“Well then, that is where you went wrong.” He laughed and turned to his sister.
“And you, little chick, are you enjoying yourself?”
“Immensely,” she replied with a grin.
His mother reclaimed his attention. “Are you here with a party of your own?”
“Not exactly,” was his uninformative response, causing his mother to lift her eyebrow in inquiry but she forbore to comment. “Did you wish to join our party for the rest of the performance? You know everyone here, do you not?”
Bryghton ignored her first question, looking around at her assembled guests, greeting everyone in turn before returning to his mother. “You have assembled quite a pleasant group for yourself this evening. I bid you goodnight. I have to speak with Alanna for a moment.”
Taking his sister a little towards the front of the box where they were less likely to be overheard, he leaned closer and asked in an undertone, “Do you think I have been here long enough to qualify as having been seen?”
Alanna’s laughter rang out in the crowded theatre, causing many heads to turn in their direction. Clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle her mirth, her colour rose slightly but her eyes continued to twinkle. “You barely just got here, Bryghton,” she protested. “Although, now that my laughter has drawn everyone’s attention I suppose you have been. Was that your intention?” she asked suspiciously.
“Not at all,” he drawled before bending over her hand and fluttering a kiss a breath away from her skin.
She pulled her hand out of his light clasp and swatted at his arm playfully. “Get on with you, your grace. Do not practice your airs on your sister. Do say you will join us for the rest of the performance. The reports I had heard were quite accurate. Mr. Kean is doing a marvellous job of entertaining us tonight.”
“Thank you, my dear, for the generous invitation, but I really should be getting on my way. Enjoy yourself tonight, and have a care not to lead our friend astray on the morrow,” he countered, imitating his sister’s ill-placed concerns for Lady Victoria.
Alanna caught his inference and smiled her acknowledgement. “Good night, Duke. I shall see you around, I am sure.”
With a wink and a wave, the duke exited the box and quickly took his leave of the theatre before he could be ensnared in further conversations. He was looking forward to meeting up with Lord Lynster and enjoying a rousing night of games of chance. It was a rare night that Alfred was not hovering over his sister, and Bryghton was looking forward to the evening with his friend.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alanna was pacing impatiently in the morning room early the next day when her mother strolled in to join her.
“You are going to wear a path in the rug if you keep running to the window whenever you hear a carriage in the street. You do realize she will no doubt be arriving by foot, do you not?”
With a start Alanna stared at her mother in surprise.
Smiling, her grace chided, “I am not a duchess for nothing, my dear. Have you still not learned that I know everything?”
Alanna continued to gaze at her mother with her mouth agape, prompting her mother’s teasing words.
“Do shut your mouth, Alanna, or else you shall be catching flies. It is most unseemly.”
Alanna shut her mouth with an audible snap and asked hesitantly, “But you do not have any objections, do you?”
“Not at all. If I had you would have heard about it before now, have no fear. I think Lady Victoria is a lovely young woman and I think it rather despicable that she has not been sponsored before now. There is some sort of issue between her uncle and your brother, of which I do not have all the details. I just hope it does not cause you or her any discomfort. It is a shame that you can only have her accompany you and not sponsor her completely. Do you think perhaps we should suggest it?”
Alanna blinked a trifle owlishly at her mother’s words. “I absolutely think we should suggest it. I did not before now, as I am not fully aware of her circumstances, nor was I sure if you would agree.”
“Of course I would agree. She could come and stay with us as our guest for the Season if she would like.”
“Thank you, mother, perhaps you could speak to her on the subject when she is here later this morning. In case you do not know, I should tell you that she is not fully informed on the subject of her own circumstances, or at least she was not the last time I spoke to her. She was not even sure if she would be able to come today.”
“Have no fear, I am sure she will show up. I knew her mother,” was the duchess’ soothing if cryptic answer. “In fact, that sounds like the door knocker right now.”
Marvelling at her mother’s near omniscience, Alanna turned towards the door as the butler admitted her guest.
“Lady Victoria Bartley to see you my lady,” Walter intoned as he ushered the young lady in.
The duchess graciously welcomed her daughter’s friend. “Come in, my lady, and welcome to our home. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I knew your mother when we were girls. I am very sorry for your loss.”
Taken aback by the warmth of the duchess’ welcome, Victoria had to fight back the prickle of tears. She dropped into a polite curtsy. “Thank you for your kindness, my lady; it was a long time ago.”
“True, but I am sure you continue to feel the loss.” The duchess carefully changed the subject to spare their guest’s feelings. “Now tell me, are you in a hurry or do you have time for a few refreshments before you two girls retire to Alanna’s room to giggle over fashions?”
“I am delighted to say that I have several hours to while away this morning, so a little refreshment would be lovely, thank you.”
“Then please, have a seat and tell me all about yourself.”
Victoria, conscious of her far less fashionable attire, was initially uncomfortable in the presence of the two ladies but Alanna quickly settled her nerves with her beaming smile and beckoning wave to have her sit beside her on the settee.
“So is the new nursery maid up to your standards?” Alanna asked with a tease in her voice.
Victoria blushed and looked at the duchess, wondering how the highborn lady would feel having a governess in her morning room. The duchess smiled graciously and said, “Rest easy, my dear, I know all about it and I look forward to having you in our company this spring.”
Turning back to answer Alanna’s question, Victoria said with a small smile, “She actually seems to be quite competent and the children have taken to her rather nicely. She is not qualified to do much with their lessons, but my uncle has assured me that he will see about finding them a governess at his earliest convenience.”
There was a brief lull in the conversation as the housekeeper brought in a tray of goodies and a pot of tea. Victoria accepted a delicate cup of piping hot tea before continuing her tale.
“I actually spoke with the earl last night for a few moments to again try to ascertain the extent of my circumstances. I again asked him whether or not he thought his wife would be in a position to sponsor me for the Season. He seemed strangely alarmed by the question and could not answer me very clearly. He then turned the question around on me and wanted to know why I was showing an interest in such things. I simply told him again that I had to give thought to my future now that I was finished school and I wanted to know where I stood. He told me he had an appointment he must get to and he would speak to me more on the subject some other time.”
Victoria heaved a soft sigh and continued. “I am no further ahead in my knowledge and I am not all that confident that he will be any more forthcoming in the future.”
“Well, never mind about him,” said the duchess dismissively. “Alanna and I would be delighted if you would join us for the Season as our guest. You could even come and stay here in our house and share in all of Alanna’s activities over the coming weeks. It would be such a lovely diversion for us to have you with us.”
Blushing with equal parts embarrassment and pleasure, Victoria was at a
loss for words, merely stammering out, “Oh, no, I could not impose in such a way.”
“It would be no imposition, I assure you,” answered the duchess as Alanna was quickly saying, “Not at all, we would love to have you.”
The duchess continued, “If I understand correctly, Alanna has already promised you the use of her wardrobe from last Season. I assure you that is no imposition whatsoever. If you do not make use of her gowns they will most likely go to waste, as no one else in the household would have any need of them and the fabrics are not ones that can be used for household maintenance.”
Looking a little dazed, Victoria laughed weakly, “No I would imagine they could not.” She paused for a moment, slightly discomfited by the eager gazes of the duchess and Alanna. She cleared her throat delicately and continued in stronger tones.
“I am not completely confident about the propriety of leaving my uncle’s house to come to stay with you for the Season. And to be perfectly honest with you, if I were unsuccessful in my search for a potential mate, I am uncertain what would happen to me. My uncle has been quite clear that I was not to associate with your son, the duke,” Victoria said while feeling a hot blush creeping up her cheeks. “If I were to stay with you it would no doubt be nearly impossible to avoid him completely. I am unsure of the consequences if I so defied my uncle.”
“Oh dear,” said the duchess. “I was unaware that the situation was as bad as that.” She paused for a moment in thought. “There are several thoughts I have about what you just said. First of all, I do not see anything inappropriate about you coming to stay with us if we are going to sponsor your Season. It would seem that your aunt is not feeling up to the task. It is the usual thing for a young lady to stay with whomever is bringing them out. Another thing I think I should point out to you, and I apologize in advance if it seems indelicate to be discussing such a vulgar thing as finances, but the house in which you and your family are living is actually yours, if I understand correctly.”
“Well, yes, I do realize that to a certain extent, or rather it is supposed to become mine upon my twenty-fifth birthday. But since I have no funds I am clearly not the one keeping it up, so it really is just a technicality. Upon my parents’ death everything they owned went to the new earl.”
The duchess’ look was bordering on pitying, much to Victoria’s dismay, and the duchess answered in a soft, kind voice. “I believe you are misinformed, my dear. I have it on rather good authority that your parents provided very well for you in the event of such a tragedy as their deaths. Any unentailed property was to go to you, as well as whatever income was generated by said properties. Your uncle was to act as your guardian and look after the properties for you until such time as you marry or reach your majority.”
Victoria sat in silence, trying to absorb this information. “Do you know which properties we are speaking of?” she asked in a small voice.
“Not offhand, my lady, although I could easily get that information for you.” The duchess made as though to ring for a footman.
“I do not need it right now, thank you, Your Grace.”
“One I do know of is the London house in which you are residing. Your father and his father never saw the need to entail it in any way, as it was a luxury and has no property so it was easy enough to arrange for it to go to you. I do not fully understand all the factors that go into property inheritance and all that, but I do know that your uncle cannot put you out of that house, as it is legally yours to do with as you please. The Earl and Countess of Pickering are living there as your guests, not the other way around.”
There was another stretch of silence as the younger women gazed at one another with rather dazed expressions. Alanna was the first to break the silence with a little bounce in her seat and a clap of her hands.
“Well, is that not just the most lucky thing you have heard today?” she asked, grinning.
Victoria could not help but grin in return. “Yes, it is lovely good news, to be sure.” She turned back to the duchess. “Thank you ever so much for this information. I am unsure of how I will use it. I will have to think on the matter some more. For the time being, I believe it would be best if I stick to the plan Alanna and I devised. I have been living very quietly up until now and I am not confident in the support of my family. I would rather just have a little taste of the Season before I decide if I would like to dive in head first.”
The duchess inclined her head gracefully. “Perhaps that is wise. The offer remains open to you whenever you choose to accept it.” She took a last sip of her tea and rose elegantly to her feet. “I have a few things to attend to so I will leave you two girls to your own devices. I believe the maids have been shaking out the gowns and have them displayed in one of the spare rooms above stairs. Ask one of the footmen to direct you when you are ready.”
Victoria scrambled to her feet and dipped into a perfectly executed curtsy. As her grace left the room, Victoria turned to Alanna with a nonplussed look. She gazed rather blankly at her friend for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles, in which Alanna soon joined.
“Are all duchesses like that, or just her?” Victoria asked, before realizing how her words could have sounded. Turning beet red from her neck to her hairline she hastily stammered out an apology. “I mean no disrespect to your mother, my lady. I merely was referring to how in control your mother is and how she knew so much and how she does not appear familiar with taking no for an answer.”
Alanna was almost falling over on the settee from the force of her giggles. Gasping for breath she managed to interrupt Victoria. “Please, stop, I took no offense. I completely knew what you meant.” Regaining a modicum of control, she continued. “To answer your question, I do believe all the duchesses of my mother’s generation are the same or worse, not that there are that many, but you should see the dukes! They are far worse than my mama. She, at least, manages to couch it in such pleasant terms that you do not feel all that managed. Bryghton is still growing into his powers, but he does not have Mama’s skill of making you think something was all your idea when really she was behind it the whole time.”
Victoria gazed rather wistfully towards the door through which the duchess had exited. “I do not think countesses are like that at all. My aunt certainly is not, and I do not think my mama was either. My aunt does not seem to have a thought of her own that was not put there by my uncle. It seems terribly sad to me. My mother was such a kind, sweet woman. She managed the household quite well and of course saw to the needs of the tenants in the village, but she did not concern herself with anything beyond the scope of her duties and her family.” Turning back to Alanna with a wicked grin, she said, “I think it must be glorious to be a duchess! No one would ever tell your mother what to do, and I have a hard time imagining her ever being undecided about her own future.”
Alanna rose from her place on the settee and linked arms with her friend, pulling her towards the door as she went. “Well then, my lady, if you wish to be a duchess, we had best see to having you meet an eligible duke.”
With matching giggles the girls left the room.
Some time later, after examining all the gowns and discussing various alterations that could be easily executed to make the gowns suitable for the present Season and to best suit Victoria, the two girls sat down with a sigh of relief.
“Gracious, Alanna, I have never seen such a collection of beautiful gowns. I am still having a difficult time fathoming why you did not just make some of these alterations for yourself instead of buying a whole new set of gowns for this Season. I know you tried to gammon me with the tale that you are spoiled, but I do not believe that for a moment.”
Alanna offered an unconcerned shrug. “I love to shop and my brother never quibbles at my spending. And, to be honest, I was bored of those dresses and wanted new ones. I thought it would bring me more success in finding a match this Season.”
“Is it so hard to find a suitable match?” Victoria asked curiously.
�
�It does not seem so for other girls. Many become engaged within weeks of the start of their first Season. I was quite determined to enjoy at least one entire Season without even thinking of accepting any proposals. I was quite proud of the number I racked up. My brother said there were six different gentlemen who applied to him to pay me their respects. Thankfully he refused them all on my behalf, as I would have been highly uncomfortable to face them myself. I was young and silly and just wanted to enjoy myself. It all felt like a diverting game. I did not give a great deal of thought to the seriousness behind it. Nor did I think of anyone’s feelings being involved.”
Alanna gave a little self-deprecating laugh before continuing. “In my own defense, I do not believe any of those gentlemen had their feelings engaged overmuch. They thought I would make an acceptable wife, and no doubt most thought my dowry would make a lovely addition to their own circumstances. Last year, for my second Season, I was much more serious about it, but no one really struck my fancy as someone I would care to see at the breakfast table for the rest of my life. I also caught a rather nasty illness and had to repair to our country estate to recover, so I missed a great deal of the Season. This year I think I shall have to settle on someone or I will face the prospect of being on the shelf, and then no one will consider me an eligible parti. I can assure you, I have no interest in being the maiden aunt to my brother’s children or the dutiful daughter to my mother, the duchess, for the rest of my days. She is perfectly lovely, but I do not want to be second in command. I wish to run my own household.”
“It would seem you have given this matter a great deal of thought.”
“Of course, have not you? Is that not why you are here?”
“Well, I suppose so. Although, I have not had multiple Seasons to ponder the matter, nor do I contemplate having that luxury. I must decide rather quickly whether there are any suitable matches for me to be had.” She paused, and added quietly, “If I am unable to find a match, there is always the convent.”
The Reluctant Debutante: A Sweet, Regency Romance (Ladies of Mayfair Book 4) Page 21