“So where and how is Miss Helena?” Dr Frederick said to Lady Lavinia.
“She’s fine. She’s at home. I haven’t really been to her place of late, but I saw her …” Lady Lavinia raised her gaze to the sky. She was trying to remember.
“Three days ago, although we are going to her house tomorrow,” Lady Lavinia said, looking again at Mr Drew.
“Really, you said we, as in you and Mr Drew?” Dr Frederick asked.
“Yes, along with my cousins who visited from Ireland. We want to see if we can buy some things in preparation for the Somerset ball.”
Dr Frederick raised a brow.
Could that be the same ball that the Duke just cancelled?
“Do you mean the same ball to be held by this weekend?” Dr Frederick asked.
“Yes.”
Dr Frederick chuckled.
“I am just returning from the house of the Duke of Somerset. He has cancelled the ball.”
Lady Lavinia’s eyes popped open. Disbelief hung there, but after a while, it became disappointment.
“Why?” she asked in a small voice.
Dr Frederick thought about the Duke’s wife.
That’s private information.
“I don’t know. I do know he just cancelled it,” Dr Frederick said.
The disappointment was so evident that it could have been plucked from Lady Lavinia’s eyes. Her hand wrapped around Mr Drew’s, holding tightly. Dr Frederick removed his focus from their hands and looked back to her face.
“So maybe you should prepare for the next one instead. Please send my regards to Miss Helena,” Dr Frederick said.
“I will,” Lady Lavinia replied.
Dr Frederick stuck his hand back inside the carriage and leaned forward towards the window behind the driver.
“We can move on now, sir,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” the driver said.
The carriage started moving away. Dr Frederick looked back at Lady Lavinia. She was laughing once again to something the young man beside her said. When she saw him looking back, she waved to him. Dr Frederick lifted one arm to her, without waving it.
There’s something strong between her and the young man.
His mind flew back to his meeting with Miss Helena. There was something there too, something a bit too puerile and complex to describe, but he had felt something. And she had felt something too.
Surely.
Chapter 5
The Most Eligible
It was just about striking noon on Wednesday. Helena was sure although she didn’t have her timepiece. She stood up to go in and check the time when she heard the big clock in the sitting room ring. It was noon now.
Lavinia was supposed to have come here yesterday. I imagine she’ll be here even earlier today. Aren’t we going shopping anymore? Aren’t they?
Helena had decided she wasn’t going shopping with them anymore. She couldn’t act as if she didn’t know the financial situation of her family.
That would be irresponsible.
She had just finished reading a book on dynasties in Asia. Now she was about to open another when Miss Justina showed up.
“Is anything the matter, Justina?” Helena asked.
“Nothing ma’am. I was not doing anything inside. I felt like I should join you in the garden,” Miss Justina replied.
Helena loved Miss Justina’s company. Despite her low station, Miss Justina was the most thoughtful of all the people she could describe as friends. Miss Justina was also the one of the people telling Helena to get married. She had been the first.
“Have your seat beside me,” Helena said, pointing to the space on the bench she sat on.
Miss Justina sat down and didn’t say anything. Helena returned her concentration to her book and had promptly forgotten that someone was beside her when Miss Justina broke the silence. She asked a question, but Helena did not hear what she said.
“You said?” Helena asked.
“Did you find out about the Baron’s poor health?”
Helena closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn’t sure she was allowed to tell Miss Justina about it.
“Yes, I did.”
Miss Justina waited a bit without saying anything.
She’s waiting for me to continue. I’m sorry, I can’t.
“I hope he’ll be getting better soon then,” Miss Justina added after an awkward minute of silence.
“Yes, I hope so too,” Helena said, grateful that Miss Justina didn’t prod any further.
“Lady Lavinia must really be enjoying the presence of her cousins. She hasn’t showed up here in a bit,” Miss Justina said.
“Exactly my thought although I think it has more to do with the handsome Irish prince.”
Miss Justina looked surprised. Then realisation crept into her eyes.
“I had forgotten that she mentioned the arrival of a prince along with her cousins,” Miss Justina said.
Helena laughed, and then she placed one finger at the page she was reading, closing the book around the finger.
“The last time she came here, we found out she’s already taken a liking to this Prince Drew. I am really eager to see the man that has the heart of my dear Lavinia tied up in a bunch,” Helena said.
“Lady Lavinia, the chief proponent for delayed marriage, falling in love? This is surprising,” Miss Justina exclaimed.
“More than surprising,” Helena said.
Helena looked down at her book. She was about to open it when she heard Miss Justina speak.
“Speak of the devil, and she will appear.”
Helena looked up and saw Lady Lavinia coming from the front garden. Helena spied behind her if any of her cousins were with her, but she came alone.
“We were just talking about you,” Helena said.
“You are always talking about me,” Lady Lavinia replied, taking a seat between maid and mistress.
“So what were you talking about now?” Lady Lavinia asked.
“How your handsome prince has held your attention captive and not allowed you to remember your dear friend anymore,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia threw her arms around Helena’s neck and kissed her on her cheek.
“I could never forget you,” she said.
“We thought you’d come yesterday so we could go shopping for the Somerset ball,” Miss Justina said.
“Oh! You’ve not heard. The Somerset ball has been cancelled. That’s why I didn’t come yesterday. And it’s also why I didn’t come with my cousins,” Lady Lavinia answered.
Hot emotion rose in Helena. She had been looking forward to attending the ball, why cancel it? She was about to release her pique as an angry criticism of the Somerset court when she realised it wouldn’t make any difference.
My anger doesn’t change anything.
Helena cooled down and looked back at her book.
“Little wonder,” Helena said.
“Guess who I ran into yesterday,” Lady Lavinia said.
Helena looked at her friend.
“Justina will guess for me. I don’t think I have the energy,” Helena answered.
Lady Lavinia didn’t wait for Miss Justina to guess.
“I saw Lord Jeffrey at the library. He asked of you,” she said to Helena.
Lord Jeffrey? Could it be the same Lord Jeffrey?
As if Lady Lavinia read her thoughts.
“Lord Jeffrey Routledge, the son of the Duke of Beaufort, asked of you.”
Helena was confused. She couldn’t remember ever clashing eyes with the man talk less of having a conversation.
“Why would he ask of me?” Helena asked, partly to herself and partly to Lady Lavinia.
Lady Lavinia looked at her like she said something unbelievable.
“He is the most wanted bachelor in the whole of England. He is said to have had more flings than feathers on a turkey. And he is eligible. I think you should be excited,” Lady Lavinia said.
“You were the same person telling me about t
he shackling character of marriage, something about … having freedom to dance with any man I like,” Helena said, posing in a voice similar to Lady Lavinia’s.
“So what has changed?” Miss Justina chirped in.
Lady Lavinia didn’t look like she knew the reply to give. After a few seconds, she spoke.
“I don’t know,” she replied in a small solemn voice. Then she continued in a much stronger voice, “I just feel if any man asking of you should be getting you excited, it should be Lord Jeffrey. His father is the second wealthiest man in England for Christ’s sakes.”
Helena’s heart beat twice as hard when she heard that. She tried to hide her excitement by opening her book and attempting to read a few lines. It didn’t work. When she looked up, Lady Lavinia’s eyes were waiting for her.
“Are you sure of what you claim?” Helena asked.
Lady Lavinia scoffed.
“Of course, it’s common knowledge.”
Helena looked to her maid. Miss Justina nodded her head.
“Yes, a lot of people do say so. If he isn’t the second wealthiest man in England, then he is close,” Miss Justina said.
This might be the break I have been looking for.
Helena said nothing. She was scared that her intentions would be read like a book if she said anything now. She had already shown interest in the fact that the family was wealthy. Helena closed her eyes and pushed her fingers through the mass of hair on her head and traced the strands singly.
“Where did you meet him?” she asked without opening her eyes.
“I just told you, at the library. I was there with Drew yesterday.”
The mention of Drew had Helena and Miss Justina look at each other which Lady Lavinia noticed.
“What is it?” she asked.
“What? Nothing, you can continue,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia turned up her nose at the reaction of her two friends. She didn’t say anything. Helena chuckled.
Lavinia isn’t defending herself because she doesn’t have anything to defend herself with. She is forming a relationship with the Irish gentleman.
Her thoughts ran back to the issue of Lord Jeffrey asking about her. A man of that stature asking about her was more than an ordinary inquisition. If she played her cards right, she could wiggle herself into his heart and have him engaged. If there was love between them, she would explain to him, and he would have her father’s finances replenished. First, she had to get him to act on his inquisition.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Lady Lavinia said.
“I was just thinking about the many reasons Lord Jeffrey could be asking of me,” Helena said.
“The reason is of little import. This is one of the most handsome eligible men among the peerage. His dark eyes have attained even magical status on the dit. He is intelligent and has poise. He is cultured and rich. What else do you want in a man?” Lady Lavinia said.
“He is also very haughty. You didn’t add that, Lady Lavinia,” Miss Justina said.
“A man with so many qualities has to be haughty. It’s not a matter of choice, Justina. It’s just like being the King of England; among all other peers, you have to be proud,” Lady Lavinia said.
Helena did not give much thought to those characters. Word on dit is always a poor way to judge a man even though a lot of it turns out to be true.
“There are more layers to a person than a group of dignifying or debilitating adjectives,” Helena said.
Miss Justina nodded her head. Lady Lavinia just looked away.
“So what are you going to do now?” Lady Lavinia asked.
Helena looked at her friend in mild wonderment.
“I don’t understand.”
“He asked of you.”
Helena laughed.
“I am not going to do anything. If he really wanted to see me, I figure he would have come here to my home in Strabolgi and asked to see me. Surely, I would have given him a good audience,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia was about to say something in protest.
“But similarly, I cannot behave as if I did not hear of his inquisition about me. I am going to the next ball. I am sure Lord Jeffrey will be there.”
“He attends almost every ball and party,” Miss Justina said.
“If he approaches me during the ball, I will mention that you delivered his message,” Helena said.
“And if he doesn’t,” Lady Lavinia said.
“Then I wonder what he was trying to trigger when he asked of me,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia looked and smiled wryly.
“What amuses you, Lavinia?” Helena asked.
“About the next ball, you don’t need to go too far. I just remembered that Lord Jeffrey said his father was hosting a ten-year anniversary from the day he became Duke of Beaufort. He expects you … us there,” Lady Lavinia said.
“He said that?” Helena asked again.
“Yes, he did.”
“That makes it easier for you,” Miss Justina said to Helena.
Helena nodded.
“We’ll go surely.”
“I would suggest we still wear the white we had planned to wear to the Somerset ball. Let’s shop for them this week,” Lady Lavinia said.
Helena tried to remember if she had any white dress she could wear that day. She wasn’t sure she did.
“Justina,” she said softly
“Ma’am.”
“Do I have any white gown or dress that is fit for a ball?”
“I am not sure. Let me check now,” Miss Justina said.
Miss Justina stood up and walked briskly away.
“I thought we were just talking about buying new dresses,” Lady Lavinia said on hearing the question Helena asked.
“Let me do it this way,” Helena said.
“He will approach me if he has genuine intentions whether I’m wearing old or new. No one will even know whether the dress is old or new, only I and people like you,” she continued
Lady Lavinia nodded and said nothing. Helena was desperate for a change of topic. She was scared her motives were becoming too clear.
“What of your Irish prince? How is he?” Helena asked.
A bright twinkle appeared in Lady Lavinia’s eyes as Helena asked that. She blushed and fumbled to hide it behind a fan Helena had not previously seen.
“He’s fine,” she answered after composing herself.
“You’ve been going everywhere with him. Do you enjoy his company so?” Helena asked.
“He is a humorous and knowledgeable person. He is someone I describe as a loaded gun. Don’t be fooled by his calm demeanor, he’s exciting to be with,” Lady Lavinia said.
“I wasn’t fooled. I haven’t even seen him,” Helena said.
“Oh, yes, that’s true. You’ll get to see him soon,” Lady Lavinia said.
Helena drew near to her friend and clasped their palms together.
“You have really taken a liking to this gentleman,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia blushed. She didn’t attempt to hide it.
“Yes, I have. And he has taken a liking to me too,” she replied.
“Is he someone that can come up to scratch?” Helena asked.
“Yes, he is totally eligible. But I don’t want to push that agenda now. We have hardly known each other for a week,” Lady Lavinia replied.
“People have gotten married based on far less,” Helena answered.
“That is true, though,” Lady Lavinia said.
She placed the fingers of her right hand on her lips and looked to be meditating.
“He asked me to go to Ireland with him when he returns,” Lady Lavinia said in a tone so low she might not have spoken at all. It was as if she was scared that if she said it too loudly, it wouldn’t be true.
“What was your answer?”
“I told him I’ll think about it.”
“Are you really thinking about it?”
“No. I’m not.”
“You will go.�
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Seduced by an Irresistible Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 6
