Dee smiled a knowing sort of smile.
“Stop that this instant.”
“Stop what?” Dee’s eyes widened innocently.
“Stop looking like you know something I don’t.”
“I daresay I know any number of things that you don’t.” Dee smiled smugly.
“Do you wish to share?”
“I do so adore sharing.”
Teddy sighed. “What do you think you know that I don’t?”
“I know that you like Jack.”
Teddy snorted. “That’s not something I didn’t know. He’s a very nice man. Only a fool wouldn’t like him. He’s clever and amusing and extremely thoughtful.”
Dee glanced at the ring on Teddy’s finger. “So I see.”
“And very, oh, interesting, I would say.”
“You like him a lot.”
“Of course, I like him a lot. I said he was a very nice man but there’s far more to him than meets the eye. And he’s going to a great deal of trouble to help me even if this whole mess was his fault.” She cast an annoyed look at the other woman. “There’s no reason not to like him.”
“You didn’t like him at all when you first met him.”
“Actually, when I first met him I liked him well enough.” Indeed, there was an element of something that might well have been magic upon their first meeting. “It was after I discovered who he really was that I felt somewhat, I don’t know, deceived I suppose.”
“I see.”
“That was more my fault than his.” Teddy sighed. “He’s not Cyril and it wasn’t at all fair of me to react the way I did. I don’t think Jack would ever deliberately lie to me.”
“Then you trust him?”
“Yes,” Teddy said thoughtfully. She hadn’t realized it before but she did indeed trust him. There was something about the man that was most trustworthy. “I suppose I do.”
“How very interesting.”
“And?”
“And nothing.” Dee sipped her drink. “I just think it’s interesting that you’re willing to trust him. I didn’t think you’d ever trust another man again.”
“It’s as much trusting myself as it is trusting him.”
“Well, there are worse ways to begin a marriage than with trust.”
Teddy laughed. “I’m not going to marry him.”
“So you’ve said.” Dee paused. “What are you going to do now?”
Teddy considered the question for a moment, then shook her head. “Nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing?”
“I mean we had a perfectly good plan. I see no reason to change it simply because my mother has mucked it up.”
“Then you will continue your engagement until the ball?”
Teddy nodded.
“And call it off before the announcement?”
“Exactly.”
“You do realize while losing one fiancé to death is acceptable, there will be a certain amount of talk when you lose a second.”
“There’s no way to avoid that.”
“You could marry him.”
Teddy cast her friend a long-suffering look.
“Oh, I have also been instructed to invite you, and your mother as well, to come to the country next week and stay at the manor through Christmas and the New Year.”
“Instructed by whom?”
Dee raised a brow.
Teddy groaned. “Your mother knows.”
“My dear friend, perhaps you weren’t listening. Everyone knows.”
“Christmas is still three weeks away and I am committed to one event each week before then.” She shook her head. “I can’t cancel, not at this late date. It would ruin my reputation and beyond that, well, it would be a problem, that’s all.”
Dee studied her closely. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Teddy blew a long breath. “These parties, plus your mother’s ball, will give me what I need to finally finish repaying Father’s debts.”
Dee’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you had finished with those years ago.”
“Precisely what I wanted you to think.”
“If I had known, I would have—”
“I know what you would have done and I am eternally grateful to you for that.” Her jaw tightened. “But this was my responsibility.”
“It was your father’s responsibility.”
“When he died, it became mine. Tell me, Dee, if I were a man wouldn’t I have been expected to pay off my father’s debts?”
“Yes, I suppose but—”
“There is no but about it.”
“You should have been honest with me.”
“If I had you never would have let the matter drop. Every time I saw you, you would have insisted that I allow you to loan me what I needed.”
“And you would have put this behind you that much sooner.”
“And I would have had to repay you even though you would have resisted that. No.” She shook her head. “This was the best way to go about it. And now it’s very nearly over and done with.”
“Still, you should have told me.”
“You didn’t tell me when you were in financial difficulties.”
“No, but I should have.”
“Yes, well, you didn’t tell me and I didn’t tell you. I would say that makes us even.” She smiled. “I know how you are when you get something in your head. You, Lady Hargate, can be extremely stubborn and you would have driven me quite mad.”
“Probably,” Dee said with a smile and took a sip. “Might I point out no one is as stubborn as my mother. If she wants you at the manor for Christmas, at the manor you will be.”
“You simply have to explain to her—”
“Absolutely not.” Dee scoffed. “You want to refuse my mother’s invitation, you shall have to do it yourself. Besides, she’s not merely my mother but she now believes she is your future aunt.”
Teddy groaned. “Good Lord.”
“Come now, Teddy. Millworth is only an hour by train from London. You can come back whenever you wish to take care of what you need to do. Might I point out, you did exactly that when you stayed at the manor for Camille’s wedding?”
“Well, yes.”
“And you have always loved Millworth, especially at Christmas. Why, didn’t you once tell me there was no better place to spend Christmas than at the manor?”
“I’ve always felt terribly disloyal about that.”
Her own family’s country estate, Sallwick Abbey, was ancient, its origins dating back to a fifteenth-century monastery. In spite of rebuilding through the centuries, it still retained a somber, dark presence. Even when she was a child, the abbey had seemed more forbidding than welcoming, whereas Millworth had always felt more like a home than a monument to history. It was little wonder that, when given the opportunity, Teddy had chosen to spend her holidays with Dee at Millworth rather than at her own family’s ancestral home.
“You do realize that Jack will inherit Millworth someday,” Dee said in an overly casual manner.
“I was aware of that, yes, but thank you for pointing it out.”
Dee grinned. “I do what I can.” She sobered. “You know, as a strictly practical matter, this is not a bad time to remove yourself from London.” Dee shook her head. “It’s not particularly safe at the moment and Lionel fears the unrest is not at an end.”
“Don’t be absurd. I feel completely safe.” Teddy waved off the comment although admittedly Dee had a point.
Teddy was well aware of the rioting last month in Trafalgar Square that had begun as a protest against the appalling state of unemployment. Hundreds had been arrested, scores injured, and there had been at least one death as a result of the clash between protestors and police. She and Jack had discussed it at length and they were in agreement that men who wanted to work should have that opportunity. Jack had a very firm view of that subject, which struck her as unusual for a banker. But then he was an American after all and Americans did seem to have a different way of looking at
things.
“And you did agree that you could use a holiday.”
“Yes, I did, although deceiving your entire family morning, noon, and night was not exactly what I had in mind.”
“Don’t be absurd.” Dee scoffed. “There is nothing my family likes better than a good farce.”
“I don’t know . . .”
“Sam and Camille and Grayson will be back next week as well. We shall all have a grand time.”
“I don’t doubt that but . . .”
“Very well, then. Don’t come. Stay in London and manage other people’s parties. Alone, comforted only by the knowledge that your obligations to your late father are nearly at an end. I must say it doesn’t sound at all like Christmas to me.” Dee heaved an overly dramatic sigh. “Still, I should mention that your intended—”
“He is not—”
“And his father are expected to return to Millworth next week as well. It won’t look good if you aren’t with him.”
“Dee,” Teddy said in a warning tone.
“How long did you say Simon was going to be in London?” An innocent note sounded in Dee’s voice.
“I didn’t.” Teddy clenched her teeth. “But you have made your point.”
“And rather well, I thought.” Dee cast her a smug smile. “I knew you’d come.”
“Hmph.” Short of confessing all to her mother, did Teddy really have a choice? Now that their engagement had been made public, there would be a great deal of talk if she and Jack were not seen together. In fact, they should now start appearing as a couple in the evening as well. She shook her head. “I had no idea a pretend engagement would be even more effort than a real one.”
“But well worth it, don’t you think?”
“I suppose I would do nearly anything to avoid continuing conflict with my mother. And she will not rest until I’m married to Simon or someone else.” Teddy blew a long breath. “Hopefully, she will see reason when the specter of Father’s debts no longer hangs over our heads.”
“One can only hope.”
“I’m more than hoping, Dee, I’m counting on it.”
“I knew you’d see reason.” Dee cast her a smug smile.
“However, if I am going to spend the next few weeks at Millworth, I am going to allow you to do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
“And what is that?”
“I’m going to allow you to loan me some of your gowns. And to make you feel even better . . .” Teddy grinned. “I’m going to let you pay for the alterations.”
Chapter Sixteen
One week later, December 1887,
Millworth Manor . . .
Teddy sat on the upholstered bench in the corridor outside her usual room at Millworth and paged through her notebook, patiently waiting until the maid assigned to her needs finished unpacking her bag. Although patient wasn’t entirely accurate. It was all she could do to sit still. Patience had never been one of her virtues.
She and Jack and Colonel Channing had arrived at the manor an hour or so ago. Her mother would not be arriving until next week, which was something of a relief. It was one thing to carry on her charade of an engagement in front of Jack’s uncritical family and quite another under the sharp eyes of her mother. Camille, Grayson, and Sam were expected to dock today and should arrive at Millworth at any time.
As soon as she was able to get into her room she intended to spend a good hour alone going over the plans for Sir Malcolm Hodgett’s dinner the week before Christmas although dinner was not as appropriate a term as banquet. The older gentleman had invited no fewer than twenty-three of his closest friends to join him. Elderly, well-connected, unmarried gentlemen were proving to be some of her best clients and as her reputation grew, so did her commissions. Teddy knew full well they were employing her services as much to have a suitable hostess of sorts as anything else. She suspected this particular aspect of her business would not be as successful if she wasn’t pretty. Hopefully, by the time her looks had faded, her business would be solid and her appearance would no longer matter.
“Lady Theodosia?” The young housemaid appeared in the door carrying one of Dee’s gowns. “Everything is put away. I thought if you wished to wear this for dinner tonight, I would press it for you.”
“It’s a perfect choice, thank you,” Teddy said gratefully.
Teddy and her mother had shared a maid in recent years in an effort to trim expenses and Teddy hadn’t had the services of a lady’s maid at all since she’d been staying at Dee’s house.
“I thought it would go nicely with your hair, my lady.”
“Indeed it will.” But then Teddy and Dee had carefully selected those gowns that showed Teddy off to best advantage. Not that she wished to impress anyone. It was simply always a good idea to look one’s best. “It’s May, isn’t it?”
“Yes, my lady.” May nodded. “If there’s anything else you need, please send for me.”
“I will.” While there was certainly something to be said for fending for yourself, having a maid to help one get ready for an evening was a luxury Teddy missed. “Perhaps you could help me dress for dinner?”
“I’m very good with hair, my lady.” May lowered her voice in a confidential manner. “I do hope to be a lady’s maid one day, Lady Theodosia.”
“I’m certain you’ll succeed admirably.” Teddy nodded. “I shall see you later then, May.”
“Thank you, my lady.” May bobbed a curtsy, then hurried off down the hall. It struck Teddy that here was another woman determined to succeed in life. On her own.
She stepped into her room, closed the door, and breathed a sigh of relief. This particular room with its ivory drapes and coverlet, pastel Aubusson rug, and windows that looked out over the back garden had been hers from her first visit to Millworth as a girl and always made her feel as if she had come home. Silly of course. This wasn’t her home and never would be. Unless she married Jack, an annoying voice that sounded suspiciously like Dee’s murmured in the back of her head. She ignored it and sat down at the lady’s desk near the window.
If she was going to stay at Millworth, she was going to have to be more organized than usual. Fortunately the plans for the last two events on her schedule before Christmas, Sir Malcolm’s dinner and Mrs. Hendrickson’s evening of music and dancing next week, really a small ball, were already well in hand. However, as experience had taught her, the success or failure of any social gathering was in the details.
She opened her notebook and spread out her notes and lists on the desk. It took her no time at all to realize she had indeed thoroughly prepared. Aside from some minor odds and ends that she would take care of when she went into London in a few days, both events were under control. But even with her mother’s questionable help, Teddy could not manage more than one affair in any given week. She settled back in her chair and gazed out the window, tapping her pen absently on her notebook. After the New Year, when her father’s debts were no longer an issue, she could put the money she usually set aside for repayment back into her business. Then she could hire an assistant or two, someone socially connected who needed either distraction or a relatively steady income. Widows perhaps. Just off the top of her head she could think of several widows who had been left with far less than they’d anticipated although they were all excellent at keeping up appearances. With more help, Teddy could handle more events.
Teddy smiled. It was actually Jack’s idea. He had suggested a number of ways to increase her business. The man had an excellent head for figures. But then he was a banker after all.
He was also an excellent fiancé. In the week since their engagement had become horribly public he had gone out of his way to prove what a perfect match they were. Accompanied by her mother or his father or on occasion both they were together nearly every evening that she was not otherwise occupied. They had gone to a rather dreadful play, the title of which mercifully escaped her the moment they left the theater. They had attended a lecture that had held Jack
spellbound on the lost treasure of some South American country. There was indeed a lot of the colonel in his son. And even at Lady Wellby’s soiree, he had appeared at precisely the moment Teddy had been about to make her obligatory appearance to act as her escort. He was charming and amusing and clever and she couldn’t have asked for more in a fiancé—false or true. The man was most impressive. She overheard more than one lady comment on how he certainly did take after his father and wasn’t Lady Theodosia fortunate to have snatched him up before the rest of the world even knew of his existence?
Fortunate indeed, even if their engagement wasn’t real. The more time she spent with the man, the more she liked him. The more she wished . . . Utter nonsense. She had a purpose for her life and silly romantic notions had no place in it.
Still, she did wish he would kiss her again. And who knew where a kiss might lead?
A sharp knock sounded at the door. It opened at once and Dee burst into the room.
“Please come in.” Teddy twisted in her chair to face her friend. “Don’t let silly things like a closed door stop you.”
“Sam and Camille and Grayson are here!” Dee gasped for breath, shut the door behind her, and leaned back against it, as if to keep something horrible out.
“How . . . nice?”
“Yes, of course.” Dee waved off the question. “I’m delighted to see Sam. I can’t tell you how much I missed him. And I have promised myself the next time he travels to New York, he shall not be going alone.”
“Shouldn’t you be with him now?” Teddy asked carefully.
“Without question but you are my dearest friend in the world.” Dee raised her chin in a gallant manner. “And I should think by coming to you now, by thinking of your best interests rather than welcoming Sam properly, as both he and I would much prefer, I have proved what a worthy friend I am.”
Teddy drew her brows together. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Dee said under her breath. “Fortunately neither Mother nor Father is here at the moment, which gives us some time.” Dee straightened and met Teddy’s gaze firmly. “You, my dear friend, are going to need a new plan.”
The Shocking Secret of a Guest at the Wedding (Millworth Manor) Page 23