Fairest of Them All (Marriage by Fairytale Book 4)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Viola studied the young lady in interest. It was strange that Tabitha should even care if she was here for breakfast, wasn’t it? It means she missed you, her brother would probably tell her. Otherwise, why would she point it out?

  “I’ll be sure to come down here tomorrow morning for breakfast,” Viola promised. “In the meantime, let’s go out.”

  “Why?” Tabitha asked as she set a card down.

  “Why not? It’s a beautiful day.” Viola went to the open window and smiled. It was perfect. Not a cloud in sight. And the breeze coming into the room was a warm one. “It feels nice, too. We should take advantage of it. Come winter, you won’t have days like this.”

  “Don’t you plan to eat something first?”

  Viola turned back to her. “When did you eat?”

  “I ate at 9:30 like we did yesterday.”

  “Good. Then you’re hungry enough for a treat. We’ll take a walk and get something light to eat while we’re out.” When Tabitha didn’t make a move to get up, Viola motioned for her to join her. “Come on. It’ll be fun. There’s a place where we can have something exotic. Have you ever tasted Indian food?”

  Tabitha’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, and I have no desire to.”

  “You shouldn’t say that until you’ve tried it.”

  Tabitha let out a long sigh. “What happens if I try it and don’t like it?”

  “Then we’ll go to a shop that sells the best chocolates you’ve ever tasted.” Viola shot her a pointed look. “I refuse to believe you don’t like chocolate.”

  Tabitha stopped playing her cards and made eye contact with Viola.

  “It’s just as I thought! I knew you liked chocolate. Come on,” Viola encouraged. “You can always play that later.”

  For a moment, Viola thought Tabitha was going to say she’d rather play the game, but Tabitha put the cards down and rose to her feet. “All right. I’ll get ready for the carriage ride to the market.”

  “Taking a carriage won’t be as fun. We’re going to walk.”

  “Again? We already took a walk to the park yesterday.”

  “We’re not going to the park today. Today, we’re going to the market.”

  “And we can’t do that in a carriage?”

  “We could, but it’s more fun to walk. We can stop and talk to people along the way.” When that didn’t impress Tabitha, Viola added, “We can also go past a fountain where people make wishes. I’ll go to my bedchamber and get some special coins. I’ll be right back.”

  Before Tabitha could respond, Viola hurried to her bedchamber. She opened her jewelry box and picked out two farthings out of the five she had. They weren’t worth much, of course, but she and Oliver had found them while walking one day, and he had told her to keep them for the fountain. These are lucky coins, he’d told her. Using these coins will make sure what you wish for will come true. He had been joking when he’d said it, of course, but she’d always considered them special coins because of it.

  She tucked them into her reticule then added the money the steward had given her. After slipping on a pair of gloves and putting on her hat, she returned to the drawing room, glad to see that Tabitha had not only taken time to get ready for the outing but that she was waiting for her. Perhaps all wasn’t lost with Tabitha. Maybe there was a chance they might have an amiable relationship.

  “This is going to be so much fun,” Viola said. “Let’s not waste a single minute.”

  “I’m surprised you’re in such a good mood after the boring ball,” Tabitha replied as she followed her out of the townhouse.

  “I wasn’t bored at the ball. I got to talk to a nice lady, and I saw that some of the gentlemen seemed taken with you.”

  “But you sat in a chair all evening. The lady might have come up and talked to you, but that’s all that happened. I would have found the ball to be a waste of time if I were you.”

  “It wasn’t a waste of time because you were there,” Viola said.

  “So, if I hadn’t been there, would you have found it to be a waste of time?”

  Viola had to think over the question. She had spent plenty of evenings sitting off to the side of the room while others danced. But at some point, she ended up talking with some of the ladies, and she’d enjoyed those conversations.

  “The ball is more than a place to find a husband,” Viola replied. “It’s also a place where you can meet up with friends. Right now, your main goal is to find a husband. Mine is to be your chaperone. But there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy the company of friends while we’re there.”

  Tabitha didn’t respond, and the two fell into something of an awkward silence. If it’d been any other day, the awkwardness might have affected her, but she was in too good of a mood to let anything bring her down. Evander had been so gentle and sweet last night, and when she woke up this morning, she’d been tucked up safely against his side. There’d been no regrets over what had happened. No. There had only been bliss, and she preferred to stay in that state of mind.

  Viola led the way to the fountain where a couple of other people were gathered. She opened her reticule and gave Tabitha one of the coins. “I’ll go first.” She took her coin out then closed her eyes. “I wish that Tabitha will marry a gentleman who is kind, gentle, and handsome.” Recalling Evander’s wish for the girl, she added, “And I wish that the two will be very happy together.” Then she tossed her coin into the fountain.

  “Can you do two wishes?” Tabitha asked, her tone indicating that while she had a hard time believing in wishes, she was also touched that Viola had made the wishes about her.

  “Why not? I don’t recall there being a limit on how many wishes you can make. All I’ve ever been told is that I must come with a coin.”

  “There’s no such thing as a fountain granting wishes. You just threw away a perfectly good coin.”

  “There’s no such thing as curses, but you believe I’ll be dead within a year because of one.”

  “The curse is real. My mother took a tragic fall down the stairs. My first step-mother fell on her knitting needles that she’d left in bed by accident. My second step-mother fell off a horse. Those incidents all happened within the first year they married my step-father.”

  Viola’s eyebrows furrowed. Granted, the fall down the stairs and the fall off a horse might be attributed to a curse, but the thing about the needles struck her as odd. “How does a lady die because knitting needles are in her bed?”

  Tabitha shrugged. “She knitted all the time. It was her favorite pastime. I suppose she was knitting in bed one morning, forgot she left the needles there, and then laid down on them during the night.”

  “Let’s say she did forget the needles. Wouldn’t the needles be resting on their sides instead of sticking straight up so that they could stab her? The most she should have experienced was a puncture in her skin.”

  “It all depends on how she got into the bed. If she rolled on them just right, they could have stabbed her. That’s the nature of the curse. Anything can kill any of the ladies my step-father marries.”

  “That’s not a logical argument.”

  “Since when do curses require logic? They’re just as logical as throwing a coin into a fountain to get a wish.”

  “I don’t honestly believe in wishes. I just think this is a nice diversion. It’s supposed to be fun. What you’re speaking of about the curse is something altogether different.”

  “That’s because the curse is real.” Tabitha turned to the fountain. “I wish Viola will never look at my step-father’s face.” Then she tossed the coin into the water.

  Viola’s eyes widened in surprise. She had thought Tabitha might use a wish on herself. Tabitha might have wished for a certain kind of husband, to enjoy one of the pleasures London had to offer, or for something pretty to wear. She hadn’t expected Tabitha to wish that she wouldn’t look at Evander’s face.

  Perhaps Tabitha wasn’t as resistant to her as she’d thought. Deep down, there might be a p
art of Tabitha that wanted her to be her step-mother.

  Tabitha turned back to her. “You promised chocolate.”

  Hurrying to overcome her shock, Viola smiled. “Yes. It’s this way.” Then she led the young lady toward the restaurants.

  Chapter Twelve

  After Viola and Tabitha returned from their outing, Viola went to her bedchamber to put her reticule away. She wanted to visit her aunt and sisters. She would have invited Tabitha to join her if she thought Tabitha was ready for it. But it was enough that Tabitha had opened up to her a little bit. That was more than she thought she’d get when she woke up this morning. So, she would wait for a week or two before introducing Tabitha to her aunt and sisters.

  While Viola was changing hats to get ready to see her family, a knock came at her bedchamber door. Her first thought was that it might be Evander, but she quickly dismissed it. He wouldn’t leave the attic. There were too many windows in the townhouse letting in the light. Even if someone pulled the drapes shut, some light would get through. The attic was the only room where he could push an armoire right up against a window to make it pitch black.

  She went to the door and opened it.

  The butler stood in front of her. “You asked me to let you know if any correspondence came for Lady Tabitha. The footman is giving her a missive from the Duke of Edmondstone as we speak.”

  Viola gasped. So Lady Pruett’s cousin was interested in Tabitha! “Thank you for letting me know.”

  She left the bedchamber and hurried down the stairs. When she reached the drawing room, she saw Tabitha standing just inside the doorway with the parchment in her hand. To Viola’s surprise, she handed the missive to her.

  “I heard you were interested in any correspondence I received today,” Tabitha said, not seeming the least bit excited about receiving the missive.

  “Of course, I’m interested. I’m your chaperone. I want this Season to be a success for you.”

  Without waiting for Tabitha to respond, she started reading it. Viola’s heart leapt. They’d done it! The Duke of Edmondstone wanted to visit Tabitha tomorrow afternoon. This meant Tabitha now officially had a suitor!

  Viola ran over to the desk and set the missive down. “This is wonderful! Your first suitor.” She picked up a card and wrote for him to come over the next afternoon at two. She looked up at Tabitha. “Isn’t this exciting? You have a gentleman wishing to visit you after only one ball. There are many ladies who wish they could do the same.” Viola hurried over to the footman, who waited in the doorway. “Deliver this to His Grace’s residence.”

  As the footman left the drawing room, Tabitha said, “I don’t see what the excitement is all about. All I’m going to do is talk to him.”

  “Ah, but talking is the first step. If tomorrow goes well, he’ll want to see you again. Didn’t you complain that you didn’t get a chance to have a real conversation with anyone at the ball?”

  Tabitha didn’t reply, but Viola knew she had made her point.

  Viola clasped her hands together. “All right. We have to prepare for his visit.”

  “What is there to prepare for? All I have to do is talk to him in this room,” she replied.

  “There’s a lot more to it than just talking to him. There’s the way you’ll talk to him and what you’ll talk to him about. A lot depends on how well tomorrow goes.”

  “So much can’t depend on one afternoon.”

  “It does. I know it doesn’t seem like it should, but it really does.” She went over to Tabitha. “If you don’t get his interest right away, you’ll lose it. Everything depends on the first couple of times you talk to a gentleman.”

  “Is that what happened to you? Is that why you never married? You lost the interest of the gentlemen who came by to visit you?”

  As hard as it was to admit, she decided to be honest. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did lose their interest. That’s why it’s important we do this right. I don’t want you to suffer from the same mistakes I made.”

  “I can think of no bigger mistake you made than marrying my step-father,” Tabitha muttered under her breath.

  She was wrong on that count, but Viola opted not to respond. She’d go through the heartache of all three Seasons again if it meant she could be with Evander.

  The butler came into the room. “Is there anything either of you two ladies need?”

  “Actually,” Viola began, turning her attention to him, “would you mind pretending to be Lady Tabitha’s suitor?”

  Tabitha gasped, but Viola ignored her. She knew this kind of thing wasn’t typically done, but it wasn’t like she had any other gentlemen to help Tabitha. If her brother had been alive, Viola would have asked him. But since he wasn’t and she had no other male relatives nearby, she had to take the only person available.

  “Please help us,” Viola told him. “Lady Tabitha has a gentleman who’s interested in her, and we want to prepare for how she’ll handle herself when he’s here.”

  The butler glanced between Viola and Tabitha, not hiding his uncertainty. “I’m not sure I’m the best person to do this.”

  Viola dismissed his argument and waved him over. “Nonsense. You’re a gentleman. That’s all that matters.”

  “But I don’t know what to do or say.”

  “I’ll help you with that.”

  After a moment, he headed over to them. “All right. What can I do to help?”

  “The first thing we need to do is pretend that you just entered the room.” Viola turned to Tabitha. “You should stand in front of the settee. Let him walk over to you.”

  Tabitha hesitated, probably thinking this was just as awkward as the butler did, but at least she went to the settee.

  Viola’s attention returned to the butler. “I’ll be chaperoning the visit, so I’ll greet you first.” She cleared her throat. “Your Grace, it’s an honor to have you here. Please, come and sit. We’ll have the butler bring in something for you to eat and drink.”

  The butler’s eyebrows rose. “Who’s going to play the butler?”

  The corners of Tabitha’s mouth curled up, but it was Viola who answered. “We won’t really be having refreshments. I’m only pretending.”

  The butler smiled. “I was joking.”

  Oh. Viola glanced at Tabitha who was stifling back a giggle. Face warm, she said, “Of course.” This was one of the reasons why she didn’t seem to manage so well in social circles. Things that were obvious to others weren’t always so with her. Pushing past her embarrassment, she said, “This is where you and Lady Tabitha will greet each other.” She glanced at Tabitha. “You can refer to him as Your Grace. You will give a slight curtsy, and he’ll bow.”

  “Who should go first?” the butler asked.

  “You will,” Viola replied. Once the two did as she requested, she added. “Please, have a seat on the settee.” Viola settled into a nearby chair. “I’ll start the conversation with something like, ‘Wasn’t the ball splendid the other evening? Lady Cadwalader certainly knows how to entertain guests.’ Either one of you can respond.”

  The butler shrugged. “I assume all balls are wonderful, so His Grace will probably say it was a splendid evening.”

  “Can I be honest?” Tabitha asked Viola. “Or do I have to lie?”

  “Well,” Viola began, “you don’t want to be rude. Lady Cadwalader prides herself on her balls. Also, I’m sure His Grace will expect you to agree you had fun there.”

  “He’s not here right now, so can’t I just say what I really think?” Tabitha asked.

  “The point of this exercise is to pretend he is here,” Viola said.

  “All right.” Tabitha’s gaze went to the butler. “Your Grace, the ball was terrific. I can’t recall a time I had so much fun. I was sobbing in disappointment when the evening was over. I can only hope I can be at one of Lady Cadwalader’s balls again very soon.”

  Viola was ready to reprimand Tabitha, but the butler laughed. “Some servants say balls are nothing more than a
large gossip party. I, myself, haven’t had to serve at any since your step-father never has balls, but it sounds like most of the evening is all about who can make themselves look better than those around them.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Tabitha said. “My step-mother filled out my entire dance card. I was dancing with every bachelor there, and not all of them know much about dancing. Some stepped on my toes. I can’t tell you how sore my feet were when we left. The poor maid took pity on me and brought up hot water to soak my feet.”

  “I don’t think you should mention soaking your feet when the Duke of Edmondstone is here,” Viola interrupted. “That’s a little too personal.”

  “He’s not here now,” Tabitha said. “I’m talking with…” Her gaze went to the butler. “I never thought to ask you what your name is.”

  “It’s Allen Morton,” he replied.

  Viola bit her lower lip. Was it appropriate for Tabitha to address him so informally? Sure, he was the butler, but still…

  “I like that name. It’s easy to pronounce,” Tabitha told him. “At the ball, one gentleman was Mr. Fitzgilberton.” She paused and furrowed her eyebrows. “Or was it Mr. Friztgillerton? Or maybe it was something like Mr. Fitzygilerson.”

  “It was Mr. Fritzgilberson,” Viola said.

  Tabitha shook her head. “It’s amazing that you can remember that.” She turned back to the butler. “Isn’t that a terrible name? I felt sorry for him, but to be honest, he was boring. All he wanted to talk about was how great he was at playing cards. I don’t know why he thought I’d be impressed that he won a lot of wagers at the gentlemen’s club.”

  “Maybe he wanted to convey that he had lots of money,” the butler said. “He doesn’t have a title, and sometimes the only way to impress the daughter of a nobleman like a duke is by mentioning how wealthy one is.”

  “My mother married my father for money,” Tabitha replied. “And she wasn’t happy. I was young when he died, but I remember she used to cry a lot while he was alive. Then she met my step-father three months after his death, and she fell in love with him. She didn’t even care her time of mourning hadn’t passed. She married him within a couple months of meeting him. I think she would be happy to this day had the curse not killed her.”