Victoria had to force her chin not to unhinge itself as she gazed at the elegant façade of the house they were about to enter. “We are to visit the Earl of Sommerton? How deliciously extraordinary. Are you certain they are expecting me to be accompanying you or shall I throw out their numbers?”
“Rest tranquil, little one. You worry overly,” admonished the duchess. “Of course they know we are a party of three, and you will be warmly welcomed. Come along, children.”
Victoria felt a trifle ashamed, realizing she had inadvertently insulted the duchess by her nervous question. Resolving to give neither herself nor the duchess any further cause for shame that night, she set her chin at a firm angle and followed the other two ladies up the stairs.
They were soon shown into a large, elegantly furnished receiving room which was already half full with milling guests. Victoria whispered, “No gilt showing in this lovely room.” Alanna managed not to guffaw in reaction to the private joke.
The earl and his daughter stepped forward to greet the newly arrived guests.
“Welcome, your grace and Lady Alanna, we are pleased you could join us this evening. And it is a great pleasure that you could accompany them, Lady Victoria,” the earl said, welcoming them and announcing their presence at the same time.
Victoria dipped into an elegant curtsy that managed to show respect to their host as well as the whole room.
The earl continued in conversation with the duchess as Alanna introduced Victoria to the earl’s daughter. “This is Odelia. She and I made our debut the same year. And her father is despairing of her making a match just as much as mama is of me. So we are soul sisters in our suffering.”
Victoria grinned at Alanna’s wry humour and looked curiously at the other young lady. “Do you share Alanna’s misgivings about marriage?”
“Not at all, my lady, I am just too busy having fun. I know I will have to settle down soon, but I am afraid that as soon as I marry I will be expected to start a family and I might have to miss the Season. My aunt has assured me that it is all worth it, but while I am enjoying my little baby cousins I do not yet wish to have one of those creatures of my own.”
Victoria could not relate to the girl’s sentiment, as she thought having children would be the most delightful thing in the world, but she did not wish to dampen the new friendship so she quelled her tongue. Alanna, knowing her quite well, winked discreetly, helping her keep the prescribed politely bored expression in place.
Looking around at the mingling group, Victoria was curious about who her fellow guests were and wondered about the social etiquette involved in making introductions. She quietly drew Alanna’s attention to the dilemma during a pause in her lively conversation with Odelia.
“Alanna, my dear,” Victoria discreetly murmured, “I do not know anyone present. In this particular situation, do I wait for you to introduce me or do I mingle and meet people for myself?”
“I will introduce you to a few people, and when we are seated for dinner, you can introduce yourself to your neighbours. Or you could go join the duchess and she will introduce you to whomever she is speaking, but, no, you cannot go about meeting people for yourself, unfortunately.”
The two ladies shared an amused look before turning back to Odelia, who was regarding them curiously. To smooth over the awkward moment, Victoria asked, “Did you just arrive in London recently, my lady, or have you been in residence for a while?”
“My father is an avid Parliamentarian, so we were in residence early so he could be prepared for the opening sessions,” Odelia answered with a roll of her eyes. “I do not really mind coming up to London early, as I do love to shop, but it is a bit strange being in Town when it is virtually empty.”
Victoria stifled a giggle over the girl’s description of London as being empty. Of course, she was referring to the aristocratic population, but Victoria was well aware that there was a sizeable percentage of London’s residents who did not have the luxury of more than one home.
“What about you, Lady Victoria? Have you just arrived?” Odelia was asking.
“No, my uncle had much to attend to, so we too have been in residence for a long time,” Victoria answered.
“But I have not seen you at any of the ton parties. Why have we not yet met?”
“I have been otherwise occupied thus far this Season,” Victoria answered truthfully but uninformatively.
Alanna stepped in to deftly change the subject. “Odelia, my dear, as always, I adore spending time with you, but we must not monopolize you as you are hostess this evening. We shall mingle while we allow you to return to your guests.”
Odelia, distracted by the arrival of some new guests, did not notice she was being dismissed. “Of course, thank you, my friend. I trust you will enjoy your evening.”
Turning back to the crowd to survey who else was in attendance, Alanna murmured, “Come along, green girl, I shall introduce you about.”
With a twinkle in her eye, Victoria followed in her wake. The two girls made polite, inane conversation with a few different people as even more guests continued to arrive. Dinner would be served momentarily, and Victoria was beginning to very much look forward to it. She was turning away from the current conversation when she, with a shock, met face to face with someone she knew.
“Oh, my lord, fancy meeting you here,” she stammered out.
“Victoria?” Lord Dalton asked, with acute surprise.
Victoria covered her nervousness by turning to Alanna. “Lady Alanna, are you familiar with Lord Anthony Dalton?”
“I am, but I must admit to being surprised that you are,” Alanna answered before wishing she could bite off her tongue for her thoughtless speech.
Victoria blushed slightly but maintained her composure. “Lord Dalton is my uncle’s nephew through marriage, so although he is not truly a relative of mine we are fairly well acquainted. His mother is the sister of Lady Pickering.”
“Oh yes, I had quite forgotten. Clearly I need to brush up on my reading of Debrett’s,” Alanna said, laughing to cover her faux pas, and hoping to allay a scene as she could see the viscount was eyeing Victoria with curiosity.
“Is my aunt here with you?” Lord Dalton asked, looking around.
“No, I am in the company of Lady Alanna and the Duchess of Wychwood,” Victoria answered, unconsciously raising her chin with determined pride.
The viscount, never having paid much attention to the young woman living with his relatives, was vaguely curious about this turn of events and if it had anything to do with the feud between Pickering and Wychwood. He was about to probe deeper, but they were interrupted by dinner being announced.
The two girls stepped away after curtsying to him in farewell. Exchanging chagrined expressions, they accepted the elbows of gentlemen offering to escort them to the dining room.
Sitting down at the beautifully set table, Victoria distractedly wondered if she would be able to eat a single bite as the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering vigorously. Glancing down the table, she saw the duchess sitting next to their host, the earl. As though sensing her momentary distress, the duchess turned her head in her direction, met her eyes directly and gave her a little nod of approval. It was all the encouragement Victoria needed. She wiped the worry from her mind, placed a slight smile upon her lips, and turned to meet her dinner companions.
Surprised to see that on her right was someone she had already met, she greeted Mr. Dylan Mead. After a moment of discussion with him she turned to make the acquaintance of the gentleman on her left. Robert Lambert, the baron of Shelton, quickly launched into a conversation about his political ambitions. Victoria soon realized she was in for an evening of political conversation, as both gentlemen worked in the House of Lords. She hoped the two young men would not be too terribly uninteresting.
Fortunately for Victoria, both young men were clearly passionate on the topic of politics, so although she did not share their interests it was entertaining to hear them expound on
their chosen subjects.
The soup that was served to begin the meal smelled heavenly, and Victoria was pleasantly surprised to feel her appetite return in full force as she listened politely in turn to each of her companions. Fortunately they both had plenty to say and were pleased by her periodic nods and murmurs of assent, so she was able to allow her mind to drift a little as she discreetly glanced around the table to observe the other guests in various conversations.
Victoria found the people of the ton to be endlessly fascinating as they engaged in social banter and followed all the many unwritten rules of their Society. Her attention was dragged back to the gentlemen beside her as she realized one had asked her a question.
Blushing rosily, she stammered, “I apologize my lord, my mind has become quite occupied with this lovely brisquet. Could you please repeat your question?”
Smiling condescendingly over the lady’s apparent empty headedness, the baron repeated his question slowly. “I asked if you had heard anything about the voting in Parliament over the union with Ireland. But I dare say you would not understand what it is about.”
Victoria was shocked over the obvious insult to her intellect but realized that the ridiculous young man found a lack of intellect to be an appealing quality in a woman. Stifling her natural reaction, she smiled sweetly and answered his question, endeavouring to keep her amusement to herself. “Yes, my lord, I have heard a little about it, but it would be best if you explain it to me.”
It was all the encouragement the young baron needed, and he launched into an eloquent soliloquy on the benefits to the two nations to join their parliaments. “The Honourable Mr. William Pitt is quite convinced that this union will strengthen the connection between our two countries as well as being advantageous economically, particularly for the Irish, you see. And of course, it will make it easier to grant concessions to the Catholics that reside in England if Ireland is unified with us,” he concluded.
“Oh, I see,” Victoria answered feebly, not quite following all of the baron’s logic. She was further distracted by Mr. Mead interrupting in order to disagree heartily with the baron’s arguments.
“That is such a bunch of foolishness,” Mr. Mead declared hotly. “England is Anglican and we cannot be making concessions to the Irish Catholics. Besides the fact that the government has clearly purchased all the votes necessary to make it pass, I cannot see how this effort is going to have any success!”
“Why is that, sir?” Victoria asked curiously.
“Clearly the Irish will not be happy about losing their independence. You mark my words, this is not going to end well,” Dylan insisted.
Victoria was about to comment but the baron cut her off.
“Do not listen to him, my lady,” Lord Lambert said dismissively, “The Irish cannot help but be happy about this Union, you shall see. It will be so much to their benefit. They simply did not have the foresight needed to see how beneficial it will be, that is why financial persuasion was required to secure the votes.”
Victoria was relieved to be spared the need to comment as the servants had returned to remove the tablecloth and spread out the dessert course. She struggled to think of an innocuous topic of conversation with which to conclude the meal.
As the jellies and nuts were served to her she turned to the baron and asked, “Since you are so busy in the House, how do you find time to attend events such as these?”
“Oh my lady, one must make time. My lord, the earl, is a very important member of the House of Lords so if he invites one to his home, one must never decline such an invitation.”
It was an effort not to giggle over this supercilious comment and Victoria was happy when Mr. Mead interjected on her other side.
“Taking a break from the rigours of politics is a refreshing change. Having the pleasure of the company of such lovely ladies as yourself makes us remember why we do what we do every day. We have to make this country be the best it can be for the benefit of our ladies.”
Victoria blinked rapidly, unsure how to respond to the young man’s clumsy efforts at flirtation. She smiled pleasantly. “No doubt all the ladies appreciate your efforts, Mr. Mead. It is important work, running the country smoothly.”
When Odelia stood to indicate it was time for the ladies to depart, leaving the gentlemen to their port, Victoria did not hesitate in the least to get to her feet, but she did turn to each of her companions to thank them sweetly for keeping her entertained throughout the dinner.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Lambert, and seeing you again, Mr. Mead. No doubt we will meet again. I wish you a pleasant evening.”
She made her escape before either of them could launch into further speech, and caught up with Alanna in the hallway. “Oh my dear goodness, Alanna, that was the most hilarious evening! Those two gentlemen I was sitting between were clearly on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Etiquette dictated that they could not argue over me so they had to each tell me their opposing thoughts on various matters. It was an interesting combination of entertaining and exhausting. But the most amusing part was when the baron kept assuming that I could not possibly understand whatever he was talking about and so would launch into a long-winded explanation. I, of course, could not explain to him that it was not that I had not understood whatever he had said, but rather that in my boredom of his excess of words I had allowed my mind to wander.”
“Oh dear, I am sorry you did not enjoy it,” Alanna began to apologize.
“Oh, that is not the case at all. It was highly diverting. My uncle is not overly involved in politics as far as I am aware, so it was true that I did not know everything they were discussing, but it was fairly interesting for the most part. The only problem was that I was more fascinated by watching everyone else, so I could not keep my attention focused if they blathered on for too long.”
“Well, that is good then. And our evening is not nearly over yet! You shall have plenty of time to indulge your desire in observing the ton. Come along, my dear.”
With those cryptic words Alanna lead the way to the morning room where the duchess was taking her leave of Odelia and the other ladies.
Victoria dipped into a dignified curtsy as she took her leave of the gathered women.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Victoria. I must call upon you soon. When are you at home?” Odelia asked, surprised to see the apparent consternation her question elicited.
“Oh that is so kind of you, my lady,” Victoria stammered. Regaining her composure quickly, she rallied, “I do not have a regular at-home day, as I have just begun dipping my toe into the activities involved during the Season. Lady Alanna has been kind enough to allow me to accompany her as she makes her rounds, so perhaps it would be best if you called on her, as I would be more likely to be there than at my own home.” Victoria was rather proud of herself at how she had managed to recover but she dared not meet Alanna’s eyes lest she burst into a nervous fit of giggles.
Odelia did not appear to find anything strange in Victoria’s explanation and merely repeated her pleasure at having had the trio as their guests that evening. The duchess shepherded the two younger girls from the room and the three descended to their carriage in silence.
As soon as the door was shut upon them, Alanna and Victoria’s eyes met and the two allowed gales of laughter to flow. Even the duchess could not resist smiling over their hilarity.
“What are you two giggling so merrily about?” she asked, sending the two younger ladies into another fit of giggles.
Victoria finally regained sufficient composure to reply, “It really is not all that funny, my lady. I do believe it is an excess of nervous energy that is causing us to laugh so much. Lady Odelia asked if she could call on me. I am quite certain the expression on my face when I made an attempt to reply was not one that is perfectly acceptable socially. I think I pulled it off fairly well, but Alanna and I are finding it ridiculous in hindsight.”
“Oh Victoria, the look on your face was
hilarious! You managed to wipe it off remarkably quickly but for a split of a second you looked equal parts terrified and mortified. I must tell you how impressed I am with your ability to regain your composure. I do not think Odelia will even remember the momentary look of panic on your face, nor remark upon your response. It sounded reasonable and should not cause you any problems,” Alanna assured.
“Do you think it would be terribly awkward if someone were to call by your house and ask for you?” the duchess asked with concern.
“I would certainly not be dressed in the first stare of fashion, for one thing,” said Victoria while she contemplated how best to answer the question. “And some awkward questions might be asked. But, no, I do not think it would be a terrible situation, just a trifle embarrassing for me to be caught out in my role as governess by someone I had been socializing with.”
The duchess nodded in agreement with Victoria’s explanation but had a reasonable argument of her own to offer. “Keep in mind, if someone were to call when you are not feeling prepared for company you can always have the butler tell the new arrival that you are not at home to company. It is not unacceptable, and would not be considered rude. Your guest would merely leave their card and expect a return visit when you are in a position to do so. There is no need for you to panic if someone asks to call on you. You can merely smile graciously and say how lovely it would be to see them again.”
Victoria felt her face warm. “You are absolutely right, my lady. I rather made a muck of that, did I not? I hope you are correct, Alanna, in thinking that Lady Odelia did not remark upon my questionable response.”
“No harm was done, my dear, have no fear,” the duchess assured her. “Now put that from your mind. We are about to have a lovely night.”
Victoria could feel that the carriage was coming to a stop and looked from the nearest window to see where they were. She was on the side of the carriage facing away from their destination, it would seem, as she could see very little from her window. She eagerly peered out the door as it was opened by an attentive footman.
The Reluctant Debutante: A Sweet, Regency Romance (Ladies of Mayfair Book 4) Page 26