The Alter Ego

by Elizabeth Bramwell

  On the other hand, how on earth was he supposed to confess the truth to his new friends without utterly ruining their opinion of him?

  He mulled these thoughts over as he made the short walk to Lady Seraphinia’s home, his mood getting darker with each step. He debated writing to his sister-in-law for advice, but ten to one she would only laugh at him and conspire to make the situation worse.

  He reached Lady Seraphinia’s house early enough to be one of the first guests, but not so soon as to be the first arrival. General Mortimer, looking surprisingly well put together, was entertaining everyone with a slightly improper story from his youth that involved a fishing trip, a young lady of dubious morality, and a field full of angry cows. A string quartet, talented but largely ignored, played in the far corner of the room, while numerous footmen circled the room to offer flutes of champagne to any guest lacking a full glass.

  “Your handiwork, Jane?” he said to Miss Lindon as she greeted him. “Absolutely beautiful.”

  Jane glanced over at the elaborate flower arrangements and smiled. “Yes, and thank you! I own that I spent far longer than I should have to achieve just the right impact but they are so beautiful I could not help myself.”

  “Almost as beautiful as you,” he said and laughed as she gave him a playful punch on the arm. “I mean it! That shade of blue is very becoming, and you should wear your hair just like this in future.”

  She pinked at the compliment. “Thank you again! You can be quite charming when you want to be, can’t you?”

  “I’ve been known to indulge in as many as five or six compliments a week.”

  “Then you should save the rest for the Clydes,” said Jane as she led him over to Lady Seraphinia who, true to form, had not risen from her chair and evidently expected all her guests to come and pay court to her upon arrival.

  “Why would I do that?”

  Jane gave him a sideways glance and shook her head. “If you aren’t taken with her, then you are an idiot.”

  There was no time to continue the conversation, for they had reached Lady Seraphinia, whose pained expression when she took in his attire was enough to convince him that his clothing was as hideous as he feared. She said nothing about it, however, and even accepted his small talk with a modicum of grace.

  The room began to fill up quickly with people Arthur did not know, or who he had met only since his arrival in Bath. No one else seemed to take his appearance as anything out of the sorts, although one young dandy with shirt points so high he was in danger of putting out his own eyes did offer to provide Arthur with his tailor’s direction, and visibly winced when he noticed Arthur’s stockings.

  He was greeted like an old friend by many of the guests, whose eclectic backgrounds and social status spoke to Lady Seraphinia’s habit of collecting people she found promising and ignoring those she had little to no interest in. Bath Society no longer being as fashionable as it had in its heyday, there was no one of consequence in attendance – Arthur suspected that the Devenishes had been invited, but the Duchess, tired as she was at people gawking at her, rarely attended events with guests she did not know well, and the Duke simply disliked other people. Instead, the company was made of intelligent, amusing individuals that Arthur found himself liking very much. Even Mrs Rowlands, Lady Seraphinia’s extremely silly granddaughter, was a lively enough companion for fifteen minutes.

  It would not be accurate to say that Arthur had been awaiting the arrival of the Clydes with bated breath, but he was undoubtedly aware of their presence the moment they entered the room. As Anna and Lily stepped through the doorway, an odd hush fell over the company.

  Lily Clyde, in plain white muslin with a spangled overdress, had styled her hair in a riot of blonde curls that made her look like a fairy stood amongst them. Her eyes were wide at the presence of so many people, and her mouth hitched into a smile that told everyone she was determined to enjoy herself and find everyone pleasing. Arthur could almost hear the moment half the men in the room lost their hearts to her and was aware of a wicked wish to see Lily perform the same spell at her come-out in London the following Season. Many young ladies would have their noses pushed out of joint, and it would be a joy to witness.

  Mrs Clyde, by contrast, wore a gown of deep red trimmed with gold braiding. Her hairstyle was as demure and straightforward as always, but someone had convinced her to weave red ribbon through her jet black locks, making her golden complexion all the more striking. Her eyes were more nervous than those of her stepdaughter, as though she was half-afraid of being called out as an imposter and thrown from the room. Arthur felt his heart go out to her, and throwing manners to the wind, he went over to her with his out outstretched.

  “My dear Anna, you look quite beautiful,” he said.

  She glanced up at him, her dark brown eyes full of confusion, but took his proffered hand into her gloved one.

  “Thank you, Lily insisted on doing my hair before we left, and I confess she has done an excellent job of making me look presentable.”

  “Naturally, as you have with your stepdaughter,” he said with a smile. “Good evening, Lily. I fear every man here has fallen head over heels in love with you, and that half will propose before the night is out.”

  The girl gave a gurgle of laughter in response. “Only if you expect General Mortimer and his cronies to offer their hand! I swear I look like a dowdy, but Anna insisted I wear white.”

  “Your mother is quite right,” he replied.

  Lily rolled her eyes. “Is that because of the stuffy society rules? I wanted to wear something in blue, or purple, but Anna will only let me wear white even though it makes me look insipid.”

  “Not at all; you should wear white, my dear girl, because it makes you look ethereal, like an angel, or perhaps a fairy queen.”

  “Oh,” said Lily, her eyes going wide at the compliment. Then she looked at Arthur’s cravat, and her shoulders slumped. “Well, thank you for saying such a lovely thing.”

  Arthur, unused to his pronouncements on fashion being dismissed, stared at Lily in shock while her stepmother failed to stifle her laughter behind her hand.

  “Lily, shall we make our curtsey to Lady Seraphinia?” Anna said, ending the awkward silence. Her stepdaughter agreed to it readily, apparently oblivious to the insult she had delivered, and the two of them made their way over to their hostess.

  Arthur felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turned to look up into the sympathetic eyes of the General.

  “A girl like that is above your touch I’m afraid. She’ll no doubt fall in love with some Tulip of the Ton and the two of them will rule the fashionable world with a tighter fist than Brummell.”

  “I have never sought to be fashionable,” lied Arthur.

  The General chuckled. “We are all aware of that, my boy. All very aware indeed.”

  The string quartet played on as some of the company separated to play cards, and others gathered to converse with old friends and new acquaintances. Arthur quickly discovered his predictions about the success of both Clyde women were right: it was impossible to get close to them due to the number of admirers clamouring for their attention. Lily seemed to regard it all as a great joke, and treated everyone, whether male or female, with a jovial friendliness that won her a great many new friends within a few short hours. Anna was more formal in her interactions, and it was evident to Arthur that she was concentrating so much on her stepdaughter’s success that she assumed any young man interested in talking to her was only doing so to win her approval, so he could court Lily. That she was much admired went over her head, and many of her admirers seemed flummoxed by her attitude.

  It was incredibly amusing to watch, truth be told.

  New arrivals slowed to a trickle, and Lady Seraphinia suddenly announced that the Young People, should they so wish, could push back the furniture and indulge in a little dancing. This was naturally interpreted as a command, and within minutes an impromptu dancefloor was arranged as ten couples hastily
formed. Lily was led out by the dandy with the high shirt points, but Mrs Clyde remained in her seat. Finally spying an opportunity converse, Arthur seized the moment – and the chair beside her – before any other man had the same idea.

  “Enjoying yourself, Anna?” he asked as he sat down beside her. Her eyes were shining as they met his.

  “Very much! Lily is such a hit, is she not? With the young ladies as well as the men. I swear it’s important to me that she has some friends to rely upon, and not just male admirers… but they do admire her, don’t you think?”

  She knew the truth, but the nervous lilt to her voice was enough to remind Arthur that for all Anna’s attempts to portray herself as a worldly-wise widow, she was young and inexperienced when it came to Society.

  “She has made a splash, and I predict nothing but great things for her,” he replied and was gratified to see Anna’s shoulders relax.

  “I’m sure she will make a splendid match with time,” she said with a happy sigh.

  “And what about you?” he said.

  Anna looked at him, one eyebrow raised in query. “What about me?”

  Arthur coughed and looked away. “Will you seek to make a splash in London, or be content to bring Bath to its feet?”

  “What an absurd thing to say,” laughed Anna.

  “I don’t know about that,” murmured Arthur, eyeing a few gentlemen who looked as though they were working up the courage to oust him from his seat.

  “Do you mean all the young men being nice to me in the hopes I will encourage Lily to dance with them? I swear I’ve never been so amused in my life!”

  There didn’t seem to be a way to respond to this without the conversation bordering on improper, especially after his behaviour outside of the Abbey, so it seemed best to change the subject.

  “I have some good news for you if you are still looking for suitable accommodation. My cousin’s house will definitely be available for as long as you wish to rent it.”

  She turned those beautiful brown eyes to him, her expression lighting up. “How wonderful. I viewed somewhere in the Green Park Buildings, but I was not particularly enamoured of the surroundings.”

  He coughed into his hand but forced a smile back to his lips. “Sydney Place. That’s where my cousin’s house is located.”

  Her mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ as he mentioned the address. “Why that’s precisely the area I was hoping for, but nothing was available for as long as I wanted.”

  “Then I think you will like the house very much! There is a butler, a housekeeper, and a maid already in place, while the Agency said they could send around some people for an interview at your convenience. If you want the property, of course.”

  “I should like to view it first, but it sounds like it may well be what we are looking for,” said Anna, biting her lip. “When would it be available?”

  “We can view it tomorrow, and if it pleases you then we can have you all settled in a week,” replied Arthur.

  “And you are sure your cousin will be happy to have us as tenants?”

  “Absolutely,” promised Arthur, even as he wondered what on earth he was doing in continuing this masquerade. Why not just admit he owned the house? Why not just tell her who he was?

  “You are an absolute angel, Arthur,” said Anna, reaching out and taking hold of his hand. “I am looking forward to the morning so much!”

  “I find that I am as well,” he said, closing his hand over hers as the whole world fell away, and for the first time in his life, Arthur felt like he was sharing a gaze with someone who he wanted at his side forever.

  “Arthur…” she said, so quietly that he had to lean in to hear her words. She hesitated, and her gaze dropped to his lips. He was just about to take leave of his senses and kiss her right there and then, consequences be damned, when he heard someone loudly hailing him, and the moment was lost.

  “Lord Arthur? Good lord, what have you done to your hair? Cordy will never forgive you!”

  Arthur straightened up, turning his head to see a pretty young woman dressed in the height of fashion approaching him, her arm intertwined with a gentleman that he had never before met.

  “Trix Manning!” he said, startling as he recognised his acquaintance from London.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were in Bath?” she demanded, but then her brows lifted and she let out a pretty laugh. “Oh, you had no idea, did you? Can you believe it, but I am married! This is Felix Drake, my husband. Felix, this is Lord Arthur – a particular friend of my cousin, Lady Cordelia.”

  “Lord Arthur?” said Anna, staring at him with wide eyes.

  Hell and damnation, thought Arthur. Trix was speaking loudly enough that at least half a dozen people had overheard her. To have his identity uncovered in such a way would not only cause him considerable embarrassment but would undoubtedly impact Lady Seraphinia as well.

  There didn’t seem to be any other course of action open to him.

  He bowed deeply and then plastered the most inane smile he could manage upon his face.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs Drake, but I’m not in the line for any title, so there is no need to call me a Lord – a mere mister will suffice, I promise!”

  Trix looked confused, blinking several times before answering. “Are you funning at my expense, Lord Arthur? I own I thought you were at the Duke’s house party from what Cordy said in her letters.”

  “I don’t believe that His Grace is having a house party,” he said with an apologetic smile. “I found him a very nice gentleman when I met him at the Pump Room, but I believe taking care of his mother prevents him from entertaining on a regular basis.”

  Trix’s surprise had turned to a deep frown. “I don’t mean the Duke of Devenish, I mean the Duke of Lexborough – your brother!”

  Her timing was perfect. Arthur gave a loud chuckle, placing his hands on his sides as he did so.

  “Ah, now I understand! My apologies, Mrs Drake, but you have mistaken me for my second cousin, Lord Arthur Weatherley! I am Mister Arthur – he was named after my family, you know!”

  “Getting things mixed up again, my dear?” said her husband with an indulgent smile. Trix, however, was having none of it. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at Arthur.

  “Well, if this isn’t outside the enough!”

  Jane, thank her impeccable instinct for diverting trouble, came up to Anna’s chair at just that moment, and smiled broadly at everyone.

  “Mrs Drake, I am so glad you have come! This is my very dear friend, Mrs Clyde, and she is a huge fan of your novel, The London House. So is my cousin here, Mr Arthur. He may look like a bumpkin, but he is very well read, you know.”

  The conviction in Trix’s face wavered, and Arthur felt genuinely awful for misleading her in such a way.

  “Did you say, Mister?”

  Jane sighed, giving her head a shake as she did so. “Not you as well, Mrs Drake! It seems half of Bath Society keep mistaking him for that fop, Lord Arthur. Why even the Devenishes did when they first clapped eyes on him!”

  “Did they indeed?” said Trix, her penetrating gaze flicking back to Arthur, and he knew without a doubt that she wasn’t buying a word of their Banbury tale.

  “Yes, it seems Lord Arthur takes after his mother’s side of the family, hence the resemblance,” Jane said in a helpful tone.

  “Hmmm,” said Trix. “You could almost pass as twins.”

  Jane laughed as though Trix had said something outrageously funny. “I would not say that in Lord Arthur’s hearing! Can you imagine him wearing maroon stockings to an evening party, or to crop his hair so close?”

  “True enough, he always was overly concerned with his appearance,” said Trix with a sickly-sweet smile. “One could almost accuse him of being a Bartholomew baby.”

  “Almost,” said Arthur, his teeth gritted behind his smile.

  “Well then it’s very nice to meet you, Mister Arthur, and I am sure we will further our acquaintance,
what with you being such a fan of my work.”

  “Naturally,” he replied, his teeth still gritted as she dismissed him from her attention, and instead set herself to becoming fast friends with Mrs Clyde.

  “You need to come up with a better lie, my friend,” Mr Drake murmured from beside him. “My wife can sniff out a story from a hundred paces.”

  Arthur turned to look at the man, and couldn’t even bring himself to lie. “Why couldn’t you have married Cordy instead? I’d have been able to pull the wool over her eyes in an instant.”

  “Firstly, good God, no! Adore the girl, but absolutely not! And secondly – it would have gone about as well as this exchange, don’t you think?”

  “Some comfort you are,” muttered Arthur. His new acquaintance just laughed.

  “Delighted to meet you, too.”

  *

  Anna couldn’t quite work out the nature of Mrs Drake. She seemed oddly angry, and yet kind at the same time.

  “So you are very new to Bath?” she said suddenly, even though they had just been discussing her newest book. “You don’t know anyone in the city?”

  “My sister-in-law was so good as to give me a letter of introduction to Lady Seraphinia,” explained Anna, “and everyone has been so kind – especially your husband’s family! Lord Philip even went so far as to provide us with a subscription to your husband’s library at a very reasonable price.”

  “Lord Philip is a dear,” said Mrs Drake, but her eyes were on Arthur, and the frown did not move from her face. “How did you meet him? Mister Arthur?”

  There was something about the way she over-emphasised his title that had Anna thinking back to all the occasions where doubts about his identity had crept in.

  “On the road to Bath. It was quite by chance, but then he turned out to be a relative of Lady Seraphinia, so we have come together several times since then.”

  “Hmm,” said Mrs Drake.

  There was an awkward silence. Mrs Drake worried the string of her reticule through her hands.