by Abby Ayles
* * *
Lady Sophia seemed keen on bringing up the subject of the ball again when a moment presented itself. Raven was a little surprised that Lady Alexandra hadn’t mentioned the situation surrounding their first meeting. If anything, it made him see the problem. He had been far too tired that night to wait for a proper introduction to Lady Charlotte, and instead brazenly went to introduce himself. The results had been an introduction and dance with the wrong lady. Lady Alexandra had significantly been offended when the realization of the mistake came up mid-dance, and rightly so he thought.
* * *
From that moment on he had been entrenched and desperate to know more of this lady while she seemed to find him most uncouth. It was technically an accurate assumption of the duke, if he was honest with himself. He cared little for the requirements of society and often got away with less than perfect adherence to the rules solely based on his title alone.
* * *
It was surprising to Raven that Lady Alexandra didn’t share her opinions of him with the rest of her sisters. Surely, in a family of four young ladies, they would be a constant pool of gossip and shared information. It made him wonder again why Lady Alexandra seemed so apart from the rest of her sisters. Even that night at the ball while the other two were no doubt spending the time with friends and other single gents, being one of the few opportunities that singles could mingle, Lady Alexandra had stayed to the side with the matrons and already married women. She had seemed to take on the role of mother to her younger siblings though she couldn’t have been much older than them herself.
* * *
“You know I often frequented your father’s museum as a child,” Raven said after tea was served hoping to turn the conversation to other matters.
* * *
If Lady Alexandra didn’t want to tell her sisters what happened at Sir Hamilton’s ball, he certainly wasn’t going to.
* * *
“In fact, I could say that my passion for travel started when roaming the various exhibits.”
* * *
“And have you been there since returning to London, Your Grace,” Lady Josephine asked. She seemed just as happy for the change in subject.
* * *
“Yes, I attended this morning for the lecture. It was there that I met with your sister again.”
* * *
“And was it how you remembered?” Lady Josephine continued.
* * *
“In many ways it was, I suppose,” Raven said. “Though I can’t say how recently the change was, it’s been many years. I suppose you ladies would know better about rotation in exhibits than myself.”
* * *
“I haven’t been to the museum since childhood,” Lady Sophia said with a scoff.
* * *
Raven looked around the room realizing that none of the ladies have been there in some time. It seemed curious to him since he had seen Lady Alexandra twice at its steps in two days. More than that, she seemed a constant figure and very involved in its daily running, where these three had little idea about any of that.
* * *
He came to the realization that Lady Alexandra must also carry the burden of that place on her shoulders alone as well. It was no surprise she seemed so overtaxed. This house had little help for in its running by his summations already. She appeared not only the head of the house, responsible for her sisters in a motherly fashion, but also taking on the roles of her father alone outside these walls. He couldn’t believe that she had all this all on her own to see to.
* * *
“Perhaps you are aware that your sister has made many changes to the greenhouse?” Raven asked with earnest, expecting them to have no idea.
* * *
“She has told me all about it. I do wish to go and see it myself sometime,” Lady Josephine said. “Though Alexandra kept telling me to wait till the flowers bloomed this spring. She has been working so hard on it the last few years.”
* * *
“But you don’t share in seeing to the museum's needs?”
* * *
“Even if we wanted to,” Sophia said with a hint of irritation. “Alexandra is always putting us to tasks with books and such,” she added, putting her own book on a side table.
* * *
Raven read the spine to see that it was a compilation of Socrates.
* * *
“Alexandra is very insistent that we see to our education. She is always finding new material for us to read, or various talents to perfect,” Lady Josephine said attempting to smooth her youngest sister’s harshness. “You see, our mother died when we were very young, and Alexandra has taken on much of her responsibility. I look up to her very much for her willingness to take on the house and doing it in such a magnificent way.”
* * *
Raven thought it a bit unfair that Lady Alexandra did so much, but at the same time saw the true admiration Lady Josephine had for her. He had some relief in knowing that at least her sisters were grateful for all of her hard work.
* * *
He opened his mouth to speak more, but just then the doors opened again.
* * *
“Lord Grebs will be happy to receive you in the library, Your Grace,” the butler said with a bow.
* * *
Raven stood, thanking his hostess before exiting the room to discuss matters with the earl, more determined than ever to see that he find a way to bring some relief to this family.
Chapter Eighteen
Lady Alexandra waited several moments after she heard the sound of the butler taking the duke to her father’s study before leaving the kitchen. She spent the time busying herself over the week’s menu, any shopping still needing to be done, and a pile of letters received that morning.
* * *
She always sorted the mail before giving them to her father. A few sour letters reminding him of debts, bills to be paid, or even social events that would remind him of his late wife, and often send him off in fits.
* * *
All of this was done not necessarily out of need at that very moment, but only because she instead wanted to wait in the safety of the kitchen until she was sure she wouldn’t see the duke again. She was entirely sure that Sophia must have pestered him about the night at Sir Hamilton’s ball. Raven would have no reason not to tell the tale, and she preferred not to meet Raven’s eyes with the encounter fresh in both their minds.
* * *
She still had no idea what he was doing in her house, making acquaintance with her father. This whole situation that had started with a mistaken identity was rapidly spiraling out of control. Losing control was not something Lady Alexandra experienced often, and she was sure she didn’t like the feeling of it. After all, her whole life, and the livelihood of her family, relied entirely on the tight leash that she had kept all these years since her mother’s passing and her father’s resulting poor health.
* * *
After sifting the mail, and reading the menu twice, she had no more use to stand in the kitchen. Also, she could feel the staff, Polly and the driver at the table and the cook tending to some vegetables on a cutting board, were not as comfortable with her presence in their part of the house. So, with a heavy sigh, and the courage that the door to the library was tightly shut, she left the kitchen to make her way to the drawing room.
* * *
In her hand, she carried several letters that she would have to respond to which would no doubt keep her busy for the rest of the afternoon. She could hear the muffled sound of male voices behind the library door, and even what seemed to be laughter, something she hadn’t heard within those doors for some time. She hurried her steps past the doors and straight into the drawing room with her three sisters.
* * *
Of course, the moment she entered they all looked up expectantly. She didn’t say a word, however. Instead, she walked over to the small cupboard and removed her writing desk and seated herself in the high back chair. She c
ould feel her sisters waiting expectantly for her to say something but instead she did her best to act as if all was normal.
* * *
“Sophia did you finish your reading for today,” Lady Alexandra asked, not looking up from the parchment and ink she had placed before her.
* * *
“Really Alexandra, you're not even going to say anything?” Sophia shot back aghast.
* * *
“Say anything about what?” Alexandra countered with a surprised look at her younger sister.
* * *
“Perhaps something about the dashingly handsome duke that followed you home,” Sophia said in her heavy-handed way. “Why is he here? What does he want with Father? Did he go to the museum to see you?” Sophia continued to rattle off question after question with no pause for an answer.
* * *
“Sophia, it might do well to take breaths between sentences, your face is turning blue,” Josephine teased, pulling another stocking from the basket of mending.
* * *
“He is speaking with Father about the Zoological Society Banquet that he would like hosted in the museum,” Alexandra said, giving a little information.
* * *
“Oh how wonderful,” Josephine said putting her darning down for just a second. “Will he be utilizing your new greenhouse? I knew your idea was going to be a wonderful success,” Josephine continued with excitement.
* * *
“He is considering it, yes, but I don’t believe anything is final,” Lady Alexandra said. “He said himself that though he is a member of the society he hasn’t attended for some time. I am not sure that he will have much say in the matter,” Alexandra played down, though the duke had been quite clear in the fact that he would have the final decision.
* * *
“Who cares about the stupid museum,” Sophia said with a roll of her eyes. “Tell us, did he plan to meet you this morning? Does he have an interest in you? He must. I mean, dancing at the ball and now this,” she said with an obvious tone of jealousy.
* * *
“He went for Mr. Lucas’ lecture. I am sure he didn’t expect me there at all,” Alexandra retorted.
* * *
“You’re a terrible liar,” Sophia shot back.
* * *
“And you are terrible at minding your manners,” Josephine added, becoming quite tired with her younger sister’s behavior.
* * *
Josephine and Sophia always seemed to be at odds, so this was nothing new between them. Still, Alexandra wanted to calm the situation quickly before voices rose and carried through the house.
* * *
“I can assure you the Duke of Raven has no interest in me,” Alexandra said softly, as if her soft-spoken words might encourage the others to do the same.
* * *
“Then why did he dance with you?”
* * *
“For goodness sake, Sophia,” Alexandra said, now losing her own nerve. “It was a mistake. He thought I was Lady Charlotte Wiederhold. And I can assure you that his interest is in her and not me as I saw them in Kensington Gardens yesterday.”
* * *
“Lady Charlotte is charming to look at,” Willamina chimed in for the first time that afternoon. “It would make sense that he would take a liking to her from the start.”
* * *
The room took a very sullen tone with the declaration.
* * *
“But he is here now, that must say something?” Sophia asked hopefully.
* * *
“It says that he and father have similar interests and nothing more. I don’t want you making more out of this than there is,” Alexandra scolded. “In fact, I think we should be very cautious in his presence.
* * *
“Whatever for,” Sophia asked with a wrinkle to her nose, not liking the thought that a duke in her home could ever be bad. “Perhaps he has no interest in you but…”
* * *
“Oh for goodness sake, Sophia,” Josephine echoed her older sister’s earlier words.
* * *
“His person in our company might stir up some very questionable gossip,” Alexandra tried to explain. “It will matter little that he has no interest in our family outside of Father, and that none of us are attempting to pursue him. You know people will talk. It won't look well that a family with three single ladies with questionable funds are putting themselves in the company of a single duke. It will not sit well for any of your chances. I’ve told you time and time again,” Alexandra continued in a lecturing mother’s tone.
* * *
“Yes, we know,” Sophia interrupted, slouching slightly in her seat, “Our only hope is marriage. If we spoil our chances, we will all end up living under a bridge or something,” she mumbled.
* * *
“I am very serious about this, Sophia,” Alexandra said narrowing her eyes and setting down the quill held in her hand.
* * *
“You forget, though,” Josephine added. “We have four eligible ladies, not three. Perhaps the duke has found an interest in you. He may not have meant to dance with you at the ball, as you say, but he has clearly found some enjoyment in your company. I can see no other reason why he would be here, why he would use your facilities for a society you, yourself, said he hasn’t attended in years.”
* * *
“I don’t count myself because I have the three of you to see to first. And I can assure you that I am no temptation to the duke, even if I wanted to be, which I don’t. No doubt he is just finding entertainment in tormenting me, or some sort of twisted charity project,” Alexandra said resolutely.
* * *
“There was no cause for his actions outside of a friendly gesture. I saw no malice in his countenance when he sat with us today either. I can see no other reasoning beyond pure intent. Can you not at least agree to that fact,” Josephine continued.
* * *
“You only see the good in people,” Alexandra said with admiration of her dear sister. “I, however, see the dire consequences his actions may cause. Good intentions or no, we still need to keep as much distance from the Duke of Raven as we can.”
* * *
“I only focus on the good because you ever fear the worst possible outcomes. It would do you some good to see the goodness in a situation for once,” Josephine said softly.
* * *
It wasn’t the first time that her sister encouraged Alexandra to release some of the tension, stress, and maternal guilt that she seemed to carry always with her. In some ways, she knew that Josephine was right. She did carry far too much on herself. After all, Joesphina and Willimana were both older now and quite capable of taking on some of the tasks that she had shouldered and kept from them since their childhood.
* * *
Perhaps it was just out of habit that she continued to do everything and anything so that her sisters could lead the normal life of a lady. She knew any thought of giving up even the slightest control she had on things gave her great anxiety that the delicate balance she had created would all come toppling down.
* * *
It was not something she was willing to reconfigure today, however. Instead, the room fell in content silence as Alexandra went through her letters and made responses, having no more to say on the subject.
* * *
Josephine finished her mending, Sophia turned to a portrait of herself she was working on, and Williamina returned to her piano practice. With the tinkering of the keys, none of them heard when the duke exited the home and Alexandra was glad of it. They spent the remainder of the afternoon as they so often did and with a sigh of relief Alexandra hoped that she could now finally put the whole upheaval of their predictable life behind her.
* * *
That, however, was not the case she found as the family sat to dinner that night. For the first time since Lady Alexandra could remember, her father joined them in the dining room. Though the sudden appearance
left all four girls speechless, it didn’t inhibit their father’s tongue in the least.
* * *
He spent the whole of the meal speaking incessantly about his visitor. It was more words than Lady Alexandra had ever heard come out of their father's mouth at one time.
* * *
