by Rose Pearson
Lord Havisham smiled, slumping back in his chair in evident contentment. “You did not need much assistance,” he said with a small shrug. “Which I am very grateful for, given I do not much like…” He laughed and waved a hand. “I do not need to repeat myself. Needless to say, I am glad you have done so well, and I shall be nearby this evening if you require my assistance again.”
“I thank you,” she answered, thinking to herself that the last ten days with Lady Smithton and what she now knew was called ‘The Spinsters Guild’ had been one of the most hope-filled times in her life thus far. “You have been very kind to me, Lord Havisham.”
He smiled at her. “I am glad to be so,” he answered. “And you have had a few interesting social occasions of late, I hope?”
“I have,” Amelia answered, recalling how Lady Smithton, upon hearing she sang and enjoyed playing the pianoforte, had encouraged her to do so in front of Lord Burton’s guests early the previous week. “I have been very nervous on occasion, but I have found the other young ladies, Lady Smithton, and yourself to be very encouraging.”
Lord Havisham nodded, rose, and extended his hand. “Might I take you to the ballroom, Lady Amelia?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts. “We have to practice your waltz, I believe.”
Amelia blinked, looking up at Lord Havisham and feeling her fear beginning to rise within her already. “No,” she stammered, a little awkwardly, “I do not think that—”
“You can dance the waltz, Lady Amelia,” came a bright, confident voice as Lady Smithton walked into the room, smiling at her. “You have nothing to fear. Why do you look as though Lord Havisham has offered you something dreadful instead of something that will be greatly helpful to you?”
Amelia swallowed hard and shook her head. “I fear my leg will—”
“I will be most careful,” Lord Havisham interrupted, gently. “There is nothing to fear.”
“Lord Havisham is an excellent dancer,” Lady Smithton said, not looking at Lord Havisham but continuing to smile encouragingly at Amelia. “He will be the most excellent of partners.”
“I thank you, Lady Smithton.”
Amelia hesitated, looking between Lord Havisham and Lady Smithton and seeing something pass between them, although nothing was said. There was a long look, with a small yet warm smile on Lord Havisham’s face, which lit up his eyes and, in fact, his entire features, whilst Lady Smithton’s cheeks colored just a little. Intrigued, Amelia remained silent, wondering if there was more to this friendship between Lady Smithton and Lord Havisham.
“Yes, dancing,” Lady Smithton said briskly, giving herself a slight shake as she returned her attention to Amelia. “Come now; you must be brave. Lord Havisham will be an excellent partner and will do nothing to injure you.”
“But not every partner will be so,” Amelia stammered, feeling a little ungrateful. “If I am seen dancing, then might not other gentlemen seek me out?”
Lady Smithton smiled sympathetically. “They will, and that is what we wish them to do,” she said pointedly. “But that does not mean you have to accept everyone who asks! You can easily refuse—and indeed, I would encourage you to do so to anyone who is either a little in their cups, appears clumsy or inconsiderate, or who is immediately rejected by either myself or Mrs. Peters. Besides which,” she finished, laughing softly, “it will make you all the more intriguing if you only dance with some gentlemen and not others.”
Amelia let out a long, slow breath and looked up at Lord Havisham, who had extended his hand again. She was not at all certain about dancing and was very afraid a gentleman might stand on her foot and wrench her painful leg in a manner that might force her to retire for the rest of the night. But then, she swallowed hard and reminded herself that, in order to make any progress within society, she had to be courageous. She had been so this last week, had she not? Lady Smithton had accompanied her to two separate soirees, a dinner, and had taken her in her carriage for a drive through Hyde Park during the fashionable hour. Mrs. Peters had accompanied her also, and Amelia had been glad to see just how delighted Mrs. Peters had been with all that was now occurring for Amelia. It had been astonishing to Amelia to realize just how much of a difference was made to her confidence when she had Lady Smithton by her side. The lady exuded strength and poise which, in turn, had encouraged Amelia. Her limp was just as pronounced, just as present, but with Lady Smithton giving it no attention whatsoever, Amelia found she herself did not give it as much consideration as before.
“Then we must practice the waltz,” she murmured, accepting his hand and allowing him to help her to her feet. With Lady Smithton walking alongside them, the three walked from the room and slowly made their way to the ballroom.
“Lady Beatrice is to arrive soon,” Lady Smithton stated as she surveyed Amelia’s stance with a critical eye. “So you shall only have time to practice the waltz, which, I think, is more than enough for one session.” She smiled at Amelia and gently straightened Amelia’s hand as it rested on Lord Havisham’s shoulder. “This is almost perfect, however, Lady Amelia. You are doing very well.”
Amelia smiled back, trying to press down her anxiety as Lord Havisham held her both gently and with a firmness that encouraged her to trust him.
“I will support you, of course,” he murmured, beginning to move carefully across the floor. “And you must inform me if you have any pain or difficulty, Lady Amelia.”
Such was the strength of her concentration that Amelia said nothing in response. Her stomach was tight, her hands clammy, and her breathing ragged, feeling as though something would go wrong at any moment. It was not until some minutes had passed that she realized things were not going as badly as she might have thought. With Lord Havisham holding her tightly and moving carefully, Amelia found she was able to spin around the floor with more ease than she had expected. Breathing a little more easily, Amelia looked up at Lord Havisham and found herself smiling, actually finding a little more enjoyment from the dance than she had expected.
“I am terribly sorry to interrupt!”
Lord Havisham jerked, stumbled, and pulled Amelia forward as the sound of a gentleman’s booming voice filled the ballroom. She let out a yelp of pain, with Lord Havisham only just managing to catch her and hold her steady before she tumbled to the floor.
“Oh, I do apologize,” the gentleman said, coming a little closer to them with a broad smile on his face. “I thought to call upon you, Lady Amelia, and was informed you were at Lady Smithton’s residence. I hope you do not mind, Lady Smithton?”
Amelia tried to catch her breath, bracing herself against the burning pain in her leg that fired up into her side. Lord Havisham had been doing very well, and she had been starting to let go of the tension that had otherwise filled her, only for it all to go very wrong indeed. Lord Havisham kept one hand about her waist and together, they walked slowly back towards Lady Smithton, who was glaring angrily at Lord Montague. Lord Montague did not appear to notice, however, looking directly back at Amelia with a broad smile settling on his face. His eyes strayed to Lord Havisham’s hand at her waist and then the slowness with which they both walked, and something like understanding began to filter into his expression.
“Oh.” Lord Montague cleared his throat, putting his hands behind his back and lowering his head, clearly aware now that he had caused a good deal more upset than he had had first been aware of. “Are you quite all right, Lady Amelia?”
She could not speak at first, such was her pain. She did not want to gasp with the agony of it, nor betray herself with a tight word or two. Lady Smithton must have realized she was struggling, for she stepped forward and gestured wildly towards Lord Montague.
“First of all, Lord Montague, you cannot march into my house and demand to see someone who is visiting here as my guest,” Lady Smithton exclaimed as Lord Havisham leaned down to ask Amelia quietly whether she needed to sit down. “And secondly, I do not expect you to shout towards Lady Amelia, given you have just interrupted somethi
ng of great importance.”
Amelia, hating she had to show such weakness in front of Lord Montague, nodded towards Lord Havisham, who immediately led her away from Lady Smithton to ensconce her in a chair at the side of the room. Feeling the relief almost the moment she sat down, Amelia lifted her chin and looked back at Lord Montague, even though she knew quite certainly her face was a little red. He was the one at fault, she told herself. Therefore, she had nothing to be ashamed of.
“I do apologize, Lady Smithton.” Lord Montague looked more than a little embarrassed, with his face downcast and his expression almost mournful. “It is only that I have not seen Lady Amelia for some time, and I did wonder if—”
“I have been at a few social occasions,” Amelia interrupted before Lady Smithton could speak. “But perhaps they are not the sort of occasions that would interest you, Lord Montague.” Much to her surprise, Amelia saw a dark expression flicker across Lord Montague’s face, feeling immediately embarrassed that she had brought about such a change in his manner She had not meant anything by the remark, thinking back to how he had left Lord Burton’s soiree rather quickly and had not seemed to enjoy it. “I—I merely meant—”
“I have been sorry not to see you at any of the social gatherings I have attended,” he said briskly as though to throw aside her previous remark. “And I have not been able to forget your wonderful performance at Lord Burton’s soiree last week. I must hope you will be able to do so again when you attend my small gathering which I am having on Tuesday next week.” So saying, he plucked something from his pocket and, coming towards her, handed her the small, neat envelope with the red seal at the bottom. Looking up, she saw him hand one to Lady Smithton also, before looking at Lord Havisham with a slight awkwardness. “You—you are invited also, of course, Lord Havisham,” he said, stammering a little. “I fear I have left your invitation at home.”
Amelia could not help but smile, seeing Lord Montague had, in fact, not had any intention of inviting Lord Havisham but could not refuse to invite him now. Lord Montague caught her eye, seeing her understanding and her mirth at the situation and, much to her surprise, tilting his head to regard her a little more. Blushing with his regard, she saw a slow smile catch the corner of his lips, his eyes beginning to twinkle as he looked back at her.
She blushed all the more, embarrassed at her reaction to him and putting it down to the fact that Lord Montague was, of course, a fiendishly handsome gentleman. His shock of light brown hair swept over his brow, his square jaw, Roman nose, and broad shoulders giving her the impression of strength and fortitude. His eyes intrigued her, for they were a mixture of greens and blues and yellows, all swirling together and mixing with one another. The look shared between them reminded her swiftly of what she had witnessed passing between Lord Havisham and Lady Smithton, and such was her own embarrassment to be thinking of such a thing that she turned her head away, breaking their locked gaze.
“You are very kind, I am sure,” Lord Havisham said, taking the attention away from Amelia’s red cheeks. “I should be very glad to attend. Lady Smithton, you will permit me to take you in the carriage, I hope?”
Lady Smithton did not smile, her jaw set as she turned her sharp gaze onto Lord Havisham. Amelia winced inwardly, realizing Lady Smithton had not been as determined as Lord Havisham now was to accept the invitation.
“Capital!” Lord Montague boomed, his voice echoing around the room once more and making Amelia’s skin prickle with the awareness of his presence. He could command a room, she was certain of it, for he indeed commanded all of her attention. Her heart began to soften towards Lord Montague, forgiving him quickly for his lack of thought as he had marched into Lady Smithton’s ballroom and announced his intentions. He had not known she would be rehearsing the waltz with Lord Havisham. And besides which, not only had he been kind enough to bring her an invitation to his planned soiree, but he had also complimented her, yet again, upon her musical performance. She recalled how he had come to her at Lord Burton’s home and had spoken to her so kindly about how she had played and sang. Perhaps there was a goodness in him not everyone was permitted to see.
“I have Lady Beatrice arriving very soon,” Lady Smithton said, having now finished glaring furiously at Lord Havisham. “I am afraid I shall have to ask you—”
“I have tarried on your kindness long enough,” Lord Montague replied, bowing quickly towards Lady Smithton. “Particularly when I did not have an invitation to call upon either of you.”
“Indeed,” Lady Smithton murmured dryly, glancing towards Amelia as Lord Montague came a few steps closer to her. Amelia felt her heart quicken as he bent low, bending at the knees so that he might look up into her face.
“I am truly sorry for disturbing your dance and for causing you pain,” he said, his expression a little troubled. “I did not intend to but, as Lady Smithton has pointed out, I ought not to have made such a noise when I first entered the house.” He bowed his head low for a moment before lifting it. “I do hope you can forgive me.”
“But of course,” Amelia replied quickly, her heart slamming into her chest as he touched her fingers with his own. Lord Havisham had moved closer to Lady Smithton and was now talking in hushed tones, leaving Amelia and Lord Montague to speak without being overheard. “It was unintentional, I know.”
He appeared relieved, although his smile was a little despondent. “You are very understanding, Lady Amelia. I do hope you will consider performing on the pianoforte, as you did at Lord Burton’s? It would be the most marvelous part of the evening; I am quite certain of it.”
She smiled but looked away, feeling anxious about doing so but knowing it would be only polite to agree. “I will consider it,” she promised, making him beam at her as though she had given him the greatest of gifts. “Thank you again for your kind invitation.”
Lord Montague nodded, thanked her, and removed his hand from hers, allowing Amelia to breathe properly again without feeling the tightness in her chest that his presence had brought. She watched him carefully as he made his farewells to Lord Havisham and then to Lady Smithton, apologizing once again before walking from the room. Amelia allowed herself a small smile, looking down at the invitation in her lap and thinking Lord Montague was, in fact, quite the gentleman. She had heard a whisper or two about him but had never once given him much consideration, given she knew him to be a man who sought out only the very best ladies for his company. And yet now, it seemed, he wanted to join him for his soiree, wanted her to be present as one of his guests! The very thought filled her with joy.
“Lady Amelia?”
She looked up at once, pulled away from her thoughts by the stern face of Lady Smithton and the angry-looking Lord Havisham.”
“Yes?” she asked, fearing she had done something wrong, although she could not imagine what it was. “Have I behaved inappropriately?”
“No, no, not at all!” Lady Smithton exclaimed, pressing down on Amelia’s hand gently. “No, it is only that we feel must speak to you about Lord Montague.” Her eyes were serious, although her expression was gentle. “He was very kind in bringing these invitations to us all, of course, and we are now to attend his gathering, given Lord Havisham has agreed to it.” At this, she threw Lord Havisham an irritated glance, which Amelia finally understood meant she was annoyed with how he had gone about the matter. She had wanted the time to consider the invitation and the gentleman who had brought it, but instead, Lord Havisham had agreed without question.
“Lord Montague has something of a reputation,” Lord Havisham said, sinking rather heavily into a chair next to Amelia. “He is not the sort of gentleman you should consider.”
Amelia’s heart began to sink from its heights of joy and happiness before beginning to make its way down to the depths of her spirits. Lord Montague had been very kind to her, had he not? He had done nothing but compliment her, speak well of her, and had been generous with his invitations to his soiree. What was it about him she ought to become aware of?
“He has a penchant for making improper advances to young ladies,” Lady Smithton said quickly as though wanting to hurry the explanation. “I cannot think it wise for you to become too closely acquainted.”
“I see,” Amelia replied, looking from Lady Smithton to Lord Havisham and then back down to the invitation in her lap. Her heart was sinking all the more now, given she had felt herself react strongly to his presence, aware he had managed to nudge at her interest. She had thought him handsome, had felt her heart quicken at his smile, and now was being told what she thought of him was not his true character. She had guessed him to be a popular gentleman, given his looks and, no doubt, his wealth, but she had never once considered him to be a rogue. It just proved to her she had not made a wise assessment of Lord Montague. Apparently, there was a good deal more to him than she had thought.
“He will want to converse with you, of course,” Lady Smithton said, throwing a warning look towards Lord Havisham. “Someone will remain with you throughout the evening so that you are never alone with Lord Montague to engage in conversation.”
“I am quite certain I can manage to converse with him,” Amelia replied, a little confused. “I do not need any particular assistance in that matter.”
“Of course,” Lord Havisham interrupted, “but Lord Montague has a way of speaking that seems to encourage people to do what they have never once intended.” Looking a little embarrassed at having to speak so openly, he shrugged one shoulder. “Young ladies who would never even dream of stepping away from their mother or their guardian to be alone with a gentleman have been found to do precisely that. Lord Montague can be very persuasive when he wants something, Lady Amelia.”
Amelia shook her head, sighing inwardly. “I can hardly think he is interested in doing so with me,” he said, seeing Lady Smithton’s immediate frown. “I am sure there is another reason he has invited us to his soiree.”
“And why should he not consider you, Lady Amelia?” Lady Smithton asked, her voice rising steadily. “You cannot think that just because you have a limp, Lord Montague would not choose to pursue you for sport?” She arched one eyebrow, and Amelia felt her mouth go dry, thinking of how Lord Montague had touched her hand as he had bent down to speak to her. He had been very attentive and seemingly very considerate, but mayhap, this was precisely because of what Lady Smithton was suggesting, although Amelia could not quite bring herself to believe it.
