"And if Miss Crosgrove is anything like her mother," Hazel continued, staring pointedly at Elijah, "she must be very amiable."
Neither of the men responded, and Elijah knew it frustrated Hazel as she failed again in receiving more information.
"Mr. Godfrey," she continued, "do you know Elijah danced with Miss Crosgrove only the other night?"
"Yes, I believe you mentioned that fact earlier, dear," he said as he scribbled away at the paper in front of him.
"I suppose I did," Hazel said, her voice laced with impatience. "I would, no doubt, stop repeating myself had I more information about her. However, Elijah, as you can see, will not release any more of his knowledge."
Elijah could no longer hide his satisfied smile.
"Well," Isaac said, dipping his feather pen in the inkwell, "Perhaps it is a good thing we have been invited to attend this dinner party, for now you may obtain the information you seek yourself."
Hazel sighed. "Yes, but it would be far easier for Elijah to simply tell me more about her. Would it not, Elijah?"
Elijah stood and closed his book with a loud clap. "I agree, it would be easier. However, having you work for the information you desire is far more entertaining to watch than if I gave it away freely."
He smiled as he walked promptly out of the room.
"You really should not pester him, dear," Elijah heard Isaac say when the door closed behind him. "I am sure he will share more with you when he is ready."
"Pester?" came Hazel's shocked reply. "Since when is it pestering for a sister to be curious about a woman her brother has taken an interest in?"
Elijah smiled as he moved out of earshot of the husband and wife and made his way to return the book to the library, deciding to read it when he was not so distracted.
He thought about the party he had agreed to attend, and a ball of knotted anxiety settled in his stomach. He appreciated Hazel's interest regarding his life, but her questioning atop his worrying, did nothing to settle his nerves. He knew seeing Lilyanna possibly meant the progression of their relationship, and the thought both scared and excited him as he wondered if he was ready.
It has been nearly three years, he thought to himself as he drummed his fingers along the book. I am ready.
***
Lilyanna paced the red carpet of the parlor, ringing her hands nervously as she and her mother awaited the arrival of their guests to the dinner party.
"Really, Lilyanna," Mrs. Crosgrove said as she sat calmly in her chair next to the crackling fire, "you must cease at once or you shall create a hole the length of Somerset in the flooring."
"I am sorry, Mother," Lilyanna said, moving to a seat next to one of the room's large windows.
She strained to look past her own reflection in the glass, having nothing but darkness to greet her perusing eyes. She paused in her search to secure the pins in her hair and pinch her cheeks before resuming her lookout for even the slightest hint of a lantern in the distance.
"Do not watch from the window like a child," Mrs. Crosgrove scolded, "or our guests might think you are one."
"Yes, Mother," she mumbled, directing her gaze indoors. "I suppose I am simply excited for the evening."
"As am I," Mrs. Crosgrove said, though Lilyanna had a hard time believing it due to the frown on her mother's face, "but a lady must conceal her excitement if she cannot restrain it."
"I will try harder, Mother," Lilyanna replied.
"You must be on your best behavior tonight, for, as you know, we have two very amiable gentlemen attending."
Lilyanna's joy at seeing Elijah nearly disappeared at the unwelcome reminder of Mrs. Crosgrove's invitation to Mr. Quigley. She had attempted to dissuade her mother of the idea on countless occasions, but Mrs. Crosgrove would not hear of it, for having two men interested in Lilyanna proved to thrill her to no end.
Lilyanna had hoped Mr. Quigley would have denied the invitation, especially after she had embarrassed him the last time they had met, but to her dismay, they had received an acceptance from him almost immediately.
"I will do my best to behave appropriately."
Mrs. Crosgrove smoothed the folds of her dress down. "It should be quite a beneficial evening for us. With both fine gentlemen here, we may better choose your future husband."
Lilyanna's nerves tightened at her mother's inclusion of herself in the decision of who Lilyanna would marry, but before she could even think of a response, she heard the first carriages of the night coming up Heatherhill's long drive.
"Come, Lilyanna," Mrs. Crosgrove said as she made her way to the parlor's open door, securing her hairpins, "we shall greet our guests."
Lilyanna did not dawdle in following her mother to the large, front doors of the estate, her heart pounding at the idea of seeing Elijah and meeting his sister.
Mrs. Reynolds and her husband, a man who always appeared as if on the verge of falling asleep, arrived first, followed closely by Mr. and Mrs. Copley, a kind, middle-aged couple who visited Bath every year to take the waters.
As Lilyanna curtsied to each guest, she again wished her mother had allowed her to invite the Roseburys, however Mrs. Crosgrove had very adamantly expressed the need for Lilyanna to be the only unmarried female in attendance.
"We must not allow an opportunity for another young lady to steal the attention away from you," she had said with a wave of her hand, "even if it is only Miss Charlotte Rosebury."
A few moments passed by before Lilyanna watched warily as Mr. Quigley entered with his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Fenimore. She and her mother spoke with the elderly couple until they slowly moved to the parlor, however, Mr. Quigley stayed behind.
"Mrs. Crosgrove, Miss Crosgrove," he said, placing a hand to his chest, "it is an honor to have received an invitation to your home for such an occasion. I have truly been counting down the days until I could see you both."
"As have we, Mr. Quigley," Mrs. Crosgrove said. "We are so glad you have come."
Lilyanna plastered a fake smile upon her lips. "Indeed," she said.
She motioned for him to proceed to the parlor, scolding herself for wishing the man might not have come.
Her dismay dissipated, for not long after Mr. Quigley departed did Elijah walk through the doors, his face lighting up when she made eye contact with him.
A woman with dark hair holding onto the arm of a tall, handsome gentleman followed closely behind.
"Mr. Bainbridge," Mrs. Crosgrove said, "welcome to Heatherhill."
"Thank you," Elijah said, bowing before motioning to the couple beside him. "Allow me to introduce my sister, Mrs. Hazel Godfrey, and her husband, Mr. Isaac Godfrey."
"You are all most welcome here," Mrs. Crosgrove said. "Though our home is much larger than where you currently reside, I do hope you will find comfort here rather than becoming overcome by its grandeur."
Lilyanna blinked mutely at her mother's boasting.
"Your home is quite beautiful, Mrs. Crosgrove," Hazel agreed, though Lilyanna sensed a false praise in her tone. "We cannot thank you enough for your invitation for us to come along with my brother."
Lilyanna could not seem to smile enough at Elijah, who seemed just as eager to watch Lilyanna, but she broke their mutual contact for a moment to address his sister.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey," she said. "It is a pleasure to meet you both. I understand you have not been married long."
"Yes, that is right," Mr. Godfrey said.
Hazel smiled. "We have loved every moment of our married lives," she said. "That is, so far."
Lilyanna smiled when Hazel winked at her husband, but soon, Mr. Harper opened the door once more behind them, and Elijah and the Godfreys took their leave, making their way to join the others.
Lilyanna fought the urge to watch him as he departed, focusing instead on the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Hearnshaw, the last of the evening's guests.
As soon as everyone assembled together, dinner was announced, and the party made the
ir way into the large dining room where an impressive table fit enough chairs to seat each of the fourteen guests with ample room to move. The shining silver and sparkling glasses on the table matched the splendor of the lit chandelier and sconces, providing more than enough light for the guests and their food to be seen.
Lilyanna tried not to feel too disappointed with Mr. Quigley sitting next to her, but her spirits brightened to see Elijah situated on the other side of the table where she could still observe his handsome features.
The moment everyone had taken their seats, Mr. Quigley turned to Lilyanna and began his chattering.
"I hope you have not missed me too much, Miss Crosgrove," he said as plates of fish and bowls of soup were made available for the guests. "You, no doubt, must be curious as to my whereabouts the past week. But worry not, for I shall keep you in the dark no longer. The action would be far too cruel for someone so amiable as you."
Lilyanna merely stared at the bowl of soup in front of her, barely managing to nod. She looked up to see Elijah in conversation with Mrs. Crosgrove, and she prayed the handsome man would not overhear Mr. Quigley's words.
"I was in town, you see," Mr. Quigley continued. "You may have already guessed, though, seeing as how intelligent you are in such matters."
"I see," Lilyanna said, spooning up some of her soup. "And you went to London on business, I assume?"
"Well the reasons are unimportant," Mr. Quigley said hurriedly.
Lilyanna, suspicious, looked up at his guilty expression, wondering if his departure from Bath resulted from his embarrassment caused by her.
"But," Mr. Quigley continued, "upon my arrival there, I very soon realized how greatly I missed Bath, as well as the company of a beautiful lady I have grown quite accustomed to spending time with."
Lilyanna took a sip of her drink to avoid responding to the gentleman and his forward tongue.
"That beautiful lady being you, of course."
He paused, but Lilyanna kept her gaze on the soup she swirled around on her spoon, wishing he would stop speaking.
"And for that reason, I found myself returning much sooner than I had previously planned."
Lilyanna nodded, looking up to see if there were any nearby conversations she could join in.
"Now do not think I dislike town, Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said, "or its fine society, as I was able to meet with the finest company while there. Even the great Lady Huffington herself was in my circle, as well as her beautiful daughter who is as great a woman as I have ever met. Of course, not unlike you, my dear Miss Crosgrove."
Lilyanna longed to tell Mr. Quigley to hold his tongue in speaking to her in such a way, especially when she noticed Elijah's sister watching them from across her place at the table, but she remained silent.
"And Miss Huffington's father, Sir Arthur Huffington, is as regal as ever," Mr. Quigley carried on. "His fine stature draws attention as soon as he enters a room."
Lilyanna took another spoonful of soup, moving her gaze to Elijah who Mrs. Crosgrove still spoke with, and she felt envious of her mother as their conversation of Elijah's family and their history reached her ears, Mrs. Crosgrove no doubt monitoring every sentence escaping his mouth.
"And then there are the lower families necessity demands we meet with," Mr. Quigley said. "It is the charitable thing to do, but spending time with them can be a very taxing trial."
"Miss Crosgrove?"
Lilyanna smiled instantly to hear Mrs. Copley calling her name, finally rescuing her from the man's babbling.
"Yes, Mrs. Copley?" she said eagerly.
The soft-spoken woman smiled. "I do hope we will have the opportunity to hear you play the pianoforte this evening. We certainly do not have the pleasure to hear it quite as often as we should like."
"Oh, yes," piped up Mrs. Hearnshaw, her much louder, jovial voice carrying across the length of the table. "I admit to never hearing such delightful music as when you play for us, dear."
"I am sure you both exaggerate," Lilyanna said, smiling at the compliments, "but I would be honored to play at some point in the evening, if the opportunity presents itself."
"Oh, wonderful," Mrs. Copley said, and a murmur of approval moved through the guests who had since ceased all other conversations to hear Lilyanna's answer.
Mrs. Crosgrove once more directed her attention to Elijah, though she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "I am afraid my daughter is speaking modestly, for what the others say is true. She is very talented at playing the pianoforte."
"I am looking forward to hearing it for myself then," Elijah said.
Blushing, Lilyanna returned the smile he sent in her direction. "Thank you, Mr. Bainbridge."
"Yes, well," Mr. Quigley said loudly, "those who boast closest to Miss Crosgrove already know how superbly well she plays."
Small conversations broke forth among the guests then, though no one responded to Mr. Quigley's comment. Lilyanna tried to focus on Mr. and Mrs. Copley as they shared their six children's latest antics, however, Mr. Quigley once again begged for her attention.
"Now, Miss Crosgrove," he said, "where was I before we were so rudely interrupted?"
She watched, appalled, as Mr. Quigley blatantly scowled at Mrs. Copley, but the woman did not seem to notice, much to Lilyanna's relief.
"Ah, yes," he said, his frown clearing, "I remember. Now, I know you have not been to town for quite some time. Of course, this is not of your doing, for I know you would love to be there every year. Yet, we must do the best with what we have been given."
Afraid of where the conversation was headed, Lilyanna shook her head. "I do not mind a missed chance to visit London," she said. "Bath's society is sufficient for me, I assure you."
"Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said, his thick brows pulling together with a look of concern, "you do not know what you say. And this is particularly why I must insist that you join me in traveling to town the next time I venture forth."
Lilyanna choked as she inhaled the soup with a gasp, barely managing to bring her napkin to her lips before the liquid left her mouth.
"I say," Mr. Reynolds said, his eyes wide and red as if Lilyanna had just jerked him awake from a deep sleep, "are you all right?"
Nodding, Lilyanna blinked away the water in her eyes. "Yes, thank you," she said, clearing her throat as she lowered her napkin. "I suppose I simply ate too quickly. This soup tastes so delicious, I am afraid I could not help myself from devouring it as fast as possible."
A pleasant laughter broke out around the table, and she would have felt relief at her cover-up had not Mrs. Crosgrove sent a disapproving look in her direction.
The guests carried on as usual, and Lilyanna looked to Mr. Quigley who already watched her intently.
"I am sorry if I have startled you with my forward request, Miss Crosgrove," he said, "but I cannot help but share my intentions regarding you and I, together."
Lilyanna found herself scowling at his decision to speak so candidly in front of so many people. Still, she could not forget the fact that her stomach churned not from how he asked, but what he asked.
He has practically given me a proposal of marriage, she thought with dismay.
She glanced around at the faces of their guests, ensuring no one had heard Mr. Quigley's blunt request. Relief filled her when she noticed Elijah still engaged in conversation with Mrs. Crosgrove, but her heart dropped when she saw Hazel's brown eyes, so like her brother's, darting away when they made eye contact.
Has she heard his offer? she thought. What if she believes Mr. Quigley and I are engaged? Will she tell Elijah and convince him to never see me again?
When the commotion in the room increased with platters of various food being brought in and out, Lilyanna tried to seize her opportunity to respond to Mr. Quigley.
"Mr. Quigley, I thank you for your friendship, but—"
"Please, Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said, sticking a long-fingered hand in front of her face, "do not respond now. I would a
ppreciate an answer, and soon, but I would prefer not to share our special moment in front of so many others."
He dropped his hand and helped himself to various cuts of meat and cheese, ignoring Lilyanna who sat staring at him in stunned silence.
She shook her head before distracting herself from his hypocrisy and delusion with her choice of the food in front of her, settling on boiled potatoes and stewed beef.
Mr. Quigley hardly said another word to her all dinner, his mouth too occupied with chewing and sucking on the fat from his beef, but Lilyanna did not complain, for she had determined not to speak with the man beyond that of civility for the rest of the evening.
Maybe then he will understand my true feelings, she thought, though she knew very likely he would not.
When the courses finished, Mrs. Crosgrove assured the gentlemen they would be taken care of by Mr. Harper, then she and the other women withdrew as they walked the short distance from the dining room to the drawing room.
Lilyanna felt both relief and disappointment, for she had escaped her close proximity with Mr. Quigley but was then separated from Elijah.
They entered the drawing room, and Lilyanna chose a seat near Hazel and Mrs. Hearnshaw. The older woman smiled to see Lilyanna approaching them.
"Oh, Miss Crosgrove," she said, "I am glad you have come to sit with us. We were speaking of our love of the outdoors. You will agree with us, will you not?"
Lilyanna smiled, though she faltered somewhat to see the serious expression across Hazel's face. "Of course, Mrs. Hearnshaw," she said, trying to maintain unaffected by Hazel's unnerving gaze. "You know I would never pass on walking amongst the trees when compared to staying indoors. I am glad you feel the same, Mrs. Godfrey."
Again, she smiled at Hazel, but she shifted uncomfortably on her cushioned chair as she was only met with the woman's studying gaze.
Have I offended her in some way? she wondered.
"You see, Mrs. Godfrey?" Mrs. Hearnshaw continued, apparently unaware of the discomfort both women seemed to feel. "I told you there were other women like us. Now, let us see if we cannot find more company to join in our cause."
When Two Rivers Meet (Regency Romance) Page 5