The Spurned Sister: A Regency Romance Novella

by Gloria Masters

  “Oh!” said Letitia. “I have thought of something. Our mother gave us jeweled combs to add to our hair at the first ball. I will go to our traveling trunks upstairs to find them so that you may see them, aunt.”

  “Yes, please do, my dear. I would love to see them.”

  Letitia then politely withdrew from the room and ventured up to her and Jane’s chambers while Jane stayed to keep her aunt company. Most of Letitia and Jane’s things had been unpacked by the maids upon their arrival, but Letitia knew that she had requested for some things to remain in the trunk until she had decided where she wanted them to be kept. Two of these items were the jeweled combs from their mother. Letitia’s was adorned with blue crystals and Jane’s with pink. Mrs. Hayward had imagined how lovely they would look in Letitia’s glorious golden and Jane’s delightful amber hair.

  Letitia found the combs and returned to the drawing room where her aunt and sister were chatting.

  “Here they are! Are they not charming?” she said as she held the ornaments up for the others to see.

  “Oh, yes! I remember admiring them when our mother presented them to us, but I did not have enough time to do them justice. I’m eager to wear mine,” Jane said.

  “And I mine,” Letitia replied.

  Their aunt looked at them closely. “Oh, yes, my dear. They will look very well with your dresses and the other ornaments I wish you to wear. You are both sure to be the most beautiful young ladies wherever you go. I am sure you would be, even without so many decorative additions, but the finest silks and shawls certainly never hurt.”

  “No, indeed, aunt. You are so very kind to us.”

  “My dears, can you guess when the first ball will be?” the older lady asked, widely smiling at her nieces.

  “I am sure we cannot, aunt. Is it soon?” Jane asked. She shared an excited glance with Letitia.

  “Why, it is next week! But never fear. My dressmaker will have both of your dresses ready in time. She is coming for your measurements tomorrow morning.”

  The two girls, usually so demure, could not help but hug one another and jump up and down with excitement. Their aunt looked on with pleasure.

  8

  Aunt Pembroke eagerly found ways to help fill what might otherwise have been the tedious time leading up to the ball. London was full of delights that she knew her nieces would enjoy. They promenaded in a grand carriage through Hyde Park, as members of high society did, attracting admiring glances from everyone standing along the drive.

  Many stylish shops and fashionable coffee shops were also graced with the presence of the elegant lady and her beautiful nieces. London coffee shops were places not only to socialize but to discuss. While Letitia and Jane did not feel sufficiently well-informed to engage in any sort of debate, notwithstanding the plethora of recent newspapers scattered around the tables, they found the new experience of listening to lively political discussion invigorating and educational. If anyone were to ask, they would also have to admit that the new experience of drinking coffee made them rather more alert than they would usually be. This was a beverage never explored in the Hayward household. Tea was the universal pleasure. Their aunt also quite surprised them, quietly debating some of the issues of the day with a few other beautifully dressed ladies of the same age, Lady Maxwell and Mrs. Adams.

  They soon moved on to some talk about local families, some of whom the girls would be sure to see at upcoming balls and parties. Lady Maxwell expressed her admiration of Letitia and Jane to Mrs. Pembroke as she slowly enjoyed the contents of an iced dessert and looking graciously at the two girls.

  “I am quite charmed with your nieces, Mrs. Pembroke. Such beautiful and charming girls. Such lovely manners. My daughter, Georgina, as you know, Mrs. Pembroke, is also a lovely girl. People always tell me how beautiful and well-behaved she is. Her debut in society was last year, Mrs. Pembroke. I am sure you remember?”

  “Yes, Lady Maxwell. Certainly, I do. Do you not remember? I attended the ball.”

  “Oh, silly me!” Lady Maxwell replied, casually glancing sideways. “That quite escaped me.” Lady Maxwell was a woman who was always searching for an opportunity to speak of her daughter. She always made an effort to seem as if it were quite by accident.

  Mrs. Pembroke discreetly smiled at her nieces.

  “I presume that these young ladies will be at Mrs. Lambert’s little gathering?” Lady Maxwell inquired.

  “Little gathering, my dear Lady Maxwell? How funny you are! I’m sure we all know it will not be little. My nieces very much look forward to the ball, certainly,” Mrs. Pembroke replied, laughing pleasantly. “We can expect to see your lovely daughter there as well, I imagine.”

  “Oh, certainly! You know how much dear Georgina adores a ball! She is to wear a lovely gown of the most charming golden hue from my dressmaker. Why, the satin and tulle of the silk is something I had never before beheld. She is French, you know. My dressmaker. A Frenchwoman born. You know who she is, do you not?”

  “Oh, yes. I assure you all of London does, Lady Maxwell,” Mrs. Pembroke replied.

  Her nieces could not help but inwardly smile at their aunt’s double meaning. The dressmaker was not only well-known in her own right but also from Lady Maxwell’s constant praise to whomever would listen.

  Lady Maxwell appeared pleased as she sipped some delicious coffee and cream. “I am not surprised. Madame Fabron is a delight. Did you know that her grandfather had a connection to the French nobility? A very old family. Her own father, sadly, fell into genteel poverty. But Madame Fabron learned her craft in the very best Paris fashion houses. Which Paris house did your own dressmaker apprentice in, Mrs. Pembroke? I do not believe you have ever told me.” Lady Maxwell was not very skilled at hiding her smug expression.

  Mrs. Pembroke was a proud woman and was not above a bit of friendly social competition. She felt like stomping her foot as she realized she would have to tell her acquaintance that her dressmaker had trained entirely in London. She affected a light and careless tone as she said.

  “Oh, no, I don’t believe I have ever mentioned it. My dressmaker is a wonderful woman. You have seen my dresses. She certainly does not lack in skill. She was trained in a highly respected London house. And now I remember, in fact, that the lady who owned the house had been trained in France.”

  “Ah!” said Lady Maxwell, looking rather pleased.

  During the journey home, Mrs. Pembroke told her nieces a bit more about Lady Maxwell and the famous Georgina.

  “Georgina is an amiable young woman, but I would not say she is a beautiful one. Some might say she is pretty, but I do not believe that I would be one of them. She is twenty-two years old, and Lady Maxwell is determined that she should find a wealthy heir to a title to marry as soon as may be. I have a feeling my friend is a bit anxious about her dear daughter standing in competition to you two, my dears,” the lady said, patting the girls’ knees affectionately.

  “Competition, dear aunt? But how could Jane and I stand as competition to the daughter of Lord Maxwell? A titled nobleman? Will Georgina have a large portion upon her eventual marriage?” Letitia asked.

  “Oh, yes, I believe so. As I said, however, my dear, the young lady is not beautiful. She would shrink from being compared to the two of you.”

  “I believe you greatly overestimate our beauty, Aunt Pembroke,” said Jane, bashfully. Letitia nodded in agreement. “But that is only because you are so very kind.”

  “I certainly do not overestimate your appeal! You will both be the most beautiful young ladies at the ball, I assure you. It is a pity about the lack of fortune. It is terribly unfair. But your faces can make your fortune,” Mrs. Pembroke said, addressing both her nieces.

  She was not certain exactly why, but Letitia felt rather uncomfortable with this suggestion. The sentiment her aunt had expressed was not an uncommon one. Rather the reverse. But Letitia disliked the idea of money being the most important factor in choosing a partner in marriage. Should a wealthy, resp
ectable, and agreeable young man, even a nobleman, propose to her, and she did not love him, she did not feel she would be able to even consider accepting him. How would her aunt view this bold conviction? She was uncertain.

  9

  The day of the ball at the Lambert’s fashionable town home finally arrived, to the great excitement of Letitia and Jane. The girls were in a flutter, spending the entire day getting ready. Their dresses had arrived a few days beforehand, even more lovely than they had imagined during all the hours the two had spent trying to guess what they might be like. The satin and tulle were such that even Lady Maxwell and Georgina would envy.

  Mrs. Pembroke sent her own lady’s maid and other maids to attend to her young nieces, dressing them and arranging their hair. She reminded the girls to dab on a delicate layer of lavender or rosewater scent as they did the finishing touches. Mrs. Pembroke entered the room after her lady’s maid informed her that the young ladies were ready and could now be seen. When she entered Letitia’s chamber, where they had dressed together, she found a sight even more beautiful than she had anticipated.

  “Oh, my dears! I simply cannot wait for you to enter that ballroom. Everyone is sure to notice you. Poor Lady Maxwell. Poor Georgina!”

  Carefully wrapping their shawls about their shoulders, the aunt and her nieces stepped out of the Pembroke town home into a cool and mysterious night that seemed full of possibility. It was the sort of evening that Letitia had not yet ever experienced. Had the world suddenly become magical? No, she was level-headed enough to know that this was not likely. It must be said, though, that this young lady was by no means immune to the effects of excitement and novelty. Neither was Jane. The two sisters continually looked at one another to share their sense of anticipation.

  As the carriage approached the Lambert house, Letitia’s heart began to beat more quickly. She could not help but remember the ball at which she met her first love, Robert Clarke. This young man had been duplicitous and not at all the young man that Letitia had imagined, but this could not eradicate the memory of fascination and attachment that clung to the young lady’s mind. Perhaps it could be possible that she would have this sort of experience again.

  Yet as they waited among other elegant and fashionably appareled gentry and nobility to gain entrance into the mansion, Letitia’s head was not full of dances, white soup, and negus. She was not at that moment dreaming of gliding about the ballroom floor, appearing to advantage with a handsome young gentleman. No, Letitia thought of her mother and the school they were running. She felt rather ashamed that she had not thought of this as frequently as she should of late. The kind young lady knew, though, that her mother would not want her to think of their circumstances at a moment such as this.

  They soon entered the house and slowly approached the area where the Lambert family were formally greeting their guests before gaining entrance to the ballroom. Mrs. Lambert was a tall and refined-looking woman, with light brown hair sprinkled with white and gray. She had cool gray eyes, the sort that could make one feel quite disconcerted in almost any circumstance. And the lady understood that she possessed this power. The gentleman of the house, Mr. Lambert, was equally imposing. Taller than his wife, he had dark hair and piercing blue eyes that everyone felt could somehow see and interrogate one’s thoughts. With two such forbidding personages, it can easily be understood how two young ladies such as Letitia and Jane would feel rather anxious of somehow displeasing.

  Mr. and Mrs. Lambert had two married daughters and one unmarried son. One of the daughters, along with her husband, and the son were all in the receiving line, as well. The Lamberts were a very close family but an ambitious one, as well, notwithstanding the formidable social position they already held. All of the children of the family were good-looking, more handsome, in fact, than their parents, and with a more amiable air.

  Their son, the young Mr. Matthew Lambert, was a tall and, many would say, remarkably striking young man of twenty-six. His eyes were blue like his father’s but had a sparkling quality that the elder man lacked. Known for the sort of flirtatiousness that most consider harmless and pleasing, he also displayed a wide and welcoming smile that many found enchanting. When Letitia was presented to him, it was clear that he took notice of her. He stared into her hazel eyes and admired her lovely halo of golden hair and fine skin, and she could not help but blush and look away. Jane saw this and felt excited for her sister. We can be sure that Mrs. Pembroke took note of this, too.

  10

  As the company talked and socialized before the dancing began, Matthew Lambert soon made his way over to Letitia as she stood with her aunt and sister.

  “My dear, look,” discreetly whispered her aunt to Letitia as the young gentleman approached. “The young Mr. Matthew Lambert is coming over. Indeed, I saw him admire you earlier!” The lady gently held her niece’s elbow, squeezing it affectionately.

  Matthew Lambert arrived before the ladies and bowed. His reason for approaching was soon clear. Looking at Letitia, he said, “Miss Hayward, I have come to ask for the honor of your joining me in the first dance.”

  Letitia shyly accepted, and when the music started, Matthew Lambert came to claim her hand and led her to the line of dancers. The music was slow and elegant, and the movements of the dance corresponded to this. As with most dances, there was plenty of opportunity for talk, and Matthew meant to learn as much as possible about his fair partner.

  “Your family is seated in Warwickshire, I understand, Miss Hayward?”

  “Yes, indeed it is. My father’s family has been there for hundreds of years.”

  “And very prominent, I am sure.”

  “Yes, I believe so.”

  “I apologize, Miss Hayward,” the young man continued, with an earnest manner. “I did not intend to bring up any topics that you will find painful. I have been told that you lost your father last year.”

  “Yes, Mr. Lambert. I regret to say that we did. It was a terrible loss, the worst that my sister or I have ever experienced in our lives,” Letitia replied, memories of her father flooding back. He would have been so happy to see her and Jane in London like this, attending balls with his favorite sister, Mrs. Pembroke, and being seen and admired. She looked over in the direction of her aunt and imagined her father standing there with her, talking and enjoying the evening in his usual jovial way. She sighed.

  “Do you wish to sit down, Miss Hayward?” the young gentleman asked, concerned.

  Letitia pulled herself up and tried to think of cheerful thoughts. “No, do not concern yourself, Mr. Lambert. I am quite well and enjoying the dance.”

  “Very well, if you are certain. Are you enjoying London, Miss Hayward?”

  “Yes, I must say I am. My sister Jane is, too. Our Aunt Pembroke is so very kind to us. She had our gowns made for this ball.”

  “Why, that certainly was kind, Miss Hayward. But I am sure it is no more than you deserve as such a charming and amiable young lady. And I hope you will not object if I observe how lovely your dress looks and how well it becomes you,” Matthew said, with a flirtatious glance.

  Letitia smiled slightly and looked demurely away after quietly saying, “Thank you, sir.”

  “I believe my parents are quite well-acquainted with your aunt,” he continued.

  “Yes, I think they are. I know my aunt likes your mother and father very much,” Letitia responded, smiling.

  Once the first dance was over, Matthew escorted Letitia back to her aunt and sister. Bowing, he asked if he may have the honor of dancing with Letitia once more before the ball was over. Mrs. Pembroke could not help but give Letitia a significant look, causing the young lady to be rather in a state of embarrassment and confusion. He then asked Jane if she would permit him the honor of her hand for the next dance, and she assented. As she walked away, she looked back at Letitia with a knowing smile, making her sister blush.

  Letitia stood and chatted with her aunt and some other acquaintances, including Lady Maxwell. Lady Maxwell
could talk of nothing but her daughter Georgina, pointing her out whenever possible in the dance.

  “Oh, I am so very pleased with how well Georgina looks this evening! Does she not look beautiful, Mrs. Pembroke?” the lady asked.

  Mrs. Pembroke nodded politely. “Certainly, she looks very well. Her gown is magnificent.”

  “And she is dancing with the heir to an earldom. Did you know that that young man is the heir of an earldom, Mrs. Pembroke?”

  “Oh, I see. Yes, now that you mention it, I think I have heard him mentioned. I believe I was told his family has not spent a great deal of time in London for the last several years, and that is why he is not yet well-known.”

  “Yes, indeed. The parents, Lord and Lady Grant, aren’t particularly fond of London society. It seems, however, that their son is quite different. I have been told that he seems to flourish here. He rather resents his parents holding him back from so much enjoyment for such a long time,” Lady Maxwell explained.

  “Ah, well one hesitates to blame him. London is so very pleasant, is it not, Letitia?”

  “Yes, it certainly is, aunt,” Letitia responded.

  They continued to watch the young man in question, Mr. William Grant, dance with Georgina Maxwell. They could not help but notice (but they would not dare mention it to Lady Maxwell) that Mr. Grant was failing to pay a great deal of attention to his partner. Rather, he was looking at another young lady: namely, Jane!

  Mrs. Pembroke felt quite pleased with herself and her nieces. She knew that Lady Maxwell must have noticed this too, and she was not above a sense of triumph.

  Once this dance was complete, Mr. William Grant, the heir to an earldom, did exactly what Mrs. Pembroke (and Jane) had hoped. He arranged to be introduced to Jane and asked her to accompany him in a dance. It was clear that he greatly admired her.