“You did not tell Sue what a mess I am, did you, Sally?” Beth enquired, instinct warning her that a countess ought to know how to go on even if she did not.
“Oh, milady, you aren’t a mess. You are a beautiful young lady and I know for sure, for sure, you’re going to take the ton by storm. But no, I didn’t tell Sue nothing. His lordship is big on his privacy, don’t you know, so I figured that would extend to his wife, too. Nope, I just told Sue as how I got a new position and I needed to learn all I could about all there is to know. And she’s a good sort of a gal, so she told me as much as I could think to ask and then some. Don’t you worry your pretty little head, milady, we’ll manage just fine between you and me.”
“Thank you, Sally.” Beth’s relief threatened to swamp her, but she lifted her chin and smiled at the servant.
“You look almost like one of those pictures, milady, if I do say so myself.” Sally smiled impishly into the mirror at Beth’s reflection as she shoved in the last pin and twitched her mistress’ gown into place.
Beth was surprised to see that it was true. She felt profound relief that she would look decent for the afternoon and was shocked to see that she actually looked quite well. So it was with a light step and a pleasant smile that she dismissed the maid for the next while and gracefully skipped down the stairs to meet up with the earl.
Chapter Seven
“Right, on time, my lady. I am impressed. I have yet to meet a young lady who was ever on time for an appointment. I am happy to see that my wife is the exception to the rule,” the earl greeted Beth with a light tease in his tone.
Beth was quite unsure how to react to the teasing, but was happy to step out with her handsome husband into the sunny afternoon. She almost clapped her hands in delight over the sight of the lovely matched bays and the phaeton they were to ride in. But she tried for a sophistication she knew she didn’t possess.
She felt her heart rate pick up speed and for once it wasn’t mostly from fear. The earl had changed his clothes and was looking almost unbearably handsome. Beth’s nerves again assailed her, but she was flustered to realize it was purely feminine reaction to his nearness. She tried to distract herself from her wayward thoughts.
“What a charming vehicle, my lord,” she uttered as calmly as possible as the earl handed her up onto the seat and she straightened out her voluminous skirts. She fought down the exhilaration she was feeling at the prospect of finally seeing firsthand the fashionable city she had once only dreamt of visiting. She remembered as a little girl hearing her mother speak glowingly of her time in London and promising that Beth would one day take her place there along with the other debutantes making their curtsies to High Society. As the years went on, those promises had dwindled until Beth had been fully convinced she would never see the grand city for herself. But here she was, high up in the earl’s phaeton, about to enter the park at what she was sure was the fashionable hour to see and be seen.
It was with an extreme effort that she kept her grin under control, but she couldn’t keep her eyes from dancing as she turned to Lord Fulton and enquired politely about his day. “I am sorry, my lord, I forgot to ask how your business went this morning.”
It was such a politely worded question, but the earl was gratified by the interest shown and intrigued by the sparkle in her eyes as she kept her gaze steadily upon his instead of craning around to see all the sights. Of course, he was blissfully unaware of the supreme effort of will it was taking for her to remain so unaffected by the scenery around them. He was nonetheless pleased by her comment. But he didn’t want to bore her with all the mundane details of what went into running his extensive interests and all that went with keeping the earldom together. So he merely replied blandly, “My morning was rather uneventful, my dear, mostly a lot of paperwork. Thank you for asking. Were you able to keep yourself well occupied?”
“Oh, yes, thank you, my lord,” she answered, her tone equally bland. “I had an informative morning spent with Mrs. Potts.” At that, with the niceties out of the way, Beth allowed herself the luxury of gazing about intently as they passed briskly through the streets of Mayfair and made their way through the mid-afternoon traffic to the park.
It was so exciting! As they trotted along in the well-sprung carriage behind the beautifully matched horses with the cool breeze wafting by, Beth could almost believe she hadn’t a care in the world. It seemed like she had found the most beautiful place on the whole earth! All the houses were so well kept with freshly painted front doors and sparkling panes of glass in every window, not a single cracked one in sight. As they passed along, the streets were dotted with little parks filled with laughing children followed by their doting governesses. It appeared to Beth as though every person they passed had a smile on his or her face.
Then they arrived at the Park and Beth’s enjoyment was dimmed. Each person they encountered seemed more beautiful than the one before in an effort to outshine one another. It made Beth feel once again like a dowd from the countryside. She felt her chin tilt to a defiant angle as one person after the other turned to stare at the surprising spectacle of the Earl of Westfield escorting a young woman in his phaeton.
The earl could sense his companion’s diminished mood and was disappointed. He had enjoyed watching his wife as she had been unable to squelch her excitement over the treat of her first view of the big city. He realized it may have been a blunder to come at the fashionable hour when the ton turned out en masse to look at each other. But they couldn’t turn around now that they had been seen, so he exerted himself in an attempt to make Beth feel more comfortable.
“This entrance, my dear, is called Stanhope Gate, obviously named because it comes off Stanhope Street. I have a particular fondness for this Gate because I find the aspect of the Park from this direction quite charming, would you not agree, my lady?” He was rewarded for his distraction efforts by the fact that Beth turned her wide eyes towards him and he could see the fear receding as she listened to him prattle on, so he continued in the same vein.
“Many prefer Grosvenor Gate since Grosvenor is considered the number one address in all of London, but really, I ask you, are they trying to convince others that they live there? We all know where each other lives, so crowding in by that gate is a rather silly ploy, wouldn’t you say?”
Beth let loose with a small giggle and a tremulous nod as she continued to listen in fascination as the earl rambled on.
“Unfortunately, my lady, I do not see any of my friends to whom I particularly wanted to introduce you. What do you say to my picking up the pace just a bit so we can get around this bustle and I shall show you the Serpentine? Perhaps, if you would like, we could get out and take a little stroll along the banks.” He glanced down briefly to see Beth’s reaction and was pleased to see her smiling much more cheerfully.
She agreed to his suggestion. “That would be most pleasant, my lord,” she replied politely but in much warmer tones than previously.
Her smile broadened as he continued drolly, “Mind you, do not let anyone catch your eye, though, for then we shall have to stop and make conversation. And if one person catches us, we shall never get away for they will all want to come and meet the lovely new Countess of Westfield.” Justin laughed to see her startled expression and an attractive blush crept up her previously pale cheeks. He felt his enjoyment in the afternoon increase once more as he clicked to the horses and they briskly left the crush of people behind. He continued to regale Beth with information lest her nervousness return.
“I have to warn you not to expect too much of this river, my dear. It is called the Serpentine, but that is a mere pretence, in my opinion. When Bridgeman dammed up the little Westbourne River that previously flowed through these parts in order to form the Serpentine, I believe he had more grandiose plans for how it would flow. Sadly it is merely irregular, rather than actually flowing as a serpent as that gentleman seems to have wished. Ah, well, it does have a pleasant aspect, as you shall see.”
&nb
sp; They rolled along in pleasant silence for a moment, enjoying the views and glancing around at the passing gentry. Beth wasn’t sure how serious the earl had been about not allowing eye contact with the passersby, but she was diligently maintaining a slightly impassive face just to be safe. She couldn’t help a gurgle of laughter as Lord Fulton continued to speak.
“That was a close call, I must say, my lady. Did you see that rather large woman inexpertly riding a poor, unfortunate black gelding? She was wearing a green gown with a strange hat perched precariously on her head.”
Beth just barely kept herself from turning around to get a second look at the individual the earl was describing. She turned to him with a less controlled smile and prompted him, “Yes, my lord, I saw her.”
“That was Lady Cranfield. She fancies herself to be the most knowledgeable woman of all the goings on of Society, and she is the worst gossip in Town. She is bosom bows with my sister. I cannot fathom why, since I can barely tolerate the woman. Between the two of them they try to be in control of every social event. We shall have to be polite to her when forced into her company, since she will want to make a production out of giving her approval of you.” Just as he was uttering these words that he had meant to be a joke for them to share, he realized it was a lack-witted thing to say to his skittish young wife. He almost smacked himself in the head but managed to keep his hands on the reins as he turned to see how his companion was dealing with his tactless jest.
She had paled visibly, but if he hadn’t anything to compare her with he would think she was perfectly composed. Her hands were folded primly in her lap and a light, sociably acceptable smile was slightly slanting her pretty pink lips. But he was beginning to know her, and he could see the frozen quality of that smile as well as see that her slightly downcast eyes no longer contained any sparkle. He stifled a sigh as they continued riding along.
It was with relief that they finally reached the spot he had in mind to show her along the banks of the river. He brought the bays to a standstill, tossed the reins to his tiger who had swiftly run to their heads, then reached up to swing Beth down from the high-perched vehicle.
Justin was trying with little success to think of something innocuous to say when he was surprised by Beth’s softly murmured question.
“Do you think your sister will see fit to like me, my lord? You mentioned she and her dear friend are sparing with their approval. It would no doubt be awkward if your sister will not grant me her support.” Beth had tried for a note of indifference but was unsure if she had succeeded since really, how could she be nonchalant about her sister-in-law’s opinion?
“I am quite sure she will be terribly pleased with you, my dear, for you are quite lovely and have all the proper graces, I’m sure. There is nothing about you for which she could justify not granting her approval. You need not dwell upon any worry in that regard. The only problem I can foresee is the fact that I haven’t told her I got married,” he concluded guiltily.
He was surprised by his wife’s reaction.
Beth couldn’t stop the gurgle of laughter that bubbled up her throat. “You forgot to tell your sister, my lord? How many members of your family are there? Are you having trouble keeping track of them?” she asked drolly before thinking better of teasing the earl. But she needn’t have worried.
He laughed along with her. “It would seem like there are too many to count, but really I have only the one sister. Of course, there are extended aunts, uncles, and distant cousins, but in my immediate family there is just me and my sister. And now you. Our parents were killed in a carriage accident almost a decade ago,” he informed her. “My sister is a few years older than me. We haven’t been terribly close since I went away to school, and it just slipped my mind with everything that has been going on of late, that I should let her know about my changing circumstances. Perhaps I should take you round to meet her tomorrow afternoon, since it seems like today is fading away on us.”
“That might be a good idea, my lord,” replied Beth with a smile. “We would not want to offend your only relative.”
Unfortunately, Justin was aware that she was easy to offend and he was worried that his oversight might end up being a problem, but he definitely did not want to tell Elizabeth that and relied on the fact that they had not even spoken to anyone that day so she at least wouldn’t feel that he had told others when he hadn’t told her. To be sure, tomorrow should be soon enough, he reassured himself as he once again applied himself to helping his wife enjoy the day. If he had ever thought to dwell on the matter, he never would have guessed having a wife would occupy so much of his time and thoughts. But it was a pleasurable occupation, he would have to admit.
∞∞∞
They had just returned from the Park and were enjoying a cup of tea to ward off the chill of the advancing season when they were interrupted by a flurry of activity at the front door.
“Lady Melissa to see you, milord,” uttered the butler tonelessly as the most sallow, uptight-looking woman Beth had ever seen swept in imperiously behind him. She was dressed in the height of fashion but it did not sit well on large frame and seemed to clash dreadfully with her puckered mouth, which looked as though she had sucked on an unripe lemon. Beth had a sinking feeling this was the earl’s sister, and it did not bode well for their future relationship.
Lady Melissa looked at her brother appraisingly before lighting into him. “Justin, is it true?” she demanded, her shrill tone causing her listeners to flinch. “Well, I can see that it is! How could you? Can you imagine my shock to hear from Lady Martin that you had gotten married? I was never more ashamed in my life as I was to hear from a mere connection that my only brother had married some country nobody! Oh, it is going to bring on one of my spasms!” the irate woman wailed while flapping her hands and dramatically waving her handkerchief like a flag, dabbing occasionally at imaginary tears.
“Melissa, my dear, you know I would never hurt you for anything,” Justin began in a conciliatory manner. “We just got home late last night, and I have been tied up all day with necessary business. I meant to drop by before it got to the papers, but my secretary is as punctual as ever.”
He paused before taking a breath and continuing, “Melissa, may I present my bride to you? Elizabeth, this is your new sister.” As he turned to smile at his wife, he didn’t notice the glare his sister was shooting at them, but Beth saw it and was further frightened.
“How do you do, my lady?” Beth curtsied gracefully. “Please, won’t you have some tea with us? It may help to calm your nerves.”
Lady Melissa ignored her completely. “No one seems to know any Dunseiths, Justin. Where on earth did you find this chit?” she demanded witheringly. “And do not tell me you want me to pass her off in Society, for I shall not do it! I will not be made a laughingstock by some country bumpkin. And how could you run off and get married in such a scrambling manner to some nobody when you could have had your pick of any of the girls out? You have been the most eligible bachelor for years! We had quite given up on you ever taking a wife.”
“That is all the more reason for you to greet my wife with joy,” answered Justin, remaining calm. “You no longer have to despair of my finding a wife. As you can see, I have found one all on my own, and she will not shame our family. It seems you have been neglecting your Debretts, my dear. You should know that the Dunseiths, while living retired from Society, are quite highly connected to some of the best families. But none of that matters, as she is now the Countess of Westfield,” he concluded with pride. “I would ask that you treat her with the respect she deserves as my wife.”
“Or what, Justin? Shall we be disowned? I won’t do it, I tell you!” With that she stormed out as ungraciously as she had arrived.
With a sigh, Justin turned towards his alarmingly pale wife, cudgelling his brain as to how to explain his sister’s rude behaviour. “I’m sorry, my dear, I had thought she would accept the situation with a bit more restraint.”
“
That’s all right, my lord. Please, do not give it a thought. I shall be fine,” answered Beth bravely as her lip trembled slightly. “I must go dress for dinner. I shall meet you down here shortly.” Then she fairly fled from the room.
Confound it, thought Justin vehemently. This is just what we didn’t need to make an already tricky situation worse.
Chapter Eight
A couple streets away, Lady Melissa stormed into her townhouse past the startled footmen at her front door and furiously bellowed for her husband. “Edward! Edward, where are you?” She flung off her gloves and hurled her bonnet at the butler. “Get Lord Merivale to meet me in the Green Room and serve us some cakes and tea there. I need something to settle my nerves,” commanded Lady Melissa as she eased her wide girth onto the settee.
“You called, my dear?” questioned Edward, Lord Merivale, gently as he ambled into the room mentally preparing himself to hear his wife’s complaints.
“Oh, there you are Edward!” Lady Melissa heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Oh, Edward, it was horrible! This chit Justin has married just simply will not do. She is going to bring disgrace upon the House of Westfield. She has not been raised to be a proper countess! And she looks like she will be a good breeder!” she continued in disgust. “Now our sweet baby John will no longer be Justin’s heir.”
“Melissa, my dear, surely you have been expecting this for years. It is not as though your brother is in his dotage. He’s only nine and twenty. Besides, my lady, while I acknowledge that I am merely a viscount, not an earl, I can sufficiently provide an inheritance for our children without needing to covet your brother’s wealth for them. I am actually quite insulted that you wish for our son to do so!” He prodded her with more heat than was his usual manner with his irritable wife.
The Debutante Bride: A Sweet Regency Romance (Ladies of Mayfair) Page 6
