid them alongside her jaw, turning her chin one way, then moving her fingers to the other side to turn the other.

  “Hmm,” Lady Ashby grunted, her eyes narrowing. “Quite a stunning beauty, aren’t you, child? In the correct settings, you could be a diamond of the first water. A line of beaux a mile long at least. Does that interest you?”

  “No, ma’am,” Caroline told her softly.

  The older woman met her eyes, which had widened only slightly. “No? Bit of a peculiar gel, are you not?”

  “I suppose I must be, Lady Ashby,” she replied. “I have never found my appearance to be anything worthy of celebrating. It caused enough trouble with my father’s employees before I went to school.”

  Lady Ashby winced and shook her head. “Best not to go into all that, my dear Caroline. Your mother’s choice of husband will have continual repercussions beyond even your lifetime, and we need not dwell on it any further. All settled, and I will help you to surmount those repercussions, if I can. You are in my charge now, and we shall put our combined best foot forward.”

  Impossibly, Caroline found her throat constricting and her eyes watering at that. It had been so long since she’d had someone with any responsibility over her actually work in her own interest. Her mother had been fiercely protective of her, and even her uncle, her father’s brother, had had the good sense to protect Caroline’s inheritance, but they were both gone now.

  Only Lady Ashby, her mother’s cousin, remained.

  And her father.

  Gratitude unlike Caroline had ever known surged within her and the burning in her eyes intensified. “Lady Ashby, I cannot tell you how thankful I am…”

  “Tush!” Lady Ashby put her hand on Caroline’s shoulder, applying more force than expected, no doubt using her for balance. “There is no need to thank me, child. This is no condescension on my part. You will be my companion and shall earn pin money for your troubles. And you shall earn every farthing of it. As you can see, I am not an easy charge.” The woman gestured to herself, and her wavering frame, with a pointed look.

  Caroline could only smile again. “I accept the challenge you claim to present, my lady. With all my heart.”

  Lady Ashby grinned, and in that grin, Caroline saw a resemblance to her mother that immediately set her at ease.

  Ashby House, dark as it was, would be her home, and Lady Ashby would be both her charge and her guide.

  All would be well, in one way or another.

  Lady Ashby patted her shoulder. “Very good. I will not have you begin your companionship until tomorrow, so for now you must allow Millie to see you to your room and get you bathed and changed. Then you shall return to the dining room for supper with me, and we shall have a little chat. Millie!”

  The girl stepped forward and offered her arm to Lady Ashby, who immediately waved her away.

  “Not me, you simple girl!” she squawked as she turned and began, unsteadily, to make her way out of the foyer. “Miss Perkins!”

  Millie jumped and moved to Caroline, reaching for her sodden cloak and bonnet, her hands almost awkward as they stretched to her. She was quick to divest herself of the garments, giving the maid an apologetic smile as the weight of their dampness made itself known.

  The girl’s expression did not change in the slightest as she bobbed and turned towards the stairs. “If you’ll follow me, miss, we’ll see you properly set up.”

  Caroline eyed her trunk and still clung to her carpetbag. She had seen no sign of a footman, or any male servants but the butler, and there was no possibility of him being able to manage her trunk alone. She supposed she could always come back down for it and drag it up the stairs, if worse came to worst.

  It would be difficult, but not impossible.

  She darted to the stairs, her eyes casting over to the wobbling figure of Lady Ashby as she continued down the corridor. “Will she be all right?” Caroline asked of Millie as she drew to her. “Lady Ashby, I mean.”

  “I expect so,” Millie replied without much concern. “My lady is very aware of her limitations but tries to push against them. She’s not likely to get into trouble. She’ll find herself a chair and make herself comfortable until you return.”

  Caroline wasn’t so sure about that, but she could hardly argue in a house in which she was only just barely a guest.

  Millie led her to a comfortable bedchamber with an adjoining parlor, both of which were without any sort of airs or finery. Perfectly suitable for a companion, and sti
ll within proper tastes for a young woman of society.

  She shuddered at the thought. Society. She would never be perfectly comfortable there, and with her own aims for her future, she had no need to be.

  A quiet, comfortable life was all she wanted. One where her finances were secure and her affections in no danger. She wanted to marry for love, if possible, but she would settle for companionship.

  Not fortune. Not convenience. Not out of desperation.

  Comfort.

  But in the meantime, and until then, she would enjoy being a companion to her mother’s cousin and let her bestow what patronage she would.

  Beggars could not be choosers. Caroline was not quite a beggar, but her options were limited.

  Millie turned to her with a welcoming smile. “I hope this will suit you, Miss Perkins. Lady Ashby insisted on having you near her, and the finer rooms are a bit further down.”

  Caroline shook her head at once. “No, this is perfect. It suits me very well. Anything finer than this and I would be most uncomfortable.”

  “So would I, miss.” Millie looked around with a hint of a sigh, then shook herself and returned to her task. “Right, miss. The footmen will have your trunk up here shortly, and I will see to having a bath brought in for you. Lady Ashby has requested that Sally be your personal maid, if you have no objection.”

  A maid? She’d never even had a maid at school, and she was supposed to utilize them there. It was the mark of a finished young lady, she had been told.

  Well, she was finished, and she needed no maid.

  “That’s not necessary,” Caroline told her kindly. “I can manage without a maid.”

  Millie’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, miss. Lady Ashby wouldn’t like that at all. She’s especially hired a new maid so that Sally might be available for your use. You must have a maid.”