"Really... free?" How gauche, Mary Letitia thought.
"Yes," Sarah Ashley said, whipping out a pair of black bloomers. "Here you are."
Mary Letitia took the bloomers and held them against herself. "How... comfortable they look," she said, turning briefly to check the others' reactions.
Sarah Ashley grinned in agreement. "Why don't you take that pair home with you and try them out?" she suggested.
Mary Letitia glanced around at the group, who seemed to be waiting for her response. "Well... yes. That's a splendid idea," she said, "and dreadfully nice of you. They do seem most practical." She stepped back, allowing the others access to the table. As she expected, Flora Pickering accepted a pair... then Charlotte Potts... and of course, Elizabeth Thurman...
Noting the women's enthusiasm, Mary Letitia flashed them her brightest smile, and in her most exuberant voice, suggested, "Why don't we wear bloomer costumes to the annual picnic and horse races at Beacon Hill Park next weekend? Absolutely everyone will be there. I daresay, if we all show up wearing bloomer costumes, what can the men say?"
Gasps and giggles rose from the group, and after a few minutes deliberation, along with Sarah Ashley's most accommodating urges, all three women agreed to do as Mary Letitia suggested. Of course, Mary Letitia knew from the start they would. She'd handpicked the group. She, of course, being much too genteel to descend to such crassness, would arrive at the picnic dressed as a proper gentlewoman should dress for such an occasion, wearing an outfit of which Governor Jonathan Cromwell would definitely take note. Nor had she overlooked the fact that Jon's mother, who would undoubtedly be there, would be shocked and appalled by both Sarah Ashley and the whole disgraceful episode. That thought gave Mary Letitia great pleasure. She knew Lady Cromwell favored her as a match for her son.
And afterwards, the unquestionably caustic editorial Mr. De Cosmos would write, and the subsequent problems his words would create for Jon and his cabinet, would displease Jon immensely. But then, she'd be there to offer words of sympathy, whisperings of endearment, and a breast to rest his head on, the things Jon needed to bolster his fragile male ego. Yes, just a little while, and she felt reasonably certain she'd have Jon eating out of the palm of her hand. Again.
***
Sarah raised the window of her bedroom. The air was sweet with fall blossoms and the trees seemed alive with the twittering and warbles of birds. From the road came the clatter of horses' hooves and the creaking of wagons, buggies and carriages, all heading for the horse races and picnic at Beacon Hill Park.
Gazing toward the bay, Sarah wondered if Hollis and Tyler would be there. They'd had ample opportunity to approach her by now, but other than the note under the rock on the porch, the week before, she’d seen neither hide nor hair of them. But she would. Hollis was predictable. For the moment though, she was safe from any gossip he might spread, because if he started a rumor too soon, he’d lose the leverage he needed to extract money from her. She also had not seen Jon. But that was for the best. The indecent thoughts had begun to subside, and she didn't want to be distracted by them again. Besides, she had far too many other things on her mind.
Turning from the window, she hummed as she stepped into a pair of lilac bloomers and donned the matching foulard tunic with its dainty rose embroidery. She could barely believe her good fortune, and she owed it to one attractive, genteel, and affluent lady: Mary Letitia Windemere. Mary Letitia, she'd learned, was the daughter of Lord Charles Alexander Windemere III, an admiral retired from the Royal Navy. Lord Windemere was also one of the colony's largest landholders. Mary Letitia's endorsement of bloomers would carry quite a bit of weight within the community. But Mary Letitia wasn't her only newfound advocate. After their decision to wear bloomer costumes had been made, Flora Pickering proposed that the women ride together to the picnic, and Charlotte Potts quickly asked Sarah to join them. Then Elizabeth Thurman had generously offered to pack extra food. The women were all truly nice people.
But the excitement didn’t end there. Wellington Brown asked Mandi to join him for the day, and since that time Mandi had been drifting about as if on a cloud. Unfortunately, Mandi was so busy primping for the occasion that Sarah had been forced to put herself together unaided.
At her dressing table, Sarah positioned atop her head a Lilac bonnet trimmed with wide satin ribbon and edged with lace. As she peered into the mirror and arranged the bonnet at a slight angle, she pondered the day ahead and wondered what Jon's reaction would be on seeing five women arrive at the picnic wearing bloomer costumes. Initially, she intended to wear conventional clothes, having decided that she'd been premature in her efforts to promote her bloomer costume, but after Mary Letitia's suggestion, it seemed appropriate.
For the occasion she loaned each of the women tunics of fine embroidered India silk, so even though the unfamiliar fashion might cause a stir among the picnickers, no one would be able to deny the beauty and quality of the fabric.
Hearing a vehicle draw to a halt outside the cottage, Sarah parted the lace curtains and saw a canopied spring wagon with Flora Pickering driving and Charlotte Potts and Elizabeth Thurman sitting behind. Sarah tapped on the window and waved, then gathered her matching lilac parasol, along with her reticule, and scurried out the front door. She climbed into the wagon beside Flora, and after a warm greeting from the women, she looked around and asked, "Where is Mary Letitia? I thought she was coming with us."
Flora jiggled the reins and guided the horse into the stream of traffic. "She sent word that there has been a change of plans and that she'll meet us at the park," she said. "Mary Letitia is sometimes not too reliable."
Charlotte leaned forward, and above the creak of the wagon and the clatter of hooves, she said, "I imagine it has something to do with the governor. She must think that by wearing bloomers she'll attract his notice, which she probably will. Mary Letitia doesn't give up too easily when she wants something. And I know for a fact, she's still got her eyes on Jon Cromwell."
Sarah looked at Charlotte with a start, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her. "Jon Cromwell and Mary Letitia?" Just linking Jon's name with that of another woman made her heart lurch. Although she could not, at this point, see herself romantically tied to Jon, the thought of him with another woman troubled her greatly. But then, she could not expect him to remain unattached. He was handsome and eligible, and women would naturally be attracted to him.
Charlotte shrugged. "For a while Mary Letitia fancied them as being affianced, but then something happened between them, a lover's quarrel I suppose, and the governor seemed to lose interest. Mary Letitia was melancholy about it, until she discovered your bloomer costume," she said, giving Sarah a tap on the shoulder. "Since then, she's been optimistic about things. I guess by dressing boldly, she fashions herself as appearing venturesome in the eyes of the governor."
Sarah considered what she'd just learned. Had her arrival in Victoria coincided with Jon's loss of interest in Mary Letitia? From what Charlotte said, it seemed that way. "How long ago?"
"How long ago what?" Charlotte asked, frowning.
"How long has it been since the governor withdrew his affections for Mary Letitia?"
Charlotte shrugged. "Two, maybe three weeks. Mary Letitia doesn't always present us with the unvarnished truth, especially if it doesn't make her look good. And she certainly wouldn't want it to appear that the governor was the one to withdraw affections."
Sarah stared ahead. If Mary Letitia was after Jon, perhaps even in love with him, and she'd heard about the occurrence at the cottage when Jon's mother and Harriet Galbraith showed up, or about the incident with Jon on the beach, her outward friendliness could be just a facade. She glanced back at Charlotte, and forcing a smile, asked, "Is the governor seeing any other ladies now? I mean, do you think Mary Letitia will win back his affections?"
Charlotte looked directly at Sarah. "Perhaps you'd be better qualified to answer than I am."
Sarah's face felt as if it were
on fire. "I don't know what you mean," she said, wondering exactly how much Charlotte, Flora, and Elizabeth knew about her relationship with Jon. They obviously knew something, perhaps even what happened on the beach. Had these women set up this little gathering to question her? Or perhaps to embarrass and humiliate her?
Charlotte shrugged. "You were a guest in his home, weren't you?"
"Well, yes," Sarah said, "but he certainly didn't talk about his romantic liaisons."
Elizabeth nudged Charlotte. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Char. You can't really believe the governor would discuss his liaisons with his sister's houseguest. After all, he is a gentleman."
Charlotte gave Elizabeth a wry smile. "He may be a gentleman, but he did, in fact, mention something about one of his liaisons to my brother."
"He did?" Elizabeth moved closer. "What did he say, and about whom?"
Sarah's stomach churned. Would Jon possibly have said something to Charlotte's brother about what happened on the beach?
Charlotte raised her hand to hold her bonnet in place. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say. I gave Henry my word."
"Char, you know you're going to tell us. You're dying to," Elizabeth said. "So why not just go ahead and say it."
Charlotte hesitated for a moment, her eyes glowing with suppressed excitement. "It was about Mary Letitia... that she suggested to Jon that they marry."
When Charlotte offered nothing more, Elizabeth said, "That's all?"
Charlotte blinked several times. "Well… yes. But don't you know what that means?"
Elizabeth pursed her lips. "Well, I imagine it means that Mary Letitia wants to marry Jon and she had to ask him since he didn't ask her."
Charlotte sighed. "Sometimes you can be thickheaded, Elizabeth. What it means is that Mary Letitia has most probably compromised herself. Perhaps she's even... with child."
Flora glanced at Sarah, a contrite smile on her lips. "Please don't think Elizabeth and Charlotte are busybodies," she said, "but sometimes Mary Letitia really gets our dander up. And I agree with Char. It wouldn't surprise me if Mary Letitia compromised herself to get Jon to wed her, if she truly believed there was no other way."
Sarah gave Flora a weak smile and said nothing. She tried to dismiss the disturbing thought of Jon wed to Mary Letitia... of Jon kissing her in the way she knew he could kiss... whispering endearments to her, holding her in his arms while making wild, passionate love to her... "No!" she burst out suddenly. All three women turned and looked at her with a start.
Sarah blushed. "I mean... no, I can't imagine she'd do that." She swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump of melancholy in her throat.
"Oh, she would all right," Elizabeth assured her. She leaned forward, resting her hand on the back of Sarah's seat. "When Mary Letitia goes after something she wants, she doesn't stop until she gets it. You just watch her today. I'll venture to say she'll lure Jon onto her blanket, which will be spread some distance from the activities and, of course, out of sight. Then Jon will find himself eating from her picnic basket, which will undoubtedly contain an array of delicacies that no man could resist. And who knows what will happen behind the cover of the bushes, or in Jon's coach, especially if Mary Letitia has already compromised herself with him." She smiled brightly. "I do believe it will be an interesting day."
Sarah fixed her eyes on the road ahead, trying to maintain an indifferent facade, when in fact her stomach was tied in knots. But she refused to allow speculation about whether Jon was again involved romantically with Mary Letitia Windemere to dampen her spirits.
They turned into Beacon Hill Park and Flora pulled the wagon to a halt. Immediately, Sarah spotted Jon's midnight-blue coach. Parked behind the coach was a black-and-green phaeton that Sarah recognized as Jon's personal vehicle. Apparently, the entire family had come to the picnic, including, she suspected with some apprehension, Lady Cromwell. For the moment, no one made a move to climb down.
Scanning the crowd for Jon, Sarah noted the ladies in their ginghams and calicoes, and she contemplated the wisdom of joining the picnickers dressed as she was. But perhaps Mary Letitia had already arrived and paved the way for what was to come—four more women in bloomer costumes—and the crowd's shock at such a display would have passed.
A short distance from the wagon, Sarah noticed several young men nudging one another, whispering and pointing in their direction, though they actually seemed to be amused by something just behind them.
"Psst! Miss Ashley?" Josephine's voice came from out of nowhere. Josephine stepped from behind a tree, and to Sarah's mortification, she was wearing the pair of black bloomers she’d given her. "May I join you?" she asked.
Sarah bristled. "No, you may not!" she said in a sharp voice, knowing what the ramification would be when Jon and his mother discovered that Josephine had defied them in such a brazen way. "Go home and change into a dress at once."
Josephine scurried up to the wagon and peered over the sideboards. "But you're wearing a bloomer costume," she protested. "Please, may I join you?"
"Absolutely not! Your father and grandmother would be shocked with you and furious with me for having allowed you to join us. Now, have Peterson take you home at once and be quick about it before anyone sees you.”
Josephine's mouth drooped in a frown. She slumped her shoulders and started across the road where Peterson stood waiting by the coach. Satisfied that Josephine would do as she'd been told, Sarah turned to find Flora staring in the distance, eyes narrowed, lips pressed in an angry slash. "Well, ladies," she said, disgusted, "it appears that we've been duped mightily by one Mary Letitia Windemere. And guess who she's with?"
Sarah glanced in the direction of Flora's gaze and froze. Leaning with one hand propped against a tree, the other holding a cigarette, was Jon. Beside him stood Mary Letitia. She reached up and brushed something from Jon's lips and laughed, and Jon didn't appear to mind the flirtation. It was obvious where he'd been for the past week.
It was some moments before Sarah's attention was drawn to what Mary Letitia was wearing. Not the silk tunic and bloomers as planned, but instead, a stylish promenade dress trimmed with ruches, rosettes, and tassels. Twirling her lace parasol against her shoulder, she smiled and chatted with Jon while making little feminine gestures with her hand. Whatever she was saying seemed to interest him. His eyes appeared fixed on the woman.
Lady Cromwell, who stood opposite Jon and Mary Letitia, also seemed charmed by Mary Letitia. Sarah had never seen the older woman wearing such a gracious smile.
"I don't understand," Flora said. "Why would Mary Letitia talk us into wearing bloomers, and seem so anxious to wear them herself, then not do so?"
"It's fairly obvious," Charlotte replied. "She intended for us to look like fools so she would stand out as the perfect lady. That's typical of Mary Letitia."
Elizabeth pursed her lips. "I told you she'd do anything to turn Jon's head."
Sarah felt anger coiling inside as she considered how eagerly Jon had bestowed kisses on her when he obviously had another woman waiting in the wings, one whom he'd thought enough of to escort to the picnic. "Well, Mary Letitia Windemere might take us all for fools," Sarah said, her eyes narrowing when she saw Mary Letitia reach down and take a small tidbit from her picnic basket and stuff it into Jon's mouth, "but I refuse to let her put a damper on my day. And I hope the rest of you feel the same as I."
"I certainly do," Elizabeth said. "I came here to enjoy myself and that's exactly what I intend to do." She glanced around at the others. "Shall we go have the time of our lives, ladies, and show that peagoose, Mary Letitia Windemere, that her little ploy didn't work, that we will partake in the croquet tournament and the sack race, while she can do nothing more but stand around in her fancy dress and ogle the governor."
Sarah forced her lips into a smile and nodded in agreement, but inside she felt as if all the luster had gone out of her life. If Jon had withdrawn his affections from Mary Letitia, why had he suddenly changed his mind and asked h
er to accompany him to the picnic? Was it because of what happened on the beach? Or rather, what had not happened, that he’d rushed back into Mary Letitia's obviously welcoming arms? Jon had been clearly frustrated when he stormed off.
Deciding she would ignore Jon for the duration of the picnic, Sarah turned to help the women gather the parasols, blankets, and picnic baskets from the wagon. Walking in a tight group, they headed toward the concessions, and before long, a gathering of mocking male followers accompanied them. "Hey, ladies," one bellowed, "how about joining me in a smoke... maybe share a nice fat see-gar?"
"They'd probably rather share a chaw," another shouted.
Husky laughs erupted, followed by heckles and wolf calls. Another man yelled, "Looks like Jeremy's no longer wearin' the pants in the family, eh, Flora?"
When it became evident that the men, with their snide remarks, were intent on making them as uncomfortable as possible, Sarah said to the women, "Hold your heads high, ladies, keep your eyes focused straight ahead and just ignore them. They'll soon get bored and leave us alone."
Flora nervously scanned the faces of the men parading along with them, and said in an anxious voice, "I surely hope Jeremy doesn't change his mind and decide to come. I left him home working in the garden."
Charlotte looked at her in surprise. "I thought you told him about the bloomers. You always boast that he's such a reasonable man. Or do you just say that to impress us?"
"He is reasonable," Flora said. "I just didn't get the chance to tell him. Did you tell Ned?"
Charlotte shrugged. "I started to. But you know Ned, always worrying about his patients and their ailments and all. I didn't want to cause him any more worry than he already had."
Elizabeth pursed her lips. "Ned would absolutely die if he knew you were here in bloomers, and you know it."
Charlotte's eyes darkened. "I suppose you told Charles."
"Of course I didn't tell Charles," Elizabeth said. "I'm not a fool. Charles would skin me alive. But he's in Esquimalt so he'll never know."
Come Be My Love Page 15
