by Fanny Finch
“I, too, have to doubt that,” Lady Eugenia said, halting any further embarrassment for her friend. “You are a man of consequence, my lord. I would like to take a walk with you in the garden. It is getting stuffy in here, as more people come in to enjoy the refreshments. Have you had some tea and pastries, Hestia?”
As if to answer Lady Eugenia’s question, Hestia’s stomach rumbled quietly. She hoped neither of her companions heard it. “I have not. But I am not hungry, my lady. I will be fine.”
Lady Eugenia shook her head. “Nonsense. We must get something for you to eat. Do you not agree, Lord Price?”
Leander grinned at Hestia. She would need to eat in order to expend all the extra energy she had built up inside her. “I do agree. Feisty young women need to be fortified or they will become sloth-like.”
Lady Eugenia gasped and then laughed. “Oh, Lord Price. You do have a sense of humor. How lovely. I must say, I do know a young woman whom I believe would suit you well. You have an intelligent mind and you are very charming.”
Hestia’s breath caught in her throat. She ran through a list of other ladies of the ton and dismissed them all as unworthy, one by one. The only person she desired to have Lord Price besides Lady Eugenia was herself.
And she would not dare put herself up in such a manner. She had already done too much in that regard as it was.
Leander was also taken by surprise by the offer. “I must say it is a little strange to have an eligible lady offer someone else in her place. Who might this young lady be?”
When Lady Eugenia looked at Hestia, the young woman felt her cheeks flaming up again. Had Lady Eugenia guessed her thoughts? Or was she looking at Hestia as though they should both know who Lady Eugenia was talking about?
Hestia turned and looked around the room, picking out the ladies in the room she thought might be even a little bit worthy of Leander.
Leander saw her looking and moved his eyes from Lady Eugenia to Hestia and back again. He felt stuck in the middle, unsure of where to turn. Was he not good enough for Lady Eugenia?
He kept a pleasant smile on his face. “Please be forthcoming with the name of this young woman I would be so taken with that I would want her for the rest of my life.”
“You have already met her but I know you have not been formally introduced.” Lady Eugenia’s eyes moved to Hestia once more. “It is my dear friend, Lady Hestia Stalwood to whom I refer. She is the daughter of the Earl of Nottingham.”
Leander nodded, looking down at Hestia. “Good afternoon, my lady.”
“Good afternoon, my lord.”
Lady Eugenia looked confused at first before recovering from her surprise. “I did not know you had been introduced, Lady Hestia.”
Hestia shook her head. “I was looking at those books on the shelf, my lady,” she said, moving her eyes to the bookshelf and back again. “I backed up and bumped into Lord Leander. We had a small chat on the way over so that I could introduce you and my lineage was revealed.”
Lady Eugenia looked back up at Lord Leander. “Did she truly bump into you, my lord?”
Leander grinned wide, remembering the incident that had just happened. “She did.”
“I must apologize for her.”
Leander shook his head. “There is no need. She was perfectly charming and did as she is supposed to do as a companion. I have been introduced to you and that, I believe, was her ultimate goal.”
“I did not mean to bump into you, Lord Price. I do apologize again for that.”
“I understand, Lady Hestia. You have already apologized and been forgiven for the mistake. It was not your intention to run into me. You must not think of it again.”
Leander was fascinated by the young woman. He forced himself to turn his eyes back to Lady Eugenia. “You have chosen a good companion, Lady Eugenia. I am impressed by her manners.”
He could not help thinking once more that Drusilla could use some help with that.
“I believe Hestia would be a wonderful companion for you, as well.”
Leander tried not to chuckle. Both the young ladies were attractive and it seemed they were both trying to help the other one, though Hestia had chosen a back seat and was acting as a companion. He was certain they were extremely good friends to be looking out for each other in such a way.
“I am afraid I am already courting a young lady,” he found himself saying. He was angry at himself for saying it but also knew it had to be revealed before either of the young women became too involved in their scheme. Hestia’s cheeks were already red enough.
“You are?” Lady Eugenia looked very disappointed. Leander noticed the same look on Hestia’s face just before she masked it with a gentle smile.
“Yes, she is due to arrive at any time. I…”
He stopped abruptly when a voice came calling loudly from the doorway, a voice he had been dreading since his arrival.
It was Miss Drusilla.
Chapter 8
Hestia’s heart ached at the thought that Leander was not available to any woman in the room, least of all her. She wished she had not even met him if such was the case.
When she turned and saw Miss Drusilla, stomping through the crowd toward them in a brash manner, her eyes widened. The woman stopped at a group of people, who looked at her as if she had intruded on a very private conversation.
Miss Drusilla did not seem to notice their reaction to her. She straightened the collar of one gentleman, who looked shocked that she had touched him.
Hestia looked back at Leander with surprise in her eyes.
Eugenia looked just as shocked. Was this the woman Leander had chosen to marry? Hestia did not recognize her but she did not have to know her name to realize the differences between the two people. If her impression of Leander was correct, he would not last two days in the same room with that woman without losing his sanity.
But Hestia only had a first impression to rely on. She had been wrong about people before. But this one hurt more. She stepped back and away from Leander but Eugenia grabbed her elbow and kept her from leaving. Hestia looked at her. Eugenia shook her head, turning her head to give Leander a confused look.
“It was lovely meeting you, my lord, I do hope you have a good time while you are here.”
Leander dropped his eyes to hers. Hestia did not think he looked very pleased to see his lady had arrived. She was not the only one in the room staring at Miss Drusilla, who was not a student of grace and gentility.
“Thank you, my lady,” Leander said, bowing to her, keeping his eyes directly on her face. “I regret that our conversation has been cut short.”
“Is that your companion?” Eugenia said, her voice betraying her surprise. Leander just gave her a blank look.
“It is. I will introduce you. Please follow me.” He began to walk in the direction of the garishly-dressed woman, who was waving one hand in the air at him but did not look terribly excited to see him. Hestia moved her eyes from the woman to Leander and back again, wondering what could possibly have put these two together.
The two women looked at each other before walking a step behind Leander. Hestia couldn’t help noticing Leander was walking stiffly. His relaxed, jovial nature from before had completely vanished.
Hestia’s impression of Leander must have been completely off base. If he was willing to marry a woman who so obviously did not fit into social standards, he was not the man she had originally thought.
Leander made a beeline for the woman, who had stopped and was talking in a loud voice to a gentleman with a bright blue cravat. Hestia glanced at it, thinking how it was quite a distraction.
Miss Drusilla looked at Leander with recognition but some disinterest. Hestia thought that was strange for a woman in courting. If she were Leander’s future bride, she would be looking at him in a much different way.
“Lord Price.” Miss Drusilla said his name dryly.
“Miss Drusilla.” Leander bowed at the waist but did not take Miss Drusilla’s hand unti
l she held it in front of his face. “Allow me to introduce you to Miss Drusilla Sirey. Miss Drusilla, this is Lady Eugenia Callow and her companion, Hestia Stalwood.”
Hestia noticed that he had dropped the “lady” that came in front of her name. He did not, however, forget either of their names.
After spending such little time with him, and reacting with such strong emotion, she concluded she had to be wrong about his character.
If the smile on his face indicated his happiness, she was not sure how happy he really was. But he had chosen the loud woman in front of him. She was happy she did not have to deal with the woman every day.
She shuddered. It could have been this lady she had become a companion to. How horrible that would have been.
She and Eugenia stepped back and watched the two interact. Miss Drusilla was dressed outlandishly but neither Eugenia nor Hestia would dare say such a thing out loud. It would be too impolite. The woman was taking care of that all by herself.
Her clothes looked expensive but it was as though she had put on every luxurious piece of jewelry, had not looked in the mirror when she chose a jacket to go over her brightly colored gown, and had painted her face with bright colors on her lips and cheeks.
She might have been mistaken for having stepped directly off the stage if Hestia had not known better. She could hear murmuring voices around her and was sure that this time, they weren’t talking about her.
Leander was speaking in a low voice despite Miss Drusilla’s lack of attention. Her eyes wandered all around the room.
Hestia was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She took a step back, watching the two as they spoke to each other. Or rather, as Leander spoke to Miss Drusilla. For her part, the woman barely kept her eyes on his face for more than a few seconds, constantly looking around at the other people in the room.
She nodded and lifted her hands in greeting. Several times, Hestia looked where Miss Drusilla’s eyes went and noticed the raised eyebrows and whispers in reaction to the garish woman.
Leander’s hushed words drew her attention back to the two. “Miss Drusilla, this is a social event meant for everyone. Perhaps it would be best if you did not draw such notice to yourself.”
Miss Drusilla did not look at him when she responded through a huge, fake smile. “I am not a demure little mouse, Lord Price. I am excited to meet everyone here. It is necessary for me to meet them, is it not?”
“As a lady, you should contain your excitement and show class. This is not a bro…” Leander cut his words short, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment when Miss Drusilla laughed loudly.
The woman looked at him, resting one hand on his jacket lapel. “Oh, my lord, you are so cunning and smart. It would be lovely if you would introduce me to some of your friends. Thank you for the offering.”
Hestia felt a measure of disgust slide through her. Miss Drusilla slid her arm through Leander’s and held on with her other hand. Before the two of them walked away, Leander gave her a close look. She could not tell whether it was a pleading look or a disdainful one.
Eugenia was still by her side and turned to her as the couple mixed into the crowd around them.
“What a woman,” her friend whispered. “I cannot imagine being betrothed to someone like that. Can you?”
“No,” Hestia replied, keeping her voice low. “And I must assume she is part of the new rich, as he did not use any title for her. He referred to her as ‘miss’.”
Eugenia nodded. “I did notice that. I do not believe she was raised in an elite home. Her manners prove otherwise.”
Hestia looked at Leander’s back when the two of them stopped at a small group of people. He was attempting to introduce her to people he obviously knew but she cut in repeatedly, introducing herself, making remarks about the appearance of the others in the group.
She felt a tug on her arm. Looking down, she saw Eugenia’s fingers clutched around the sleeve of her dress.
“Come with me, Hestia. Let’s step over here where it’s quieter.”
Leander glanced over his shoulder and watched as Lady Eugenia and Hestia walked away. He ran his eyes over Hestia. He was willing to bet the young “companion” was a classier woman than Miss Drusilla by far. If Hestia had a flaw, it was that she was too determined to do things her own way.
But he could not help feeling sorry for Miss Drusilla in a way. She was not an evil woman. She just had no interest in learning the finer ways of society. He tried to tutor her as gently as possible.
There had been a few occasions when he had explained something quietly to her only to have her blow up and make a scene in front of everyone in the room. His number one goal when he was with her was to keep her from doing that.
He could not distance himself from her, since she made it perfectly clear they were supposed to be together, giving narrow, appraising looks to the other ladies in the groups they joined. He found it to be humiliating to the extreme.
If he had been able to explain himself to his father, let him know exactly what it was like to be paired with someone belonging to the “new rich” society in London, perhaps he would have had more time to talk to Hestia.
Leander was not as interested in Eugenia as he was Hestia. Despite Hestia’s position as a companion, she held a certain class about her that radiated elegance just from her presence. He thought it was going to be quite a while before he got the woman off his mind.
He wanted to excuse himself from Miss Drusilla and the rest of the group they were talking to. He saw Hestia and Eugenia talking near the bookshelves. Eugenia was sitting in the same chair he’d been in before Hestia bumped into him.
He replayed the meeting in his mind. He tried to pinpoint what it was about Hestia that had gotten his attention so much. She was beautiful, that was true. But Miss Drusilla was a beautiful woman, too. It wasn’t Hestia’s outer appearance that had attracted him.
Something about the way she spoke. There was a certain intelligence to it that he was immediately drawn to. It made him want to share all his future plans with her, just to make sure they were well thought out and logical. He wanted to get her advice on how to get out of his current situation with Miss Drusilla.
Miss Drusilla grabbed his arm and squeezed it painfully, looking up at him. “Let’s mingle, Lord Price. We might as well talk to as many people as we can, seeing as how we will be married by the end of the season.”
Leander’s stomach turned over. He did not want to marry Miss Drusilla.
Chapter 9
The two women made their way to the library section of the room, where Hestia had bumped into Leander to begin with. There were only a few people standing in front of the bookshelves and they moved away when Eugenia and Hestia came to the area.
The two women sat at an angle to each other, taking the two cushioned chairs that sat in front of the large ceiling-to-floor window. Hestia could tell by the look on Eugenia’s face she had something to say. She tilted her head to the side and gazed at Eugenia curiously.
“You have something on your mind, Eugenia,” she said, quietly. “What is it?”
Eugenia looked directly at Hestia but her fingers were kneading each other in her lap nervously. “I… I do hope you are not upset with me, Hestia. I would be devastated if I thought you were.”
Hestia drew her eyebrows together. “Eugenia, what would make you think something like that? Of course, I am not upset with you. Why would I be?”
“I should not have attempted to push you off on Lord Price. That was wrong of me. I put you in the spotlight and that is a shame.”
Hestia shook her head. “No, Eugenia, he already knew I was a companion. Most of society understand about the money troubles my family is experiencing. I met quite a few prominent members of the ton last season. This season, they do not treat me the same but they are not disrespectful.”
“You were not upset that I attempted to make an introduction for you?”
Hestia let herself grin slightly. “Not at all. It was a
funny little turnabout, was it not? I do not think Lord Price was expecting it at all.”
Eugenia giggled. “I think you are right about that, my dear.” She moved her eyes across the room, catching Leander and Miss Drusilla in her sights.
“Do you think Lord Leander is truly happy to be marrying that woman?”
“I cannot bring myself to call her a lady, Eugenia,” Hestia said in a sorrowful voice, shaking her head gently. “I do not believe her to truly be one. It is important to have manners when you have a place in society. No, I do not believe he is happy with her. It looks to me to be an arranged marriage between the two.”
“It will not be a successful union.”
