Lady Geneva smiled prettily and affably as her young guest came up from her curtsy. “We are so pleased to meet you, Lady Fulton. But please, I wish us to be friends so you must not be forever Lady Geneva-ing me. You must call me Jenny. And if I may be so bold, what shall I call you, since Lady Fulton sounds so much older than you appear to be.”
Beth relaxed slightly at these words and was happy to inform her new friend that she would like to be called Beth.
Jenny lead Beth to a comfortable looking set of chairs then turned to shoo the gentlemen from the room. “I have rung for tea, but I am certain you two will want something a bit different, and I think my lordship has something he would like to show you in his library. So, why don’t the two of you take yourselves elsewhere and let us ladies get acquainted. You may return in no less than thirty minutes, if you please.”
With laughter, the two gentlemen bowed themselves from the room, but not before the earl had looked searchingly at his wife for any signs that she was uncomfortable with the situation. She looked pleased to be making a new friend, so he left her in Lady Geneva’s capable hands and went off with his own friend to play a game of billiards.
Just as the lords left, the tea trolley arrived and the two ladies helped themselves to the impossibly thin sandwiches and delightfully sweet cookies the cook had made in honour of the visit. As Geneva poured the tea, she began gently plying the young countess with questions.
“So, how long have you been in London, Beth?”
“Oh, I just arrived, my lady. This is actually only my second day in Town.”
“How delightful! Are we your first visit, then, Beth?”
“Yes, thank you, my lady, for your kind hospitality,” answered Beth deferentially.
“Now, Beth, please, you really must call me Jenny,” she reproved as an aside before continuing her gentle interrogation. “Have you seen any of the sights yet, or have you done any shopping? I must say the shopping here is absolutely delightful,” Geneva declared, skilfully bringing the subject around to the point.
“Well, no, I haven’t really done any shopping, although this morning I did spend a lovely time with the kitchen staff at the market.”
Geneva was nonplussed by this statement. “You went to the market with your kitchen staff?”
Beth blushed rosily and almost stammered. “Yes, my lady, Jenny, I felt it would be beneficial for me to be informed on how the shopping was done so that I would be in the best position to manage the household. Don’t you know how all that is done in your house?”
Jenny wrinkled her pert little nose slightly but smiled at her guest. “Well, I do have a slight knowledge of what goes on in my kitchens, but I must say, the delightful sort of shopping I was talking about is on Bond Street, where all the best dressmakers are, as well as the cobblers, and the quaintest little shops with darling hats and all the things one needs for going to balls and parties and such. Did the earl drive you around there yet?”
“Oh, no, I would not expect that to be of any interest to the earl. Does your husband take you shopping for your gowns?” Beth asked in quite some surprise.
Jenny laughed happily. “Only in a manner of speaking. I go shopping, and he pays for the purchases when the bills come in.” She grinned at Beth. “You shall get the hang of it soon enough, my dear. Why don’t I introduce you to my dressmaker? A lady can never have too many gowns, would you not agree?”
Since she and her mother had always had to make do with the minimal, Beth wasn’t sure how to answer that question, so she just smiled at her hostess and took a sip of her cooling tea.
Jenny could see that she had perhaps blundered slightly, so she backed up just a bit. “Have you been invited to Lady Castlereagh’s rout this evening?” she enquired. “I have heard it shall be quite the squeeze.”
Beth again blushed, but at least she knew the answer to this question. “Well, Jenny, since you are the first people I have yet met, I do not know anyone who would invite me to any parties.”
Jenny was happy about where the conversation was now leading. This would be the perfect way to befriend the young woman. “Well, first of all, I would love to have you come to the party my husband and I are planning next week. But you must realize that it does not matter if anyone has met you or not, you are the Countess of Westfield, you shall be positively inundated with invitations to an excessive number of fetes.”
Beth’s brow wrinkled slightly in bewilderment. “Truly, my lady? But why would they invite me if they have not even met me? How awkward will that be?”
Jenny nodded in agreement. “Yes, it does seem odd, but that is the way things are. You are now a Very Important Personage, you know. Raging curiosity is soon going to grip the ton who will want to get a good look at the Earl of Westfield’s pretty, young wife. It will no doubt be quite the coup for a hostess to be able to claim to have been the first to have you attend their gathering.” Jenny paused for a moment to allow her guest to absorb this disturbing thought. “But I have a wonderful idea. I could introduce you to a few of my friends so you will not feel like a complete stranger when you start to go about Town, and maybe I can even help you decide which invitations to accept. If we go to the same gatherings for the first while, you shall always have at least one friend wherever you go, then I could introduce you to the people I think you will find congenial.”
Beth was touched by the generous offer. “Would you do that for me? Thank you so much.” She paused for a moment before making an awkward confession. “The only trouble is that I fear I haven’t anything suitable to wear to any of these gatherings you say I shall be invited to. What I am wearing right now is one of the best gowns I own, and I surely would not want to wear it to a ball.”
Jenny nodded. “No, it is definitely not for evening wear. But it is quite lovely for a day gown. You clearly have a good eye, so it should not be too difficult to quickly get you decked out with all that you will require for the Season. At least we can get you a few things to get started, and then you can gradually add to your wardrobe. Are you busy tomorrow? We could go see Celeste, my modiste. I’m sure she could make you up a few gowns and frocks to be ready by the end of the week. Maybe we could plan for my ball to be your first big event and just go to smaller, more intimate gatherings for a few days and get you introduced around and more comfortable in the social whirl.”
Beth felt a little overwhelmed by the other woman’s plans, particularly the shopping. The earl had still not addressed the subjects of funds or attire with her, and she didn’t feel she should take it upon herself to just go out and start spending her husband’s money. She made herself voice her concerns to her new acquaintance, embarrassed by her own ignorance about such matters. But the viscountess waved away her concerns in a kindly manner.
“No, no, my dear Beth. Truly this is the way things are done. You just have the bills sent to your house, and the earl or his secretary will look after everything. Once Lord Fulton sees you in your new finery, he won’t much care whatever the cost was,” was her droll conclusion.
Beth was still unsure about the wisdom of this, but they agreed nonetheless on a time for Lady Geneva to pick her up in her town coach to head out for a bout of shopping. They had just settled the details when their husbands returned. The Fultons then took their leave and headed for their own home.
Justin was saddened to see that Beth was again becoming anxious and tried to encourage her to confide in him. He gently plied her with questions.
“How did you enjoy your visit with Lady Geneva?”
“Oh, she seems quite nice. She asked me to call her Jenny. Has she ever told you where her name comes from?”
“Is there a story behind it, besides it being a city in the middle of Europe?” he asked in some surprise.
“Well, yes, it is from the city, but do you know why her mother named her after that city?” she asked with a giggle in her voice.
Justin was glad to see her mood lightening. “Please tell me, I am filled with curiosity
by your introduction.”
“Well, my lord, you may be shocked to know that Jenny’s mother was dear friends with Charles Emmanuel III. Do you know who he was?”
“Do you mean the King of Sardinia?” he asked.
“Yes, my lord, the very one. Well, he was the Duke of Savoy then, since this would have been many years ago. There is some history about the duke’s ancestors trying to take back control of the city of Geneva, but the population resisted and remained independent of his clutches. So, when Jenny came along, her mother was upset with the duke for some reason that Jenny isn’t all too clear on, but she named her daughter Geneva in order to twit him. Isn’t that the most clever thing?”
This was not what Justin had had in mind for Lady Geneva to be telling his wife, and he wasn’t too sure what to make of such a tale. But he could see that the story had endeared her to Beth and probably put her more at ease, so he could see the wisdom in it. He probed a bit more into his wife’s afternoon. “What else did you ladies talk about?”
Beth was surprised at his interest. Her father had never enquired into her or her mother’s whereabouts or concerns, so she was unprepared for her husband’s interest. But she answered his question truthfully and revealed her amazement. “My lord, do you agree with what she told me? She says that I shall be receiving invitations to attend various gatherings to be hosted by people I have yet to meet, merely because I am now your wife. Do you think this is possibly true?”
“Well, yes, I entirely expect that our foyer will be littered with stationery requesting the honour of your or our presence at any number of events.”
“It is all very strange. But it raises a few problems, my lord,” Beth said, her hesitant tone revealing her reluctance to explain.
Justin was glad they had arrived at her concerns. “What seems to be the problem?”
Beth just stopped herself from rolling her eyes at his obtuseness. “Well, besides the fact that perfect strangers expect me to spend time with them, I do not have suitable attire for many of the events Jenny says I shall be invited to attend. She has offered to introduce me to some of her particular friends so I will not feel so strange with people. She also has offered to attend the same gatherings as me for a time, even helping me select which invitations to accept.” Beth paused momentarily before continuing awkwardly. “She even offered to introduce me to her favourite dressmaker. We have arranged that she will take me with her tomorrow morning. However, I am concerned about the expense.”
Justin thought it was sweet that his wife wasn’t eager to spend his money. He didn’t think any of his friends’ wives gave any thought to limit their spending. “Do not let that bother you, my dear, I am sure we can manage to afford to dress you for the Season. Just have all the bills sent home, and my secretary will look after it. I am glad you shall be going about with Lady Geneva. She should be able to steer you in the right direction so as to know all you should acquire. Trust yourself in her hands, and you should soon be fully equipped to face the Social Scene.”
Beth was relieved at the earl’s calm acceptance of her agreement to spend his money, but she was still filled with trepidation at the thought of attending large gatherings filled with the strangers of the aristocratic world. “Will you be attending any of these parties, my lord? It was ever so gracious of Lady Jenny to offer her help, but shouldn’t we decide together which things I should attend?” she wondered aloud.
“Of course, my lady, we shall attend many of the same events, but while I am in London I have a very busy schedule pertaining to the politics of the House, so I shan’t always be able to accompany you. It is best for you to make some friends and ensure you are well occupied. Besides, it is not at all the thing for us to be in one another’s pocket, don’t you know?”
The earl had meant this last to be in jest, but Beth took it to heart. He would later regret that he ever allowed such words to issue from his mouth.
Beth managed to suppress her disappointment over her husband’s words. Of course, she reasoned, why would he want to spend time with me? She considered herself to merely be a liability for the politically involved, busy, handsome, young earl. It saddened her that she didn’t know anything about anything and merely burdened his previously well-ordered routine. Beth resolved to be as self-sufficient as possible so as to interfere as little as necessary with his everyday routine. And since he had approved of the shopping expedition, she would start her new independent life with that excursion. And if that was not quite what she had wanted her new life to be like, well, that didn’t really matter since life rarely turned out how one expected it or wished for. With that resolve, she mustered up a serenity she didn’t really feel and managed to carry on a less stilted conversation with Justin as they finished the short drive to their house.
As they pulled to a stop in the mews behind the house, a groom ran up from the stable and took the leads for the horses. A footman stepped forward to assist his mistress to alight from the carriage. Beth thanked him with a warmly gracious smile, making the poor young footman nearly trip over his feet and the earl wish she would smile at him in such a manner.
“Thank you for your company this afternoon, my dear,” began the earl, “I regret that I must bid you farewell for the rest of the day. I have things I must attend to, and I am engaged for the evening. This well illustrates why you should have engagements of your own, as you can see. Some of my commitments are of a long-standing nature. Now that I have a wife, I will try to be more careful in my acceptance of such invitations, but please, feel free to accept whichever invitations you deem acceptable. By all means, allow Lady Geneva to guide you in this as she is an experienced lady about Town.” With those words, Justin bent over his wife’s hand, gallantly kissing her as he bade her goodbye.
Beth stood in the foyer and watched her husband dash up the stairs two at a time, stifling her chagrin at being left home alone again on this third night in her new home. She sighed over the dishes she knew the cook had gone to great care in preparing and decided she must consult with the earl’s secretary to ensure the kitchen staff wouldn’t be bothered to prepare a big meal just for her in the future. It was too late at this point to tell them below stairs not to bother for this evening, so Beth felt an obligation to dress appropriately and dine by herself. It was too bad she couldn’t invite the staff to join her for the evening meal, but they would no doubt all have an apoplexy if she made such a suggestion. Even the kindly housekeeper would be appalled at the idea. Things were so much simpler in a country house with long-time family retainers. With another heartfelt sigh, she decided to visit the library before coming to dinner. Then she too went up the stairs, although much more decorously than had Justin.
Chapter Ten
Beth was happy to see the sun shining when she awoke the next morning. She was feeling somewhat more rested, despite her disquieting thoughts about her current situation, and she felt ready to face her day with Lady Geneva. The sunshine would help keep her spirits up and would ward off the increasing chill in the air as the days steadily shortened.
While the countess nibbled at her breakfast and sipped her morning chocolate, Sally helped her decide what to wear for the shopping trip and then proceeded to comb out and style her hair. Beth was happy for the other girl’s company since Sally was now very well informed on the subject of fashion and had many suggestions of what she should buy that day to add to her wardrobe.
“The good news, milady, is that as a married lady you don’t have to worry about wearing whites and pastels. With your complexion, I would think you should go for darker, more serious colours. And really, milady, you must give thought to lowering your neck line. I do declare, some of your dresses make you look like you’re headed for the convent,” Sally declared with a girlish giggle.
Beth smiled at the maid’s jest, but firmly replied, “Don’t get your hopes up, Sally. I may be a married lady, but my morals did not go out the window when I said my vows. I agree that I need to get into the current fashion, bu
t I am reasonably sure the earl would not appreciate his wife putting herself on display for the entire world to look at. Now, show me again which designs you had in mind. And I don’t mean the one with the deep V in the front — that other one you were telling me about.”
With that one issue settled, the two girls happily pored over the fashion plates Sally had received from the neighbour’s lady’s maid so that when Lady Geneva was announced Beth felt well enough informed to face the daunting task of dressing like a countess for the Social Season. She was about to discover that clothes were actually the least of her worries.
Beth gracefully but swiftly descended the grand staircase, happy to greet her new friend. She was glad they had spent some time getting to know one another the previous afternoon since Lady Geneva’s appearance this morning was somewhat daunting. As Beth reached the bottom of the stairs she took in the remarkable vision of the viscountess complete to a shade, looking every inch the matron of fashion and privilege. If Beth hadn’t known what a pleasant woman she was, she would have been completely intimidated by the prospect of spending the morning with her. As it was she was going to feel like a veritable dowd accompanying the highly fashionable woman to the shops that day.
Being unaware of the countess’ watchful eye during her quiet descent, Lady Geneva was standing very still in the earl’s foyer looking around rather haughtily. But as soon as she spied Beth, she let out an undignified squeal and stepped hastily toward the young woman.
“Good morning, my dearest Beth! I am just SO excited to be taking you shopping this morning. We have so much to do! Celeste is going to be thrilled at the prospect of dressing you, my lady. Your figure is just perfect for her skills with the needle. And your hair is perfection, so we needn’t worry about that. Excellent! Grab your wrap and let us be on our way. If we do not completely exhaust ourselves this morning, you can help me plan my ball after we have a lovely lunch. You are the best thing that could have happened this Season, my dearest Lady Fulton, now come along.”
The Debutante Bride: A Sweet Regency Romance (Ladies of Mayfair) Page 9
