“The dance is being given in your honour, Richard. My new business partner wishes to make your acquaintance.”
“I’m sorry. I will not attend.”
“Don’t be sorry, Richard. Get up to your chamber this instant. Blackmore!” Mr Warren called for the valet. “Come, help the Lieutenant ready himself for the ball tonight.” He turned back to his son. “That’s that. The Wynnes are good people. You are a soldier, and this is part of your duty. You must show the people how strong and courageous you are. And how gracious. You will attend.”
“Father, I’m sure the Wynnes are wonderful people. It’s just that they could have, or you could have, let me in on the existence of your plans for this fete. Since it’s in my honour, I would that you could have told me of it.”
“Richard, you’re my youngest son; I’m very proud of your service to our good country and our Regent. I knew nothing about the party being in your honour until today when my assistant informed me. It would greatly let the Wynnes and everyone else down if you weren’t to attend. We would be very honoured by your presence. So, please. Ah, here is Blackmore. Put him in his dress uniform will you, Blackmore?”
“Yes. Mr Warren.”
“Yes. Very good. Very good indeed. And hurry. There’s not much time. We’re to be at the Wynne’s by eight o’clock. We’ll see you in no more than twenty minutes. It is after seven now.”
Richard looked at Blackmore and rolled his eyes. Without turning his gaze back to his parents, he said, “Very well, Mother. Father.” He bowed. “Let us go upstairs to my bedchamber, Blackmore. You can put me together in twenty minutes, can you not?” He grinned.
*******
“You look simply divine, mon ange. Rose is your colour. Every man in the room will fall head over heels for you.” Marie took in her daughter’s elegance and beauty and swelled with pride. Surely Mimi would be the most beautiful woman at the party.
“Maman, I am not very interested in who falls head over heels or not. I want to enjoy myself. I want to have fun.”
“Mimi! I’m shocked at your attitude, dear. If a gentleman shows interest, you are to encourage him. Is that understood? It does not matter what you do after the wedding, mon petit chou. Once you become Duchess Hertford, for example, well then you may do as you please. Discreetly of course. It’s the position, dear. We’ll finally be able to move out of this house and into a more suitable neighbourhood.”
“Maman, it’s been three years since Papa has been gone. Three years in which I have not been old enough to wed.”
“Not true, mon ange. For the right man, er gentleman, I would willingly have given my blessing and sign the necessary forms.”
“So Richard Warren was not the right man, I take it? You took me away from him.”
“We went to Paris because I was going to sell the house, mon ange. And if you weren’t aware, there was an anti-French sentiment in London.”
“Very well. As it is I haven’t had any serious shows of attention from anyone. Are they afraid of you, Maman? I’ve wondered about it.” Mimi only half teased her mother.
“Yes, yes, I know.” Marie paced back and forth through Mimi’s bedchamber. She stopped and leaned against the fireplace. “You can joke all you like. I have your future in mind, Mimi. If no one has made a serious play for you, then why not be available for Duke Hertford? He is now thirty-three. He must secure an heir. And soon. I’ve heard it said that his mother has been interviewing prospective young ladies under the guise of questioning them about finding a new lady’s maid.
“The poor girls have no idea they are being interviewed. It’s her, Mimi. It’s the mother we must cultivate. It’s also been said that the Duke has promised his mother to come up with a bride by the New Year. Perfect timing on our part, as you turn twenty-one in March. Not that I would refuse my permission to you and the Duke getting married. Or any gentleman for that matter, but he is the cream of the crop, so to speak.”
“You speak as if he’s mentioned interest, Maman. Apparently, I have not passed any of the Duke’s tests in the six or seven times our paths have crossed. And I don’t care to. I’m young. I want to be young and go to parties and get to know people. Men. Gentlemen,” she added hastily. “I have no interest in cultivating, as you say, some elderly dowager duchesse. I come to the table at a disadvantage. Why do I need to prove myself? Why do I need to pretend to be something I’m not? I want to be happy. That is all.”
“You might have a different opinion if you were thirty-five and alone. Do you know what happens to women who are alone, Mimi? Women who are not ladies, yet are not streetwalkers. The in-between masses of widowed and unmarried women who work fifteen hour days just to get something to eat and a shared room in a dusty boarding house? No, you do not. And you never will. But only if you marry. Your father left you something. But you need the protection of a husband. And a title such as Duchess, Countess, Lady. Something to keep you off of the street.
“Can you not at least try, Mimi? Is it so much to ask for a mother to want her child, her daughter, to have a financially comfortable marriage.”
“You didn’t have one. You could have had your French comte, but instead, you chose my father. You married for love. Why should I not have the same consideration?”
Marie became very still. “Mimi. I hoped never to have to tell you this.”
“Tell me what? That you didn’t love my father? Don’t be foolish. As if I would believe something so absurd.”
“I did not marry for love, dear girl. Your father was a good man. I cared for him very much, indeed, I did fall in love with him somewhere along the line.
“But I married him for protection. I married him to survive. I couldn’t go to Belgium when the rest of my family left France. My uncle’s wife hated me. I never knew why. No one in my family knew why. But she did, and I could not bring myself to live in her home.
“Your father went to your grandfather and asked to marry me and bring me to London. My father consented, and it was done. I was happy to be rescued.”
“That was you, Maman. I don’t understand what that story has to do with the present moment. What does it have to do with me?”
“It has everything to do with you. Marriage is not always about love, Mimi. I know Bella and her Francis are very happy. But Bella’s family is content to stay in St James for the rest of their lives. Don’t misunderstand me. Mr Bond is a wonderful man. And I’ve never known Bella to be happier.
“But you have no Mr Bond in your life, Mimi. You must look to the future. Time passes quickly. You do not want to wake up one morning in your middle age and wonder what you should have done differently. I, myself, had no choice. You do.”
“It seems I do not. When I had my Mr Warren, you took me away from him. You’ve been expecting me to try and get more attention from Duke Hertford, a man that women from all walks of life throw themselves at. I believe it to be a losing battle, Maman.”
“Please do this for me? Mimi, please. Talk with his mother. Get her a glass of ratafia. Will you not at least try?”
Mimi knew there was no arguing about it. Her mother wanted to move up in society. The woman was not yet forty and still very beautiful. She wanted to be comfortable in her old age. Mimi tried one last time to persuade Marie to leave her be when it came to Duke Hertford.
“You know, Maman, the Duke is nearer to your age than to mine. You are young enough to wed again.”
“Mimi, once again I am shocked. While I could marry again, all of what I now own would revert to my new husband. My vineyards, this house.
“And the Duke needs an heir. Any of the gentlemen you might find yourself attracted to will need an heir. And sooner is always better than later when it comes to that. Otherwise, you could find yourself, in the future, living with a family as the poor elderly relation.
“I have no wish to risk my life attempting to give birth again. At my age getting with child is one point. Giving birth to that child is another. And there needs to be a spare, alwa
ys. You, my dear, are strong and young and healthy. I have no wish to give birth to a baby every year and be dead before I’m forty-five. It must be you. You can birth eight children in ten years and still not be close to the age I am now. I will not go up in competition with anyone fifteen to twenty years younger than myself. I am not desperate.”
Realizing her segue had backfired, Mimi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Her mother might not believe herself to be desperate, but to Mimi, the hallmarks of the condition showed in her mother’s attitude.
“The Duke barely knows I’m alive. But be that as it may, I will try to do as you wish, Maman. As you wish. I will try and catch the Duke’s eye. And keep it. I will charm his mother with my wit and accomplishments.”
Marie smiled. “That’s my girl. I knew I could count on you, Mimi. I was certain you would see my side of things. You’ve always been a smart one, and I’ve heard it said …”
“... that the Duke has a fondness for women with good brains. I know, Maman, I’ve heard as much myself.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let us go to the Wynnes immediately.” Marie flashed the smile Mimi’s father had so loved, and the two women headed downstairs to wait for the carriage to be brought out to the front of the house.
They entered the drawing room to collect Bella and Francis. The four of them headed out the front door and down the steps to the waiting carriage.
Chapter 8
Lieutenant Warren entered the Wynne home with his parents. He was escorted to an upholstered chair in an alcove near the dance floor. There was a small sofa for his parents to rest on in between dances. Candles were lit in the sconces along the walls, and the magnificent chandelier over the dance floor was ablaze with a hundred beeswax tapers. The honey scent perfumed the room and gave a magical look to the silken drapes and fine upholstered furniture along the walls.
From his vantage point, the Lieutenant perused the dancing couples. The lovely dresses, the handsome clothes on the men. And it all seemed ridiculous to him.
No one here had any idea of anything except raising their positions in society. It was all anyone really cared about. Even the members of the ton married to keep their money within that level of the social hierarchy.
Richard didn’t know why his father’s business partner was having this party in his honour. He was getting the idea that the whole event was a way for him to examine who was available to him as a future wife. Indeed, his mother had said he should be thinking about marrying. Why, his brother had two little ones and another on the way. Two little girls. Richard’s mother had been quick to point out that if George had no sons, then Richard would become their father’s heir.
As it was, he was a soldier. He would be studying the law shortly, and so he had, without trying, become what was considered a good catch to most of the young woman of his generation.
He smirked to himself. The only one he had tried to better himself for had been Mimi. And her mother. Marie didn’t think he was good enough for her daughter, and he had been foolish enough to try and prove himself worthy. Now he was almost a cripple, in pain whenever he was on his feet, his body weakened by the effort to walk without limping noticeably. He absent-mindedly crossed his legs, running his hand up and down the length of his boot in an attempt to ease the pulsating pain that radiated from the leg.
Suddenly he found himself looking in the direction of someone he knew. It was Bella, Mimi’s friend. She was with her husband. She laughed as she danced with Francis Bond, the man his father was thinking to bring into the bank as a third partner.
His mother had informed him of all the details of Bella’s wedding, the bank, and other goings on about town. The only person she hadn’t mentioned was Mimi. And he’d wondered about that a great deal in the short time he’d been back in London.
After Blackmore had informed him that the Hancocks were back in London, he’d wondered if maybe Mimi had got married. Richard had written to her twice, from the hospital in Toulouse he’d been taken to as a prisoner of war. She either hadn’t written back, or the French nuns had kept the letters from him.
Blackmore would have told him if she got married. But the fact that Lavinia hadn’t mentioned Mimi led him to believe the worst. She must be married. It had to be. And he had sacrificed his right leg to try and better himself so that he might someday take her as his wife. It had all been to no avail. He felt like a fool.
Mr and Mrs Warren were talking to some acquaintances. Richard accepted a glass of claret from one of the staff who carried around silver trays with beverages for the guests. He took a sip, felt the liquid warm his stomach, and sat back further in the chair. He was well hidden behind a potted palm tree but able to see the dancers.
A splash of rose coloured fabric entered the room. Richard felt his stomach tighten and squeezed up against the seat’s back with closed eyes. He looked back to the dance floor and the graceful couples that moved there. The rose muslin frock embroidered with gold was in the arms of none other than the Duke of Hertford.
Richard looked harder. He downed his claret and stood to go out to the garden. He had to get out of the room.
He skirted the wall, nodding and smiling to the others in attendance who smiled and nodded back and, finally, he’d made his way out of the drawing room. He stood to gather his wits near the French doors that led to a terrace with the garden beyond.
*******
Mimi had to admit she’d enjoyed herself when she danced with Duke Hertford. He was awfully handsome, and quite charming. He was a divine dancer as well. She found herself wondering how she’d been able to resist him for so long.
He smiled at her. “What are you thinking about, my beauty?”
She tilted her head sassily. “I’ll never tell!” The Duke was fun to flirt with. Mimi lowered her eyes and peeked up at him. He was gazing at her intently. His blue eyes held a smoky glow.
“Let us go out to the garden, Miss Hancock.”
“Surely you joke, Your Grace. You know it’s not accepted. I cannot be
alone with you. Shame on you,” she said with a laugh.
“My dear girl, every woman in this room, your mother included, would risk their reputations to take a turn around the garden with me.”
Mimi giggled for lack of something to say, yet she felt somewhat odd. Who was he to suggest she throw her character away to spend some time alone with him? They had danced until they’d reached the rear door of the drawing room, and the Duke took her by the hand and slipped into the corridor.
There were others in the hall, so things hadn’t gotten out of hand yet, but Mimi had the idea that the Duke didn’t care so much for her reputation as to having his walk with her.
It would have been exciting if he’d been willing to jeopardise his own reputation, but as it was, Mime could find herself ruined if she went into the garden with him unchaperoned. He, on the other hand, would not be touched by any scandal. There would simply be gossip about the episode. Something to the effect of Mimi throwing herself at the Duke, she had no doubt. She didn’t wish to offend him, but she had no idea what to do to get away from him.
“Mimi! Your Grace.” Bella curtsied before Hertford. She’d seen the Duke’s machinations to get Mimi off of the dance floor. She had followed through the rear door of the drawing room as her husband went through the front entryway. Mr Bond strolled up to the three of them.
“Your Grace,” he nodded. “Miss Hancock.”
“Bond, you old cur you. So lovely Bella now belongs to you, does she.”
“She, uh, she is my wife, Your Grace.”
“Yes, as I said.” His attention went back to Mimi. “I hope shortly to see you on the dance floor again, Miss Hancock. Good evening Mrs Bond. Mr Bond.” The Duke strode away from the group and headed to the garden.
Bella looked at Mimi strangely. “What happened, Mimi?”
“He tried to get me to go into the garden with him. I told him it isn’t seemly. Thank goodness you both came when you did. I fear
he might have forced me to go outside with him.”
“I’ve played cards with Hertford a few times. He doesn’t take no for an answer. Ever. He’s accustomed to having things his way at any turn. Be cautious, Mimi. Gossip says the Duke likes a challenge. If you really are interested, it’s best not to be too available to him. I dare say your refusal to go outside with him only fanned the flames of his intrigue higher.”
“If I’d known that I would have, I don’t know what I would have done. It’s always the same whenever I see him. I’m happy. Then something strange like this happens. What kind of man asks a woman to go in the garden with him unchaperoned?”
“You know his mother’s father is also a Duke. He is heir to that title and what goes with it when the older man dies as well as what he already has. Maybe you should consider risking your reputation, Mimi. The Duke is the most desirable man in London.” Francis laughed, then took his wife’s hand and brought it to his lips.”
The Lost Love of a Stunning Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 10
