“Oh, that? Yes, it went well enough, I suppose,” Miles responded absentmindedly.
“Damned with faint praise,” Ralph said drily.
Miles smiled. “Damned family more like.”
“I can empathise with that wholeheartedly. I thought your sister at least was a sensible being, not prone to causing you any concerns.”
“She wasn’t, until she came up with the most foolish, hare-brained idea a chit could ever utter,” Miles said through gritted teeth.
Ralph’s eyebrows rose. “Sounds interesting.”
“Interesting is not a word I’d use. Oh, I shouldn’t be speaking of it,” Miles admitted. “If the story gets out, she’ll be ruined.”
“I hardly pass the time of day with the gossip of friends,” Ralph pointed out.
“Only because I’m your only friend,” Miles teased.
Ralph raised his eyebrows, taking another drink before speaking. “And the ladies in society consider you to be such a gentle-natured beau. If only they knew the truth. You have hidden claws my friend and they are sharp.”
“Oh, don’t take on so,” Miles grinned. “You know I regard you as one of the best dashed fellows around.”
“Someone has to, I suppose,” Ralph drawled. “Now, what’s this with your sister?”
Miles recounted Edith’s scheme and didn’t hold back in voicing his opinion of it. Sitting back after finishing the whispered tale, he ran his hands through his hair. “I can tell you, it has me having nightmares as to the hundred ways it could go wrong.”
“Yes. She’s taking a huge risk, but in some respects I admire her for it,” Ralph admitted.
“Really?” Miles asked, astounded.
“Why yes, she’s trying to take control of her own destiny. I can see the attraction of that,” Ralph explained. “Too often one is affected by the situations around them and feels somewhat out of control.”
“A damn fool way of going about it,” Miles insisted
“Perhaps, but she’s right in the fact her options are limited. You obviously haven’t introduced her to the right calibre of beau since the season started,” Ralph said.
“She’s too fussy. I’m beginning to think my mother could be right in that she’s not going to make a match of it at all,” Miles admitted for the first time.
“And she wouldn’t be allowed another season? It is only her first after all.”
“Would there be any point? She’d be four and twenty by then; she’d likely spend most of her time on the wallflower benches. What’s the point in making all the effort of spending the season in London for that?” Miles asked.
“Still an heiress though,” Ralph pointed out.
“Hmm.”
“You act as if she has three heads. Surely she is personable? I’m presuming she has your penchant to please? I know we have met, but it was some years ago, she wasn’t out of the schoolroom, I seem to recall.”
Miles grimaced. “She might be a little more caustic than I,” he admitted.
Ralph laughed. “I suddenly have the overwhelming urge to meet this dragon of a sister.”
“Good, you can join us at Vauxhall Gardens tomorrow night. There’s a concert and firework display on. I’ve hired a box.”
“I walked into that one, didn’t I?” Ralph scowled.
Miles laughed. “You did but please don’t let me down.”
*
Ralph called at Curzon Street in his carriage to collect his friend and his relations. Entering into the hallway, he was greeted by Miles.
“Welcome! Mother and Edith shall be with us shortly. Would you like to join me in a glass of brandy in the library?” Miles offered.
“Thank you, no. I’m happy to wait here for them to join us, if they won’t be long. There’s no need for us to keep the ladies waiting,” Ralph said.
“You really are looking forward to tonight, aren’t you?” Miles grinned at Ralph. “Can’t wait to get there, so you can leave as soon as it’s acceptable that you make your escape. I hope I can come with you.”
“Said by a dutiful son and brother,” Ralph responded.
“Spend an evening with my family and you’ll understand what I mean.”
“How rude you are, Miles.” Edith’s voice came from above the two gentlemen. “You put my mother and I to the blush.”
“As mother is not within earshot and you wouldn’t be cruel enough to repeat my words, I’m only in danger of hearing your scolding, which is the lesser evil of a situation to be in,” Miles responded with a grin to his sister.
“You are the most dastardly of brothers,” Edith responded, walking down the stairs, her hand trailing along the bannister rail. She was dressed in a lilac silk gown, which suited her colouring perfectly and skimmed over her tall, slim frame. Not one for wearing the whites and creams of the debutante she was, she tended to wear pastel colours instead. She wore simple diamonds around her neck, an elegant droplet design, and crystals in her hair. A bracelet over her long silk gloves completed her ensemble and with only a touch of lip colouring, she looked regally handsome.
“Lady Edith, I tend to ignore your brother as much as I can,” Ralph said smoothly, bowing over Edith’s proffered hand. He had felt a moment of stillness when he’d first looked up and seen Edith. She seemed effortlessly graceful and unaffected, her sparkling eyes laughing at them both as she descended the stairs. He wanted to ask Miles what was wrong with his sister, for in looks and demeanour, he could find no fault. Why she was unmarried seemed preposterous if even his jaded eye could see her beauty. For to him she was beautiful.
“As I try and do the same, I cannot fault your reasoning,” Edith said with a smile. She had noticed the intense look Ralph had given her and it had caused something to unfurl in her stomach. He was a striking man, all dark and angled features, who was exquisitely dressed. Miles always looked dressed to perfection, but his friend outshone him in Edith’s eyes.
“Edith, meet Pensby, you already sound like you’ll get on well,” Miles said with a glower.
“With you offering insults to all and sundry, I expect it’s inevitable,” Edith said, accepting her shawl from a waiting footman.
Lady Longdon soon joined them, although the banter stopped once she joined the group. A woman inclined to moan and grumble, she soon drained the atmosphere of all its joviality.
Once they had entered their reserved space in Vauxhall Gardens, Lady Longdon was seated as comfortably as a woman with her tendency to find fault could be; Miles and Ralph took a more strategic position in the space, abandoning Edith to entertain her mother.
“I’ll be glad when Mother returns to the country, I can tell you,” Miles admitted, once out of earshot. “I know I’m an unfeeling brute, when I consider all she’s lost, but she’s not easy to be with. I feel heartily sorry for Edith sometimes.”
“Yet, you’ve left her to her fate,” Ralph pointed out, looking at the barely suppressed pained expression on Edith’s face as she listened to her mother’s chatter.
“I don’t feel that sorry for her,” Miles said with a laugh when he noticed Edith glaring at him, as she guessed some extent of what her brother was talking about.
Ralph smiled at the interaction. “You are fortunate you have a sister. Imagine if it was only you and your mother.”
“Shudder at the thought,” Miles grimaced. “Hopefully, some of her cronies will soon join her. I tell you, it’s like a coven of witches sometimes in the drawing room at home. Terrifies me. A battalion of Napoleon’s men didn’t scare me as much.”
Ralph gave Miles a mock arch look before approaching Edith. “Lady Edith, would you care to join me on a walk through the avenues before they become too crowded? Miles is happy to remain with your mother.”
Edith sent a knowing look of laughter to her brother. “Why, yes, my lord, that would be perfect. Thank you.”
“Take your shawl, Edith, the night is chilly,” Lady Longdon said.
“Yes, Mama.”
Edith and R
alph left the box and, accepting Ralph’s offered arm, they started to stroll along the lit avenues, passing one or two other couples. The effect was to appear far away from the activities and offer people a little more sedate area. Very often these were used for illicit meetings, but so early in the evening they were enjoyed by those purely enjoying a stroll and the company they were with.
Edith was more than happy to be on the arm of such a handsome man. He was taller than her, like her brother, and although he hadn’t experienced the exercise Miles had, he was still a broad-shouldered man. He had a face which didn’t smile much, but Edith had seen him smile when talking to Miles and she had been fortunate he hadn’t caught her staring. His features had changed, he’d looked younger and more carefree. Handsome features had turned into stunningly handsome.
“Have you known my brother long? I vaguely remember you visiting many years back, but as I was only allowed downstairs for the briefest of times, I can’t recall much of those who visited,” Edith asked.
“We’ve been friends since our first year at school,” Ralph answered. “He took pity on me.”
“I’m sure that wasn’t the case, although he tends to like most people. He’s very easy-going in that respect,” Edith acknowledged.
“Yes. He is forgiving of the foibles of others. I’m glad he returned from Spain, America and France uninjured. A miracle to see so much fighting and return unscathed, not many others could claim the same, I’m sure.”
“Relatively unscathed,” Edith corrected. “I don’t think anyone would survive the battles he did and be the same person as they went.”
“True. He admires you for what you dealt with whilst he was away.”
“It was hard,” Edith admitted. “But my main aim was to shield Miles as much as possible. Mother wanted me to insist he returned but I refused. It might sound foolish, for he could have been wounded, or worse, but I know how much it meant to him to be fighting with his friends. If he’d have returned early and they had been killed…”
“Yes. His guilt would have been far worse than anything he suffers from now,” Ralph agreed.
“Exactly! I know it could be seen as idiotish on my part, but I understood what was driving Miles and I couldn’t interfere with that for my own selfish reasons. There was really nothing to be gained by him returning. Mother just couldn’t see it,” Edith explained, voicing her motivation for the first time. “In fact, no one I expressed my view to seemed to understand.”
“Were they all ladies?” Ralph asked.
“Yes, I think so. Apart from the family solicitor, it was Mother’s friends who visited us in the main.”
“There you have it. They will have responded from the need to keep those they care about protected and close. If you’d said the same to the men of your acquaintance, I’m sure you’d have found understanding.”
“That’s an interesting point,” Edith mused. “Thankfully he came back safe and Mama could finally be at ease.”
“And he’s taken over the family title. To his credit he seems to have been born to the role. Not that I’m saying he coveted it, for I know he didn’t.”
“He’s shouldered the responsibilities without complaint. There have been too many changes over the last few years. It’s been an emotive time for us all. I miss my father and my brothers. The house was always full of laughter and joviality when they were all together.”
“It’s hard to lose those who are close to us.”
“Yes.”
“Your brother enjoys teasing you,” Ralph said, changing the subject onto a lighter topic.
“Far too much,” Edith said with a slight smile. “He chooses his moments perfectly, usually when we are in company so I can’t retaliate as I would wish. Instead, he knows I have to act demure and unaffected.”
“He said you were a little more caus–fiery than he is,” Ralph corrected himself quickly.
“I can just imagine what he actually said, yet he’s a real fishwife when he starts,” Edith countered, not being offended at the label her brother had given her.
Ralph laughed. “You don’t idolise him as the elder brother to be obeyed and worship?”
“Oh, yes, completely, but there’s no need to let him know that is there? Where’s the fun in that?”
“True.”
“Do you have siblings, my lord?”
“No. Unfortunately not. I have little family,” Ralph answered, stiffening slightly.
Edith felt the movement under her hand, which had been until that moment, sitting comfortably on the firm arm and although she wondered at his answer, she didn’t press further. “I’m glad I have Miles. Mother is sometimes difficult to manage.”
“From what she has suffered in recent years, I expect she is justified in being a little out of sorts. It’s important to appreciate and support our parents as best we can,” Ralph countered.
“I am a dutiful daughter most of the time,” Edith admitted.
“I do feel that doing our duty is the most important aspect of respecting our parents. In fact, I’d go as far as to say we owe it to them to be respectful.”
“I try my best, but I can’t always be what my mother wishes,” Edith admitted.
“Is that because you rail against being told what to do?” Ralph asked, genuinely curious about Edith after what Miles had revealed to him.
“Do you always ask impertinent questions, my lord?”
“Only when I feel someone is perhaps a little misguided, or my curiosity is piqued.”
“You seem very keen to go beyond the etiquette of polite conversation.”
“If you want the boring conversation of the fops who surround you in society, I’m afraid you chose the wrong man to escort you, Lady Edith. I don’t hold my tongue if I have something to say and I’ve been led to believe neither do you.”
“That would suggest I’m an opinionated baggage,” Edith responded.
Ralph laughed. “I’ve suggested nothing of the sort.”
“If you were at this side of the argument you might view your words differently.”
“Is that what we’re doing? Arguing? I thought we were having a spirited conversation. I was obviously misinformed in your character. I was led to believe you were a little out of the ordinary. I beg pardon for being wrong.”
Edith was discomfited and stung by Ralph’s rebuke. She prided herself on being a little out of the common way, she was well aware of being proud of the fact. In the fewest of sentences, she’d been told she was no different to the hundreds of other young women in society. It rankled her vanity, something which she had convinced herself that she didn’t have.
“And so, we enjoy a cose as we walk,” Edith responded sarcastically. “I think it’s time we returned to our box, my lord, before one of us is overwhelmed by the charm of the other.”
“As you wish.” Ralph set his lips in a grim line. He could have laughed at her comment; he had to give her credit for her rejoinder. It was no wonder she hadn’t been a hit of the season. She pretended to be one thing, whilst being no different from the dozens of other vixens who prowled the ballrooms of society. This was exactly the reason he didn’t socialise, one moment you were chatting amiably, the next some word or comment was misunderstood and you were faced with a missish termagant.
They returned to the box in silence. Miles raised his eyebrows at the serious expressions on both of their faces, but received no response from either Edith or Ralph. Edith was deposited with her mother once more, who was now surrounded by people she knew.
Ralph bowed to the group of ladies. “Please accept my good wishes, Lady Longdon, Lady Edith, ladies. I hope to see you some time soon.” Nodding to Miles, Ralph left the box.
Miles looked slightly stunned as he approached Edith and motioned that she should leave the group gathered around their mother.
Edith reluctantly left the confines in which she couldn’t be questioned, whilst in reality there was no point trying to delay speaking to Miles. “I said nothing,
” she said defensively before Miles had time to speak.
“That’s an admission of guilt, if ever I heard one!” Miles exclaimed.
“He’s quite opinionated and didn’t appreciate when I didn’t agree with his every word,” Edith admitted.
“Oh, Edith,” Miles groaned.
“What? All I did was stand up for myself when he became impertinent and offensive!” Edith said, flushing.
“Could you not, just for once, be nice?”
“I am nice.”
“You are an acquired taste.”
“Well! And you’re supposed to be my defender!” Edith said with a huff. “Surely you don’t want me to set my cap at Lord Pensby?”
“Ralph? Good grief, no. He ain’t the marrying kind, but I’d like you two to get on. He doesn’t mix in society much.”
“There’s obviously a reason for that!” came the tart response.
“Yes, there is. I don’t know much about his homelife, but I suspect it’s not a happy one. There is only himself and his mother. She’s never seen in town, or Brighton, or anywhere as far as I can tell. Ralph clams up if one tries to find anything out about their situation, so I’ve given up trying, but it’s clear that he’s not happy and I was trying to bring him out a little more,” Miles explained.
Edith looked mortified. “And I’ve put paid to that. Oh dear. I just thought he was criticising me because he was unpleasant.”
“I doubt that very much. What motivation would he have, or what would he be hoping to achieve? I do wish you’d be more circumspect, Edith. That temper of yours will get you into trouble one of these days,” Miles cautioned.
“Perhaps writing to perspective suitors is the safest way of securing a husband after all. Hopefully, whoever I chose will be smitten with me before he realises I have a quick temper,” Edith said with a smile.
“Hmm. I hope you are being careful.”
“I am, although one of the potential suitors didn’t reply to the letter I sent in response to his. I can’t understand why one would write to someone and then not continue with the correspondence,” Edith said a little dejectedly. “Never mind, there are only a few more days and I should be getting my next parcel.”
Lady Edith's Lonely Heart: A Regency Romance (Lonely Hearts Series Book 1) Page 3
