by Lucy Langton
“Are they still sleeping?” Ada wondered aloud as she made her way back upstairs and to Dowager Statham’s bedchamber. There, she knocked softly and was immediately summoned inside.
“Ah, Ada dear. There you are,” Dowager Statham said from where she sat on her bed, her back propped up by several pillows. Ada’s brows furrowed as she came into the room to see her employer still dressed in her nightgown, the curtains pulled over most of the windows.
“Are you alright, Dowager Statham?” Ada asked as she came around her bed to get a good look at her.
“Yes, just a little weary from all the excitement last night. My nose is a little sniffly, and my head does hurt as though I have a headache,” she explained. Ada’s lungs tightened as she went very still. She’d seen her mother and father both bedridden with the sniffles, only to pass away a few days later.
“Have you summoned a physician yet?” Ada asked, her voice soft. She gripped her hands together in front of her, trying to keep from shaking in fear.
“No, child. It is nothing but exhaustion and more than likely too much punch. I did not prop open my window last night, and now I’m stuffy,” Dowager Statham explained, shaking her head at her. “Nonetheless, I don’t think I’ll be well enough to accompany you this evening to the opera house for the concert.”
Ada’s heart dropped further at the announcement. She forced a smile to her face and nodded, not wanting Dowager Statham to see her immense disappointment.
“I’d much rather you stay home and rest,” Ada said, trying to sound reassuring. “There will be other concerts to attend, I’m sure.”
“My dear, you will still go. I shall talk to Flynt about being your escort for the evening. We have the box reserved for our family, and you should still be able to go since you love the music more than any of us,” Dowager Statham explained.
Ada’s lips parted as she tried to think of the most appropriate thing to say. She knew she should be grateful and accept the idea of allowing Lord Statham to take her to the opera still. But what would people think then if she appeared in public with him? She wasn’t so sure that it would be the most agreeable idea.
“Are you sure that Lord Statham would even be partial to the idea of attending?” Ada reasoned.
“Despite his poor choices in life, the only thing that Flynt loved consistently was the opera. The man knows more about music than I ever care to know,” Dowager Statham declared.
“Really? I certainly had no idea,” Ada stammered, surprised.
“Indeed. So, I think he would be a worthy partner for this evening,” Dowager Statham said as she raised a handkerchief to her nose and dabbed. “I will speak with him once he is decent for the day.”
“I appreciate your consideration,” Ada said as she dipped her head. “I shall go downstairs and see if Dowager White has made it to breakfast. Shall I bring you anything?”
“I am fine, my dear. My lady’s maid has already been sent to fetch me a plate of food. I shall send Flynt down to you once I’ve spoken with him,” Dowager Statham said before gesturing to her that she could depart. Ada curtsied then before leaving the room.
Though Ada was excited to see the concert, she wasn’t sure how she felt about going with Lord Statham. She knew that he was a troubled man and wasn’t sure if her reputation would be hindered by appearing in public with him. After all, her intention was to marry one day. If people thought that she was a desperate woman for choosing to attend the concert with him, what would eligible gentlemen then think of her?
Ada was feeling very troubled by the time she made it back downstairs and to the dining room. There, she found Dowager White seated at the table as a footman served her a hot breakfast. The widow looked up from her plate and smiled at Ada, gesturing to the chair next to her. Ada returned the smile and did as instructed, taking a seat next to her.
“Good morning, my dear. I hope you slept well,” Dowager White said before taking a bite of her breakfast sausage.
“I did, thank you,” Ada replied. The footman soon came and served her a plate as well, and she made sure to thank him before he took up his station in the room.
“Lavinia doesn’t seem too well this morning. I told her she should stay home and rest. I also told her that Flynt should still take you to the opera house,” Dowager White declared after taking a long sip of her water.
“Yes, I have just come from Dowager Statham’s bedchamber. She did tell me the same thing,” Ada said, her voice faltering. She tried to always sound chipper and happy around the family she worked for, but at that moment, she couldn’t pretend any longer. She was really unsure about this decision.
“You don’t appear to be pleased with the idea,” Dowager White observed.
“It’s not that I am not grateful. I am thrilled with the opportunity to see the concert. But Lord Statham doesn’t have the best reputation right now. I know he is a troubled man, and I am worried about losing my chances at marriage if I am seen in public with him,” Ada explained.
“My dear, you worry too much,” Dowager White said with a chuckle. “I was more worried that you thought Flynt was not good company.”
“No, Dowager White. I find Lord Statham’s company pleasant overall. I am sympathetic to the man but simply wonder about the repercussions of attending with him,” Ada admitted.
“Miss Ada, you have a chance to attend the concert with a dashing lieutenant colonel. The young ladies will be jealous of you, and the gentlemen will be curious to know who you are. Lavinia and I shall make sure that you are truly the beau of the audience,” Dowager White said with a chuckle.
“Dowager White, you make everything sound so romantic,” Ada said with a laugh, feeling a bit better.
“I suppose I have always been so, Miss Ada. I think the opera house is the perfect place to meet someone new. And, since you will be more focused on the concert and less about whom you are with, I am certain that in the end, you shall dearly enjoy yourself.”
“I cannot argue with that line of thinking,” Ada said with a nod. They finished their breakfast then, talking ideally of the concert and what Ada should wear. But as they talked, Ada reminded herself that she didn’t know if Lord Statham would agree to go with her and therefore prepared herself mentally to be staying home that night.
~*~
“Dowager Statham requests your presence,” a footman told Flynt the moment he stepped out of his bedchamber. He refrained from rolling his eyes in front of the man and waited for him to walk down the hallway before he sighed and crossed the hallway to his mother’s bedchamber. He knocked once and received an invitation the moment he did so.
“Good morning, Mother,” Flynt said as he stepped inside her room. “Are you feeling well?”
“Not as well as I would like,” Dowager Statham admitted. “I need you to do a favour for me.”
“Oh, and what type of favour would this be?” he asked, raising his eyebrow. He approached her bedside, thinking he should tread cautiously.
“I promised Miss Ada that I would take her and Dowager White to the concert tonight at the opera house. Since the reservations have already been made, would you please take Miss Ada so she can still see the performance?”
Flynt thought about it for a second, thinking he could use a night out. And since Miss Ada was good company, he couldn’t think of a valid reason to say no.
“I suppose I can do that for you, Mama,” Flynt said with a nod. Dowager Statham stared at her son for a moment, seeming to be surprised.
“Miss Ada is a respectful young lady who just loves to sing. I know how much she will appreciate the opportunity to go out and see the performance. And, it’s not like you really have to say or do anything. Simply make sure she arrives at the opera hall and remains safe throughout the night,” Dowager Statham continued.
“I agree, Mother. It really is a simple matter,” Flynt said, a smirk coming to his lips. He could only assume that his mother had not expected him to say yes in the first place, and therefore, he use
d this opportunity to tease her.
“Flynt, I must say, your public behaviour has not been the most ideal. I really want you to put Miss Ada’s best interest in mind this evening. You are to be an escort, Flynt. Not to do anything disagreeable or attention-getting while fulfilling this role,” Dowager Statham said as she leaned forward, really giving Flynt a severe look.
“Mother, please be still. I agree with your words, and therefore, you do not have to fear. If this is something I can do for you, then I will,” Flynt said, folding his arms over his chest while he tried to speak softly with his mother.
“Well, if I do learn later after the concert that you weren’t a perfect gentleman, then I’ll have no choice but to throw you out of the house.” Dowager Statham sat back on her fluffed pillows with her chin raised high.
“There will be no need of threats, Mother. It will be good for me to attend a concert for I dearly loved going to the opera house when I was younger. And, Miss Ada is an attractive young lady. I should be honoured to be her escort.”
“My word, that young lady can sing. If she hadn’t been born a proper lady, she would have soared to new heights with an opera company. Everyone in London would dearly pay to hear her sing,” Dowager Statham admitted with a sigh.
“I can readily agree that Miss Ada has a lovely singing voice. She is rather timid, yet I found her songs rather soothing.” Flynt looked away from his mother for a moment, eyeing the window and focusing his gaze there. He longed to be at peace with everything he had experienced in the last three years. If it wasn’t alcohol and the thrill of cards to help him forget, it was listening to Miss Ada singing to help him feel at ease for once.
“Miss Ada is only timid because she is the best listener I have ever met. She has a keen intelligence to know when to speak and when not to speak. And when she does speak, her words are well chosen. This is a great quality that most women lack. Therefore, don’t be so quick to judge her, Flynt.”
“Perhaps it’s a quality that you and Aunt Bertie should try to adapt from her?” Flynt teased with a smile on his lips and his eyebrow raised.
“Flynt, hear me this,” Dowager Statham said as she raised her index finger and pointed it at him. “You have a perfect opportunity this evening to appear in public with a respectful woman. Don’t mess this up for either her or yourself.”
“Come now, Mother. You can count on me, really,” he said, sitting on the edge of her bed and leaning towards her. He softened his face, wanting to be convincing to her when she seemed slightly flustered by the blush on her cheeks.
“I know I deserve your harsh tongue. It vexes me to know that I have disappointed you so much. And it’s not like I don’t know that I need to do the right thing. With everything that I experienced abroad, I can’t seem to really get a grasp on my life here,” Flynt said, speaking slowly and honestly.
Dowager Statham reached forward and grasped Flynt’s hand as he continued to speak. “I have a lot of dreadful memories from the war, Mother. Things I wouldn’t dare to try to explain to you as I fear it would be rather ghastly and frighten you. But I dearly want to forget these things.”
He looked up at his mother then, his blue eyes starting to tear up as bloody memories started to swarm his mind. He saw his friends dying around him, men he was certain would return to England with him, and together they would all be heroes. But instead, more men died than ever came back. The sound of gunfire started to fill his ears, and it was only his mother squeezing his hand that seemed to bring him out of the fog once more.
“Flynt, I won’t try to say that I understand. But, drowning yourself in alcohol is not the solution. It will kill you faster than it will your memories. Perhaps an enjoyable environment with a beautiful young lady will help you more than drinking ever did,” Dowager Statham reasoned.
Flynt pulled his hand from his mother’s and used it to wipe away the tears in his eyes. He stood from the bed and fixed his muslin shirt before running his fingers through his hair. He gave his mother a nod, seeming to be tongue-tied at that moment.
“Flynt, before you go down to breakfast and share the good news with Miss Ada that she can still attend this evening, please consider at least putting on a vest and a cravat. Let your valet help you fix your hair as well,” his mother suggested.
Flynt smirked as he said, “But, Mother. People will start to think I’m an acceptable man if I do that.”
“That is because you are acceptable when you choose to be,” she replied with a chuckle.
“Thank you, Mother. For everything,” he said, his voice becoming soft again.
“Now, now. Don’t try to butter me up. You have work to do today in preparation for this evening. Be gone with yourself.” Dowager Statham’s voice had become stern once more, but the smile on her face never left.
Flynt bowed to his mother before leaving the room and heading downstairs. He wasn’t keen on the idea of dressing to impress every hour of the day. Especially when he would more than likely remain at home for the duration of the day, wandering around the garden to enjoy the sunshine.
But he would at least dress more presentable for the concert this evening. He looked forward to hearing the tenor himself, and perhaps would enjoy the company of Miss Ada, even if she didn’t quite speak that much to begin with.
Chapter 6
Ada’s stomach was filled with all sorts of butterfly feelings as she stood in Dowager Statham’s bedchamber with Dowager White. The whole day they had talked of nothing else but the concert, of who would be most likely to be there, and what Ada should wear. She was still surprised when Lord Statham had come down from breakfast and explained that he would be delighted to be her escort. They had spoken a bit about music since then, but Lord Statham had remained in the gardens for most of the day.
“Bertie, she should wear the satin gown,” Dowager Statham said as she sat in a wing-backed chair, having moved from the bed for a short exercise, then retired to the chair.
“The linen gown is so beautiful as well,” Dowager White said as she pointed to the three gowns that Dowager Statham’s lady’s maid was holding.
“Miss Ada is sure to be noticed in the box near the stage. Therefore, she needs the most elegant gown to be seen with an earl. Satin is better than linen in this case,” Dowager Statham pressed.
“I agree that the satin gown is most beautiful,” Ada spoke up before the two would start to argue once more. They could bicker back and forth for an entire day, and Ada didn’t feel as though she had the time to do so. They had all had an early dinner, and now she felt the need to be ready on time as not to keep Lord Statham waiting.
“Very good. She will wear the satin gown,” Dowager Statham declared with a smile.
Her lady’s maid was quick to help Ada change into the violet gown. Then, Ada sat in front of the looking glass while the maid teased her hair into curls before pinning them up on her head. It had been a long time since she had her hair done, and by the time that Ada was complete, to include a string of pearls around her neck, the sight in front of her reminded Ada of her mother and the many times she had witnessed her prepare for social gatherings.
“What a vision of beauty,” Dowager White declared as she clapped her hands together excitedly. “You’ll surely be the beau of the event.”
“I’m not certain about the truth of your statement, Dowager White. But I surely appreciate it,” Ada replied with a smile.
“I am only disheartened that we couldn’t take you ourselves, Miss Ada. But I am confident that Flynt will be on his best behaviour. You will surely enjoy yourself and the performance,” Dowager Statham said with a wide smile.
“It is only because of you that I have this opportunity. I shall always be grateful,” Miss Ada said with a bow, the satin gown blooming around her like a flower.