Thinking of the silly young ladies who were included in Lester’s house party set Lily’s teeth on edge and curbed her appetite. Their one goal was to ensnare one of the noblemen as a husband. The wealthier or better born, the better, of course. Lily had heard a group of ladies discussing the gentlemen in the green salon two days before as she had passed by the room on her way to confer with the housekeeper about one of the bedchambers. They had been giggling over Mr. Sheffield’s income.
“I’ve heard it’s as much as ten thousand pounds a year.” This had been uttered in tones of awe.
“But it doesn’t come with a coronet,” pointed out one of the others with a disappointed air.
“One could buy several coronets with ten thousand pounds,” had tittered another.
Lily had rolled her eyes. Yes, ten thousand pounds was a staggering amount of money, but what of his personality? She had observed Mr. Sheffield. For one thing, the fact that he was a friend of Lester put him in her black books, but she had also seen the way he treated the servants. Lily had been forced to rearrange the staffing in the wing of the house in which Mr. Sheffield had been roomed. Only footmen were on duty there. None of the maids were to be left alone with the man. Lily was certain if the man would so mistreat a servant, he shouldn’t be trusted with a wife, either.
She was well aware that members of the nobility considered the servants beneath them and would probably treat their wives differently than how they treated their servants, but it went to character. If he could so mistreat another human, she doubted he would be sweet and kind to his wife. Especially if she were to overspend her pin money, as Lily knew noblewomen were wont to do. She had overheard several conversations about that, as well.
“I’m shattered until the next quarter.”
“Couldn’t you ask for an advance on your next quarter?”
“I don’t intend to tell my guardian the situation. He’ll want to know what I spent it on.”
The laughter that had followed made Lily certain the young woman wasn’t to be trusted. It only reinforced her view of the nobility. Of course, she had met some lovely specimens of the gentry and even nobles. Uncle Wilbur had been the best. He had introduced her to a few of his friends who had also seemed quite pleasant. But they all lived in a different world from the rest of reality. Lily was definitely a creature of the real world.
Her parents had died when she was seventeen. The flu that had taken them had just barely spared her. She had been weak and exhausted from illness and grief when Aunt Violet had brought her to stay at Ashburn Place. The viscount and his wife had been kind, loving, and patient with her during her convalescence and grieving. It had been fortunate that Lester had been away at school and had barely visited. Lily had finally regained her strength and joined the household.
During her illness, when she had been well enough, Wilbur had allowed her to sit with him while he was meeting with the steward. It had been the highlight of her weeks. She had loved the mathematics involved. And the tidiness of it all. If she had been a man, she would have been a clerk, for sure. One column had to add up and match the other column. It was perfect and precise. Of course, the steward and Uncle Wilbur thought it was a bit of a joke, but Lily had taken the accounts deadly seriously. And now she needed to impress their importance upon her aunt. She couldn’t, in good faith, leave the household until her aunt could fully understand how the books worked. It was for her own protection.
Lily didn’t trust Lester any farther than she could throw him. She wouldn’t put it past him to change the steward to one who wouldn’t have Ashburn’s interests at his heart. Lily knew Uncle Wilbur had trusted Ralph to run his estate. They had seemed to have a good working relationship, and the man was very knowledgeable about all aspects of running Ashburn. Even though Ralph would no longer answer her questions, Lily was sure the steward would have no qualms in telling Lester if he was overdrawing on the estate. It hadn’t come to that, yet. It appeared to Lily that they were still profitable. But with how extravagantly Lester liked to live, she couldn’t trust that things would remain so smooth. And if the steward ever had to try to exercise some restraint upon Lester, things could get very ugly. So, to protect the viscountess and her financial stake in Ashburn Place, Lady Violet needed to know how things worked. Lillian felt it was her responsibility to see to that education for her beloved aunt.
Chapter Five
Violet found herself glancing into a mirror as she passed it in the salon and then reprimanded herself for such vanity. Just because the handsome Lord Avery had arrived did not give her leave to lose her sensibility. But she hadn’t expected the handsome earl to be present at Lester’s party, and she couldn’t prevent the girlish thrill that assailed her at the thought of spending a couple days in the older gentleman’s company.
When Lillian had told her they would be arriving today, it had taken all her skills not to betray her interest in the subject. As it was, just thinking about her attraction to the earl filled Violet with guilt. Her darling husband had barely been gone more than a year. She couldn’t believe she was eager to see another man. Not that anything would come of it, of course. She had no interest in remarrying. Not that Lord Avery would even consider her for the role of his next countess, of course, she reminded herself.
Violet shook her head. She was being unforgivably foolish. Her steps faltered for a moment as a thought struck her. If she did remarry, she would be in a position to provide for Lillian far better than she was in her current situation at Lester’s mercy. Of course, she had been provided for sufficiently, but not enough to also provide for Lillian. Perhaps it would behove her to consider remarriage.
Sure, Violet, keep telling yourself your motives are purely altruistic, she thought to herself with uncharacteristic sarcasm. At least be honest in your own head. Violet ignored her disquieting thoughts. She had guests to attend.
“Good morning,” she called to the assembled guests. There was a rustle of activity as various people acknowledged her greeting. The couple of gentlemen present made to rise to their feet, but Violet quickly waved them back to their seats with a grateful smile. “I’m pleased to see you’re being well cared for.”
“You have very well trained servants, my lady.”
Violet dipped her chin in what she knew would appear to be gracious acknowledgement of the woman’s words, but she squirmed inwardly. So much of the running of her household was being looked after by her niece. It was a state of affairs she couldn’t allow to continue. The darling girl ought to be enjoying her life, not working herself into an early grave acting as an unpaid servant in this household. Presently, though, Violet didn’t see a solution to the dilemma, and the rest of the house party needed to be gotten through. She would pursue her concerns next week.
Scanning the room, Violet spotted the newest addition to the household and rustled over to take a seat next to the young woman.
“Good morning, Lady Katherine. I’m pleased to see that you are no worse for your travels. My staff tells me you and your father arrived after I had retired for the evening. I trust they saw to your comfort sufficiently.”
“Oh, yes, thank you for asking Lady Violet. We felt so badly about arriving that late.”
“Did you run into difficulties on the road?”
“A broken wheel, can you believe it?”
Violet laughed. “Unfortunately I can, with the state of some of the roads. Were you terribly uncomfortable on the road?”
The young woman let out a tinkle of laughter. “It actually wasn’t so dreadful. We were lucky enough to break down just as we were about to drive through a small village, so there was an inn I was able to easily walk to for refreshment while I waited. And of course, being so close to the village made the repairs much easier to accomplish. We were only held up a couple hours. It really wouldn’t have been worth it to continue if the timing hadn’t worked out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since my father would only agree for us to come to th
e very end of the party, if we weren’t going to make it last night, we would have had to turn around and go home without bothering to come.”
“Oh, that would have been just too bad.”
“Wouldn’t it?” the girl asked with another laugh. “I actually suspected my father had arranged for the breakdown just to prevent me from coming, but our driver and outriders were quick and skilled, so my plans didn’t get spoiled at all.”
Violet laughed along with the girl. “Do you really think your father has the ability to break your wheels from inside the carriage? That would be a dangerous proposition if it were true.”
Katherine laughed again. “No, I was just disgruntled over the delay. I know he wouldn’t do something like that. He isn’t the sneaky sort. He would have just denied me outright to come, if he had really wanted to prevent it.”
“Why wouldn’t he want you to come to our party?”
Violet was surprised when the young woman blushed deeply and averted her gaze. Obviously, she hadn’t meant to say anything about it and was embarrassed to have admitted as much.
“Oh, my lady, I meant no offence.” The young woman stammered and blushed. Violet felt the need to comfort her even though she didn’t understand what she meant.
“Of course, you didn’t, and I assure you I took no offence. I’m just glad you made it and will be able to enjoy your time here.”
Lady Katherine didn’t seem convinced by Violet’s words, and she appeared to want to share her thoughts even though Violet hadn’t prodded for them. The younger woman leaned forward.
“My father thinks Lord Shepley is a reprobate and didn’t want me to attend his party.” Katherine uttered the words in a voice resonating with the thrill of doing the forbidden. Violet had to quell her amusement.
“Well, I cannot blame your father. Shepley is a reprobate, I’m fairly sure. But when he is at home he is careful not to go too far beyond the bounds of decency most of the time, so you needn’t fear you’ll be put to the blush.”
Violet’s amusement deepened when the girl appeared to be disappointed with her words.
“Have you seen your father yet this morning, my lady? Do you know if he is sufficiently recovered from yesterday’s exertions?” Violet hadn’t meant anything but solicitous concern with her question, but the younger woman laughed.
“My father never needs to recover from anything, my lady. He was up early and went for his usual ride before the rest of the household had stirred, I’m sure. I only saw him briefly. As I entered the breakfast room he was leaving with his cup of coffee. He said there was too much chatter there and he needed to find somewhere quiet to read his paper.”
Violet smiled. “That’s fine, then. I’m sure I shall encounter him at some point. I am delighted to hear you have settled in comfortably. Can I do anything to make your visit any more pleasant?”
“If it was any more pleasant, I don’t know if I could stand it,” the young woman exclaimed, her enthusiasm threatening to get out of hand.
Violet nodded and excused herself. She would need to remember to mention the young woman to Lillian. She would bear scrutiny to ensure she wasn’t looking for trouble during her stay here at Ashburn. It was obvious to Violet that the lovely, young Lady Katherine was enamoured with the thought of spending time with a bunch of rakes, but Violet would not allow any young woman’s ruination under her roof. If she thought he would listen, Violet would offer a warning to Lester as well. Stifling her sigh, Violet swept from the room.
She was passing the open door to the green room when she heard a faint rustle, which prompted Violet to stick her head into what she thought was an empty room. There was the earl himself folding his paper, presumably to make the page easier to read.
“Good morning, Lord Avery, I was just speaking with Lady Katherine. I was sorry to hear you had wheel trouble on the road.”
“Good morning, my lady. Yes, what can one expect with the roads in such dreadful shape after the wet winter we had? We were grateful they were no longer swampy with mud, but our old wheels weren’t up to the challenge of getting over the ruts and dips left behind.”
“At least you weren’t held up for too very long.”
“No, it was merely a minor inconvenience. I was just surprised. Since you aren’t so very far from London, I had expected the roads in these parts to be in better condition.”
“I think the one blessing has resulted in a curse,” Violet replied. Her mysterious answer caused the earl to raise an inquisitive eyebrow. Violet blushed and tried to explain. “We are blessed with many roads in the area, but that makes it more work to maintain, I would expect. And I don’t think all the landowners in the area are so quick to get on with it.”
“Well, I was impressed with the state of the roads closest to your lands.”
Violet nodded. “Lil gave it priority as soon as it was dry enough but before it got too dry.”
The earl’s eyebrows seemed to question who “Lil” was, which Violet regretted, but he merely agreed, “That was wise, I’m sure.”
Violet hurried to change the subject, wanting to be away from the handsome man and the way he could turn her head. “Have you been made comfortable by the servants, my lord? Can I do anything to make your stay more comfortable?”
His eyes narrowed, and Violet's blush deepened as she realized her words could be taken to imply a more intimate offer than the one she had meant. She thought of turning on her heel and leaving the man, but her good breeding kept her in place to brazen it out. The earl must have detected her discomfort because his face relaxed and creased into a warm smile.
“It would seem I have all that I need, I thank you, Lady Violet.”
Violet was about to leave the room when her stride hitched, and she turned back to the earl. He was still watching her attentively, and she questioned the wisdom of what she wanted to ask him.
“Was there something else, my lady?” He asked the question as he rustled the pages of his newsprint. Violet wanted to shrink from the room but remembered that her honour was at stake. She cleared her throat delicately before asking her question.
“As I mentioned, I spoke with your daughter this morning.”
“Yes,” he prompted, a question mark in his voice.
“She mentioned you did not want to allow her to come because of my stepson’s reputation. I do hope you realize I would not stand for underhanded behaviour while I am in residence.”
The earl’s gaze had gone from warm to glacial within the space of her first sentence.
“Really, my lady? How would you stop him? It does not seem to me that you have the strength to exert any control over the man.”
Violet’s colour rose along with her rarely roused ire. The fact that his words were true didn’t make them any less hurtful or offensive.
“He might be a rake, my lord, but he has enough respect for his father’s memory to keep such things away from me.”
The earl inclined his head toward her in a form of acknowledgment that did nothing to set her at ease.
“You will note, my dear lady, that we are present, so you mustn’t think that we think too ill of you.”
Violet realized there was nothing to be gained from trying to discuss this with the earl. Really, what did she hope to gain? She questioned herself as she nodded and carried on her way. She needed to regain control of her affairs, she decided firmly and went in search of her niece.
“Can you even imagine the man’s temerity?” she demanded.
Lillian’s understanding smile did nothing to cool the temper that had still not subsided in Violet’s heart. How could the man think so ill of her? And why did she care? This last question brought Violet up short. She was acting like a simpleton. While the thought of remarrying was unappealing and the thought of helping Lillian held great appeal, the fact remained that Violet respected Lord Avery and was hurt that he obviously did not return the sentiment.
They had enjoyed multiple brief conversations through the years of her
marriage to the viscount. Violet’s husband had considered the earl a friend. If she remembered correctly, they had gone to school together and had even spent some of their Grand Tour together. Violet had always enjoyed his quick wit and steady, calm personality whenever their paths had crossed. It had been a shame when his wife had died. She had been a lovely lady, as well. Not that Violet had known her all that well. She hadn’t enjoyed the most robust health and had remained at home on their estate much of the time during the Season.
Lillian interrupted Violet's thoughts and pulled her from her wool gathering. “Don’t let the man irk you, Aunt Vi. His opinion means nothing. It is your opinion of yourself which matters most. And you are well aware that you are a respectable lady and deserve to be recognized as such. If he doesn’t wish to do so, that is his loss. The rest of the guests seem to be perfectly content with being here and have done nothing to make me think they are questioning the wisdom of accepting the invitation.”
“But did you have any refusals when you sent out Lester’s invitations? I didn’t think to ask previously.”
“Surprisingly, no,” Lillian answered. “I had expected there to be at least a few refusals since people would already have had plans, or so I thought. But everyone accepted. Of course, Lady Katherine and Lord Avery replied that they could only come for the end of the party, but they were the only ones. Perhaps Lester had the sense not to ask that high sticklers be invited, but from what I know of the ton, no one of ill repute is on the guest list. If I didn’t know better, I would have almost thought Lester was looking for a viscountess.”
Violet looked at her niece, stunned by her words. “Do you really think so? I hadn’t thought to become a dowager so soon.”
Lillian laughed. “As I said, I know Lester better. I strongly doubt he is looking for a wife. He merely likes to stir up controversy. I’m sure he’s well aware that some parents would have their doubts about bringing their daughters here. He probably wanted to see who would accept. He was no doubt just as surprised as I was.”
Courting Intrigue: A Sweet, Regency Romance (The Bequest Series Book 2) Page 5