Regency Belles & Beaux

by Michele McGrath

  “He came because we are Philip’s only relatives in London, more’s the pity. He wanted to know if we knew of his whereabouts. He would not accept that we did not.”

  “Why would he ask about Philip? No one has seen him for years.”

  “He would not tell us that. He said that he had good and sufficient reason for asking.”

  “He’s an ill bred man without manners.” Lady Mary sat upright and wiped her eyes. “He accused us of hiding Philip from him. The very idea! He swore that this time he would see Philip hanged if he finds him.”

  “Hanged?” Alice felt the blood drain from her cheeks. “He can’t do that!”

  “Do you know where your brother is?”

  “I have already told you, no! I think he went to France, but I don’t know if that is true or not.”

  “And you have had no letter from him?”

  “I wish I had. What is Mr. Staunton planning to do next? Did he say?”

  “He said he was going to Kirkmore to talk to your parents. I imagine your father will run him off the estate if he presents himself in the same manner as he has just done to us.”

  It was very probable indeed, she thought. Papa would never tolerate being browbeaten by a stranger, no matter what he personally thinks of Philip’s actions. It would be a good thing if Staunton did go to Kirkmore because he would be away from London. I must tell Philip about his absence, so he can take Celia to Dover at once but words spoken in the heat of the moment may not be true, of course. It might be a ruse, to disarm suspicion. I must make sure he leaves and then send the information to Philip.

  “Cousin!” Edward’s voice recalled her wandering thoughts and she looked up at him.

  “I’m sorry, were you talking to me?”

  “What were you thinking about so hard?”

  “I wondered what brought Mr. Staunton looking for Philip after all this time.”

  “We are all wondering that. I will tell Reynolds that he is not to be admitted to this house in future. I must speak to our lawyer and then perhaps we may know more of where we stand if Staunton has the effrontery to call here again.”

  “What a thing to happen on the day of the ball,” Lady Mary exclaimed. “As if we do not have enough things to do and to worry about. What if that dreadful man tries to come here tonight?”

  “Don’t put yourself in a pucker, ma’am. He won’t. Reynolds is trustworthy and he will relish the opportunity of putting Staunton in his place if he comes here again, tonight or at any time in the future. Staunton is a swaggering bully and I am only sorry that you have been distressed by his conduct. I assure you that he won’t be allowed to trouble you or any of the family.”

  When Edward left the room to give his orders, Alice, feeling horribly guilty, spent a little while soothing Lady Mary’s spirits. She succeeded well enough that, before long, Lady Mary said “this will never do”, got up and returned to her interrupted duties.

  Although considerably shaken herself, Alice accompanied her and became sufficiently busy not to dwell on her troubles for a while.

  Chapter Ten

  Alice was still reacting to the shock of events and she was glad to escape to her own room where she struggled to become calmer. She had almost succeeded when Kitty scratched at the door.

  “Can I come in?”

  Alice nodded reluctantly and stuffed her handkerchief out of sight.

  “What was happening in the salon? Mama has red eyes while Edward looks as if he would like to murder someone. I asked Reynolds, but he only said that a gentleman called and there was some sort of quarrel. You were with Mama and Edward after he left, so you must know something about it. Do tell.”

  Realising that there would be no easy way to fob off Kitty and she would be unwise to even try, Alice decided to give her the basic facts.

  “The man’s name is Staunton. Four years ago he quarrelled with my brother Philip. Philip went away afterwards. We have not heard from him since. Staunton came here to ask Aunt Maitland where he was. He was extremely rude to her when she said that she did not know. So Edward ordered him to leave the house. That is all that happened.”

  Kitty screwed up her face. “I remember hearing something about it when I was in the schoolroom. Mama never told me what really went on. Why should Staunton be looking for Philip after all this time?”

  “That is the question we are all asking. Perhaps something has occurred which has sent him searching for him again.”

  “Perhaps it has. Shall I ask Reynolds? I’m a favourite of his and he tells me most things. The servants always know all the gossip. They will certainly have their tongues wagging about today’s events.”

  “See what you can find out. I miss Philip dreadfully. He’s the nearest of my brothers and sisters to me in age and we grew up together until he went to school. We were friends more than siblings are apt to be.”

  “Well, I’ll ask then.”

  As Kitty stood up to leave, an idea crossed Alice’s mind. “Would Reynolds be able to find out where this Mr. Staunton is staying in London?”

  “Probably, but why do you want to know that particularly?”

  “So that we can avoid the area. Philip looks like me. We both favour Mama rather than Papa. I don’t want Staunton to recognise me as his sister and make any more trouble.”

  “No indeed. I believe the raised voices made Reynolds wonder if a mill was about to take place in the saloon. The silly chunk called for the footmen to help him in case he needed to intervene. Robert said that they almost had to throw this man, Staunton, out of the house. I’ll ask Reynolds to find out all he can.”

  There was no more time for personal considerations. The moment had come for Alice to dress for the family’s formal dinner and ball. Lady Mary, Kitty and Alice had expanded much thought and discussion about their appearances for the occasion. Lady Kirkmore had agreed that Lady Mary would oversee her daughter’s outfit because she was more aware of the latest fashions. Lady Mary took both girls to her own modiste. She wanted them to be dressed in complimentary colours, for they would stand together beside her in the reception line to greet their guests. She herself intended to wear a new gown of figured cream silk and her diamonds. “Which will go with everything,” she said with a smile. “I hate outfits that clash.”

  For Kitty she had chosen a gown of white satin under an overdress of light blue crepe embroidered with tiny white flowers. Long white gloves and white roses in her hair completed Kitty’s toilette. For the taller and darker Alice, Lady Mary hit on the shade of pale primrose.

  “With your height and elegant figure, you can carry off a simple dress in an unusual colour, my dear,” Lady Mary said, smiling at her niece.

  This gown now lay ready on the bed while Sarah dressed Alice’s hair in a high topknot from which little curls were allowed to fall and frame her face. Lady Kirkmore had given Alice her grandmother’s pearls before she came to London. Although she had worn them before, Lady Mary believed they were the only ornament for a girl making her debut. So she wore them again with the pearl drop earrings which Lady Mary lent her from her own collection. Alice put on her gloves and picked up her fan and reticule. Then she turned to the side table where several bouquets waited for her to choose which one she would carry.

  Four of her various admirers had sent her flowers done up in filigree holders. Alice breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Mr. Hardwick had chosen deep crimson roses.

  “Thank heavens for that,” she exclaimed. “He can hardly expect me to carry red roses with this dress!”

  “These are lovely, my lady,” Sarah said, holding up a bouquet of white violets and yellow rosebuds adorned with trailing yellow ribbons.

  “I agree with you.” Alice held out her hand for the flowers. “Who is the clever person who has sent me these?” She turned over the card that accompanied the bouquet and gasped. “From Edward,” she read aloud. “No wonder he knew the colour of my dress.” She put the posy down on the table and looked at the others.
/>   “Won’t you carry them, my lady?” Sarah asked. “They are perfect.”

  “I agree, they are, if they came from any other gentleman. I am only surprised that he sent them to me.”

  “He must have gone to some trouble to find them, my lady. Violets are not easy flowers to grow at this season and just smell their scent.”

  Alice stooped and sniffed at the woodland perfume. For a moment she was transported to Kirkmore, where the flowers grew wild in sheltered nooks. Then she examined the other bouquets. After her recent quarrel with Edward she felt most reluctant to carry his flowers yet they were the only ones that matched her dress. Both Maurice Kaye’s pink hothouse lilies and Ralph Ashbourne’s purple and blue offering were not right… while as for Mr. Hardwick’s! Even if they had not been quite impossible, Alice would never have chosen his flowers. He would definitely take the gesture as a sign that she favoured his suit. Alice dithered for a second and then reluctantly picked up the yellow bouquet.

  At least Edward is not in love with me so I am not encouraging his aspirations or making him unhappy, she thought. If I carried either of the other bouquets, Maurice and Ralph might imagine I looked favourably on them and I don’t.

  Edward was waiting in the hall as she joined the rest of the family to greet their dinner guests before the ball. Politeness required her to thank him for his bouquet. So she glanced up shyly at him and found he was smiling at her, looking quite different than he had the previous day. She imagined she saw real happiness in his expression then she told herself that she was being ridiculous.

  “Thank you for my flowers, they are lovely,” she said.

  “I am glad you like them.”

  On the surface at least, everyone appeared to be in harmony with each other and the dinner passed off uneventfully. Afterwards, Alice stood in the reception line with her aunt and cousins. She thought she had acquired a large acquaintance in London but more than half of the guests were complete strangers to her. She tried to remember their names as they were presented to her but it was difficult. Fortunately, Lady Mary’s husband had not moved in either government or royal circles, so Alice had not needed to be drilled in any special protocol, for which she was thankful. Many of the young men attending had been fighting in the late wars and some proved to be well known to Edward. He seemed to be quite popular and she was rather startled to hear the banter and teasing as old friends met again after some time apart. He seemed younger as he laughed and bore the jokes with a goodwill that she had not seen since the day he had returned home.

  He is quite nice and these people like him very well, she thought. How I wish he would forget to be formal and use some of his charm on me.

  The music was beginning and Alice found herself tapping her feet long before Lady Mary released both girls from her side so they could take their places for the first dance.

  Alice thought Kitty was almost feverishly excited as if she was anticipating something important to happen. It showed in the flush of her cheeks and her rather jerky movements. When the majority of the guests had arrived, this excitement began to dim, just a little. As she stood in her place for the opening dance, Alice noticed that her cousin kept looking around the room with a worried frown on her face. Then she started, as if she had she remembered her situation and started to converse with her partner.

  Both Kitty and Alice had been assigned to dance with the most important guests, as had Edward. Kitty took to the floor with a military man wearing a huge moustache and many medals. He talked a lot and shuffled his steps. Alice was luckier in her partner. Lord Flint, a man of few words, was a fine dancer. She enjoyed her dance because she could concentrate and follow the intricate pattern he set as they weaved around the room. She had been nervous beforehand, not wanting to make a mistake with so many eyes upon her, not all of them friendly. Lord Flint was pleasant. He did not put her to the blush nor did the others with whom she danced her duty dances. Nevertheless she was heartily glad when she was finally free to join her own friends. Mr. Hardwick had obviously been waiting until this moment because he immediately approached her. She realised that her dismay must have shown on her countenance because her cousin, with less than his usual exquisite manners, swooped down on her and said,

  “My dance, Hardwick, I think.”

  Edward led her quickly onto the floor, before she could argue and she found herself giggling. He gave her hand a little shake and whispered,

  “It’s not polite to laugh at the discomfort of others.”

  She shot a glance up at him and saw that he was grinning, so she smiled.

  “Then you should not cause the discomfort in the first place! But thank you for rescuing me.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  He took her hand and circled his arm around her waist. Alice felt her heart beating faster and she found it hard to breathe. Edward’s expression had softened as he looked into her eyes. “Now that the Patronesses of Almack’s have approved you to dance the waltz at last, shall we show everyone how it is done?”

  The music started and he swept her away. Afterwards, Alice was left with the dizzying impression that her feet had never touched the floor, so perfectly had their steps matched. As they left the floor, she also saw that they had been watched by a number of envious eyes. Glancing up at her cousin, to see if he had noticed, she found him blissfully unaware but she remembered the first moment she had seen him. He still looked the embodiment of her dreams. Oh, if he would only keep his temper, she would content to be with him forever. Then she shook herself. Here was she in the middle of her ball and daydreaming nonsense. She thanked Edward for their dance and was promptly surrounded by her court. So many others asked her to dance that she did not see Edward again for the rest of the evening.

  Alice also saw little of Kitty, but they met once just before supper. Kitty caught Alice’s arm and hissed,

  “He hasn’t come!”

  “Charles?”

  “Of course, Charles! Who else?”

  “There is still time for him to arrive.”

  “If he…” Kitty broke off. “Oh Lord, there’s that awful Maria Sinclair. If she sees me she’s sure to ask what is the matter with me. Keep her away from me please.”

  Kitty hurried away and was soon lost to sight. Alice turned reluctantly to greet Lady Maria who was walking purposely towards her, her hand on the arm of a young man whom Alice could not remember meeting before.

  “Lady Alice, may I present Mr. Charville, who is anxious to make your acquaintance?”

  “How do you do, Mr. Charville.” Alice gave him her hand. As he bowed, she noticed over his bent head the faint smile on Lady Maria’s face. It had an odd quality but Alice did not have a chance to find out what it signified. Having made the introduction, Lady Maria excused herself and left them.

  “Would you care to dance, Lady Alice?” Mr. Charville asked.

  “Forgive me, I am so hot.”

  “Then perhaps we could sit down for a while. There are some chairs over there.”

  Remembering Edward’s strictures about sitting in corners with young men, Alice suggested instead a stroll in the hallway, which was considerably cooler than the ballroom. They walked slowly, talking together. Mr. Charville told her that he was a distant cousin of Lady Maria recently arrived back from France. He had begged for an introduction to ‘the loveliest lady in the room’. Alice laughed. She wondered what Lady Maria thought of such a request and why she had agreed to do as he asked, since she was aware that Lady Maria did not like her. It would have been more in keeping with what she knew of her character to have flatly refused. The young man was entertaining and quite handsome in a boyish sort of way. It was a pleasant interlude in the evening, which had been very enjoyable. The highlight, she admitted to herself before she went to sleep that night, was her dance with Edward although Mr. Charville was someone she would like to meet again.

  The following morning, sipping her hot chocolate, she was mulling over the evening before. Suddenly she realised t
hat in the course of ten minutes, Mr. Charville had drawn quite a lot of information from her concerning her family and friends. She had a feeling of disquiet and wracked her brains trying to remember exactly what she had told him. Nothing dangerous, she was sure. She was not such a simpleton as that. Mr. Charville had described his own people and circumstances to her in an amusing way and she had reciprocated, enjoying the conversation. She was worried because, for once, she had not been on her guard.

  I told him about my parents and my brothers and sisters. I’m certain I did not mention Philip and even if I did, what would his name matter to a new acquaintance? It is not as if I spoke about his circumstances, she told herself, but the uneasiness remained.

  It did not take Reynolds very long to report back to Kitty. In the evening of the day following the ball, Kitty came into Alice’s room as she was dressing for dinner.

  “I have something to tell you,” she murmured, looking at Alice’s maid, who had just finished fixing a spray of flowers in Alice’s hair. Alice caught the meaningful glance and immediately said,

  “Sarah, would you leave us please.”

  When they were alone, Kitty plopped down on a stool and began her story.

  “No wonder we were never told about your brother. It’s quite a tale. It took me ages to wheedle some of it out of Reynolds, but I managed in the end. I’m sure he never told me the whole but what he did was scandalous enough. Apparently Staunton and Philip fought a duel over Staunton’s wife four years ago. Staunton was badly wounded and Philip fled.”

  “So that was it! I wondered,” Alice said, hoping that her emotions did not show on her face. “Did you find out anything else?”

  “Staunton is staying at Mivart's Hotel in Brook Street but he went out of town this morning. So we don’t have to worry about bumping into him for a while.”