Tempting the Earl

by Wendy May Andrews

  Emily was pleased to have some time to herself to prepare for what she was suspecting might be an exhausting dinner experience. She was tempted to avoid the meal altogether, but she knew that Lady Clara was counting on her to assist with the hostess duties.

  Emily took particular care with her toilette as she prepared for that evening's dinner, not wanting to shame Lady Clara before her guests. She was more nervous than she had ever expected to be for a simple dinner, but she found the Sedgely family terribly intimidating. She was unsure if there was any way they could be made to enjoy themselves.

  Emily vehemently wished Lord Philip were here already. He was so much more skilled at this type of thing. Besides, the ones who seemed the hardest to please would be the most happy to see the earl. She was becoming concerned over his absence but didn't want to mention her anxiety to Lady Clara, as she was certain she was also worried. Considering that he had asked his mother to plan this party, one would be excused for expecting him to be at least on time, if not early. Emily consoled herself that someone would have sent word if they truly had cause for concern. Perhaps the matter the king had him working on was proving more time-consuming than he had expected. Maybe he would arrive on the morrow.

  In the meantime, Rosemount had guests needing to be appropriately fed and entertained. It was an excellent thing that she and Lady Clara had discussed in such great detail all the implications of the varying ranks of the nobility being assembled for this party. It was obvious the Sedgelys would take offense if they were not given the proper respect. Emily gave her head a shake as she realized she was woolgathering. Taking her wrap to ward off the evening's chill, she went down to join the guests gathering in the drawing room.

  The Waddell ladies were again the first to arrive, followed by Lady Clara, Garfield, and Lord Sedgely. The group was kept waiting for Lady Sedgely and Lady Maude, which was not terribly surprising. When the two ladies arrived, Lady Clara briefly met Emily's eyes. It was obvious to Emily that the countess was chagrined over the obvious difficulty they were going to have in keeping these women amused. Emily foresaw a trying few days ahead. Undaunted, she gave an encouraging nod, and Lady Clara squared her shoulders, smiled, and conducted the group into the dining room.

  The cook had outdone himself, obviously pleased by this chance to display the full range of his skills. No complaint could be found with the feast spread out before the countess' guests. Lady Clara smiled in satisfaction and gazed in approval at the footmen lined up behind the gathered guests. They were all starched and pressed in their finest uniforms, ready to be of service. Each took his place, and the meal began.

  Lady Clara started the conversation by turning to Lady Sedgely and asking about her journey. Lady Sedgely described all the perils of England's roads after a rainstorm and the poor service one received along the way. Lady Clara's smile was just beginning to fray around the edges when Lady Sedgely finally wound down. Emily was pleased to see Lady Jane making polite efforts to engage Lady Maude in conversation, while Lady Ann was speaking shyly with Lord Sedgely. The viscount seemed to be quite taken with the quiet young woman and was making an effort to be kind. Which left Lady Waddell to talk with Garfield.

  Emily repressed a smile as the gallant young man tried to look interested in the older woman's conversation. Emily was the odd one out, but she didn't mind. She liked to observe. She was almost lost in thought when her ears focused on what Lady Waddell was discussing. The missing Lady Emmaline again. Can't the old gossip think of anything else to talk about? Emily wondered vehemently. Garfield seemed interested now. What was he saying?

  "I would love to be involved in the search. Good fun that would be, eh? Too bad no one seems to know where to look for the girl. Why do you suppose she would want to disappear? Doesn't she know what a stir she is causing? Seems she is quite a troublesome wench, wouldn't you say?" The young man seemed to consider everything in life a game, and this was just another example of sport.

  Lady Waddell set him straight. "The young lady has not been out in society, and she would not know how things are done"

  Emily was shocked that they thought the missing mar chioness was just being impolite, inconveniencing the monarch as she was. Hadn't anyone considered foul play? Maybe she was hurt or even dead. No one seemed to be considering the turmoil the young woman might be going through. She decided to give voice to her thoughts.

  "Do you think maybe the lady might be more than just on a lark? Perhaps she is hiding from danger or maybe even dead" Silence followed this remark as several pairs of inquiring eyes turned in her direction.

  Lady Maude spoke condescendingly. "Peers of the realm do not hide. And they do not die without notice. No doubt she will reveal herself shortly" She managed to put Emily in her place and make her feel like an imbecile with seemingly very little effort, leaving Emily to wonder how the monarch's search was going to progress if no one considered that the young woman might have encountered foul play.

  Emily agreed that the young woman, no doubt, had not realized that anyone would notice her absence, and the awkward moment was smoothed over.

  Lady Clara glanced curiously down the table toward them, but nothing more was said.

  The conversation continued to flow around the table, but Emily held herself back from participating. She had no experience with this kind of social occasion, so she would observe more before she again tried to participate. She realized that appearances were much more important to these people than she ever would have expected, and logic did not necessarily play a large part in their reasoning. She should contain her conversational efforts to discussions of the weather, she thought with amusement.

  Miss Jane and Lady Maude were now discussing the play that had been all the rage last season and anticipating what they would enjoy seeing when they returned to town. Lady Maude, of course, was not nearly as excited about it all as Miss Jane was, having been "out" for some time now, but she participated politely, if somewhat coldly, in the conversation nonetheless.

  It was with relief that Emily watched the last course being cleared away by the footmen and Lady Clara stand to lead the guests to the drawing room for tea. After her faux pas the meal had passed more comfortably than she expected, and she started to look forward to the rest of the visit with, if not actual optimism, at least a diminished sense of dread. Everyone was just getting settled and the tea trolley being rolled in when the knocker sounded throughout the house. Emily excused herself and went to welcome the latest arrivals, while Lady Clara remained with the other guests. Emily arrived just as two young bucks were being welcomed into the hallway by the butler, Mr. Parks. She stepped forward, holding out her hand to introduce herself.

  "Welcome to Rosemount, my lords. I am Miss Emily Spencer. Lady Clara is occupied with the other guests. You must be Lords Marsden and Sutherland" She dropped them a curtsy as the two young men smiled warmly at her.

  They both bowed to her gallantly and introduced themselves.

  Lord Anthony Marsden was the epitome of the dandy set. He swept off his hat and made an elegant leg in front of Emily before pronouncing in quite an important tone of voice, "I am Tony, Lord Marsden, tenth viscount of Elmcrest; and this disreputable oaf is Adolphus, Baron Sutherland, heir apparent to the Earl of Vale. We are pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Spencer. I don't believe we have had the pleasure of your company in town before, have we? Will you be accompanying the countess this season?"

  "Perhaps, my lord," Emily replied vaguely.

  Despite his effort to sound important, Tony seemed to be a likeable gentleman. Lord Sutherland was very quiet and had yet to say anything at all. Emily was amused to see them both sneaking glances in the mirror in the hallway, and she graciously offered to take them to their rooms to freshen up before they joined the rest in the drawing room.

  Tony jabbed Lord Sutherland with his elbow. "What do you say, Dolph? Should we clean ourselves up a bit before we present ourselves to the countess? Lead the way, Miss Spencer. It's best if we get
the lay of the land before we enter the fray"

  Emily wasn't completely sure what he meant by this rejoinder, but she smiled graciously and led them toward the wing with the guest chambers to which they'd been assigned.

  "Who is here, by the way, Miss Spencer, if we could make so bold as to inquire?" asked Lord Marsden, obviously the more talkative of the pair.

  "Lady Waddell and her two daughters arrived early this afternoon, followed by Viscount Sedgely and his family. We are still expecting Baron Fitzgerald, his wife and his daughter, and the Viscountess Eastwick with her son and daughter, as well as Lord Philip. Of course, throughout the week we will no doubt be joined by some of the families in the neighborhood for a few of our activities and dinners."

  "A good mixture of company assembled, it seems. What activities have been planned to keep us amused, Miss Spencer?" This finally from Lord Sutherland in a rich baritone. So he does have a voice, Emily thought with an inner smile, and quite a pleasant-sounding one at that. The younger ladies are going to find these two quite interesting.

  Out loud she said, "There has not been anything formally scheduled, my lord, aside from the dance to be held at the end of the week, but we thought the younger set would enjoy badminton or croquet on the grounds, and there are various sights within a short ride. As well, Lord Garfield seems interested in hunting, and the woods around here are teeming with sport. I am sure everyone will be well entertained, whatever his particular interest is." Emily wondered if these two young dandies would want to risk their Hessians by traipsing through the woods and so was somewhat surprised when Lord Sutherland nodded with enthusiasm at the thought of some hunting.

  "Here we are, these are your rooms. Please make yourselves comfortable. If you need anything, ring for a footman. When you're ready to join the rest of us in the drawing room, one of the footmen can direct you when you get to the bottom of the stairs. I will bid you adieu for now"

  Emily again curtsied and left the young men to themselves. She returned to the drawing room to see of what assistance she could be to Lady Clara. She was pleased to find the atmosphere in the room almost genial. The Waddell ladies were maintaining a steady stream of conversation that included everyone. They were definitely a good choice to include in this house party; Emily silently congratulated Lady Clara for her shrewdness in judging the characters of their guests.

  "Who was that arriving, Miss Spencer?" asked Lady Clara during a lull in the conversation.

  "Lords Marsden and Sutherland arrived together. They have been shown to their rooms and will be down shortly after they have tidied themselves up a bit. They rode here, so they were a wee bit windblown," Emily concluded with a smile.

  "How gauche," was the comment from Lady Maude.

  Emily wasn't sure if the comment referred to her reference to the gentlemen's untidy state or the fact that they would arrive in such a state, so she chose to ignore it altogether.

  Meanwhile, she could see the feminine speculation on the faces of all three young ladies, including Lady Maude. How interesting, thought Emily, the lady is not immune to the charms of other men. Maybe the earl's interest in her isn't a fait accompli, as Lady Clara thinks. Emily felt a little thrill in her heart, which she quickly repressed. What do I care whom the earl might marry? It is none of my business, she thought fiercely as she turned her attention to the amusement of their guests.

  Emily was just about to invite the younger set to join together in some games when the footman announced the young lords. There was a flutter of murmurs as the gentlemen were introduced to those they did not already know and greeted the ones they did. It was apparent they were on genial terms with Lord Garfield when Lord Marsden slapped him on the shoulder and boomed, "Gary, my boy, good to see you. Didn't think you'd show yourself at such an event. Excellent!" he concluded rather vaguely.

  Emily decided the young viscount was a cheerful if not too smart fellow and decided he would be best suited to sitting with one of the young Waddell ladies at the next dinner. The interaction of the group changed with the addition of the young gentlemen. The six young people separated themselves from the older ones and sat down at a table that had been set up off to the side.

  They were all trying to be terribly sophisticated but failing dismally as they got deeper into the excitement of their game. All, that is, except for Lady Maude, who seemed to be quite put out that the two younger ladies were getting the admiring attention of the young men. Emily was appalled when she saw Maude "accidentally" spill her wine on Miss Ann's dress. Ann was crestfallen and clearly on the verge of tears. Lady Jane was about to take her up to her room to get cleaned up, but Emily stepped in and offered to help, thus earning an icy stare from Lady Maude, who had obviously been hoping to rid herself of both competitors in one stroke.

  Slightly subdued, Ann bade everyone good night. It was already late, and by the time she cleaned up, no doubt the others would be thinking of retiring for the night as well. It had been a long day, and the poor young thing's feelings were clearly hurt, besides. Emily tried to console her by reassuring her that she knew just the thing to get the stain out, but poor Ann was inconsolable. "I was about to win," she declared vehemently. "And now I look like a baby who spills things. The gentlemen will never want to spend time with me if they think I'm still a little girl"

  "It was not you who spilled the wine, Miss Ann. I am sure it was an accident" Emily tried to be comforting without making any accusations.

  "Everyone will think I am too clumsy to be out in society and Mama should have left me in the schoolroom. I am supposed to make my debut officially this Season," she confided. "If I can't prove to mama that I can comport myself like a lady, she will leave me at home, which will be just dreadful"

  Emily was not sure how to comfort the young lady. "My dear Miss Ann, you shall have plenty of opportunity to prove what a grown-up young lady you are throughout this week. Everyone will forget all about this little incident. Don't worry about it. Try to get a good sleep tonight, and everything will look much better in the morning."

  Emily felt decades older than the young woman despite there being only a couple of years between them. After ringing for the Waddells' maid, she kept the younger woman company as she was helped out of the soiled gown and into her nightclothes. She left the girl tucked up in bed, feeling somewhat more cheerful about the whole event. Emily whisked the soiled gown downstairs to the housekeeper, who had a secret concoction for removing stains from the tablecloths. She hoped it would work on the fabric of this gown as well.

  After speaking with Mrs. Parks and being assured the gown would be as good as new by morning, Emily debated about returning to the party. She was too tired to be polite and pretend Lady Maude had not caused the spill that ruined poor Ann's evening. She could not believe no one else had seen what she had done. She had been so convincing in her expression of concern, but she had not been able to hide her disappointment that Lady Jane was not going to be leaving early too. On the other hand, if things were not going well, Emily did not want to leave Lady Clara in the lurch.

  She decided she had been running away from problems much too often lately, so she screwed up her courage, squared her shoulders, and marched back to the drawing room. Upon her arrival she was grateful to see that the older members of the party were starting to say their good nights to Lady Clara and gathering their children. It had been a long day for all the travelers, and they were ready for their beds. Lords Marsden and Sutherland were the only ones who looked as if they would've been able to go for a lot longer, but they accepted the end of the evening with good grace, and everyone said good night.

  Emily stayed behind with Lady Clara as the rest of the group drifted from the room.

  Lady Clara heaved a sigh of relief and exhaustion after the last guest had left. "Well, Emily, what do you think? Not as easy as we had expected, is it?"

  "No, my lady, these next few days are going to be a lot more work than I thought. But on the bright side, if milord Philip ever turns up,
surely he will not be able to continue in his misguided notion that Lady Maude would make a good countess. She is really quite dreadful, isn't she?" Emily went on to relate what she had seen the young woman do to Ann and how disappointed the younger girl was by the turn of events.

  "Oh, poor thing. We will have to see about making it up to her somehow," said Lady Clara.

  "I am sure Ann will prove how gracious she can be throughout the week all on her own. She really is quite a sweet young person," answered Emily.

  Lady Clara laughed at Emily's proprietary tone. "She can't be that much younger than you, Emily. You sound as if you are her grandmother or some such"

  "Maybe not in years, my lady, but our life experiences have greatly diverged, I am sure," she replied with a selfdeprecating smile. "But please, you must be exhausted. Let's get you off to bed. Tomorrow is another day, and things are sure to be different with nearly twice as many guests due to arrive. It should be quite interesting to see how things develop" With that the two ladies linked arms and set off to find their own beds for the night.

  The day dawned bright and cheerful. When Emily opened her curtains, she could see that it was going to be a lovely day, perfect for any of the activities they had considered for the enjoyment of the guests. She rushed through her morning toilette and set out to assist the housekeeper in organizing the staff.

  It turned out that the Fitzgeralds had arrived after they had all gone to bed. Upon their arrival, the footman on watch had hastily awoken Mr. Parks to show the guests to their rooms. They would no doubt keep to their rooms much later than the others, who had had a relatively early night. Some of the guests had requested trays be brought to their rooms, but others were gathering in the breakfast room to start their day. The three young lords were already well into their meal, and the three Waddell ladies were just entering the room when Emily arrived.