“We should go, or else my mother and aunt will wonder where we are,” she said, in a much stronger voice.
Richard held out his arm for Teresa to place her hand on it and then led her out to their waiting carriage.
Richard spent the journey trying not to think about the fact that his wife would rather be married to someone else, or not married at all. Instead, he tried to focus on the upcoming evening. Since his foray into the social world at Lady Cowper’s, he felt more confident, but still not fully comfortable, about reentering society without Julia. Tonight he would be meeting all of his old friends and acquaintances. It was surely going to be a difficult evening.
He was determined, however, to make it a good one for Teresa. She needed to get over her anxiety about going into society if she was ever going to find anyone she actually wanted to marry.
Just before getting down, Richard took Teresa’s hand once again. “I do hope you are not too nervous,” he said, gently.
Teresa peered through the darkness into his eyes. “Somewhat. Are you?”
“Yes,” he admitted. He was surprised at himself. He had not known that he could acknowledge such a thing out loud, but once it was said, he felt much better about the coming evening.
Teresa’s fingers gave his a reassuring squeeze. “Then we shall both just have to be the merriest people there.”
Richard laughed. “Well, I am the Merry Marquis. Will you be my Merry Marchioness?”
Teresa took a deep breath. “Yes, and I will do so without discussing politics,” Teresa said, boldly. But then Richard heard her say to herself, “I hope.”
The hall Lady Swinborne had rented for the ball was resplendent with glittering chandeliers and glittering people. It seemed as if all of London wanted to be present at the coming out of the Merry Marquis and his new bride.
Teresa’s face hurt from smiling so much, but finally her aunt had allowed that it was time to move away from the door and open the ball by dancing the cotillion with Richard.
Teresa moved over to where Richard was talking with a group of gentlemen. They were all laughing at some witticism one of them had made. She supposed it had been Richard as the man standing next to him slapped him on the back and said, “You are still the same, Merry. It is a shame you have been hiding yourself away for so long!”
Richard’s face took on a sad, serious look for a moment, but then his eyes met Teresa’s and his face lit up once again.
“Gentleman, my lovely bride.” He stepped back to allow her to join the group.
“I… I am terribly sorry, my lord, but… but we have been instructed by my aunt to begin the ball,” Teresa managed to say, fully aware that all eyes were on her.
But Richard’s eyes were warm and kind as he looked down at her. “Of course, my dear, I would be honored.” She felt heartened by his look and took his arm, allowing him to lead her out for the dance.
Afterwards, Teresa was relieved that she had been asked to dance by a number of gentlemen since it made it unnecessary for her to worry about making much conversation beyond the weather.
She watched from the corner of her eye as Richard danced and laughed with one lady after another. She was amazed at his ability to simply walk up to someone and within moments have them smiling and laughing along with him. He had even done so with many of the shy young women who lined the walls looking awkward and sometimes downright scared.
Teresa supposed that she had looked that way too at many of the balls she had attended. But tonight, she had not even had a chance to stand still for two minutes together she was so sought after. It was an odd occurrence and one that she entirely put down to the fact that she was now married to Richard.
She took advantage of Lord Stowe’s request for a dance to take a break and ask for him to bring her some refreshment. She had dared not to do so with any other gentlemen for fear of not remembering any appropriate conversation, but with Lord Stowe she felt comfortable enough that she did not need to worry.
As she stood waiting for him to return with her glass of lemonade, she could not help but overhear the conversation going on just behind her.
“Oh indeed, it is such a shame,” said a voice that sounded familiar.
“I have heard that she was very beautiful,” said another, hesitantly.
Teresa turned her head so that she could see out of the corner of her eye who was speaking. Her suspicions were confirmed. It was the Diamond, Miss Bowden-Smyth, and Miss Peyton talking. She remembered them well from her one of her morning visits to Lady Jersey’s. The Diamond had been insulting Miss Peyton when Teresa had intervened and turned the tables on her. But now it appeared that they were in agreement about something. Teresa strained to hear more of their conversation even though she knew that she should not.
“Lord Merrick’s first wife was the toast of the town the year before last, and I believe that she was considered an incomparable for a few years before that. Not only was she very beautiful but very charming and witty as well,” the Diamond said, with great authority.
“What a lovely couple they must have made.”
The Diamond tsked her tongue. “As I said, it is such a shame. It must have been the shock of losing his wife, but to have come down so far as to marry Miss Seton is just beyond all comprehension. Why, she is such a graceless provincial. He must be horribly embarrassed by her this evening. That would explain why he is keeping his distance from her.”
Pain and anger sliced through Teresa. She knew now there was only one thing she could do—prove the Diamond wrong.
There was a silence for a moment and Teresa turned to see Miss Peyton staring directly at her, her face bright red with embarrassment. The Diamond, however, was also looking straight at her, only with a slight sneer on her face. Teresa lifted her chin and looked the Diamond straight in the eye. “If you think that I care one fig for you or your spite, Miss Bowden-Smyth, you can think again. In fact, I believe, you are simply jealous because I have married the most eligible and handsome gentleman of the ton.”
Teresa intercepted Lord Stowe as he approached with her lemonade. After drinking deeply from her glass, she took a deep breath, put on her most charming smile and began to talk with him in the animated manner she had seen her mother assume. She forced herself to be both charming and witty and even attempted to will herself to be pretty.
She could tell that Lord Stowe was taken aback at first, but then a smile spread across his face as he was completely taken in by her ruse. Soon he was laughing along with her and hanging on her every word just as he did with Doña Isabella. Teresa could hardly believe it.
She caught Richard looking at her from across the room with a strange expression on his face. It was sort of a mixture of awe and confusion. He gave her a reassuring smile and then moved on, she supposed, to find his next dance partner.
Unfortunately, when Teresa’s next dance partner came to claim her hand, she was completely unable to maintain her charade. Suddenly, with a new person, she was thrown off her stride and fell back into being her old nervous, awkward self. She tried to fool herself into thinking that this gentleman was as friendly and inclined to think well of her as Lord Stowe obviously did, but it didn’t work. She simply looked at the gentleman escorting her to the dance floor and felt all of her good resolve crumble to dust.
Richard forced himself to behave normally. Although his strongest desire was to avoid everyone and everything and instead seek out a quiet corner where he could mourn his beloved Julia. He knew, though, that he couldn’t.
He had spent most of the past year doing very little besides thinking about Julia and how much he missed her. Now he had to stop thinking of her and start thinking about Teresa. This was not too difficult since Teresa was in such desperate need of his help, and he had never been able to not help someone.
He had watched her stammer out her greetings to everyone who had walked into the ball, trying to lend her his support in every way he knew how. He even went so far as to make sure that she h
ad plenty of dance partners for later on that evening.
Still, it had been a painful experience for both of them. He was made fully aware of what it must feel like for people who did not have the social ease that he had always taken for granted. Greeting people, he had to search his mind for witticisms and compliments that had always come so naturally to him. For the first time in his life, he had had to work hard to maintain his Merry Marquis façade.
After doing his duty by escorting a number of ladies, both young and old, to the dance floor, he managed to escape outside for a breath of fresh air and a moment of quiet. He had known it was going to be difficult without Julia, he just hadn’t realized how hard it would be to maintain this persona that everyone expected from him. What had once come so naturally was now a struggle.
“Lovely evening.”
“My, it is hot in there.”
It was Fungy and Julian. Richard turned to look at his two friends. “Where’s Sin?” he asked. Although not pleased to have been found, he was relieved it had been his closest friends who had done so, and not anyone else.
“Reath is dancing with his wife of all people,” Fungy gave a theatrical shiver of disgust. “I’ve tried to tell him again and again that it is unfashionable to do so. Refuses to listen.”
“Well, as you see, I am following your advise,” Richard said, holding his laughter in check, “as is Julian.”
“Yes. Thank goodness, you two have some decency,” Fungy sighed.
“Lady Merrick does not seem to be having any trouble finding partners.” Julian commented.
“I’ve worked damned hard to make sure of that,” Richard said, dryly.
“Done an excellent job.” Fungy patted Richard on the back. “You seemed to be rather busy on the dance floor yourself.”
“Yes, for much the same reason as Teresa. It is much easier to dance than to have to stand about making insipid, yet witty, conversation.”
His friends were stood silent for a moment. A blatant look of shock on Fungy’s face, but then he school his expression into it’s normal bored look. “You are always witty, Merry. Trying too hard. Just be yourself.”
Richard nodded at the wisdom of this. Perhaps he had been trying too hard. He was out of practice and feeling the weight of his obligation to Teresa.
When he returned to the ballroom, Richard did as Fungy had suggested, and tried harder to relax and just allow his innate social ease take over. After some time he stopped, amazed and pleased that it did seem to be working.
He deliberately sought out ladies whom he knew he needed to pay special attention to—the patronesses of Almacks and the other leading hostesses from whom Teresa would need invitations. And he allowed himself to follow his natural inclination to dance with the wall flowers. Fighting the urge to simply join them in their silence, he knew he would do better asking them to dance instead.
He also had to force himself to keep from looking around for Teresa too many times. The first time he saw her, she was dancing with Lord White. She looked nervous, but managed to give her partner a smile as the movements of the dance brought them together. Richard felt sorry for her, but knew that there was nothing he could do but to continually supply her with dancing partners so that she need not worry about making any faux pas in conversation.
The second time he saw her, however, was much later in the evening. He was surprised to see her standing talking with a gentleman with an eye patch whom he did not know. That she knew this gentleman well, however, was obvious as she stood laughing with him. Richard had never seen her be so animated except when she was discussing politics. But he did not think she was holding such a discussion now because she did not have the same intense expression on her face as she did when she was concentrating on an argument. Richard stood watching her.
No, the longer he watched, the more he realized that she was looking just like her mother when she was entertaining a gentleman. He was confused as to how Teresa had suddenly discovered this hidden ability of hers. When their eyes met, he gave her a smile. She gave him a brief nod before turning back to her conversation.
Richard went searching for Lady Swinborne. He had to find out who this gentleman was his wife was so comfortable with.
Instead of finding her aunt, however, Richard discovered Doña Isabella talking with an older gentleman with a great mustache.
“Lord Stillwater, have you met my new son-in-law, the Marquis of Merrick?” Doña Isabella asked, as Richard joined them.
“No, I do not believe I have had the pleasure,” the gentleman replied, bowing to Richard.
“Lord Stillwater is one of our heroes of the Peninsular war, Merrick,” Doña Isabella began.
“Oh no, Doña, I can lay no claim to any heroism. I was simply another officer,” the gentleman said, blushing slightly and huffing into his mustache.
“And a modest one too.” She smiled coyly at Lord Stillwater.
Richard motioned toward Teresa. “Doña, do you know the gentleman your daughter is speaking with?”
Doña Isabella followed the direction of Richard’s eyes. She looked rather surprised for a moment as she too noticed how animated Teresa was being and how enthralled Lord Stowe was with her. But then a slow smile returned to her face. “That is Lord Stowe. He is also a Peninsular war hero. Did he not serve under you, Lord Stillwater?”
The gentleman raised his quizzing glass and peered in Teresa’s direction. “Yes, yes he did. Stowe is a fine young man and an excellent leader.”
Richard asked, “Then you and Teresa met him when he was in Spain?”
“Yes. And, of course, he has come to visit Teresa on numerous occasions since she has been in London. Why, he was at your house just the other day. He came to pay his respects to her on the occasion of your marriage, I believe.”
“He did? Teresa did not mention it to me.” Richard was beginning to wonder just how close his wife and this Lord Stowe were. If she had met him as many times as his mother-in-law was implying, then perhaps Teresa had a strong interest in the fellow. Perhaps that was why Teresa had been so sure that she did not want to marry him. Perhaps she had wanted to marry this fellow instead. Richard’s heart tighten in his chest.
He thanked Doña Isabella for the information and went off to do his duty to his next dance partner, but with much less enthusiasm than he previously.
It was a pleasant surprise to find Teresa in the same set as he and Miss Bowden-Smyth. As they came together in the exchange of partners that was part of the country dance, the look of wonder and happiness on Teresa’s face when she saw him lightened his heart considerably. However, they were each forced to return to their original partners and he watched as Teresa returned to being the awkward woman he had seen most of the evening.
“It is rather embarrassing for you, I suppose, is it not Lord Merrick?”
Richard was startled by the voice in his ear and turned to see Miss Bowden-Smyth looking rather smug as she followed his wife with her eyes.
“I am sorry. What is embarrassing?” he asked, not liking either the tenor of her voice nor the look on her face.
“Why, the fact that you had to marry an antidote like Miss Seton. Just look at her, she has absolutely no grace whatsoever and looks rather like a frightened deer with those huge black eyes of hers.”
Richard looked back at his wife. She did indeed look frightened with her large eyes so wide open as she looked up uneasily into the face of her partner. “She is just a little nervous that is all. It is much better to be ill at ease than too high in the instep, don’t you think, Miss Bowden-Smyth? No man likes a hoyden,” he said, looking down his own nose at her.
The Diamond had the grace to flush, and retreated into silence for the rest of the dance. Richard felt only the slightest pang of guilt at having put this young woman in her place. But no one criticized his wife. Ever.
“You looked like you managed to enjoy yourself after all,” Teresa said, in the carriage on the way home. It was hard getting out of the habit of tr
ying to make polite conversation even though they’d left the party. She needed to unwind, relax. She was with Richard, not some man she’d only just met. And yet, she didn’t feel as if she could completely relax.
“Yes, I must admit that it was much more pleasant than I had thought it would be,” Richard agreed.
“I’m glad that you found it so.” She stifled a yawn as the late—or, rather, early morning—hour caught up with her.
“You also danced almost the entire evening,” he commented.
“Yes. It was certainly much easier than trying to actually talk with anyone,” she admitted.
“Poor Teresa. You are still worried about that. I had hoped that you were more confident now.”
“Well, perhaps I am a little bit more confident.”
“I am sure that you are. I saw you laughing with one gentleman with an eye patch, what was his name?” Richard asked, a slightly hard edge to his voice.
Teresa’s muscles tensed at his tone. “Lord Stowe. But he is a friend.” She wondered if he would be upset to know that she had entertained hopes of marrying Lord Stowe. Something gave her the impression that he might. And for some strange reason the thought warmed her.
“Ah, yes. You seemed to be very comfortable while speaking with him.”
An awkward silence fell between them. The carriage pulled to a stop and the steps were let down.
Richard followed Teresa into the house, but then stopped her as she began to mount the stairs to her room.
“I will say good night to you here, Teresa,” he said, putting his hand on her arm.
She turned around. Standing on the second step, she was nearly as tall as he and could look directly into his deep green eyes. There was something there, some sadness or hurt. But it was gone almost immediately making Teresa wonder if it was simply a reflection of her own feelings that she was imposing on him.
The Merry Marquis Page 11