Not Just Lovely Laura

by Jessica Spencer

  Laura let her friend prattle on about the latest on dits. Lady Harriet had a droll way about her. She liked to gossip but wasn’t malicious. Laura usually enjoyed listening to her. Now her attention was on the names being announced. Was he coming? She thought she would keep a dance free but didn’t know how to refuse. Before long her dance card was full. If Anthony came and sought to partner her, she would have to turn him down.

  Laura’s lips curved into a smile when she saw her sister-in-law. Lady Daventon was coming towards them was a bunch of debutantes who looked lost. “Laura dear, I want you to make the acquaintance of these charming young women,” she said.

  The young women were looking at her with adoring eyes. Laura guessed Maria had rescued them from Lady Goodall or someone of her ilk.

  Laura danced the first set with Lord Southall. He had paid her marked attention during her brother’s wedding. Now he had singled her out for the first dance. He was a good dancer and kept up a witty conversation.

  Mr. Bennett claimed her for the second dance. “You needn’t fear to stand close to me, Lady Laura!” he said with an impish grin. “I’ve got rid of all those bottles of scent!”

  Laura thought he had got rid of much more than the perfumes. He looked rather handsome. Taller, broader, and impeccably dressed, he was a vast improvement.

  “What made you drop the habit, my lord?”

  “Last year I escorted a young lady to a musicale. It was a select affair and I’d gone to a great deal of trouble to wangle an invitation. I wanted to impress her. After we seated ourselves, the lady started sneezing. She wouldn’t, or couldn’t stop.”

  “You mean your perfume started the sneezing fit? I am fortunate it only gave me a headache.”

  “You must allow me to make amends. May I call on you tomorrow afternoon? We can go to Hyde Park.”

  Laura’s next partner was Lord Newington. To Laura’s surprise, he didn’t start a monologue about his hobbies or his sisters. Like Mr. Bennett, he had acquired a sense of fashion or possibly a change of valet. He was easily among the best looking men in the ballroom.

  “Shall I fetch you something to drink before the dance, Lady Laura?” he asked.

  “Some lemonade, please,” Laura said, sitting down on a curved sofa in an alcove. She spread her skirts evenly and folded her hands in her lap. Anthony hadn’t come! She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  “Did I conjure you up?”

  Laura opened her eyes. The Duke of Wimberley stood looking down at her.

  “Your Grace! I didn’t hear you announced. When did you arrive?” Laura asked, and blushed. Now he would know she had been waiting for him.

  “I sneaked in through a side door. I meant to spend an hour hiding in the card room before my aunt discovered me.”

  Laura felt a wave of disappointment. He hadn’t bothered to look if she was there.

  “I was thinking of you, I mean, you and Gareth and Lady Daventon, wondering whether you were in London.”

  “I was thinking of you, too,” Laura confessed, feeling shy. “I mean to say, I was remembering my first ball in London. It was here, in this house. I met many people for the first time. I saw you, too.”

  The duke gave an enigmatic smile. Laura didn’t know what to make of it. She wished he would go. She didn’t want him standing there when he wanted to escape into the card room! She had waited for months to see him again. She had thought he held her in affection. She had hoped that affection would turn to love.

  He didn’t care at all. The magic of their waltz hadn’t touched him. Her heart plummeted. How was she going to bear the Season if the mere sight of him unsettled her? She wished he would leave her. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep a polite smile on her face for much longer.

  Fortunately, Lord Newington arrived, bearing lemonade. Laura accepted it from him.

  “Your Grace,” Lord Newington said, making an elegant leg.

  Laura took a decorous sip and looked at them. How had she thought Newington handsome? Anthony cast him and every other gentleman in the shade.

  The next set was announced. Anthony left and Laura took Lord Newington’s arm. She danced it and the sets that followed with resolute enjoyment.

  When she went to bed, she wondered whether Anthony would resume his earlier practice of visiting with Gareth. And if he did, would it be wise for her to join them.

  Chapter 18

  During her stay in London, Laura wanted to visit Mrs. Forsyth’s Home for Unfortunate Children on a regular basis. She had been sending money to the children’s home. But she wanted to do more. Sending funds wasn’t the same as seeing a child’s face light up with joy. Donations improved their wretched conditions but couldn’t make them feel wanted.

  Gareth didn’t want Laura to visit the home but was no match for the women of his family. He gave his consent provided Laura limited her visits to twice a week. The visits were not to come in the way of her social obligations. He expected her to attend society events and also be at home for morning callers. Above all, he wanted her to be discreet.

  “Don’t worry about that, Gareth,” Lady Maria said. “Adam will drive her and Gwen or Bessie will accompany her. She will be dressed in a manner not to draw attention.”

  Laura decided to visit the home on the very next day. When she was getting ready, Lady Maria sailed into her room, holding a hatbox. Laura was wearing a simple gown and a modish spencer. A pretty bonnet, trimmed to match the gown, lay on the dresser.

  “It might look odd to the servants if I left the house dressed in a shabby gown,” Laura explained.

  She held up a grey pelisse. “I had Miss Henry make it, telling her it was for a rather stout serving maid who was prone to chills. It will be an easy matter to remove the spencer and slip on the pelisse. It is quite shapeless and not at all the thing a lady would wear.”

  Lady Maria nodded approvingly. “What about your hair?”

  “I shall exchange this pretty bonnet for a cap.”

  “I have brought you something better,” Lady Maria said, opening the hatbox.

  “What is it?” Laura asked, gazing at the confection.

  “I took a wig and sewed a cap on it. It’s ridiculously easy to put on. Here, let me show you.”

  She placed the wig on Laura’s head and secured it in place with a couple of pins and tied the long black ribbons of the cap into a simple bow. She asked Bessie to help Laura into the pelisse.

  Laura stared at her reflection. Instead of golden locks dressed in fashionable curls, straight black hair peeped out from under the unadorned cap.

  “You will do very well. You mustn’t forget to change your gloves and shoes. And remember to keep your head down. Eyes are the most difficult to disguise.”

  ***

  Mrs. Forsyth was happy to see Laura. She heartily approved of the disguise and thought the wig a most cunning idea. “You must keep it on when you are here, dear. I shall introduce you as Miss Miller. Children cannot be expected to keep your visits a secret. Some of them have relatives who visit. It will do no harm if they talk about a young lady named Miss Miller who has straight black hair.”

  Laura readily agreed. She knew Gareth would be relieved if she went by another name. Mrs. Forsyth took her to the children. They had finished their lessons for the day. Being unused to sitting for so long, they were a bit boisterous.

  Laura engaged them in a game of her own making. Before she knew it, her hour was up, and she was on her way home.

  ***

  After Lady Malloy’s ball, Laura decided to stop having foolish hopes about the Duke of Wimberley. It wasn’t very difficult. All she had to do was not look around for Anthony. If their paths crossed, she swept him a curtsy. She was careful never to meet his eyes; they were her undoing.

  Everything became easier after that. She enjoyed the dances and the young men paying her court.

  Sometimes she wished he would make up his mind soon. It was obvious he was looking for a wife. He was frequenting socie
ty events. Mothers were lining up their daughters in front of him. Hostesses were going out of their way to introduce him to eligible women. It would be a feather in their cap to bring about so illustrious a match.

  Drat the man! Why couldn’t he just pick a woman from the heap falling at his feet? It would make her life easier.

  Laura couldn’t completely avoid Anthony. He was her brother’s friend. He was often the first to greet them at a party. He continued to treat her with teasing affection while she found some excuse to leave his presence. She was a brainless ninny, she kept telling herself. Anthony had never courted her. Instead of longing for him, it would be better if she paid attention to her suitors.

  Lord Newington was a regular caller. So was Lord Southall. Lord Ayles had taken her riding in his curricle thrice and also stood up with her at every ball. Mr. Bennet seemed to be confused. He was paying equal attention to the young lady of the sneezing fit. Lord Hennicker has descended on Daventon House armed with a fresh ode. But a week later he was betrothed to a rich widow.

  The Duke of Berkley was a most unexpected suitor. Tall and lean, he was handsome in an austere way. At thirty-five, he wasn’t too old to wed but the ton did not expect him to take a wife. He was of a scholarly bent of mind. He chaired scientific committee meetings and published academic papers. He shared Gareth’s love for Mathematics. Laura had happened to be present in the library when the duke had dropped in. Gareth had presented her. Two days later, he surprised them all by paying a morning call.

  None among her family and friends guessed at the struggle Laura underwent. Often, she sighed over her predicament. How easy it would be if she could bring herself to encourage Lord Newington or Lord Ayles, or even the Duke of Berkley, whom she found to be rather humorless.

  ***

  Laura looked forward to her visits to the children’s home. She also had the satisfaction of knowing that the children were happy to see her.

  Mrs. Forsyth was full of praise. “You have a way with the shy ones, dear. It would have taken us much longer to draw Annie out of her shell. We’ve had her three weeks before you came. The only sound that came out of her was sniffles after going to bed.”

  “Who is she, Mrs. Forsyth?”

  “An unfortunate child who needs help. She lost her mother but recently. Now she is thrust into new surroundings. She is a sensitive child. We have tried to draw her out but none of us have managed as well as you do. My dear, the child has taken a shine to you. Try to engage her attention.”

  Laura cherished the visit that had brought Annie out of her shell. She had brought books with her. Annie hadn't resisted when she had drawn her to her side. Instead of speaking, she had given her a book filled with pictures. After some time she had started reading from the book and Annie had listened. When she had paused, Annie had leaned against her to turn a page.

  Poor, motherless child.

  Chapter 19

  “Can no woman take Lady Margaret's place in your life?” Gareth asked.

  Anthony gave a bitter smile and shrugged. “That chapter is closed.”

  Gareth nodded, mentally kicking himself for bringing up a painful subject. But Anthony needed to move on. He was a duke, with responsibilities. He didn’t have the luxury of thinking only about himself.

  “It wasn't a love match,” Anthony suddenly said. “I thought it was but my father planned it.”

  Gareth’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure? I thought you first met Lady Margaret at Vauxhalls' and were immediately smitten.”

  “My father wanted the match. So did Lady Margaret's parents. The sudden meetings, all that talk about common interests was a sham. It was a farce in which Lady Margaret was a willing participant.”

  “Why? Lady Margaret was not short of suitors. Why did she agree to the deception?”

  “I was conceited enough to think it was because she was in love with me. But she was doing what was expected of her. Making an advantageous match. I can’t fault her. It was I who was foolish. I nursed a dream that wasn’t meant to be.”

  Gareth tried to remember the whirlwind courtship. It didn’t seem possible that Lady Margaret had put on an act.

  “Anthony, is it possible you are mistaken?”

  “I wish I was. For a year I followed her about like a lovesick puppy. I wanted to spend time with her, to talk to her, to share my life, and to be a part of her life. She only expected me to do my duty. You know what that means? You haven’t visited White Willow. It is built around a medieval mansion. The family bedrooms are monstrously large. They are cold. And lonely. In my besotted state, I hadn’t stopped to ask Lady Margaret whether she wanted to share my suite. Three days later she ordered her trunks to be moved to the adjoining suite. It wasn’t proper, she said. She was a proper duchess but not the wife I wanted. It took me a long time to accept the bitter truth. I had been played for a fool. How my father must have laughed!”

  “That is why you aren’t looking for love. You no longer think it possible,” Gareth mused.

  “I haven’t become a cynic, Gareth. I don’t blame Lady Margaret either. She will always have a place in my heart. She was the woman I loved, the mother of my child. Had she lived she may have come to love me in turn. I’m not embittered. I’m only being practical. The chances of making a love match among the ton are difficult. Our upbringing is all about duty and maintaining appearances.”

  “You are decided upon finding a wife this Season.”

  “I need a duchess. My mother isn’t getting younger. Her yearly trips to Harrogate have been helpful but she isn’t likely to regain her strength. White Willow needs a mistress. Mary Jane needs a mother.”

  “What will you do? Make a list again?”

  “What else?”

  “Lady Maria knows a young widow recently come to London. They met six years ago. You may not know her. She didn’t have a complete Season. A scandal cut short her visit. A few years later she married Lord Mannering but was widowed within six months.”

  “Lady Mannering? Is she in London?”

  “She is visiting with a cousin. Lady Maria called upon her yesterday. She is concerned about her. Lady Mannering has no intention of going out in Society.”

  “This is famous. I'll call upon Fanny...er...Lady Mannering.”

  “Do you mean to court her?”

  “Not at all. She is the last woman I would marry.”

  ***

  An hour later, the Duke of Wimberley was standing outside a modest terrace house in Bloomsbury. The door opened as soon as he lifted the knocker. He held out his card to the maid. “I would like to see Lady Mannering.”

  The maid returned within minutes. “Lady Mannering is not at home,” she intoned, giving him a curious look.

  Anthony called the following day. Once again the maid informed him that Lady Mannering was not at home. Anthony knew Lady Mannering was inside but there was nothing for it except to leave. A carriage drew up outside the wicket gate. It was Lady Daventon, come to call on her friend.

  “It has turned out to be a tolerably pleasant day. The morning rain has spent itself,” Lady Maria said.

  After exchanging pleasantries, Anthony said, “It appears you are here to call upon Lady Mannering. I shall delay you no longer.”

  He waited to see if Lady Mannering was at home now. She was.

  He hoped Lady Maria would be able to draw Fanny into society. She was a lady by birth. Daughter of a powerful baron, married to an earl, it wasn’t right that she was shunning society. She had made mistakes. But he was to blame, too. He would convince her to come out of hiding and try to find happiness.

  The next day, the maid was waiting for him. “Lady Mannering is not at home,” she informed, folding her thin arms in front of her and scowling down from her vantage position of the topmost step.

  Anthony knew very well it wasn't true. He had observed the hastily dropped curtain while leaving his curricle.

  “Please inform Lady Mannering I plan to await her arrival by planting myself at her
door.”

  “I’ll tell her,” the maid said and immediately realized her blunder. “I mean I’ll tell her when she’s back.”

  “Of course you will. I’ll wait until you do.”

  The maid disappeared inside, leaving Anthony chuckling to himself. He was still laughing when she returned and relieved him of his coat and hat, and led him into a small parlor.

  “Fanny, you can’t be so easily rid of me, my love!” he said.

  An hour later he took leave. He paused in the doorway and fished out a shilling. “For you,” he said, and the maid bobbed a curtsy. Smiling, he walked down the steps of the modest house. His thoughts occupied his attention to the extent that he didn't notice the hastily pulled window curtain in the house across the lane.

  His persistence had paid off. Fanny, Lady Mannering had consented to see him. She hadn't spoken over two sentences but he was relieved to find her in good health and looks. Her marriage to Lord Mannering had not broken her. She may or may not retain the fire he was familiar with but he had seen a flash of it in her eyes and was satisfied. He would give her a couple of days and call again.

  ***

  Anthony braced himself for another glittering evening. Margaret had loved attending the Season. When she was increasing with Mary Jane, she had fretted at missing out on all the fun.

  Every year after that until Margaret's death, they were in London during the Season. Anthony insisted that their daughter not be left behind and carted along nurses and extra maids. Once in London, Anthony would accompany Margaret to a few events but mostly they went their separate ways. They didn't have much in common.

  It had bothered him. He had felt cheated. Robbed of his dreams. This time he wasn't looking for love. He was older now and wise in the ways of the world. In their world, men contracted suitable marriages. For other needs, including those of love and friendship, they set up liaisons with other women. Everyone knew the game, nobody was hurt.