by Fanny Finch
He had agreed to several games he did not want to participate in simply so that he would be distracted and Miss Drusilla could go off and make a fool of herself elsewhere. As Lord Wake, Leander and the baron’s sons made the circle around the lawn and came up the veranda stairs on the other side, he pushed away the dread he automatically felt.
Perhaps there was a way to let his father see for himself the way Miss Drusilla behaved. Would it even make a difference with him? Leander doubted it. He would assume Leander had enough time on his hands to retrain a lady in the art of manners. After all, it was not his life that was at stake.
Leander was not a teacher and had no desire to become one. Especially not to a spoiled rich girl, whose family riches were too new to ensure the manners bestowed on old money families.
Leander hated to see Miss Drusilla become an outcast, which was why he attempted to help her learn to behave in public. But if she was brash and outgoing in public, he could only imagine her behavior in private.
He had been lucky enough not to experience that yet. He’d had opportunities to meet with her under the watchful eye of her mother or father but had declined the offers. Each time he’d had something important to do.
Thankfully, he had filled the time with reasonable tasks so that his declining would not be questioned.
“I do believe half of London attended your house party today, my lord,” Leander said, stopping at the top of the stairs, near where he had been when the baron had come upon him. “I did not see any unhappy faces. I believe you were successful in your endeavors to make people happy.”
Lord Wake beamed. Leander was well aware of the baron’s sensitivities. He had been warned before arriving, by his father, of course, that Lord Wake enjoyed a great deal of pomp and circumstance. He strove to be the image of his father, who had been so very prominent in London society up until the day of his death.
The shoes were large ones to fill and he spent the majority of his time worried about it.
“Why thank you, Lord Price. It is what I struggle for on a daily basis. I sacrifice a great deal of my time seeing to it that others are happy. It is because of these sacrifices that I myself find happiness.”
Leander nodded solemnly. “You are a great man, my lord. I do not know many who would give up so much of themselves in order to serve others a bit of happiness and light in their lives.” He watched the look of pride on Lord Wake’s face. His words were only half-sincere, given out of respect for the older man. Leander had no real idea what kind of sacrifices Lord Wake could possibly have made, other than living without his father.
And that was not really a sacrifice on Lord Wake’s part since he had no control over the time of his father’s death.
“It can take up to two months to plan such an event as this,” Lord Wake was saying. He swept his arms out to his sides, taking in all that was around him. “It is also quite an expense.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Leander replied, nodding.
“Do you have plans to throw a ball or a party at your mansion, my lord?”
Leander would have sworn he detected a hint of superiority in Lord Wake’s voice, implying it was unlikely Leander would be doing any such thing soon.
“I have no plans at this time, my lord. It would be my father’s decision, as I still live with my parents in the mansion of my childhood. This is a season for marriage for me.”
“Ah, yes, of course,” Lord Wake nodded.
“Father, we must go say goodnight to our last guests,” one of the baron’s sons leaned forward, cutting into his father’s next words. Lord Wake looked at the young man.
“Yes, we must do that. If you will excuse us, Lord Price. I fear I am being a bad host.”
“Of course, thank you for the stroll, my lord. It was a pleasure to speak with you.”
“Likewise, Lord Price. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.”
The baron and his sons were almost to the door when a sudden idea came to Leander. He spun around and lifted one hand. “Lord Wake, if you do not mind, I have a question.”
Lord Wake looked up at his sons. “Express my good wishes, sons. It appears Lord Price needs me.”
The brothers looked at each other before nodding at their father and disappearing into the house.
Chapter 11
Leander waited until Lord Wake was beside him again before he asked his question. “I was wondering, my lord. Are you familiar with most of your guests attending the party this weekend?”
Lord Wake looked like he thought it was an odd question. “Yes, my sons and I met all of our guests. Our guest list was very well thought out.”
Leander nodded. “I am sure of that, sir. I was familiar with most of them but was pleasantly surprised to see a few new faces.”
“I did not see you apart from Miss Drusilla Sirey. Am I correct in assuming you will be officially courting her soon?”
Leander knew he should have expected he would be questioned about Miss Drusilla. He had spent the majority of the afternoon with her, much to his dismay. On occasion, he had been able to break away and play a game of cards with other friends. But most of the day was spent trying to direct Miss Drusilla in the ways of mannered society.
“It is a possibility,” he said. “I was interested to see a young lady whom I did not expect to meet. I wonder if you know of her? Lady Eugenia Callow? I believe this must be her first season. I do not recall seeing her last season. There is a possibility we did not move in the same circles at that time.”
Lord Wake was nodding. “Yes, Lady Eugenia. This is her first season. She is an impressive little thing, is she not? She will grow to be quite a beautiful woman.”
“She seems an intelligent girl.”
“Yes, she comes from a good family. They would not let her flounder. She has a large dowry offered, as well, so I have been told. My sons were impressed with her behavior. She is a sweet young woman.”
Baron Wake lifted his eyes and dragged them exaggeratedly when he described Lady Eugenia as a sweet young woman.
“I noticed she has a companion. Is this because her mother is not alive to escort her to the dances and parties?”
“Her mother is ill, poor woman. She is quite a sickly person. I do not recall ever seeing her in good health.”
“That is sad. Lady Eugenia is blessed to have such a pleasant companion to be her chaperone. I believe her name is Hestia?”
“Yes, Lady Hestia Stalwood. It is a shame what happened to her and her family. But she is quite a strong young woman, as well. I continue to be impressed with her.”
“I do not recall a story surrounding the Stalwoods. Would you care to refresh my memory?”
“It is doubtful you would have known about the Stalwoods, Lord Price. His lordship, the Earl of Nottingham, Hestia’s father, has… shall we say… a spending problem. He is not wise when it comes to finances. He has driven his family to near ruin by his wasteful spending.”
“I see.”
“Because of this, it is known that Lady Hestia, though she was popular with some of the gentlemen last season, took the position of companion to Lady Eugenia, in order to put aside money for herself and to help her family survive.”
“She appeared to be wise and filled with a sense of class when I met her,” Leander nodded as he spoke. “I was not able to speak with either lady for very long.”
“Lady Hestia, as I said, was popular last season. But she has taken that position and lowered her status with the ton. She is no longer considered a viable candidate for any gentleman.” Lord Wake looked directly at Leander. “Although I do care for the girl. She is not bad to look at and can certainly hold a conversation. I have also seen a sense of ambition in her that her sisters do not share.”
“She has sisters?”
“Yes, several. They do nothing to gain success in their futures. Hestia is driven and headstrong while they are weak and demure. They search for a husband while Hestia attempts to secure herself and her fut
ure first.”
“I think that is a wise decision, considering her father’s behavior.”
“Yes, Lord Nottingham is simply a bumble when it comes to business matters. A nice enough gentleman. But a man of business, no.”
Leander was satisfied with the knowledge he’d received from the baron. “I believe they have already left, have they not?”
“They were among the first guests to leave,” Lord Wake replied. “But they will return tomorrow. Of that I am certain.”
“I do hope so. I would like to make their acquaintance once again.”
Leander bowed to the baron and turned to take his leave down the stairs to his left. He walked around the large mansion to the front, where his carriage was lined up among a few others that remained.
He called to his coachman, who was seated on a bench nearby. The man jumped to his feet and was by Leander’s coach in moments. Leander stood on the bottom steps that led up to the house, watching the coachman bring the gold and white vehicle in front of him.
The coachman jumped down and opened the door for Leander, who got in and closed the door behind himself.
“Home, my lord?” the coachman asked.
“Yes, take me home.”
The ride home was going to be long. He could feel it as soon as the coach pulled away from the Wake mansion. He wished he had brought a friend along to keep him company. He grinned. Perhaps he could get a companion, too, like Lady Eugenia.
His next thought was that his companion might fall in love with Hestia and he could not have that. He had a strong urge to explore a possible relationship with Hestia, despite the fact that her family did not have the money Miss Drusilla’s did.
His mind kept going back to his obligation to his family. His father made it perfectly clear they were in need of the kind of money Miss Drusilla’s family would bring to the table. But when he was with Miss Drusilla, he felt like he was walking barefoot on broken glass.
It was the single thing that made this season so hard for Leander. He remembered the comfortable contentment he had felt last season, when he was not committed to one woman. It felt so different now.
The constant presence of the unmatchable Miss Drusilla had ruined what should have been a joyful season for him. She attached herself to him through her father and once the arrangement was discussed and their fathers agreed to the match, she suddenly lost interest and did not show any concern for him.
It was as though she realized she would not be able to flirt with the elite men of society once she was married and came to that discovery when it was too late to fight her father.
He could only imagine the years of mistrust he would have as her husband, wondering if she had found herself a young man to keep company with.
Miss Drusilla was extraordinarily spoiled. It was almost painful for Leander to think about. Her high-pitched, nasally laugh was not pleasant on his ears. Her attention span was that of a goldfish. He never knew when she was listening and when she was not. Most of the time, he had realized quickly, she was not.
Hestia, on the other hand, had looked him straight in the eye, even when she was telling him something she did not want to tell him. He could tell by the look on her face that her emotions were confusing to her. He saw her face move through a range of feelings, fear that she would be reprimanded for nearly knocking him down, pride in the station she was born to, humility at the job she had taken to ensure she could survive what her future might bring.
He had thoroughly enjoyed watching her, observing her movements, listening to the sound of her voice.
He looked out at the night sky, the stars sparkling all around him. He had studied the stars while at the academy, having a special interest in astronomy. He was fascinated by all the things people could see in the sky above but could never reach with their hands.
He wanted to discuss such things with Hestia.
He shook his head. Such thoughts were doing him no good. His father would never approve of Hestia. The only thing the elder Lord Price was concerned about was money. If matters of the heart were important to him, he had shown no indication of it.
He would have to dismiss these thoughts of the companion, Hestia Stalwood, simply because she felt the need to protect herself in the future.
It hardly seemed fair. In his opinion, she was doing something extremely logical. He admired her tenacity. It was a rare woman that would allow herself to be lowered in society to a point that her prospects for a good match became slim to none.
Independence was not a common trait among the women of the ton. At least, not the ones Leander had met. Especially not Miss Drusilla.
The coach pulled up in front of his mansion and he was greeted by the doorman. He nodded to the man, who stood back while he climbed out of the coach.
He straightened his jacket as he went up the stairs, longing for his bed as if it would be forever before he got into it. He was sure he would be asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
If he could avoid thinking about Hestia all night.
He could not help feeling as if he had simply not had enough time to talk to the young woman. He was willing to put aside titles and society’s rules to have a chance to talk to her some more. He had felt such good energy coming from her. When he had walked next to her, it had almost seemed natural, as if he was meant to be there, doing that, right then.
The footman politely opened the door and let him pass into the house.
“Your father waits for you in the parlor, my lord,” the footman said, taking Leander’s coat and hat.
Leander frowned slightly. His father had waited up for him? It was not a common thing. He nodded at the footman and turned to go to the parlor.
He let himself in and looked across to the fireplace, where his father was standing, staring into the flames.
Lord Price turned to him. “Ah, son. I am glad you have returned. Did you have a good time?”
“I did.”
“Did you see Miss Drusilla?”
Leander clenched his jaw, walking up to stand next to his father.
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring into the brightly burning fire. “I did see her. I spent most of the day with her.”
“That is good to hear. You will ask her soon?”
“I am thinking about it, Father. I cannot say when or if… or how I will.”
Lord Price shook his head. “Do not wait too long or you will miss your opportunity.”
“I do not see how that is possible, Father. She is already aware of the arrangement you and her father have been discussing. She appears to be doing her duty at my side but I fear she will be very unhappy once she is married to me.”
“How could any woman be unhappy with you, Leander? You are a charming, handsome young man.”
“Thank you, Father, but some women are not interested in men like me. They are looking for someone much more exciting.”
“You are exciting enough!” Lord Price barked the compliment as if he was insulting his son. He straightened his spine, lifting his shoulders. “Never let it be said that my son is a bore of a man.”
Leander shook his head. He had to cover a yawn, turning away from his Father. He lifted one hand to cover his mouth.
“I am sorry, Father. I must go to bed. I am thoroughly exhausted. Shall we talk in the morning?”
His father gazed at him with a mixture of sympathy and pride. “Yes, son. We will talk in the morning.”
Chapter 12
Hestia stepped out of the mansion belonging to Lady Eugenia’s father, the Viscount of Culross. It had been a full week since the house party at Baron Wake’s. The entire second day of the party, Hestia had not seen Leander without Miss Drusilla at his side.
He did not look completely miserable. But he did not look as happy as he should have with a beautiful woman by his side. As garish as she was, Miss Drusilla was still stunningly beautiful.
Lady Eugenia was seated in a long chair, her legs stretched out in front o
f her, enjoying the fresh air under a large umbrella. Hestia did not know if she’d heard her come out of the house, so she began humming a tune as she walked toward Eugenia.
Eugenia turned, looking over her shoulder at her.
“Oh, there you are, Hestia. I was wondering where you had gotten off to.”
“I am sorry, my lady, did you need me?”
Eugenia smiled wide. “Yes, I needed to talk to someone. I need a friend to keep me company. I am bored. I have tried to admire my garden but ever since seeing Lord Faulkner’s creation, I remain envious and my garden is just not pretty enough anymore.”
