Love for Lucinda

by Gayle Buck

  “I suggested that she might lie down before dinner. It has been a very exciting and fatiguing day for her,” said Miss Blythe.

  “Yes, indeed. I don’t know that I could survive too many of like nature. We argued and pleaded and bullied over nearly every scrap of ribbon and glove and gown. But I knew it would be just like that, and so I had warned Lady Thorpe. Lady Thorpe has taken a liking to Agnes, by the way. She intends to help us to find her a suitable and kind husband,” said Lucinda.

  “That is something indeed,” said Miss Blythe. She glanced over at Lucinda, her eyes keen. “What has you in such a fret, Lucinda?”

  Lucinda looked at her, smiling suddenly. “Am I so obvious, then?”

  “Only to me, I think. But then, I know you fairly well,” said Miss Blythe, pulling up her thread. “Is it Mr. Stassart?”

  “Yes. At least, not Ferdie himself. I have not seen him today, but Church tells me that the physician was in and pronounced himself satisfied with Ferdie’s progress,” said Lucinda. She rose from the chair and went to the mantel to fiddle with a small vase. “Lord Mays left a note for me while I was out. He says that he hasn’t been able to speak to Ferdie’s particular friends, having learned that Lord Levine and Mr. Pepperidge have both gone out of London to attend a cockfight. They are not expected to return for a few days.”

  “That is disappointing, of course. However, I think that you can trust Lord Mays to persist in his quest. He will eventually run these gentlemen to ground,” said Miss Blythe.

  “Yes, I know that I may depend upon Wilfred to do just as he says that he will.” Lucinda turned to her companion and said idly, “Lord Mays is one of the few people that I do trust, Tibby. There is not a shade of subterfuge about him. He says just what is on his mind and he is kind to boot. In fact, I do not think that I have ever met a more kindhearted person.”

  “Perhaps he is the very one to take on Miss Mays,” suggested Miss Blythe.

  Lucinda frowned. “I admit that I had thought of that very thing. But I am not certain that it will do, after all. Wilfred is not at all slow, whereas it must be admitted that poor Agnes is not in the least needlewitted. I do not think that they would suit.”

  “A valid observation,” said Miss Blythe. “However, I believe that many connections are formed between personages of unequal intelligence, and they go along very well. Therefore we should not count Lord Mays out as a possible parti, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “We shall see how things go along,” said Lucinda. She was strangely reluctant to commit herself to promoting a match between Lord Mays and her sister-in-law. She shrugged and covered a sudden yawn behind one hand. “Pray excuse me, Tibby. I did not realize that I was so wearied by the outing with Agnes and Lady Thorpe. I believe that I shall also lie down for a few minutes.”

  “Very well, my dear,” said Miss Blythe, smiling to herself.

  Lucinda left her companion and entered her bedroom. She lay down on her bed, intending to close her eyes for just a few moments. An hour and a half later, she wakened. She did not feel in the least refreshed, for there was a slight pounding in her head.

  It was the evening of Lady Sefton’s soiree. Lucinda would far rather have stayed at home, in the event that Lord Mays chose to call on her, but that was not an option open to her.

  She had written to Lady Sefton to ask her ladyship’s indulgence in bringing along her sister-in-law, Miss Agnes Mays. Her ladyship’s reply had been most gracious. It would be churlish indeed to turn about at the last minute and not attend the soiree. She would simply have to forget about Lord Mays and her feeling of physical malaise and go to the soiree.

  Miss Mays, also, would have preferred to remain at Mays House for the evening. Though she had yearned after the entertainments of society, she was at the same time petrified at the thought of mixing with such august company as was certainly to be present at Lady Sefton’s soiree. However, putting on a new gown of a pale peach tied with gold ribbons and having her hair done in a daring cascade of curls went far in mitigating her fears. She was in a flutter of excitement when she joined Lucinda and Miss Blythe downstairs.

  Lucinda thought that her sister-in-law looked much like any other young lady might who was about to go to her first important party. Miss Mays appeared surprisingly attractive with the high color in her cheeks and the bright light in her brown eyes. In fact, she actually looked some years younger than her nine-and-twenty.

  Lucinda hoped that Miss Mays’s excitement would carry her through the evening. It would be lovely if she and Miss Blythe did not have to shepherd their timid lamb too closely.

  Chapter Twenty

  Lady Sefton’s small soiree proved to be a gathering of upward of thirty couples and several unattached ladies balanced by an equal number of gentlemen. Upon the arrival of the ladies from Mays House, Lady Sefton at once came forward to welcome them.

  Lucinda made known her sister-in-law. Miss Mays was attractively flushed with excitement and trepidation. Her response to Lady Sefton’s greeting was somewhat inarticulate, but Lady Sefton smiled kindly on her. “You must allow me to make you known to everyone, dear Miss Mays.”

  Miss Mays endured this extended introduction with more aplomb than Lucinda had expected of her. Behind her hand, Lucinda murmured to Miss Blythe, “I am very well pleased with her, Tibby.”

  “Yes, indeed. She will do very nicely,” said Miss Blythe quietly.

  Miss Mays effaced herself as soon as she possibly could, however, and thereafter she responded only when she was addressed and then in trembling syllables.

  Lady Sefton drew Lucinda aside for a moment. “My dear Lucinda, I have noticed that Miss Mays is an extremely reserved young woman for her years. Of course I knew that there was a daughter of the family, but I do not recall ever having met her before. Surely she has been out on the town for some time?”

  “You would think so, indeed. But that has not at all been the case,” said Lucinda. She gave her ladyship a brief history of Miss Mays’s life up to that point. “So you see, Lady Sefton, why I begged your indulgence in allowing me to bring Agnes tonight. I wished to show her every possible consideration while she is with me.”

  Lady Sefton nodded, her gaze resting thoughtfully on Miss Mays. The young woman was sitting as far in a corner of the large drawing room as possible, obviously hoping to be inconspicuous. “I quite understand. And you wish to introduce her into society now?”

  “Yes, my lady. I pity her so exceedingly, you see, and I have hopes that she will take.” Lucinda also looked over at Miss Mays, and she stifled a sigh. “As you may imagine, it appears to be a formidable task. However, Miss Blythe agrees that we must make a push at it and perhaps even secure an eligible match for her.”

  Lady Sefton smiled. “You have a kind heart, Lady Mays. Not many in your place would bother to take on such a formidable responsibility.”

  “It does appear that I have my work cut out for me,” agreed Lucinda. She and Lady Sefton both watched as Miss Mays positively shrank when a gentleman approached and addressed her.

  “I shall sponsor her to Almack’s. That will be just the place for Miss Mays to try her wings,” said Lady Sefton.

  “Thank you, Lady Sefton. I am indeed grateful,” said Lucinda. She had had hopes of just this very outcome, and she was extremely pleased that her main object in bringing Miss Mays to Lady Sefton’s notice had been achieved.

  Lady Sefton nodded acknowledgement. “I shall provide her with the mildest of dinner partners this evening. She will feel herself more at ease then, I think.”

  Again, Lucinda thanked her ladyship for her consideration.

  “Think nothing of it, my dear Lucinda. I am happy to do it,” said Lady Sefton, before moving off to speak to another guest.

  When dinner was announced, Miss Blythe was claimed by an escort from among the lesser personages of the gathering, as was Miss Mays. But Lady Sefton paired Lucinda with Hector Allanis, Earl of Pembroke.

  Lucinda was pleased to discover that his
lordship was to be her dinner partner. She had not forgotten their meeting in any of its details. “Lord Pembroke.” She offered her hand to him.

  “Lady Mays! This is indeed a welcome surprise. My spirits have definitely taken a turn for the better,” said Lord Pembroke, shaking her hand.

  “Oh, do you two know one another?” asked Lady Sefton, glancing curiously from one to the other.

  “I met Lady Mays on the steps of the Lending Library. I was so clumsy as to knock her parcels out of her hands,” said Lord Pembroke, smiling. “It was not possible to remain mere strangers after that. We were forced to exchange names.”

  “I see. Then I know that I shall not be needed to encourage conversation,” said Lady Sefton, amused.

  Her ladyship moved away to see that the rest of her guests were suitably partnered. Even though their hostess was already well out of earshot, Lord Pembroke lowered his voice. “I had dreaded a dull evening, my lady. I am glad to discover that my assumption was incorrect.”

  “If that is so, why did you come?” asked Lucinda, ignoring the last of his statement. She acknowledged compliments as infrequently as she possibly could without giving offense. She had learned to her regret that her beauty would always garner her pretty words, but often those words had little of substance behind them. She would not allow her head to be turned by flattery.

  The signal was given that dinner was served, and Lady Sefton’s guests began moving toward the dining room. Lucinda allowed Lord Pembroke to escort her in and to seat her at the table.

  His lordship did not reply to her question until he had taken his own chair beside her. “My mother is a close friend of the Seftons. I was coerced into accompanying her tonight as her escort,” he said. “I was never more glad of anything when she fell into a group of her own cronies and Lady Sefton was forced to look around for another dinner partner for me.”

  Lucinda looked Lord Pembroke over in a considering way. She could not imagine that his lordship could be coerced into doing anything that he disliked. “That I cannot believe, my lord. You do not appear to me to be a gentleman who is easily driven.”

  “Alas, it is too true. I may be a large fellow, but at heart I am the most placid of bovines,” drawled Lord Pembroke, smiling at her.

  Under his warm gaze, Lucinda felt her heart flutter. Hoping to divert him, she asked, “Which is the countess, pray? I should like to ogle with the proper awe the formidable lady who was so brave as to introduce a great bovine into Lady Sefton’s elegant dining room.”

  Lord Pembroke grinned. He gave a nod toward the end of the lengthy table. “The lady sporting the terrifying bunch of feathers is my countess mother.”

  Lucinda looked curiously down the table. She was certain that she must have had the Countess of Pembroke pointed out to her at some point during her marriage, but it had been a number of years since she had been the least knowledgeable about society’s noted denizens. Certainly the countess had never graced Mays House while Lord Mays had been alive. No doubt the lady was of a generation which his lordship would not have been able to include in his circle of intimates.

  The Countess of Pembroke was a small woman of patrician features. Her countenance was dominated by a large roman nose. While Lucinda studied the lady, the countess gave a quick laugh at something that was said to her, and Lucinda saw at once a resemblance to the gentleman beside her.

  The headdress to which the countess’s undutiful son had alluded was indeed an astonishing concoction. Lucinda wondered that her ladyship had chosen to wear something that was better suited to the theater then to this gathering.

  She turned back to Lord Pembroke. “The countess is a lady of imposing presence, certainly. However, I can discern nothing that lends your contention validity, my lord! Her ladyship appears to me to be quite amiable and not the least formidable,” she said, smiling.

  Lord Pembroke leaned toward her with a confiding air. “It is the trick of those deuced feathers. They are quite deceiving in their apparent whimsy. My mother is in actuality a veritable tartar. I run in terror of her frowns, I assure you.”

  There was such a laughing twinkle in his lordship’s eyes that Lucinda gave a gurgle of laughter. “You are too absurd.”

  “I like it when you laugh like that. Your entire countenance lights up,” said Lord Pembroke approvingly.

  Lucinda felt herself blush. Dropping her eyes, she replied coolly, “You flatter me, my lord.” She focused her attention on the food on her plate.

  “I have offended you! Pray forget that I have said anything. I am a clumsy fellow at best, whether it is with my tongue or my feet, as you certainly have cause to know,” said Lord Pembroke.

  Lucinda glanced up at him. He was regarding her with a sober enough expression, but there was still laughter in his eyes. She remarked, “I do not believe that you are ever serious, my lord.”

  Lord Pembroke flashed a grin. “As rarely as possible, my lady,” he admitted. “The war gave me an appreciation of life. I think it frivolous to waste it in undue somberness of mind or concerns.”

  His lordship’s notice was at that instant claimed by the lady on his far side, and he politely turned to her, so that Lucinda was spared thinking of a response to his surprising statement. She made a remark to her other partner at table, but the gentleman was too engrossed in his plate to utter more than a desultory sentence or two. Lucinda was glad when Lord Pembroke reclaimed her attention.

  As dinner progressed, Lord Pembroke politely divided himself between the ladies on either side of him. Lucinda did not mind in the least that he did so, for she liked listening to his lordship’s deep voice and the outbreak of his frequent laughter even when he was not directing his conversation to her.

  Lady Sefton eventually rose, signaling to the ladies that it was time for them to withdraw and leave the gentlemen to their after-dinner wine. Lucinda went with the other ladies, but she felt almost reluctant to be drawn away from Lord Pembroke’s side. She thought that she had seldom enjoyed a gentleman’s company more. Lord Pembroke had made her laugh a great deal. He had not said a somber word through the entire affair.

  Lady Sefton led the ladies to the drawing room. Her guests leisurely composed themselves on settees and chairs, breaking into small groups to talk. Miss Blythe was drawn swiftly into conversation, a sight that pleased Lucinda. Her former governess had a natural dignity that had enabled her to slide with ease into her function as Lucinda’s chaperone and companion.

  Miss Mays at once made her way to Lucinda’s side. She waited until there was a pause in conversation and then asked, “Lady Mays, would it be considered proper if I sat down at the pianoforte?”

  “But of course, Agnes, if that is what you wish to do,” said Lucinda.

  “Oh, I should like it above all else. I promise you, you shan’t have cause to be embarrassed,” said Miss Mays.

  “I am not in the least concerned about that, Agnes,” said Lucinda gently.

  Miss Mays flushed. “Thank you, my lady!” She hurried away to claim the pianoforte before the notion had struck anyone else.

  A moment later, music floated softly over the company. There were several smiles directed toward the young woman seated at the pianoforte, for it was instantly recognized that Miss Mays was very well trained.

  Lady Bishop, who had magnanimously reassured Lucinda a number of times that she had been forgiven for not attending her ladyship’s own soiree, leaned toward Lucinda. “She is quite good, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, indeed,” said Lucinda, smiling. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that her sister-in-law possessed at least one social accomplishment to a rare degree. She decided on the spot to encourage Miss Mays at every opportunity to display her musical talent. That would be certain to garner her timid sister-in-law some compliments and perhaps would serve to build Agnes’s confidence in herself.

  “I am sorry that you were unable to attend my own soiree, Lady Mays. But certainly I can understand when one has an unexpected guest to arrive. Does
Miss Mays make a long stay with you?” asked Lady Bishop.

  “I am hoping to persuade her to remain all Season. She has lived very quietly up to now, having devoted herself to caring for both her parents through their last illnesses,” said Lucinda.

  “I thought that I had not seen her about before. Well, well! I had no notion that Miss Mays is an experienced nurse. I have an elderly relative of my own who is in need of a companion.” Lady Bishop looked speculatively at Miss Mays, the wheels obviously turning in her head. She smiled at Lucinda suddenly. “A filial dedication such as that is scarce these days. Miss Mays is to be commended.”

  “Yes, indeed,” said Lucinda, smiling. She did not point out that Miss Mays had had very little say in the matter. There was little point in vilifying those that were dead.

  “Perhaps when Miss Mays’s visit to you is done, I shall have a word with her. She will undoubtedly be looking for another post. A poor relation is in such an uncomfortable position, is she not? But I am persuaded that I may have just the thing for her, for I trust in your recommendation of her character, Lady Mays,” said Lady Bishop.

  Lucinda smiled again, but inside she was seething. It had not seemed to occur to Lady Bishop that Miss Mays had sacrificed a good portion of her youth through no desire of her own, nor that she might not wish to be given another such position that could just as easily be filled by a paid nurse. Of course, a professional nurse would command a considerably greater salary than someone like Agnes, thought Lucinda, reflecting uncharitably on Lady Bishop’s motives.

  “I hope to show my sister-in-law the rewards of her sacrifice to family duty by sponsoring her this Season,” said Lucinda quietly. “She has never been brought out, you see. Lady Sefton has already been kind enough to offer her vouchers to Almack’s. I was most gratified, as you may imagine.”

  “Indeed!” Lady Bishop was doing a rapid recalculation of Miss Mays’s position in the scheme of things. Her ladyship had a brother who had never married. It would be gratifying indeed if Lady Mays should bestow her hand upon the gentleman, for Lady Mays was wealthy and commanded an estate of her own. These were commodities that her brother did not at present possess. Of course, Lady Mays had not yet met her ladyship’s brother, and she obviously had many admirers. It was not at all a certain thing that Lady Mays would wed an obscure gentleman when there was such competition for her favor.