Ada nodded in agreement and allowed Priscilla to disrobe her, thankful that the coals in the grate of her bedchamber offered warmth against the chill.
“Do you know which parks are the most popular?” she asked.
The woman beamed, eager to share her expertise. “There be Hyde Park, and Green Park, and St. James' Park. The last is the most popular by far. The first be the biggest. Green Park be the smallest, and the least crowded by far.”
“Oh.” Ada bit her lip. She took a guess that Green Park would be the place to find Liam. Not crowded and not large – that sounded like him.
“I would like to see it,” she said impulsively.
“Oh, for certain, my lady! I have been there but once, and it is very beautiful – lots of trees...green, like the name says. And no buildings nor these fancy broken-down castle things like are so popular now.”
Ada grinned, thinking of the extravagant amount Lord Oscar had spent to have a “folly” built on his land. Priscilla's dismissal as a broken-down castle was rather what that latest affectation deserved.
Priscilla's hands worked busily, arranging Ada's hair, and Ada studied the effect in the mirror while she worked. Her long red hair was piled up elegantly, curled and styled. After twenty minutes of work, Priscilla stepped back, smiling.
“My lady, you look like a princess. Best you should grace Regent's Park!” She stood back to admire her handiwork. “There is where be all the fine gentlemen! And you would catch their eyes for certain.”
Ada blushed, feeling strangely embarrassed. “Thank you, Priscilla,” she said, distracted. “But if you help me with my bonnet?”
“Oh, of course!” Priscilla beamed, and rushed back over to where Ada sat at the rosewood dressing-table. She lifted the silk bonnet in one hand, arranging it on Ada's head so that her a few curls showed below the white satin-lined brim when it was fastened under her chin.
“Oh, there you are! As pretty a lass as you like...” Priscilla clapped her hands when Ada stood, outfit complete.
“Thank you, Priscilla,” Ada said, looking down at her hands and biting her lip. She shyly hoped against hope that it was true. “And thank you for your handiwork!”
“Oh, lass!” Priscilla clasped her hands to her face, laughing. “It is my task.”
“I know,” Ada said gently. “But that does not mean you need to do it so well.”
While the woman was still staring after her, bemused by the compliment, Ada walked across the carpeted threshold and into the cool corridor beyond.
In the hallway, Ada met Henriette, just coming from her room. The Frenchwoman was dressed in a long white day-gown and had a tall white bonnet on her head, her dark curls curved in to touch her cheeks.
“Oh, Ada! I was just coming to find you!” Henriette said, fanning herself with a white-gloved hand. “I was thinking we must go somewhere today, or I shall die of seeing only four walls all day.”
Ada smiled. “How about a park? I would love a stroll. And we could take the girls.”
Henriette rolled her eyes. “And give me a headache with their screams?”
Ada laughed. “I am sure Nanny would keep them out of mischief. We can bring her, too.”
Henriette nodded briskly. “We can. And perhaps a picnic.” She bustled off to find the nanny. Ada waited in the hallway, until she returned.
“Nanny Mallington says the girls can go tomorrow,” Henriette said, frowning. “Today they have lessons.”
“Very well,” Ada said, heart soaring. “Today, we can go alone, and tomorrow, we can take the girls and my brother. We can make a day of it, with a picnic.”
“Good!” Henriette agreed. “Then today it's just us. We can take a turn past Bond Street as we return. I would love to visit Atherly's and have a dress made up.”
“Agreed,” Ada said firmly. Two days in a row! It seemed too good to be true.
“Which park?” Henriette said, frowning. “Should we try Hyde Park, or perhaps the garden at Kew?”
“I was considering a visit to Green Park?” Ada said, holding her breath as Henriette frowned, trying to recall something of the place. “I have heard it is safe and clean,” Ada said quickly. “And when we go tomorrow, we could all could play croquet on the lawns.”
Henriette grinned again. “You must like this park indeed, to think to assuage your brother's love of the game!”
Ada smiled. “I know. Roderick is rather too good at croquet to make it fair.”
“And he is a good loser, but a bad winner!” Henriette giggled.
The two women laughed and headed down the stairs together. Ada felt pleased to be back on good terms with Henriette, who was like a sister. She still felt uneasy about Henriette's preference for Oscar, but she hoped she could win her round.
Ten minutes later, they were in the carriage, heading for the park.
“Oh, but this is more like it!” Henriette enthused, as they glided down the street toward the park. They had taken the open carriage – Roderick's favorite purchase – and it was refreshing and pleasant in itself.
“Henriette,” Ada said as they sped around the corner, avoiding a lumbering Clarence carriage that occupied the center of the road, “I was wondering... at that ball the other evening – did you see...”
“Helloo!” Henriette called out, waving to a group of women on the corner. “It's Lady Etheridge – Lord Oscar's aunt! Oh! How nice...”
Ada swallowed, and leaned back. How could she tell Henriette how she felt? She seemed intent on making connections with that odious man.
“Sorry, dear?” Henriette asked her, turning back. “You were saying?”
“It wasn't anything of note,” Ada said dully. “We can forget about it.”
“Well, then, here we are!” Henriette exclaimed, as they drew up outside the tall, wrought-iron gate to Green Park.
Looking down the long pathway, Ada could see it was indeed green, as the name suggested. Green and leafy, the path edged with poplar -trees. It was a welcome vista and she drank it in, the sight of so much nature in this paved, gray city reassuring her.
“Off we go!” Henriette was saying, brightly, as the coachman helped her down from the carriage. “We have all morning to ourselves. We can explore!”
Ada felt her mood lifting as she walked into the green coolness of the park. She could forget, here, about Oscar and her misgivings, and lose herself in delicious memories. She and Henriette walked slowly down the path, the dappled sunlight shining down on them.
“It is a lovely park,” Ada commented, as they passed vast green lawns on which groups of people either walked or played croquet. A young lady was sitting reading on a bench, and Ada half-wished she could join in. It looked so relaxing.
“It is!” Henriette said brightly. “And all the gentry seem to be here.” She waved at an older lady, walking with a spaniel at her heel.
“It seems popular,” Ada agreed, gazing across to the fountain, where a group of people stood, talking and laughing together. If he were here, he would be somewhere quiet.
“Oh, look!” Henriette said, indicating a small tea shop across the street from one of the gates. “Why do we not stop there for a dish of tea? Then we could continue around the rest of the park, more fortified.”
Ada agreed. She did feel a little thirsty. And if they stopped now, then perhaps Henriette would feel more inclined to walk later.
They joined the elegant, chattering crowd in the teahouse, and were served steaming tea in porcelain cups. As they drank, they watched the room.
Young ladies in pale dresses talked together, eyes drifting now and then to young men in dark suits or in uniform, their high collars and sideburns giving them an imposing air.
Ada listened in to the talk, which was mostly of the races, or parties, or of plays. I cannot imagine Liam here, among these people. He might have distanced himself from society because of the scar, but he did not “belong” in a shallow, disinterested world either. Any more than she did.
“I su
ppose we should finish our walk before the sun is too high,” Henriette commented, stirring her tea. “We have not brought our parasols.”
“True,” Ada said lightly. Inside, her heart was thumping. Yes. Let us go at once! In case he is here. She knew she was probably being silly, but there in the green peacefulness she could almost sense his presence. It was just the sort of place he would have gone.
Henriette stood, straightening her pale skirts, and together they drifted from the room.
Back in the park, they walked around the pond, and headed across the lawn toward a copse of trees. Ada loved the sunshine, and was almost-tempted to remove her bonnet to let it shine into her eyes, indecorous as that was. She loosened the fastening, letting it fall back a little from her face.
They passed out of the brighter sun and into the trees.
“...And Lady Lillian was telling me that her elder daughter had a terrible sore throat! I do hope that is not catching – it quite ruined the poor girl's singing voice for a week!” Henriette was saying.
Ada, taking note only halfway through the conversation, took a moment to respond.
“Poor girl,” she agreed, looking around her. The trees were close here, and the breeze played in the treetops, patterning the ground with alternating light and shade. She looked around, and thought she saw a figure, standing beside the path. She blinked. It could not be him!
But it was.
“Good afternoon, Lady Ada.” Lord Liam said bowing stiffly, though his eyes, when they met hers, were shining like pools of midnight water. “It is a pleasant surprise to see you here, after the ball.”
“The ball?” Henriette was looking between them both, a small frown between her brows. “Lord Liam! I thought I recognized you,” she added, curtseying quickly.
“Lady Henriette, good morning.” Liam agreed, removing his hat and bowing. “And good morning, Lady Ada.”
The look in his eyes was still the same: rapturous. Ada swallowed hard. She forgot Henriette, standing beside her. Forgot everything but him.
“I had hoped to see you here,” she said.
“As I had hoped to see you!” He smiled.
“Will you join us?” Ada asked, remembering her manners. She could not take her eyes off him. In his dark day-suit, with white gloves and a top-hat, he could be any other gentleman taking the air in the park. With the notable exception that he was not any other gentleman, but Lord Liam: scarred, retiring and perfect.
“I would, yes. Thank you,” he said with that gentle smile. He slipped in beside her, Henriette walking on his left.
“So,” Liam was saying, “you are familiar with Green Park?”
“We have not been here before,” Ada admitted. “You walk here often?”
“It is my favorite place in London,” he admitted. “I like the countryside.”
“I know,” Ada said. “Me, too.”
They looked at each other, sharing the information like a private joke. Henriette, walking beside them, was frowning a little, but Ada dismissed it. It was good that she learned of her regard for Liam!
“Will you return tomorrow? Liam asked, smiling. “I would like to show you some of its highlights.”
“I...” Ada began, feeling her heart beat.
“We would like that, yes,” Henriette broke in. “We had planned a trip tomorrow, had we not?” she asked Ada.
“We had,” Ada confirmed, smiling shyly at Liam.
“Well, then, my ladies,” Liam smiled, “I hope to see you tomorrow. Perhaps ten of the clock?”
“Yes,” Henriette said, smiling. She looked pleased and Ada realized she enjoyed all attention, and seemed to like Liam. “That would suit us admirably.”
“Good,” Liam said, though he was looking at Ada. “I would like that well indeed.”
Ada swallowed. “That is good, sir.”
They looked into each other's eyes, sharing words they could not speak aloud.
When he had gone, donning his hat again and walking briskly down the path toward the gateway, Henriette smiled at Ada.
“He seems an amiable gentleman.”
“Yes,” Ada said, feeling her heart thud in her chest. “He does.”
How can I even begin to describe how I feel? He is... amiable, and more than amiable. He is the nicest man I have ever met.
She could not wait until tomorrow.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AN ORDEAL
AN ORDEAL
The next morning, Ada was itching with impatience to return to the park. She dressed quickly in a simple muslin day-dress, becoming for its lack of adornment. She paired it with a bonnet with blue velvet ribbons, and smiled at her reflection as she left the room. It would do.
In the breakfast room, Henriette flopped down onto the seat opposite Ada, where she sat nibbling a croissant.
“Roderick is delayed in town!” she said crossly. “He just left. I hope he will return in time for our journey to the park.”
Ada looked up, trying to hide her dismay. “So do I, sister,” she said, and reached for the pot of tea, hoping she did not look to distressed.
“We could pass the time together?” Henriette said hopefully. “I should practice pianoforte for a while, if we host a party soon, I will be sorely untried!”
“Oh, Henriette,” Ada said fondly, “you are an expert pianist. I have never seen you less than note-perfect.”
“Pish,” Henriette said fondly. “You are biased.”
They finished breakfast in silence, and afterward Henriette led the way to the drawing room. She settled herself in the silken seat before the piano, swiveled in the chair and began to play the music on the stand – a sonata by Mozart.
Ada settled at the table, reaching for her watercolors. She had not painted for months but felt distracted now. She mixed some paints and began a simple study of the flower-vase, though her thoughts were miles away.
“Roderick should be back soon,” Henriette said after twenty minutes, looking up at the clock on the mantel. “He went to town with Harrison to settle some accounts. It should not be long.”
“Good,” Ada said. She added a final touch to the painting and settled down to drawing. She had sketched in the outlines of a face by the time they heard steps on the parquet downstairs.
She looked down at her work. The cheekbones were perhaps a little long, and the left eye was slightly offset. But it looked clearly like Liam.
“Roderick!” Henriette said, lifting her hands from the keys. Mozart settled back into silence and Ada looked up.
“Ladies!” Roderick smiled. He was dressed for a day in town, his jacket dark velvet and his hose plain cream. He swept off his hat, still wearing gloves. “Shall we go?”
“Yes!” Henriette smiled. “We have been waiting for hours!”
Roderick laughed at her gently. “You are dramatic, my dear.”
“Yes, I am!” she said. “Which means you should heed my pleas, lest I have a fit of vapors right here!”
They all laughed, and Roderick escorted Henriette downstairs. Ada stood, hastily covering up the face she had drawn with a sheet of blotting paper. I am foolish, yes? She shook her head at herself, leaning back in the chair peacefully. Mayhap. But it is a delightful feeling.
Downstairs in the hallway, Henriette had shepherded the children from the nursery up the hallway. “Ladies!” she was saying brightly. “Come along! We're off to Green Park. Girls! Have you your bonnets?”
A childish chorus of “Yes!” made Ada smile as she drifted from the room and down the stairs. The whole family stood in the hallway, Roderick already back in his top-hat and cloak.
“We're going to the park!” Medora announced contentedly.
“And we're going to arrange flowers like ladies,” Margaret explained. She clearly took the responsibility of being a lady very seriously. Ada smiled.
Nanny Mallington appeared and led the girls out to the open chaise, and Roderick stood back for Henriette and Ada to drift down the stairs after her.
> Tying the ribbons of her bonnet firmly under her chin, Ada climbed up into the open coach. The driver took off and they drifted slowly down the London street. Henriette waved grandly at Lady Wescote, their neighbor, who stood on the pavement with her husband, waiting for their coach. Ada leaned back and let the wind caress her cheeks as they wound their way toward the park.
I feel so alive. She breathed the flower-scented air as they wound their way out of the buildings and toward the greener areas of the town. She could barely wait to be there, just on time.
At the park, she sat back as the coach rattled through the high wrought-iron gates, breathing the scent of dew from the lawn.
“I brought a parasol – did you?” Henriette asked concerned, as she saw Ada shade her eyes from the morning sunlight.
“I did,” Ada assured her, reaching for the lace confection that rested at her feet. Made of Brussels lace over fine linen weave, it kept the worst of the sun off her complexion.
“We have sunshades, too, Ada!” Medora announced. Margaret, very worldly, produced hers and raised it. White Brussels lace over pink linen, it was any girl's delight. Ada giggled, watching them both sit back like ladies, their parasols raised above their heads. Henriette looked contented and proud, and Ada felt the warmth of her contentment in her own heart. Together, the family drifted down the path, lined with plane-trees.
“Here is a lawn,” Roderick announced after some time. “We could play croquet on it!”
“You and your croquet!” Henriette tapped him with her parasol, lightly on the arm. “You are a plague! I want to see the rose garden.”
Ada giggled at their marital closeness. I wonder if I and Liam would ever bicker so good-naturedly, as these two? It seemed they could, but she was sure their relationship would be subtly different, as all relationships are. For one thing, it is hard to imagine him with the easy confidence of Roderick. Liam was a quieter, more intense soul, with deeper thoughts and a questing mind. Roderick was clearly intelligent, but he was more solid and down-to-earth.
An Earl To Remember (The Yorkshire Downs Series - Love, Hearts and Challenges) (A Regency Romance Story) Page 12
