by Julia Parks
Yes, a husband was what Lady Olivia Cunningham needed, and he was the one to help her find one!
Olivia stroked the little cat’s fur and looked out at the driving rain. She pulled her shawl more tightly about her shoulders and sighed.
“Wretched weather,” said Aunt Amy, entering the room and walking across to the windows to pull the drapes closed. “We should find something to do that will pass the time. What about a puzzle? Mr. Pendleton sent me a new one yesterday.”
“He did?” said Olivia with a coy smile. “What else has the good Mr. Pendleton sent to you?”
“Do not bother to tease me on that, my dear child. Mr. Pendleton sent me a puzzle because I mentioned that I enjoyed putting them together. He was just being kind.”
“I see.”
“No, you do not see. Heavens, Olivia, the man must be seventy! I know I am nearing the half-century mark, but I will not settle on just anyone. I am quite content to remain as I am, a companion to my spinster niece.”
Their eyes met, and they burst into laughter.
Amy went to fetch her new puzzle, and when she returned, she poured out the pieces onto a table, and Olivia joined her there.
“What is it?” asked Olivia.
Holding the box, her aunt read, “It is called Wallis’s Royal Chronological Tables of English History. Hm, so it is not a dissected map like the others I have. This should be quite amusing.”
A silence descended on the duo as they concentrated on finding connecting pieces in the puzzle. After several minutes, Olivia noticed that her aunt’s attention had wandered. She looked up to find her aunt staring at her intently.
“Yes?”
“Oh, nothing,” said the older woman, picking up a piece of the puzzle and turning it over and over.
“Your attention is not being diverted by nothing, Aunt. What is it?”
“You are right, my dear. It was what I said a few minutes ago. About you being a spinster.”
“I assure you, I did not take offense. After all, it is perfectly true.”
Her aunt put down the piece. “But it need not be true. As a matter of fact, it should not be true. There is no reason for you to remain single. I know that I have voiced the opinion that it doesn’t matter, and to some extent, that is true. For me, that is. Many years ago, I chose not to settle for second best.”
“Did you?” asked Olivia, hoping to redirect her aunt’s train of thought. “So you did turn down an offer that you sometimes regret.”
“No, not at all. I do not regret it, not even now, after all these years.”
“Who was it?” asked Olivia, hoping, after all these years that her curiosity would be satisfied, that she would finally learn why her aunt had chosen spinsterhood when she had had offers.
“It doesn’t matter who it was. Suffice it to say, that for me, I could not accept a marriage where I would not come first. The young man had other things to accomplish in his life, and I was just an afterthought. That much was evident when he wed someone else not two months later.”
“I am sorry, Aunt. Even though he was not worthy of you, it must have been a difficult decision for you.”
“It was, but as I said, I still do not regret it.”
Olivia asked quietly, “Did you love him so very much?” ‘
When tears sprang to her aunt’s eyes, Olivia jumped to her feet and circled the table, giving her aunt a quick embrace.
Aunt Amy shook her niece off and said gruffly, “I am not that distressed, my dear. After all, it was thirty years ago.” Suddenly, she gripped Olivia by the shoulders. “Besides, we were speaking of you.”
Olivia grinned and scampered around to her side of the table. “No, we were speaking of you. Do not trouble yourself with me, Aunt. I will marry if I decide I want to. Otherwise, I am quite content as I am. I have you, my friends, and my charities.”
“Charities do not keep one warm at night.”
“Blankets do,” said Olivia. “Now, cheer up. This wretched weather has made both of us mope-eyed. Let’s talk about other things. What gown are you wearing this evening? We must attend both the Winterses’ musicale and Lady Osgood’s rout, you know.”
“Yes, and we shall be soaked before we get inside the first one. I would prefer to stay home, but I know Louisa Winters will have that son of hers singing, and he is so very talented. Sings like an angel.”
“And looks like a bloodhound.”
“Olivia! He does no such thing!” Her aunt’s eyes started to twinkle. “Well, he does, but one mustn’t say so, or it will be all I can do to sit and listen to him without laughing.”
The front door opened with a whoosh of wind.
“Now, who on earth could that be?”
“Someone very wet,” whispered Olivia.
“And foolish,” said her aunt.
The butler entered and inquired if they were at home to visitors. They nodded, and he threw open the door and announced, “Sir Richard Adair.”
“Good afternoon, ladies. So good of you to see me.” He bowed over their hands and pulled up another chair to the table.
“Good afternoon, Sir Richard. Won’t you join us?” said Olivia.
“I see you have found a way to amuse yourselves on this cold, wet day.”
“We were just beginning. We can put it aside, if you prefer,” said Aunt Amy.
“No, no, I would like to participate, if I may. I am so happy to be in company. I was like to be moped to death, sitting in my rooms.”
“Then we are delighted you chose to visit us,” said Olivia. “We were feeling much the same, weren’t we, Aunt?”
“Indeed, yes. So glad you have called. I’m sure Witchell will come with a tea tray before long. You will join us, won’t you?”
“Thank you, I would love that. Are you going to Lady Osgood’s rout tonight?”
“Yes, one cannot allow the weather to hinder our little pleasures. Will you and the marquess be coming?” said Aunt Amy.
“Sheri? Heavens, no! I’m afraid he is a bit displeased with me after I missed our rendezvous at Vauxhall last night.”
“Oh, Vauxhall,” said Aunt Amy. “I adore Vauxhall.”
“Yes, but I simply forgot where I had asked him to meet me, never dreaming that we would not find one another. Anyway, when I saw him at the club earlier today, I asked if he was attending the rout, and he said that after that last one when Miss Featherstone fainted, he has sworn off them completely. Wouldn’t even discuss the matter.”
Olivia frowned. She had thought the handsome marquess might…not that she cared, though she had hoped to thank him for his concern the night before.
And for that kiss.
“Olivia, your mind is wandering. Sir Richard has asked what time we will be going.”
“What? Oh, yes. Well, I am not certain. We plan to go to the Winterses’ musicale first. Would you care to join us for that?”
“I hadn’t planned to attend, but I might as well. Do you think you might grant me the honour of escorting you ladies?”
“Mind? It will be delightful to have a gentleman along,” said her aunt.
He looked at Olivia with what she was sure he felt was a speaking look and asked, “And you, my lady? Do you have any objections?”
She managed not to laugh. “Not at all, sir.”
They turned as the door opened, and Witchell announced, “Lord Hardcastle, Miss Featherstone, and Miss Fallon.”
The puzzle was forgotten. Minutes later, Witchell supervised the footman who carried a large silver tea tray into the drawing room. When the butler returned a moment later, he announced three more visitors, including Mr. Jenson.
“I say, this dreary afternoon is turning into a wonderful tea party,” said Aunt Amy. She moved to the middle of the sofa
to allow Mr. Jenson room to join her and Miss Fallon. “Witchell, more cups, if you please.”
“I do hope you don’t mind my dropping in,” said Mr. Jenson. “I was coming to call on my patient, and I wouldn’t have disturbed you, but I met the young people coming up the front steps, and…”
“You must never apologize for dropping in on us, Charles.”
He almost dropped the teacup she was handing him. Blushing, he stammered, “Thank you, Miss Hepplewhite.”
“I used to be simply Amy,” she said softly.
Glancing at her aunt, Olivia smiled, forgetting to pay attention to her conversation with Tony. Was it possible that Mr. Jenson was the young man from her aunt’s past? It would explain a great deal about the way she had always treated the unfortunate doctor.
“Olivia, I asked you a question.”
“I am sorry, Tony. I was wool gathering, I’m afraid. What was it?”
“Nothing important. I only wanted to know when your two young people would be ready to go down to Castlebrook.” When she frowned, he said, “The brother and sister who are going to work for me?”
“Oh, Martin and Winnie. Anytime would be fine. Only tell me when, and I will let Mrs. Priddy know. You know I truly appreciate this, don’t you, Tony? They have only each other now and being together means the world to them. You are such a dear for taking both of them.”
He smiled down at her. “You know I will always have a soft spot for you and your charitable proposals, Olivia. And Miss Featherstone feels much the same. She is such a sweet girl.”
“I’m certain she is,” murmured Olivia.
“Mr. Pendleton,” announced Witchell.
Olivia watched as her aunt rose and went to greet the newcomer, leaving a frowning Mr. Jenson to his own devices.
“Will you excuse me a minute, Tony?”
“Certainly,” he replied, and Olivia crossed the room to take her aunt’s place on the sofa.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Jenson. How good of you to call on us. I know how busy you are.”
“I…why, thank you, Lady Olivia. How is your maid doing?”
“It is little short of a miracle. I have never known anyone so sick to recover so quickly. It must have been your excellent medical care.”
He smiled at this and shook his head but said, ‘Thank you.” His eyes strayed to her aunt. “I don’t think everyone in this household thinks as highly of me as you do.”
“Of course she does.” Olivia covered her mouth with her fingertips. “I meant, of course we all do.”
Forgetting the rest of the assemblage, the doctor took her hand. “If only I could believe she did feel like that about me.” He dropped her hand and sighed. “I know it cannot be true. She has never forgiven me for…and truth be told, I have not much changed in all these years. I used to drive my wife to distraction—always missing my dinner, forgetting her birthday. I wasn’t a very good husband.”
Olivia patted his hand and said, “I am sure she did not think that. You mustn’t be so hard on yourself, Mr. Jenson. And perhaps this time…”
“Lord Sheridan,” said Witchell, causing Olivia to spring to her feet. She sat down immediately, then blushed a rosy pink.
“Is anything the matter?” asked her companion.
“What? Oh, no. I had, uh, forgotten something, but now I have remembered. I…it can wait. You were saying?”
From the threshold, Sheridan watched her unusual behaviour with surprise. He had never seen Lady Olivia be anything but unflappable in the social arena. The thought that his arrival might be the cause of this unnatural phenomenon made him want to turn and run. Instead, his glance swept the room, and he spied his friend, Richard, speaking to Pendleton and Amy Hepplewhite. They greeted him cordially when he joined them.
“It seems the entire world has gone mad, running around and visiting in this horrid weather.”
“We are glad that you decided to join us, too, Lord Sheridan,” said Amy.
“As for me, I could not bear waiting for a break in the rain to leave my rooms,” said Richard. “I had already read the only book I own, and I refuse to play an old woman’s game, like Patience.”
“So he came here to help this old woman put together the wonderful puzzle you gave me, Mr. Pendleton,” said Amy. “It will have to wait, however, as we have all this amusing company to while away the afternoon.”
“I have always thought that the company of like-minded people is by far the best way to spend one’s time,” said Mr. Pendleton.
“And are we all like-minded?” asked Sheridan.
“Indeed we are. We are all alike in wanting to escape a dreary day all alone,” said Pendleton.
“That is true enough,” said Sheridan. “I think I will go and have a cup of tea.”
“Yes, do. Olivia will pour for you.”
Sheridan strolled over to the sofa, speaking to Lord Hardcastle on the way. When he stopped in front of Olivia, she smiled nervously.
“Good afternoon, Lady Olivia, Jenson. Might I trouble you for a cup of tea, Lady Olivia?”
“Here, let me move out of the way,” said the doctor. “I should go and see my patient.”
The doctor rose, leaving them alone in the gathering. The other guests chatted in clusters here and there, but no one paid any attention to them. Olivia’s hand shook as she poured the tea, and Sheridan couldn’t help but smile.
“Has the weather given you a case of the megrims, my lady? Perhaps I should call the good doctor back to attend you,” he teased.
This quip did not appear to amuse Olivia in the least because she glared at him. Sheridan sipped the tepid liquid and watched her over the rim of the delicate cup.
After a moment, she smiled and said, “La, sir, I am quite well.”
Her expression reminded him of the bird-witted Miss Fallon, and he wanted to shake her.
She heaved a sigh and breathed, “It is just that I am flustered by your handsome face. Your nearness makes my heart…”
“A plumper if I ever heard one!” All of a sudden, he smiled, and she responded in kind. Leaning closer, he said, “Let us not allow things to become awkward between us, my lady. I know you are too kind a person not to forgive me for my boorish behaviour last night, especially when I tell you that I know it was a mistake. What is more, I promise that it shall never happen again.”
“I am glad to hear it. The more I thought about you telling me what I might or might not do, the more I realized how ridiculous it was. You have no power over me to tell me when and where I may practice my good works.”
As she spoke, Sheridan’s brows rose in astonishment. “What are you talking about?”
“Why, your boorish behaviour, when you told me I couldn’t go to Vauxhall anymore to… What were you talking about?” she demanded, her brows drawing together. Her expression reminded him forcibly of the night before, in the arbour when he had resisted the urge to take her into his arms again. It was out of the question now, though it would have stopped this foolish conversation.
Taking a deep breath to control his temper, he said, “I was talking about that blasted kiss. It should never have happened, and I apologize. And as I said a moment ago, I promise you it will never happen again.”
He waited while her emotions paraded across that expressive face. After a moment, she put in place the smile he so abhorred and said, “Do not worry, Lord Sheridan. I have no intention of ever letting that odious performance happen again. Now, if you will excuse me, I must consult with Mr. Jenson about the health of my maid. Good day.”
She left the room. The rain had stopped and the sunlight, breaking through the clouds, gleamed into the elegant drawing room. The brightness, however, had fled with Lady Olivia, and the rest of the guests followed soon afterward.
As Richard bowed over Amy H
epplewhite’s hand, he said, “What time this evening?”
“Nine o’clock. I am looking forward to it, Sir Richard.”
“Me, too. Until nine.”
Once they were on the street, Sheridan fell into step beside Richard, his mood a direct contrast with the sunlight.
“What’s the matter, old chap?”
“What? Oh, nothing. I was only thinking of Lady Olivia.”
“A delightful thought, no doubt.”
“Delightful? Hardly that. The woman is enough to drive a man mad.” At the gleam in his friend’s eyes, Sheridan explained hastily, “Not that sort of mad. I mean truly mad. Do you know where I happened upon her last night?”
“I would say that wherever one happens upon such beauty is in itself a place of wonder and beauty, but I can see that such a poetic assertion would only get your back up. Therefore, I will simply ask, where?”
“At Vauxhall.”
“Which is where I waited for you for at least an hour, but we shall return to that in a moment. Why is the fact that you met Lady Olivia at Vauxhall so unusual?”
“She was strolling, by herself, through the darkened pathways. At first, I thought she must be waiting for someone.”
“An assignation? Hm, that alters my opinion of the good lady considerably,” said Richard.
“No, it was not like that at all. She was talking to a light skirt, trying to convince the creature that she should leave her profession and find a new life.”
“As what?”
“I don’t know, and neither must the girl, for she fled when I arrived. Anyway, Lady Olivia helps these sorts of girls learn a skill and gives them a place to live and so on. She said she has already had success with one or two. Have you ever heard anything so daft?”
“Daft? I would say it is admirable. And I will say again, that my opinion of the good lady was been altered—for the better. There is more there than meets the eye, though what meets the eye is quite lovely.”