The Reluctant Debutante: A Sweet, Regency Romance (Ladies of Mayfair Book 4)

by Wendy May Andrews

  The two girls walked along briskly.

  “I was surprised when you mentioned we would walk. I thought ladies of the ton did not dare set their feet upon the ground and must take carriages wherever they go,” said Victoria.

  “Do not mention it when we are visiting, because you are quite correct. But it is rather silly considering that these people are all my neighbours and it would take so much longer to get around by carriage with all the traffic. If we were going much further I would be sure to take a carriage, as I do not wish to wear myself out for this evening, but I figured we surely could manage a few blocks. You are not getting tired, are you?”

  Victoria laughed, “Not at all. This is decidedly more restful than my usual day.”

  “Are you missing the children? You would normally be at a park right about now, would you not?”

  Victoria was surprised by her friend’s perceptive question. The Lady Alanna gave the impression of being somewhat empty-headed and unconcerned about things other than her attire, the latest gossip, and her upcoming entertainments. But Victoria could see intelligence shining through Alanna’s eyes as she gazed steadily at Victoria and awaited her reply.

  Victoria surprised herself with her answer. “I do not actually miss the children overmuch. I know they are in good hands and I will see them when I return home. They were not pleased with me yesterday when I returned home, but I am confident that today will be better. It is time for all of us to realize that I am not truly a governess, and that I need to get on with my proper life.”

  There was a momentary silence while the girls walked on steadily. Alanna waited patiently for her friend to continue.

  “I will freely admit to you that I am terrified about the future. Ever since my parents died I have done everything in my power to ensure my place in my uncle’s home was secure. But I realize now that that should not need to be secured. As my uncle and guardian, my place in his life should have been already assured. I dearly hope I am not jeopardizing my relationship with the children, but I do need to secure a new arrangement for my future.”

  “Good for you. Now come along, we have arrived at our final stop and I am quite certain you will enjoy this call.”

  They had arrived in front of a tall townhouse that was a bit smaller than the house they had just visited. It was much smaller than Victoria’s own home and positively tiny compared to that of the Alcotts’. But it looked inviting, and Victoria found herself smiling at the prospect of entering it.

  The butler admitted them to the proportionately small foyer and asked them to be seated as he checked to see if Miss Lambert was receiving.

  Victoria wiggled her eyebrows comically at Alanna as they heard a gale of laughter issuing from the room as the butler opened the morning room door. It was obvious the lady of the house was home and had guests, but, of course, protocol said the butler must check to see if the new arrivals would be welcomed.

  They did not have to wait long. As the butler returned to fetch them, Miss Lambert herself hastened from the room in his wake.

  “Lady Alanna, what a pleasure to see you, and you have brought a friend with you, how delightful.”

  Victoria worked hard to contain the grin that wanted to spread across her face over their hostess’ enthusiastic welcome. She dipped into a polite curtsy as Miss Lambert stepped forward to meet her.

  Alanna performed the introductions. “Lady Victoria, I would like to present to you my friend, Miss Melinda Lambert, and Miss Lambert, this is my dear friend Lady Victoria Bartley.”

  “It is my pleasure to meet you Lady Victoria, and thank you for coming to call on us this afternoon. Please come into the morning room. There are already a few guests you may already know, but there is room for more despite our cramped quarters here.” Miss Melinda smiled knowingly, recognizing that her guests would be unfamiliar with such tight spaces.

  Victoria was again presented with the necessity not to gape like a cit. This time it was not the hostess’ decor, which was absolutely lovely, but the other guests assembled in her drawing room that were the source of her curiosity.

  Lady Cordes, Viscountess of Asquith, and her lovely daughter Eileen, were seated and talking quietly with a handsome young man when Miss Lambert interrupted to introduce the new arrivals.

  “Lady Alanna, I am sure you are familiar with everyone present, but Lady Victoria, please allow me to introduce my other guests.”

  Victoria was made uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of so many curious stares, but she steeled her spine and dipped into a curtsy of the perfect depth to indicate her politeness but also her position in Society. Lady Cordes acknowledged the introduction with an inclination of her head while her young daughter stood to dip into a curtsy of her own. The two gentlemen in the room stood to be presented as well.

  “Mr. Dylan Mead does some sort of work within the House of Lords for his uncle the Earl of Wessex—I admit to you I do not fully understand it. And Mr. Benjamin Appleton is his associate.”

  “It is pleasant to meet you both,” answered Victoria, unsure of the proper protocol in this exact situation. Alanna thankfully stepped in and assisted.

  “Lady Victoria is visiting me for a bit this Season and we are having such a lovely time together. We are thinking of doing a spot of shopping later, but I just had to stop in to see if you were at home, Miss Melinda.”

  Lady Eileen broke her silence upon these words. “Oh, Lady Victoria, if you are still visiting, then you absolutely must accompany Lady Alanna when she comes to my ball this week. I could have an invitation sent around to include you.”

  “That is very kind of you, Lady Eileen, thank you. I would be delighted to attend,” Victoria answered graciously, smothering her smile over the knowledge that Alanna had been planning to bring her to that very ball even without the proper invitation. Victoria shot a shrewd glance at her friend, wondering if she had known the Cordes ladies would be visiting at this time. Alanna liked to lament how the duke and duchess seemed to know everything, but Victoria realized it was a family trait.

  Just as Alanna and Victoria were getting settled into their seats the other occupants got to their feet with varying levels of reluctance. Lady Cordes appeared to be dragging her daughter away, who looked as though she would be happy to stay for the rest of the afternoon. The two gentlemen followed shortly in their wake.

  “Your timing was perfect, Lady Alanna. You got to briefly meet my other guests but now we can have a little visit in peace. Is not Mr. Mead the most deliciously handsome gentleman you have ever met? It is such a tragedy that he is merely a mister.”

  “I suppose there could be worse tragedies,” Victoria answered pragmatically.

  “Perhaps, but it does limit his options. And his brother, the earl’s heir, is nearly as ugly as a troll,” continued Melinda.

  “It would seem to be cosmic justice, do you not think?” asked Alanna. “The true tragedy would be if the younger son got neither blessing. This would seem to be more of an equalizing.”

  “I can see your point. It is a good thing that women are not allowed into the House of Lords. I would vote yes to anything Mr. Mead presented without even thinking about it. I am quite certain that is not the proper way of politics,” Melinda concluded with a giggle.

  “Are Mr. Mead and Mr. Appleton working with your brother on anything in particular?” Alanna asked.

  “Oh, Lady Alanna, it is kind of you to take an interest, but I am not kept fully informed on their doings. My job is to play the hostess role, not to trouble my head with the politics.”

  Victoria maintained a polite smile while wondering absently what Alanna saw in this particular friend. She seemed as empty-headed as Alanna at times presented herself to be. This thought brought Victoria up short and she sharpened her gaze upon their hostess as she searched for any sign that she too was putting on an act.

  “Of course not,” Alanna was saying sweetly. “Did you enjoy your visit to the gallery last week?”

  “It was a
trifle boring, as I did not understand much of the proceedings, but it did make my appreciation for my brother’s efforts grow considerably.”

  Melinda’s response was uninformative on the one hand, but on the other it helped Victoria to understand they were not discussing a gallery of art but rather the visitors’ area in Parliament.

  Alanna allowed the subject to drop and the trio discussed some tidbit of gossip, which Melinda embellished with the details she had gleaned from some of her visitors that day. Finally, Alanna got to her feet, indicating that the prescribed time had ended. Melinda protested their departure.

  “Oh no, my lady, there is no need for you to leave. No one else is here so there is no need to stand upon ceremony. I would be delighted to have your company a while longer.”

  “That is generously kind of you, Miss Lambert, and thank you for the invitation, but we really must be on our way. I was not stretching the truth when I said that Lady Victoria and I have some purchases to make and we really must make haste.”

  “Thank you for a lovely visit,” Victoria murmured as she took her leave behind Alanna. She managed to be noncommittal when their hostess mentioned her desire to return the call upon Victoria, as she had not given thought to that particular possibility. Maintaining her composure until they regained the street, she quickly turned to Alanna.

  “I gave absolutely no thought to the fact that people feel the need to return the calls you make. What shall I do, Alanna? I have not broached the subject again with my uncle and have never discussed it with my aunt. If people call at my home I do not know if I could receive them.”

  “I do not see why you could not. It is your house after all. Surely there is nothing untoward in you receiving visitors. But if it would put your mind at ease, we could have my address put upon your cards.”

  “But if my aunt and uncle found out about that I would think it would be an even greater insult to them than my going about without informing them. No, if you think I need cards, I will put my own name and address upon them and face the consequences when they come upon me. The earl and countess will have to find out what I am up to at some point anyway.”

  Alanna clapped her hands in applause. “Good for you. You must stand up for yourself and face things head on. Now come along, you shall simply adore the stationer’s shop.”

  They walked along briskly towards the shops, each lost in their own thoughts. Victoria broke the silence momentarily.

  “I must ask you, why does everyone hide what they are?”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Please do not think this question is impertinent, or else forgive me if it is, but both you and Melinda act as though you were rather empty-headed when you are both obviously intelligent young women. Why would you do such a thing?”

  Alanna laughed with delight. “Well clearly you are not so stupid yourself, as you have found me out. It is all part of the game that makes up the Season. Most men do not find particularly intelligent women to be attractive. And other women may find it threatening. If you let it be known that you are not ‘empty-headed,’ as you called it, you run the risk of being considered a bluestocking or even bookish. That just would not do.”

  “So you just pretend to be fascinated with gossip and shopping and such?”

  “Oh no, not at all. I adore gossip and shopping and all the other fripperies that go along with coming to London for the Season. It is just that those are not the only things I enjoy.”

  “It all seems rather complicated. I do not know if I wish to be a party to so much dissemblance.”

  “You shall see. It can be highly diverting. Think of it as a game.”

  “But Alanna, what happens when some man who thinks you are just a pretty simpleton asks you to be his wife and you say yes? I do not think it would be a game I would wish to play for the rest of my days. And if you do not play it, there will be quite the surprise for both parties after the vows have been exchanged.”

  Alanna again laughed over her friend’s earnestness. “Being a pretty simpleton merely catches their eye, but any man worthy of having me will not want to keep me that way. He would have to truly know me before I said yes. That too is part of the game.”

  Victoria heaved a rather weary sigh. “I am beginning to have my doubts about entering the ton. No one is as he or she seems and you have to be on your toes at all times.”

  “But did you not enjoy yourself this afternoon?”

  “I did, more than I thought I would, to be honest with you,” Victoria admitted with some surprise.

  “You see, the game is not so bad. Wait until the Cordes’ ball. Then you will see how very diverting it can be. Now here we are at the stationer’s. Let us make our selection and be on our way.”

  “Yes, I should no doubt be getting home soon enough.”

  A short time later the girls exited the shop and made their way briskly back to Alanna’s beautiful Mayfair home. As they were ascending the front stairs they were hailed from the street.

  “I wish you good day, ladies,” Bryghton greeted them with a jaunty grin.

  Victoria was facing away from him but had recognized his voice instantly. She was amazed at her own reaction—feeling anxious and excited all at once, she was frozen for a moment as she pondered what to do. Alanna broke the spell as she turned to greet her brother.

  “Bryght, how perfectly delightful to see you! Are you arriving or departing? We were just about to have a little refreshment before Victoria has to go home, would you care to join us?”

  Victoria felt as though she were on tenterhooks awaiting the duke’s reply. Nervous anticipation to spend time with him warred with an anxious knowledge of her uncle’s disproval, for which she still did not understand the source.

  The interminable-seeming wait ended as Bryghton climbed down from his phaeton and replied to his sister’s invitation.

  “Why thank you, little chick. I would be quite happy to pass a few minutes with you ladies and hear how your afternoon has been thus far.”

  Victoria finally forced herself to look at the duke, hoping she had on the appropriate look of polite boredom that Alanna had described, but when she saw Bryghton’s dimpled grin she worried that her face betrayed just how appealing she found the sight of it.

  The duke’s face was a picture of studied impassivity as he took in the sight of Lady Victoria. Even the most searching gaze could not discern if he were fascinated or bored to tears. Victoria attempted to imitate his stoic gaze.

  Bryghton could not believe the transformation from governess to lady of Society that had overtaken Lady Victoria. In his mind he had thought of her as just Victoria, almost as a friend. Now, standing calmly before him in her perfectly altered clothes, she was the impeccable Society belle. One would never imagine that such a short time ago she had been standing in the Serpentine holding a dripping little boy and glaring at him so fiercely. While she had then invited his attention, he now felt uncharacteristically nervous to speak to this beautiful young woman.

  Fortunately for them both, Alanna was blissfully unaware of the tensions gripping her two companions and she chattered enthusiastically about their afternoon.

  “And Bryght, you will just love the cards Victoria ordered. They put me in mind of yours. It would seem that the two of you share the same tastes.”

  “I look forward to seeing them,” Bryghton answered in a polite murmur as the butler welcomed them and ushered them into the morning room.

  “I will see that tea is served, my lady,” Walter intoned before bowing himself out of the room.

  “Lady Victoria, what did you think of your first foray into the ton?” the duke asked curiously.

  “It was interesting.”

  “Interesting?” he asked with mock horror.

  “Yes, interesting. I thought it would be somewhat boring after Alanna explained all the rules to me and gave me a quick lesson in what would likely be discussed. But, although everyone seems to make such effort to be the same, their own uniqueness
still shines through and I find the silliness of ‘the game’ as Alanna calls it to be quite amusing.”

  “Which parts amused you today?” Bryghton prompted.

  “The best example was when we were received by Lady Coupland in that ghastly gilt-encrusted chamber she passes off as a morning room. Alanna did not warn me as she wished to tickle her twisted sense of humour by awaiting my reaction. Hearing her explanation was in itself a source of amusement.”

  Bryghton held onto his silence, enjoying her confidences and hoping there were more to come. Victoria continued with a slightly guilty face.

  “I probably should not be saying such things to you, but I am trusting your discretion not to tell tales. I should no doubt be grateful for the lady’s graciousness in receiving me even though we had not been introduced. And she truly seemed an amiable sort. It was just that room! Have you seen it for yourself, your grace?”

  Grinning, the duke answered, “I have, in fact. Lord Coupland is an old acquaintance of mine, we actually went to school together, and he asked me to come by and see it. He was hoping I would be able to say that it was lovely. He gave his new wife carte blanche to do with the room as she saw fit. He was of the opinion that she had impeccable tastes, so he thought no ill would come of it.”

  “Alanna is of the opinion that the lady secretly enjoys observing her guests’ reactions and it is some sort of test of character for her.”

  “That is quite possible. The lady does seem to be a keen observer of people.”

  “I wonder what she gathered from my reaction,” Victoria mused.

  Alanna had been silently observing her brother and her friend during this exchange but finally broke her silence. “Victoria, you were magnificent. You barely flickered an eyelash and your mouth did not so much as quiver. You could almost match Bryghton for how contained you were. It was quite a surprise to me, as you are so often very expressive in your reactions.”