The Best-Laid Plans

by Sarah M. Eden

  “And far more than you spoke whilst at home with your mother.”

  Her shoulders drooped a bit. “She is easier to endure if I play the role she prefers.”

  “You play a great many roles, Ellie,” he said. “Do you ever grow weary of them?”

  She nodded. He nodded.

  They were both playing parts, after all. Perhaps the Bard had been correct. All the world was but a stage and all the men and women merely players.

  The question remained, Was this act fated to be a comedy or a tragedy?

  Chapter Eight

  Ellie had been uncertain when Artemis had first suggested that Newton be her partner in the madcap scheme the two of them had cooked up over tea at the Pump Room. Her friend had insisted he would not only be willing but would also be an enjoyable partner in crime. He was so quiet and withdrawn, and his assessing expression was more than a little intimidating. He had seemed such a peculiar choice.

  Ellie had seldom been so pleased to be wrong about another person.

  As she waited in the vestibule for her parents to descend the stairs and announce the family ready to trek to that week’s Fancy Ball, excitement bubbled inside. Newton would be there; he had told her so. She could hardly wait to see him and talk with him again.

  “I do hope you mean to behave today,” Lillian said, standing nearby. She didn’t look at Ellie, but there was no doubt to whom the comment was directed. They, alone, stood there.

  “Of course.” Ellie had heard her mother utter that phrase so many times that it emerged from her own lips almost without thought.

  “Do not act as though I haven’t reason for concern.” Still, she didn’t look at Ellie. “You monopolized Mr. Hughes’s time during our promenade. You were bolder than you ought to have been, and it was not the first time. At the Lancaster home, you turned a simple evening of short answers into a battle of wits.”

  “Which I won, you will recall.”

  “Gentlemen do not wish to connect themselves to overly forward ladies. Or their families.”

  Ellie had heard this argument before. For once, she did not shrug and keep her peace. “I do not wish to connect myself to any gentleman who insists I pretend to be bacon-brained so he can feel reassured of his own intelligence.”

  “You are going to be the ruin of this family, Elfrida. Mark my words.”

  Lillian only ever used Ellie’s full name when she was truly upset with her. Ellie would do well to tread lightly that evening.

  Mother and Father joined them a moment later, dressed in their finest and appearing both nervous and excited. They had a claim on Society, at least in Bath. But that claim was minor compared to most. The one time her parents had gone to London, hoping to secure an advantageous match for Ellie’s oldest sister, they had discovered just how comparatively low their rung on the ladder really was.

  Ellie loved hearing Artemis and Daria and Gillian talk about their adventures in Town. She longed to join them, longed to claim the invitation Artemis had already extended. But the chances of her parents taking her there were nonexistent.

  “We had best be on our way,” Father said.

  “Of course,” Mother answered.

  They were soon settled in the carriage. Ellie kept her excitement hidden. She could hold back her thoughts and feelings and the things she wanted to say until she saw Newton. He would be happy to hear her and see her. He wouldn’t tell her to behave or tuck herself behind an ill-fitting role. He wouldn’t look at her with the disapproval that her own family did. She was looking forward to his company.

  Her eyes scanned the expansive ballroom the moment they stepped inside. Finding a particular person in the swirling crowd would be difficult. She hoped luck would prove kind. It did.

  “I see Miss Lancaster,” Ellie said. “I mean to go bid her good evening.”

  “Do allow her to come to you,” Mother whispered anxiously. “You will appear overly bold if you approach someone of her standing.”

  “We are known to be friends, Mother. No one will think anything untoward in my approaching her.”

  “Spending time with her has made you forget yourself.” Father didn’t often speak scoldingly. He did then. “She is sister-in-law and ward to the Duke of Kielder. Her siblings include a duchess and a countess. Her brother is married to an exceptionally close family friend of the Earl of Lampton. Though Miss Lancaster has shown you kindness, no doubt owing to our having once been neighbors, you are not her equal. To pretend otherwise is the height of folly.”

  She wanted to insist he was wrong. But he wasn’t entirely. She wasn’t Artemis’s equal, but that didn’t mean she would be unwelcome. Difficult experience had taught her not to argue with her parents on these matters. She behaved in the ways they insisted she behave. She kept her peace when she wanted nothing more than to defend herself.

  She remained at her parents’ side, waiting for her friend to see her and come over. She hated the thought of needing to be rescued. Lillian might’ve been content to play the part of the helpless damsel incapable of doing anything for herself, but that was Ellie’s idea of absolute torture. They slowly made a circuit of the ballroom, Mother and Father greeting people they knew, addressing with great deference those they wished they knew better. All the while, Ellie watched Artemis and Daria, who had now found each other. At one point, she caught a glimpse of Gillian but was not able to catch her eye either. What a misery this would be if she spent the entire evening silently crushed by the weight of her family’s disapproval, watching from a distance as her newfound friends enjoyed the freedom she was not afforded. If only they could simply go to London now.

  As she and her parents began their second turn about the room, a voice broke into the silence enveloping Ellie.

  “A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Napper, Mrs. Napper.” That the greeting came from Newton himself was a most welcome and wonderful surprise. Ellie looked over at him just as he looked to her. Manners dictated that he greet her older sister first, which he did, employing a pleasant but impersonal tone. Then, with the tiniest hint of a smile, he gave Ellie his full attention. “Miss Ellie. I had hoped you would be here this evening.”

  “Lillian was hoping you would be here.” One would never accuse Mother of being a master in the art of subtlety.

  “I do not wish to be overly hasty,” Newton said. “But I am certain Miss Ellie’s dances are nearly all claimed. I wish to secure my turn to stand up with her for a set, if she has one remaining.” Then, being the gentleman he was, he looked to Lillian. “And you too, of course.”

  Mother appeared confused for the length of a breath. “Of course. Of course they will dance with you. You simply must begin with Lillian. She is quite an adept dancer.”

  Newton hesitated for only the briefest moment. It was enough, Ellie hoped, to at least make her parents wonder if his attachment to Lillian was forming as quickly and fully as they wanted to believe. That was, after all, the point of their efforts.

  Lillian accepted Newton’s invitation for the very next set. The bubble of jealousy that expanded around Ellie’s heart caught her unawares. She wasn’t consumed by it, and she didn’t intend to sulk. But she was a little sad. She’d missed him and had been looking forward to his company. As too often happened, Lillian stood between her and happiness.

  “The Hugheses are a fine family,” Father said. “An association with them is quite a fine thing. For Ellie to have gained something of a friendship with Miss Lancaster and Mr. Jonquil, as well as the Mullins siblings and Miss Phelps, is quite a feather in our cap. And for Mr. Hughes to continually return to spend time with our daughters is encouraging.”

  Our daughters. That was not at all the view of it Ellie wanted her parents to have. But at least they were not interpreting Newton’s presence as particular interest in Lillian.

  “You did not tell me how things transpired while you were promenad
ing yesterday.” Mother looked to Ellie with concern and anticipation in her gaze.

  “I had assumed Lillian would give you a full report.” Indeed, it seemed odd that she hadn’t.

  “She was quiet after returning. That has me concerned that things did not go well with her efforts in Mr. Newton’s direction.”

  That was truer than Mother likely realized. Ellie, however, was not going to admit as much. She was scolded for being overly forward and speaking too much, but the repercussions of admitting that she was personally undermining her sister’s chances would likely instigate a punishment more severe than she had yet experienced. “Mr. Newton seemed in good spirits throughout. He asked questions of both of us: where we had traveled, what our home was like, what our future plans were.”

  Mother looked at her father with an expression of concern.

  “He asked about our estate?” Father didn’t sound pleased with the topic of conversation.

  “Among other things.”

  Mother and Father looked at each other, wearing nearly identical expressions of dismay.

  “Forgive my confusion,” Ellie said, “but I am not certain why that is of such concern.” Discussions of homes and estates were common among tonish people.

  “Our estate, our home, our situation are lowly compared to the Hugheses’. We can claim nothing that comes close to what they can. Their family holdings outshine ours in every conceivable way.”

  Mother twisted her hands around each other, her eyes darting about the way they did when she was thinking frantically. “Did he seem dismissive . . . or disgusted?”

  Ellie shook her head. “He gave no indication of disapproval.” And yet, she found herself wondering.

  He was paying her attention as both a favor to her, which he likely did out of a sense of gentlemanly kindness, and as a means of being instrumental in his own matrimonial escape. That did not mean he approved of her or looked upon her circumstances with anything but a kind and quiet indifference. Surely, she had not misread him so entirely. She did not think he was a talented actor. Indeed, he was so circumspect and withdrawn that he was far more likely to make an awkward mull of any pretended feelings. Then again, he was doing precisely that and at her bidding.

  She didn’t entirely know what to believe. That was, she supposed, the danger one courted when undertaking a ruse such as this. How easy it would be to allow herself to believe things that were not true simply because it was easier to do so.

  Was it all an act? Perhaps her forwardness caused him consternation that he simply kept hidden. Perhaps he did not object to enacting the charade for his own sake but actually found her humble circumstances a bit lowering.

  No. She did not believe that. There was too much sincerity in him. They were pretending that tenderness was growing between them, but his kindness to her was not a ruse. She felt confident she could think of him as a friend.

  In the midst of her mental wanderings, her path finally crossed with Artemis’s.

  “At last we’ve found each other,” Artemis said. “I saw you a few times but never could seem to reach you before you moved along. Why did you not come and greet me?”

  “My parents feared that would be overly forward of me,” she said. Mother and Father were listening quite intently. She would let them hear the answer to their earlier objections.

  “Overly forward?” Artemis repeated the words on something of a laugh. “We are dear friends, Ellie. There is nothing overly forward about greetings between friends.”

  A little bubble of pride expanded in her chest. She had not been wrong about Artemis’s friendship. She did not think she was wrong about Newton’s either. A person needed such boosts of confidence now and then.

  Artemis remained for a few minutes, talking amiably with her. Mother and Father stood in near-silent awe, a blessing by anyone’s estimation. The respite was more than welcome.

  By the time Artemis was pulled away by a Society acquaintance, Ellie had her doubts entirely sorted and herself firmly in hand. She was once more committed to saving herself from an unwanted match with Charlie, Lillian from forcing an unwelcome match on Newton, and Newton from being pushed into pursuing Artemis.

  The set came to its conclusion, and Newton returned with Lillian. He thanked her, as was customary, then bowed to her parents.

  Having undertaken the usual niceties, Newton turned to Ellie. “Your dances have not all been claimed while I was gone, have they?” He was either very good at this ruse, or he did, in fact, have some fondness for her.

  “I have not been asked for a single set. Neither have I seen any indication that there’s any interest beyond your offer earlier.” She allowed a mischievous smile. “Are you certain you still wish to dance with me? You might be seen as having incredibly poor taste.”

  Though Newton smiled, her parents most certainly did not. They would far rather have preferred she be more like Lillian, whom Ellie wasn’t sure was capable of independent thought. Lillian kept that part of herself locked away so firmly that even family was not privy to it.

  Ellie could not live her life that way. She knew she couldn’t. Newton bowed once more. “I am quite certain I still wish to dance with you. If you are permitted.” He turned to her parents for the permission she was required to obtain. They both nodded but with some degree of reluctance. She felt certain it was their confusion over the difference in Newton’s manner of asking her compared to the way in which he had invited Lillian. He was doing a fine job of showing that he was not inclined toward Lillian at all.

  Ellie set her hand in the crook of his arm, and he led her out for the set. It was a country dance she was quite familiar with. The movements would bring them together many times. She would have an opportunity to chat with him and enjoy his company for the length of the dance.

  The first time they were brought together, he asked, “Is something the matter? You seem pensive.”

  “I’m afraid I have endured something of a scolding.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. From your sister or your parents?” He seemed genuinely compassionate.

  “Both, truth be told. Lillian concluded hers before we left home. My parents continued on the same topic at our arrival.”

  They were separated for a time as the dance continued. His expression was unreadable. He did not seem unhappy or disapproving, but neither did he appear curious or interested. She had found, though, his expression was often neutral. When they came back together once more, he spoke first. “On what topic did they scold you? I’ve been trying to think of a reason for them to be disapproving, and I can think of nothing.”

  She smiled unabashedly. “I am afraid my family can think of ample reason for lecturing me. I know how young ladies are meant to behave, and I too often do not.”

  His gaze narrowed on her a little. “We are about to be separated once more. When I return to your side, I intend to quite thoroughly interrogate you on the topic of your mysterious breaches of etiquette.”

  She might’ve been intimidated if she hadn’t seen mischief twinkling in his eyes. And further, she was touched that he could not immediately think of at least a half dozen breaches of etiquette, as he called them, that she had committed just during the time they had spent together. He was enough in Society to realize ladies were meant to be demure, and she was never that when not forced into decorum by her parents. He was a kind soul, Newton Hughes. How she enjoyed talking with him. His company was reassuring and soothing and kind.

  His romantic interest in her was feigned. But his goodness was genuine.

  As promised, he dove in when they were next together. “Have you taken up a career on the stage?”

  She smiled and shook her head.

  “Begun frequenting gambling dens?”

  Again, she could not keep back a smile.

  “Then I will assume you have gone about singing inappropriately bawdy tunes
at the top of your voice in Hyde Park during the fashionable hour. There can be no other possibility.”

  She laughed. The sound drew a bit of attention from those nearest them. “I don’t imagine it’s possible for me to have done anything in Hyde Park when one takes into consideration the fact that I have not once in all my life been to London.”

  She was watched a little closely by those in the set dancing nearest them. Whether the confusion or curiosity or disapproval or whatever it was that she saw in their faces arose from her admission that she’d never been to Town or the fact that she had done the unthinkable and laughed whilst dancing a country set, she couldn’t say. At the moment, she did not particularly care. Newton was working his magic once more, weaving a spell of contentment over her.

  “Well then,” he said, “I haven’t the first idea what shocking infringement you are guilty of.”

  Ellie answered quickly before the dance pulled them apart. “I speak my mind too freely and do not pretend to be an idiot.”

  Though he did not breach protocol and laugh, she could see how tempted he was to do precisely that. Her heart soared. Her spirits lifted. If only this were not a pretended courtship. She was beginning to suspect that Newton Hughes was precisely the sort of gentleman with whom she could build a happy life.

  But he was entirely out of reach.

  Chapter Nine

  “Laughing out loud in the midst of a dance. I’ve never been so humiliated in all my life.” Lillian had been blustering ever since they’d returned home from the Upper Assembly Rooms the night before. “And she showed not the least embarrassment over it. I could have endured the stares had she at least appeared to recognize the impropriety of her behavior. How are we to obtain advantageous connections if she makes us the laughingstock of Society?” That seemed a bit harsh. But it fit well with most of what Lillian had been saying to and about her the last few days.