by Abby Ayles
Noelle led Lydia into the sitting room where, for once, her mother was not currently sprawled upon the couch. “Some tea and cakes, please,” she said to a waiting maid, who curtsied and left the doorway.
“It’s so good to see you again,” she said to her friend. “First of all, congratulations! News of your happy engagement greeted me as soon as I arrived back home from Hertfordshire.”
Lydia smiled modestly at her, taking a moment to collect some tea and cake for herself before replying. She gathered her thoughts best when she was doing something; Noelle knew this about her, of course.
“Thank you,” Lydia replied after a few pensive moments. “You know that is largely thanks to your doing, of course. The night of the ball, the Viscount and I barely left each other’s side once you introduced us to each other.”
“If I’d known that it would lead you to marry a man of his status before I was so lucky, I might’ve held off,” Noelle said with a playful wink.
Lydia laughed softly, knowing fully about Noelle’s plight in that regard. She knew, too, that Noelle had no interest in anything like marriage with Lord Andrews. Marrying him would’ve been like marrying an older brother, to Lady Noelle.
“But tell me,” Lydia said. “What was your weekend at Wildhill like? I imagine that it was so wonderful; I’ve only heard good things.”
It felt as though she’d just finished telling her sister of the nice times she’d had there. Noelle recounted how beautiful she’d found the estate and Mr. Edwards’ cottage. She told her, too, of the quixotic marquess barely giving her any attention after she’d waited so long to meet him.
“Oh, how unfortunate,” Lydia said to her with a frown. “It sounds to me like you made the most out of a bad situation, though. That Mr. Edwards is such a dear man… and his cousin, Lord Edwards!”
Right away, it struck Noelle that her sister Catherine and now her best friend were going to be the wives of viscounts before long. Though Kitty wasn’t as yet engaged, she knew that a proposal from Lord Edwards was imminent. Why else invite them to his estate?
She nodded. “Yes, Lord Edwards was quite taken with Kitty both at the ball and during this visit. I’m so happy that she’s found someone that our mother approves of after all of her trouble-making.”
Lydia laughed pleasantly. “Oh, well, she’s young; I think she should be allowed to cause a little trouble, as long as she stays respectable whilst doing it. There are a lot of young men who think the world of her, you know.”
Noelle sighed a little bit, but she smiled. “She’s lucky that she’s popular elsewhere because she’s simply a nuisance here at home.”
Taking a sip of her tea, Lydia then carefully set her cup back in her saucer and set both onto the table. “And what about you? Any further luck with the marquess?”
“He barely had a moment to spare for me,” Noelle said with another sigh. “He seemed absolutely besotted with Kitty and as soon as the earl appeared, he was gone like a shot. I was concerned before but now I really feel as though he was simply trying to sample the fruit, as it were.”
Lydia blushed and looked a bit scandalized, but then she laughed. “Really, Lady Noelle, you can be quite blunt at times. I’m sure that wasn’t really the way of it!”
“No?” Noelle responded with a laugh. “Well, he certainly could’ve fooled me. It seemed as if he wished to see what he’d been missing but he wanted to wait until he wasn’t around the rest of the ton, so he wouldn’t be scrutinized.”
This made Lydia frown a bit. “He doesn’t sound very pleasant to me,” she said. “Perhaps it is best, actually, if you do not match with him.”
Noelle nodded her head in agreement. Finally, someone agrees with me! It didn’t surprise her at all that it was Lydia, sweet and innocent Lydia, who understood her feelings best.
“I do not wish to go against the wishes of my family, but I don’t think that he would be a good match for me… or for us as a whole,” Noelle stated with conviction. “I think that he could do a great deal of damage to my father’s name, even if my mother refuses to see it.”
There was a glimmer of hope in the fact that her father did seem to see the issues with the licentious marquess. He wanted Noelle to marry well, but he didn’t seem to believe that the Marquess of Fairfax was her only answer.
Chapter 18
It turned out that Rodrick didn’t have too long to pine over Lady Noelle’s absence. Lord Drake showed up again, only this time at the door of Wildhill, and he entered Rodrick’s drawing room with great panache. “Rodrick, my good fellow, I have the most tremendous idea!”
Rodrick rose at once from his chair upon the sudden arrival of his friend. He smiled at Alphonse and didn’t quite know what to make of his demeanor. “Good lord, Alfie, you startled me.”
Lord Drake clearly wasn’t going to wait to explain the reasoning behind his rushing. Instead, he proceeded to describe his idea. “What say you to going with me to the theatre?” he asked.
“The theatre?” Rodrick asked, unable to hide his smirk of amusement. “It doesn’t seem like you to be so excited about the theatre of all things.”
“I saw an advertisement for the Theatre Royal while I was spending some time in the city. They are putting on a performance of Love in a Village by Thomas Arne. I thought that perhaps you and Lord Edwards – and your mother and the young Fletcher ladies, of course – would be interested in coming along with me to take it in?”
Rodrick was quite surprised that his friend had thought to go to see an opera. It was very unlike Alphonse to go to the theatre when there were so many balls and social functions that he could invite himself to. “If you wish it, then we shall be delighted to go with you.”
When he informed his mother of the invitation, she was unsurprisingly ecstatic. “Oh, I haven’t been to the opera in ages!” she cried with a big smile on her face. Rodrick wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Fletcher ladies shared her enthusiasm for the event.
James likewise smiled and readily agreed to go. “It is a wonderful opera, you know,” he told Rodrick, making the other gentleman feel as though he was the last person on earth to see the work. “I do so hope that Lady Catherine will come along with us.”
“I daresay I don’t see why she would not,” Rodrick said, glad to be able to soothe his cousin in that regard. “She only lives a few streets away from Covent Garden, after all. And ladies, I now firmly believe, simply love the opera.”
When it was all settled with everyone in Westwood that they would attend, Rodrick sat down at his desk and wrote Lady Noelle in order to extend the invitation to her.
Dear Lady Noelle Fletcher,
It has come to my attention that my good friend Lord Drake wishes for us to go with him to Covent Garden to see the opera Love in a Village at the Theatre Royal. You and your sister Lady Catherine are to be our most honored guests if you are permitted to attend. My mother most ardently hopes to see you both again and to discuss all of the latest goings-on of your household.
I have no doubt that Lord Drake will have sent along his own personal invitation to you both. I do hope that you shall be able to attend with us. This time, you needn’t worry about long travels to and from the place, to be sure!
Fondly,
Mr. Rodrick Edwards
He hoped that he was not overstepping by sending along his own letter to her in order to express his anticipation. He had a feeling that this invitation coming from him might put the lady more at ease, since the last time she was in Alphonse’s company she did not seem entirely pleased. He only hoped that Alfie would pay attention to the correct lady this time instead of putting everyone in his company – save Lady Catherine – out of sorts.
Rodrick sent his letter off with a servant and then only had to wait for the blessed day to arrive. He couldn’t wait to see Lady Noelle’s lovely face again, to smell the scent of her which hung in the air like the smell of lilacs after a gentle summer shower. If he was discomfited at all about going to the oper
a, it was only with the notion that Alphonse would be there with them.
How strange a sensation, he thought, to wish for the happiness of one while praying for the propriety of the other. He did not, in truth, really hope for Alphonse to claim his rightful fiancée but he did hope that the marquess would start acting as he should. He knew that Lady Noelle deserved every happiness that God would grant her, but it was perhaps for the best if it never came to a marriage with Lord Drake at all.
The day of the invitation arrived and Rodrick and his mother rose early from their beds so that they could dress and break their fasts in order to be out the door in a timely manner. The performance was not until the evening, but of course, there was to be a dinner with Lord Edwards and Lord Drake before that.
It was with nervous anticipation that he and his friends awaited the arrival of the ladies before the theatrical performance was set to start. Rodrick and his mother stood outside of the theatre, ready to escort Lady Noelle and Lady Catherine inside as soon as they appeared. Alphonse and James were waiting inside, in the handsome box that Lord Drake had procured for the party.
A hackney carriage arrived at the street curb and Lady Noelle eagerly yet gracefully stepped down from it. She grinned a dimpled grin at Rodrick. Lady Catherine followed her, seemingly less besotted with the idea of an opera than Rodrick had presumed.
“It is so splendid to see you again!” Lady Noelle greeted his mother, taking her hands after their hug of friendly greeting. “I was ever so happy to receive Lord Drake’s invitation and Mr. Edwards’s kind note.” She turned his smile back to him now.
“We’re so glad that you’re able to attend,” he replied with a smile back at her. “Lord Drake tells me that this is quite a piece. This shall be my first opera.”
“How long is it?” Lady Catherine asked, pouting a bit. “The last performance I attended was so dull.”
Lady Noelle cut her off from further complaints by laughing a gay little laugh that only further besotted Rodrick with her. He was unsure how he felt about the opera, but he knew that he would enjoy witnessing her enjoyment of it. “Really, Mr. Edwards, she knows nothing of it; the last time we saw an opera, she was much too young to appreciate it.”
Rodrick smiled at her. It turned out that he’d gotten it the wrong way around. Lady Noelle seemed to be the theatre lover of the two sisters.
“Well, then, I pray that this time shall be different,” he said to them good-naturedly. In an effort to be more cordial to his other guest, he offered his arm to Lady Catherine. Meanwhile, Lady Noelle more than happily walked arm-in-arm with his mother into the theatre.
They found their friends and their seats in Lord Drake’s box. Lady Catherine took her seat between Lord Edwards and Lord Drake. Meanwhile, Rodrick happily found himself seated next to Lady Noelle, to the right of Alphonse. His mother sat on his other side. In this configuration, they were able to happily watch the performance on the stage below.
It took a bit for Rodrick to get used to the style of the performance that he witnessed, but it wasn’t long before he was drawn into the sweet tale of Rosetta and Thomas. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d heard songs as sweet as the ones in Mr. Arne’s opera. He was quite eager to discuss the show with his friends as soon as the performance was at an end, and yet he also hoped that it might never stop.
As he sat there watching, he couldn’t help but notice that Lady Catherine shared nearly as many looks with Alphonse as she shared with James. The way she smiled and carried on with both of them made him more than a little chagrined. Rodrick didn’t like to place any blame on the young lady, but it was rather frustrating to witness just the same.
Surely, I’m not the only one who notices this, he thought, hoping that perhaps it had escaped his cousin’s notice. He didn’t want poor James to be subjected to this kind of embarrassment, but James was also not so unobservant as to miss what was going on right in front of his very eyes. Rodrick turned to hazard a quick glance at Lady Noelle and could see that she’d noticed as well.
She was frowning at her sister and she didn’t stop until she noticed that Rodrick was looking curiously at her. Then her frown quickly turned into a smile. He felt an odd sort of pang in his heart and he swiftly looked away from her, back at the action on the stage.
I’m no better than Lady Catherine, he thought, realizing the absurdity of that. But he’d been so quick to judge her for being flirtatious with Alphonse; meanwhile, here he was with Lady Noelle…
He nervously fidgeted a bit in his seat, wishing that their box didn’t place them quite so close together. It hadn’t been a problem before, when he was completely enthralled by the performance, but now he could feel how close the members of the party really were to each other.
Rodrick turned his face towards Lady Noelle and saw that she was looking at him again. She smirked at him, the bridge of her nose wrinkling a little in an impish sort of way. She really nearly took his breath away.
This was a bad idea, he thought even as he smiled back at her. He loved being there with her in that dimly-lit box. It was totally proper, because his mother was there, and yet sometimes he thought things that he would never admit to thinking…
As soon as the opera was at an end, Rodrick felt relief. He was the first one out of the theatre box and he held the door open for the rest of the party. Everyone was smiling now.
“That was outstanding,” his mother intoned approvingly. “Such lovely songs! And that Rosetta!”
“Truly a delightful performance,” James agreed, nodding his head as he grinned from her to Lady Catherine. “Did you not think so?”
Nodding her head, Lady Catherine let out a little laugh. “I must admit that at first, I wasn’t sure if I should like it, but by the end, I found that I enjoyed it quite a lot!”
Alphonse laughed a deep laugh that Rodrick found odd. Everything that the man did seemed as if it was all for show now. Some change had occurred in his friend but Rodrick couldn’t place it.
“I’m so glad that you all had a good time,” Alphonse said to them with a grin. “I was thinking that we might now adjourn for a late supper and perhaps some drinks at this fantastic oyster room up the road.”
Since it was not so terribly late yet, Rodrick didn’t see anything wrong with an extended visit with his friends in London. If they should have a need, he supposed that they could rent a room for the night in one of the taverns. But surely it will not come to that.
He knew that the Fletcher ladies would be expected back at home before it got too late, so he deferred to them for their reply. “I’m game if you are,” he said to his friend and James, who nodded his approval.
Chapter 19
The sudden invitation to dine out with Lord Drake, Lord Edwards and Mr. Edwards took Noelle quite by surprise. She looked to her sister to see what Kitty’s reaction might be and she could see right away that Kitty was taken by the idea. Catherine beamed and blushed and batted her lashes, which annoyed Noelle to no end.
Everything she does, every way that she acts, she has been told to do by Society. There is neither an emotion in her heart nor a thought in her head that the ton hasn’t put there. She is carrying on too much.
“I think that we may stay out a little longer,” Catherine said, biting her lip a little as she looked at Noelle with such longing. There really wasn’t a reason for them to say no as they lived so close by, but something about spending more time in the company of that man put a bad feeling in the elder sister’s stomach.
She looked at Lord Drake and gave a smile, hoping that her expression didn’t come off as begrudging as she felt that it did. She then looked at Mr. Edwards and saw that he looked rather hopeful that she would say yes. Noelle had to sincerely smile at that.
“Our parents can spare us for a little while longer,” she consented with a nod, looking at Mr. Edwards more than the others now. It was he that she wished to see more of. The rest of the present company was merely necessary in order for her to remain decent.<
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Mrs. Edwards had a slightly uneasy look on her face, but as soon as Noelle agreed to go along for a spot of supper, she smiled in her relief. “It’s not normally something that we do when we pay a visit to the city, but I suppose there is a time for anything.”
As Lord Drake had claimed, the oyster room really was only a short walk away from the Theatre Royal. He held the door open for everyone in his group and then made sure to lead the way to a conveniently-placed booth in the room.
There was something very queer about his demeanor, Noelle mused, keeping an eye on the gentleman now that they were back in a more or less closed space.
“Oh, I hope my gown shall not smell of oysters forever now,” she said aloud with a faux-horrified sort of expression, patting at her skirts as if that would do any good about it.
This caused Lord Drake to laugh a little, which was more of a response than she normally got from him. “We shan’t stay long if you’re concerned about it,” he replied in an almost kind tone. “A bit of drink, a bit of a laugh, and then perhaps a bit of a stroll – then we’ll send you on your way home.”
