by Abigail Agar
He took her arm and led her to the carriage. He helped Amelia and Louisa and then sat next to his wife, holding her hand.
“As soon as you are given your dance card, I shall take the first dance.”
“Thank you, Father,” Louisa said gratefully.
They entered the ball, still filling with guests. She looked for Emma but didn’t immediately see her. Percy, Cecil, and Kent came to her.
They bowed so seriously, she thought something must be wrong, but they quickly allayed her fears by elbowing each other out of the way to get to her dance card.
She shook her head at Percy while Cecil and Kent were writing. He shrugged then took his turn.
“Stafford wants two dances this evening so don’t allow anyone else to write in your card. In fact, let me see that again. There. He has a waltz and a country dance. You will be exhausted by the end of the evening,” Percy said.
Louisa pulled him aside. “What is this all about, Percy?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Why are you all clamouring to fill my card?”
Percy looked around, then bent down. “Truthfully? You haven’t been out in some time, and we want the entire ballroom to see you happy and enjoying yourself. Is that so bad?”
“No. I suppose not. Thank you,” she said. She gave Percy that look that he had learned to hate. That ‘you are my best friend’ look.
Frederick, Amelia, and Louisa were clustered around Emma, Stafford, Percy, Cecil, and Kent. Percy watched to his left and right to make sure no one was approaching. Cecil and Kent were doing the same. Louisa noticed and began to look around herself.
Percy was making her nervous. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was acting like a bodyguard, not a friend.
“Louisa, shall we dance?” her father said.
She smiled and took his arm. They waltzed well together, having done it many times before.
“Father, something seems off. Percy looks as though a gunfight is imminent. What is happening?”
Frederick laughed. “Nothing, my dear. Nothing. Are you happy you came out?”
“Yes, I am. Very. We’ll have fun this evening, I think.”
“We will. I see Stafford has made it.” Louisa looked over her shoulder. “He is a nice young man.”
“He is. He talked me into coming out tonight. He said I need to join the human race again.”
Frederick laughed. “I’ll have to thank him. And ask him for his secret. He got you out when Percy and I couldn’t make you budge. He likes you.”
“And I like him. He came around at just the right time for me.” Louisa smiled.
Louisa and Frederick walked back to their group. After greetings to Stafford, Frederick excused himself to join his peers on the other side of the ballroom floor.
Emma and Louisa had their heads together talking of Rose. The men were having a lively discussion about the carriage full of whisky that was stolen the previous evening. Amelia and a few other matrons were going over the ton activities for the coming week.
And there he was. In front of her bowing. “Good evening, Lady Louisa, Lady Emma. You both look lovely this evening.”
The girls curtsied, and Louisa looked around. “Good evening, Your Grace,” Emma responded.
Louisa looked around again. “Good evening, Your Grace.”
“Lady Louisa, I would like the honour of a dance with you this evening,” Barton said.
Percy was beside Louisa. “Lady Louisa’s dance card is full. Now, if you will excuse us,” Percy bowed, took both girls by the elbows, and walked them to Amelia. He placed them in front of her so they were facing the group of matrons, and he and the other gentlemen in his group stood as a buffer between them and the dance floor.
He noticed Barton glowering at him from a short distance away. Percy was sure he wasn’t through making trouble.
The strings of the orchestra strained signalling the beginning of another dance. Kent led Louisa, and Cecil led Emma to the floor. Percy and Stafford stood on the sidelines scanning the room, looking for Barton.
“Over there, northwest of us,” Stafford said.
Percy nodded. “He’s going to go in. Luckily, Kent is twice his size and twice as tough.”
Stafford said, “That may be true, but if he relinquishes her to Barton, I’m charging the dance floor.”
Percy shook his head. “He won’t.”
Both Percy and Stafford were surprised when the dance ended without Barton making a move to cut in. If he intended to get her to talk to him alone, dancing was his only choice.
She came back to her group laughing at something Kent said, cheeks flushed from dancing, looking stunning. Percy once again wondered how Stafford convinced her to go to the ball when he had tried everything but could not. He wondered why it hurt his male pride.
Stafford led Louisa to the dance floor. She tilted her head up to better see his face, her eyes shining. They weren’t into the waltz forty-five seconds before Barton tapped Stafford on the shoulder and asked to cut in.
Louisa began to remove her hands from Stafford in preparation for dancing with Barton, but Stafford held onto her tight.
“No, Your Grace. I will be dancing with Lady Louisa throughout this waltz.”
Barton leaned close to Stafford and clenching his teeth, he said, “Do you mean to tell me you won’t relinquish this dance to me?”
Stafford gave a short laugh and said, “That’s exactly what I mean. He turned to Louisa and began to dance again. She was so shocked; he had to drag her the first few steps until her steps fell in line.
“Excuse me, My Lord. What was that about?” she said.
“I have heard he has great interest in courting you. Well, I have just as much interest in courting you. Why would I hand you over to a rival?”
“It was in bad form, that’s why,” she said.
“I don’t care. Barton St John is a disreputable thief who preys on ladies enjoying their first season. He deserves no consideration for bad form.”
Louisa nodded. “Then I suppose I should thank you. I met him once before. He was visiting our townhouse on some sort of business with Father. We were introduced on his way out. He didn’t leave me with a good opinion although I don’t know why.”
“Your first impression was correct. I don’t trust him with my family dog.”
Louisa laughed. “Your dog would thank you if he could.”
Louisa went through the evening in a blissful fog. She sat between Stafford and Percy during dinner. Although she thought they were being entirely too protective of her, she laughed and gossiped and danced to the point of fatigue.
When Louisa wanted to visit the ladies retiring room, Amelia escorted her. Inside, Amelia stood by the door while Louisa went behind one of the screens to the back of the room.
“I wasn’t sure she would show her face again this season,” a voice came through the screen. Was it Priscilla Thompson? Or maybe Alessandra Elliott?
“She must know we know the truth of why he left her like that. I didn’t take Jack as a liar. Imagine, fires in the village. Do you think she believed that nonsense?”
Louisa’s heart sank. They were talking about her. About her and Jack. Jack lied to her. Why?
Louisa peeked around the screen. Alessandra Elliott and Missy Rawlings.
“Stafford seems nice. He seems very attentive to her. After Jack, maybe she’ll have better luck with him,” Missy said.
“Maybe. I still don’t understand how he could be missing from town for months then come back and go straight to Louisa. Yes, she’s beautiful. But isn’t it odd? I heard he was at her door the day after he returned to London. Does she have a large dowry?” Alessandra asked.
Louisa thought Alessandra a little too caustic for her liking. She wasn’t sure what, if anything, she should believe.
Missy answered, “Yes, but lots of the girls here do. If I were her, my biggest concern wouldn’t be the size of her dowry. It would be that degenerate tryin
g to court her. Barton St John is the most disgusting man in that ballroom. He’s probably drunk by now.”
Tears formed in Louisa’s eyes. How did Missy and Alessandra and probably everyone else in the ballroom know about Barton St John and yet she didn’t? She closed her eyes. She felt like a fool. Jack? Then Barton St John?
Louisa felt betrayed by her family. And she felt betrayed by Percy. She thought she could count on him.
“Missy, you must have seen how they surrounded her to keep her away from that vile man. They wouldn’t even let him cut in,” Alessandra said.
Louisa felt foolish. How could she be the only one in the ballroom who didn’t know her friends and family were trying to protect her? To think she protested when Stafford wouldn’t let Barton cut in.
Missy gasped, “I didn’t see that. They refused to let him cut in. Was it Percy? Everyone says he’s her lapdog, but I think he loves her and keeps her company just to be near her. Isn’t that romantic?”
Alessandra laughed. “You think everything is romantic. Oh, no.”
“What?”
“I see the Duchess of Haddington at the door. Louisa won’t be far behind.”
Louisa stayed behind the screen for several minutes to compose herself then peeked around the corner to make sure Missy and Alessandra were gone. She moved toward the door.
Amelia saw Louisa walking toward her and knew something was wrong.
“Louisa, are you ill?”
“Yes, Mother. I would like to go home at once.”
“Come, I’ll call for the carriage and have Percy find your father.”
Louisa stood next to the butler and closed her eyes. Percy. Mother would find Percy. She shook her head.
Why did Percy lie to her? That hurt the most. She thought she could count on him. Well, she thought a lot of things that weren’t true it seems. How could she be so stupid?
She heard footsteps and opened her eyes.
"Louisa, I've summoned your father. Are you all right? Amelia said you were ill," Percy was frantic.
Louisa looked into his eyes. “Nothing is all right. Nothing will ever be all right again. I counted on you. I believed you. I didn’t ever think there was any reason not to believe you. I am in shock. Of all the people I know, you would be the last one I would guess to let me down. I still can’t believe—”
"Louisa, I’m here. Has the carriage arrived?”
"Not yet,” Percy answered in almost a whisper.
"Percy said you are ill?"
"Yes, my stomach is turning, and there is bile in my throat,” she said, staring at Percy.
"Here you are, Amelia. I see it’s pulling up." He turned, “Percy, are you coming with us?”
"No," Louisa said quickly. "He is certainly not coming with us.”
Amelia looked at Percy. Percy's face showed his feelings. 'She knows, and she’s not going to forgive you for betraying her.'
Chapter 13
It was the sixth day since the ball, and Frederick had had enough.
“Amelia, I want her in my office in one half hour. If she doesn’t come to me, I will discuss this situation with her in her bedchamber.”
Amelia opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. She left, headed for Louisa’s bedchamber.
The townhouse had been in turmoil for six days. When Louisa came home from the ball, she went straight to her bedchamber and never came out.
Each day Percy called. Louisa refused to see him. Stafford would call. She refused him also. Amelia sent for Emma thinking she would jar Louisa from whatever had a grip on her, but Louisa would not see her either.
She ate all her meals in her room. When Amelia visited and tried to talk to her, she got nowhere.
Amelia called for Percy.
He came right away, hoping Louisa would finally see him, but Amelia had called him to talk with her.
Amelia apologized to Percy for getting his hopes up; she hadn’t meant to give him the impression that Louisa would see him.
“I know you don’t want to betray her trust, but we must know. We must know what is wrong. It’s been long enough for her to hold out and for you to hold out. Percy, I need your help.
“You were talking with her while we were waiting for our carriage. What did you talk about?”
“She was devastated that I betrayed her. She said it over and over again. If I could cut off both my ears so I didn’t have to hear her voice in my head, I would.”
Amelia leaned forward, "How did you betray her?”
Percy sat back and gripped the arms of the chair. “The same way you did. The same way Frederick did. The same way any of us who knew the real reason Jack left and knew what Barton was up to did.”
Amelia nodded. “She found out.”
Percy nodded. “She found out. She will never trust me again. It will take her a long time to trust anyone again.”
Amelia said, “You wanted to tell her.”
Percy barked out a laugh, "I did. But someone at the ball got to do it for me.”
*****
“You wanted to see me, Father?”
“I did. Sit down,” Frederick said.
She sat in a chair next to his. Louisa's face was pale; she had bluish half circles under her eyes, her morning gown wrinkled as if she put it on then got back into bed, and her hair needed to be taken down, combed through then put up again.
I have always been as kind and as reasonable a father as I knew how to be because you are my precious girl. I have not demanded much from you. I always wanted you to look back on your childhood fondly.
“But hear me now,” Frederick continued in a soft voice, “you and I are not leaving this room until I fully, totally, and completely understand why my beautiful, vibrant, social daughter has spent six days behind closed doors.”
Louisa burst into tears. Frederick pulled a handkerchief out of his coat pocket and handed it to her.
“Take your time, my dear. We have all day. I’ll ring for tea.”
After a few more crying jags and some tea, Louisa sat up, spine straight. She took a deep breath and began.
Frederick kept his face schooled but inside, his heart was breaking. Percy was right. He should have told her. It hadn’t occurred to him how betrayed she would feel.
When she was done, and all her tears were used up, he asked her if there was anything else she wanted to say about the whole mess.
“Yes, Father. There is. I want to go to Rutland. I don’t want to see Percy in this home or Haddington Hall again. And I want complete control of whom I choose for a husband.”
Frederick nodded and said, “I grant none of those requests and never will.”
Louisa started sobbing, “You don’t care about me and what I want.”
“It is precisely that I care for you why I will not grant your requests. Do you have any idea? No, of course you wouldn’t.
“Your friend Percy,” Frederick put up his hand when he thought Louisa was going to jump in, “your friend Percy approached me, your mother and Hobart asking – no, begging – us to tell you the truth. The truth about everything. We refused, and we forbade him from doing it on his own.
“He didn’t betray you. He tried over and over again to stop us from betraying you. We betrayed you. And I will go to my grave regretting that we did.”
Louisa shook her head. “Percy should have told me anyway. Even if you didn’t want him to.”
“No, Louisa, he shouldn’t have. You aren’t his to protect and take care of. You’re mine. He didn’t let you down. I did.
“Now, you must come out of your bedchamber, and you must act like an adult old enough to marry. You will come to tea, and you will receive Percy. I insist.”
“I will not.”
“You will, and I will be there to make sure you act like the proper young lady I raised.”
*****
Percy greeted Mendon, more nervous than he was when he was fourteen and stole his first kiss.
“Good afternoon, Your
Grace,” Mendon bowed.
Percy walked into the parlour and wanted to laugh. Amelia and Louisa sat, spines straight, hands in laps, heads down. Frederick was leaning back in his chair, head behind his newspaper.
Percy cleared his throat. “Good afternoon, Duke, Duchess, Lady Louisa.” He bowed.
Two curtsies and one bow later, Percy sat and was offered tea. He tried to make small talk about the weather and the air quality, but he was met with silence.
