“But Mother, it is as important to me as Thomas is important to you. Certainly, you can see the advantage to the family of an alliance with the fair Lady Monmouth.”
She bristled but said. “I might find time after supper to speak to a few of my friends. But do not expect too much. I cannot promise any of them will act on my suggestion.”
“I quite understand, but please do your best,” he said, placing a comforting hand on his mother’s arm.
Chapter 23
Jenny had just completed her first dance with one of her partners. He was polite but seemed to be distracted by a group of his friends sitting at the far end of the room. Jenny had learned during the dance that he was trying to make a woman he was courting jealous by dancing with her. Not the best start to the evening.
She now had the next two dances free and returned to the table just as Helena was being escorted back by another of her dance partners.
“Are you having a good time?” Helena asked.
“I am. Although I know none of these fine people besides yourself, George…and his Grace, of course.”
George stood up from the table and offered his hand to Jenny. “I see from your card that you have this next dance free. Will you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
Jenny turned to Helena. “If it is alright with you?”
“Of course, I shall sit for a spell and enjoy my champagne.”
George escorted Jenny to the dance floor and they entered into the next dance—a Phoenix Park.
“I have not had the opportunity to tell you how beautiful you look this evening, Miss Jenny,” George said.
“Thank you, but it was all Alicia’s doing—and Helena too, of course.”
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” she asked. “And has Helena been able to tell her father about the engagement yet?”
“Not yet,” he answered before they broke apart and made separate turns on the floor. “But he must be told soon,” he said, as they joined together again. “And it is I who must tell him. It is only right.”
“I am very happy to hear that you and his Grace are going into business together. Helena has told me about it, and it sounds like a very happy partnership.”
“I trust it will be, but we still have a long way to go.”
They concluded the rest of the dance in a comfortable silence, and George escorted Jenny back to the table.
A glass of champagne had been placed where Jenny was sitting.
“I hope you do not mind. I noticed you had nothing to drink,” Helena said.
“Oh, my. I have never had champagne before,” Jenny said taking her first sip and lighting up with delight.
“Miss Jenny, are you free for this next dance?”
Jenny looked up to see his Grace standing next to her. She quickly consulted her dance card and said, “Oh, I am so sorry, but I am booked for this one.”
Thomas bowed. “Then later, perhaps.”
“Most certainly,” she answered.
Her partner for this dance came up and bowed and offered his hand. “I have this waltz, Miss, I believe.”
“You do, Mr. McDonough,” she said rising and taking his arm.
They headed to the dance floor, and Jenny caught sight of Thomas following her with his eyes. He smiled when he saw her looking at him, and she felt a shiver down her spine and goosebumps on her arms. Just his smile was all that triggered this reaction and she found herself blushing.
“Miss Barnett, it is a pleasure to meet you,” the young man said. He was very thin, blond and had a pleasant smile. He towered over her, and she felt a little awkward dancing with him at first but eased into the dance after a few moments.
By this time, Jenny could see that Thomas was dancing with another young lady. She was fair, much shorter than him, and it looked like he was dancing with a child. But she also noticed that he kept looking over at her from across the dance floor. This unnerved her, and she was losing her concentration in the dance and made several wrong turns and stumbled lightly, but not enough for her partner to notice.
After the dance was over, she returned to her table, but both Helena and George were off to dance with their next partners.
“I believe this is one of my dances, Miss Jenny,” Thomas said as he came over.
She checked her card. “It is, Your Grace, and I would be honored to dance with you.”
He led her to the floor, and they stood looking at each other before the next dance began.
“How is your sister, Claudia doing with her injury? Healing well, I hope?” Thomas asked, taking Jenny’s hand in preparation for the dance.
Jenny felt the strength of his hand—warm and firm. She expected a thrill to run through her, but instead, she felt comforted—as though wrapped in a blanket on a cold night. But his smile, and his penetrating eyes did send a charge through her body. And she needed to look away, as she was beginning to feel faint.
“Are you alright, Miss Jenny?” he asked as she had not answered his question to her.
“I think I am a little affected by the heat of the room and the exertion of the dancing. But I am fine.”
“Excellent.”
The music began, and they started to dance.
“And to answer your question, Claudia is mending nicely. She is hobbling around on her crutches as though she was born with them.”
Thomas laughed and squeezed her hand. “I am indeed happy to hear that.”
“She is doing so well we expect her back in the bakery ahead of schedule.” Jenny found she was babbling in order to cover her nervousness over dancing with his Grace. It was as when she dreamed she was flying. It was effortless, exhilarating, and such a delight. She could hardly take her eyes away from his handsome face. But his eyes seemed to bore into her, and she had to look away from the deeply intimate stare.
“Miss Jenny,” he said softly, “it was such a lovely moment meeting you that day in the rain. And you have often been on my mind ever since.”
Jenny did not know how to respond to that. She thought it would be presumptive to tell him how she felt about him, even though she longed to.
“And I was so grateful for your help and kindness to me.” She shyly added, “And you can see I am wearing the dress you gave me. I never thought I would be able to wear it for such a fine occasion.”
The movement of the dance separated them for a moment but, when they reunited, Thomas said, “And I can assure you, you look absolutely lovely in it. I remember the lady to whom the dress belonged and—believe me—you endow it with far greater grace than she.”
The dance seemed to end far too quickly and, as Thomas escorted her back to the table, Willoughby announced. “My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen dinner will be served shortly. If you would please make your way to the dining room and find your places, we shall start serving shortly.”
Thomas looked as though he wanted to say something more to Jenny, but duty called, and he was needed as host, and he went over to join his Grandmamma.
George and Helena stood, preparing to leave the ballroom. Helena said to Jenny, “Come with us. I have no idea if Thomas remembered to make a place for you at the table, but we will make certain you find one. There are always a few folks who do not show up, and we can seat you at one of their places if need be. No one will mind.”
Jenny picked up her reticule and the three of them headed for the grand dining room. A set of double doors at the other end of the ballroom was opened to allow the guests to file in to find their places at the long table set with hundreds of candles, exuberant arrangements of flowers, and beautifully set place settings.
George found his and Helena’s places right away, but there was no place setting for Jenny near them. Helena went with Jenny around the table looking for her place—or a free space. There was no place card with her name, so Helena said, “Just wait until everyone is seated and then find an empty place.” She gave Jenny a sympathetic look. “Will you be alright?”
Jenny said shyly, �
�I believe so.”
Helena left her and went to join George at their places.
It took a few moments for everyone to be seated and there ended up being three or four empty places. Jenny went to the closest. The place card read The Countess of Davenport. Jenny considered that to be far too grand a place for her to take, so she went to the next empty space.
Miss Caroline Winston. Now that seemed like a much more suitable place, and she sat.
She was seated between two gentlemen. On her left was an older man with a large walrus mustache, yellowed by smoking, she imagined. He had a rheumy eye which he kept dabbing at. He was already engaged in conversation with the lady on his left. On Jenny’s right was one of the young men who had placed his name on her dance card, but they had not danced yet.
The young man immediately introduced himself. “Gerald Brinkley, I believe we are to dance later.”
“Yes, I believe so, Mr. Brinkley,” Jenny said with a warm smile, happy that there was not another walrus sitting next to her.
The staff began serving dinner, and Jenny was amazed at how quickly the first course was brought out and served to such a large group of people. Everyone was eating within five minutes of the start of service.
Jenny was a little nervous about showing she did not know the order of service and which piece of silverware to use or which glass to drink out of. However, the footman poured the wine in the proper glass and Jenny watched to see which piece of silverware Mr. Brinkley used, and she followed his lead.
“Are you from London?” Mr. Brinkley asked a few moments after the soup was served.
Jenny answered, “No, I am a local. But it seems one of the few invited to the ball. It appears a great many Londoners are attending.”
“But I am not one of them,” he said. “I am from York.”
“My, that is a long way away.”
“My family is related to the Haddington’s—through my mother. So… here we are. And you? Are you from one of the local aristocratic families?”
Jenny hesitated to say. She did not want to lie and feel ashamed of her lovely family, but she also thought she might put the young man off if she told the truth. But she decided to tell the truth.
“No, my family are the bakers in the local village of Chatsworth. I do the pies, cakes, and pastries.”
Mr. Brinkley froze with his soupspoon in mid-air. “Bakers? And you are attending the Duke’s ball?” He did not seem to want to be rude, but he could not help himself.
“I am a personal friend of his Grace.”
“Is that so?” the young man said with a slight sneer.
Jenny decided she might as well go all the way. “Yes, I was to make all the pastries for this dinner, but my sister had an accident, and I was unable to leave the bakery to work here at Pemberton.” She found she was enjoying herself. “Yes, I think you would have been very pleased with my pear tarts.”
Mr. Brinkley choked on his soup, wiped his mouth with his napkin and turned to the lady on his right and started up a conversation with her.
Now, Jenny was left to converse with the walrus, but he paid her no attention, so she continued to eat in silence as the couple across the table from her were deep in their own conversation.
Chapter 24
After the dinner was over and the guests were streaming back to the ballroom, Grandmamma took Thomas aside and said, “I think the dinner went well.”
“Yes, I believe so. I will make certain to congratulate cook. It was a major endeavor and it was pulled off very effectively.”
But Grandmamma pursed her lips, hesitating only briefly before adding, “But Thomas you have not been adhering to your dance schedule. You have only danced with a few of the young ladies we agreed upon.”
Thomas took his grandmother by the arm and said, “But… I have been meeting a few young ladies who do interest me. And that is something I know you want.”
“But do they have money? Thomas, you know we discussed this. The whole point of this ball is to meet someone who can bring a sizable fortune to Pemberton.”
“I do not disagree. But I am working in reverse of your plan. First, I find someone I like, and then I see if they have money. That works better for me.”
Augusta sighed. “Why do I have such a stubborn grandson?”
“Because I have such a stubborn Grandmamma,” he said with a laugh, and leaned over and kissed her cheek.
They followed the last of the guests back to the ballroom and, after a few moments, the orchestra started playing again, and the refreshed guests began to dance.
Thomas had kept his eye on Jenny during the dinner, but she had been unaware of his attention. He was sorry to see that none of her table mates had spoken to her. But that was his fault for having forgotten to have her placed with a compatible group of guests. But he saw a young man go over to her and take her hand and lead her to the dance floor.
Thomas, remembering his promise to his Grandmamma, scanned the room to find one of the young ladies he had spied earlier, who he thought was attractive, and went over to her.
“Thomas Haddington, the Duke of Pemberton,” he said, introducing himself to the young lady. “Are you free for this dance?”
“I am, Your Grace. And I am Lady Prunella Alderman.”
“Then shall we?” he asked, offering his hand and leading her to the dance floor.
This dance was somewhat lively, so they did not have much of an opportunity to converse. But when it finished, Thomas decided he did find this young lady quite attractive, and now it was time to find out the young lady’s financial situation. After all, he had promised his Grandmamma.
“Lady Prunella would you care to take a breather out on the terrace?” he asked.
“That would be delightful.”
“Would you like me to fetch your wrap? It is most likely cool outside this time of year.”
She nodded, and they went to her table, fetched her shawl, and headed to the terrace through a set of the French doors.
The moon was just half full and hung on the horizon, casting a pale light over the young lady. Lady Prunella was tall, slender and carried her head regally. She had fine, delicate features and dressed very well, but not ostentatiously. But perhaps her finest feature was her auburn hair which she wore piled atop her head, which was the fashion, but the ringlets fell aside her head in a most becoming manner.
There was nothing pushy about this young lady. Thomas could tell she was well-bred, educated and unassuming.
“I do not believe I have met your family,” Thomas said. “In what part of London do you reside?”
“Mayfair—Berkeley Square. Northside so we get the winter sun in the front sitting room. It is a very comfortable house. You must visit us when you are next in London. If you let me know ahead, I shall arrange an intimate supper party with some of my most cherished friends.”
Thomas liked this lady more every moment. “That sounds charming. And your father? Might I have met him in my travels?”
“Dear Papa is deceased. But he was with the Foreign Office under Pitt, the younger.”
“It is unfortunate to lose a parent, especially when one is still young.”
“But you might have run across my dear Mama—Lady Beverly Alderman. She is an avid follower of the opera and the musical world. Do you often attend musical events?”
“Not often, I am afraid, basically residing in Gloucestershire as I do.”
Thomas was not getting to the answer he needed, so he tried another tack. “And do you have siblings?”
“I have a younger sister.”
Excellent he thought. No older brothers to inherit the family fortune.
“And your interests, Lady Alderman? Are you musically inclined like your mother?”
“I follow the art world. I have a great fondness for the graphic arts, although I also enjoy sculpture. But collecting art can be an expensive proposition.”
She had just expressed the possibility of a financial restriction. Perhaps
her family was not wealthy—especially now that her father had passed.
“However, my dear Aunt Gertrude has left me a considerable sum that I am to inherit when I marry or turn twenty-five—whichever comes first.”
Ah… Thomas had his answer. Except one woman’s considerable sum could be another man’s trifle. But he did not want to push the issue any further, just now. There would be plenty of time to find the answer later. Perhaps his Grandmamma knew. She had hand-picked the guests, so she must be aware of the young lady’s worth.
A Pure Lady for the Broken Duke_A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 18
