by Leenie Brown
“However, Miss Grace did not seem to think your penchant for female companionship would be a problem for a wife.”
“It would not be,” Roger agreed. His time to be carefree was now and not when he had a wife and family.
“I was not aware of how seriously you viewed taking a wife.” Her head dipped. “I am sorry. I should have considered how loyal you are to your family and friends, but I did not.”
She had obviously heard his reasons for not wishing to marry. It was gratifying to hear her praise of him. Miss Tierney had praised him for his reasons when he had shared them at Heathcote that morning, and it had been quite pleasant to hear. However, it was far more gratifying hearing it from Victoria than it had been from Miss Tierney or would be from anyone else for that matter, for Victoria knew him best.
“The one item which Miss Grace could not reason away, however,” Victoria continued, “was your view on educating your children at home. She is not keen to take on the task of education even if she is highly accomplished. Therefore, you will need to be adamant about a wife being an integral part of your children’s education if you wish to keep her unfavourably disposed to pursuing you.”
“Noted.” That would not be a hardship, for he was adamant about his wife, just like himself, being involved with the development of their children’s minds. “And have you discovered the gentleman with whom we might match her? Is it Ainsley?”
Victoria nodded. “He is one candidate. She also finds Mr. Ramsey appealing, and we discovered over a very long hour and a half of speaking to various gentleman that Mr. Yardley is not without his charms.”
“Yardley, Ainsley, and Ramsey. Well done.” He smiled at her. He had known she would not fail him. She never did. “And did you discover any gents who captured your fancy, my lady?”
She rolled her eyes just as he expected she would. However, her reply of “no” was not as quick in coming as he expected. It was almost as if she were pausing to consider some fellow before making her decision. Or perhaps, she was hiding the truth from him. That would make two secrets she held and would not share with him, and he did not like it one bit.
“I should go practice.”
“Yes, we would not wish to make Carlyle wait,” Roger grumbled.
He did not wish to return Victoria to the house. He wanted to make another, longer circuit of the garden with her at his side, but he would see her to the music room as she requested merely because she had requested it. Then, he would make his way to his room and while away his time lying on his bed, alone, with a book. It sounded dreadfully dull, but it was also the one place he knew he would not be called on to escort some lady on a walk or be expected to take part in empty conversations. How many times could he describe his estate? Or tell a lady which horse in his stable was his fastest or favourite?
“How long are you staying?” Victoria asked as they ascended the stairs to the music room.
“I had hoped three days at most, but if we are to see Miss Grace happily settled…”
“You do not think you can manage the feat in three days?” She teased.
He shook his head. Miss Grace did not appear to be the quickest study and persuading a gentleman into marriage could prove to be tricky if the gentleman did not wish to be persuaded. Roger would have to discover which of the three candidates Victoria had mentioned was most eager to be settled into his future. As he considered these things, he and Victoria walked in companionable silence to the music room door.
“I am happy to have you here,” she said.
He held the door partially open but closed it at her admission. “Why do you not yet wish to marry? I believe you have already heard my reasons.”
She shook her head. “I just cannot tell you. I assure you that if I did, I would be embarrassed beyond recovery.”
“Will you ever tell me?”
She drew in a breath and released it slowly as a maid scurried past them. “Maybe on the day I marry, for then it shall no longer matter.”
He scowled. It was not the answer he had hoped to hear. He had thought she might tell him if they were at home. He had not thought she would make him wait so long as until her wedding day – which she had admitted was not something she was seeking to have happen any time soon.
“Perhaps I shall just have to find you a husband,” he teased, though his heart was not truly in it. “Since that is the only way I shall ever know your secret.” His heart was feeling rather bitter about that.
“Please, do not. I beg you.”
He ignored the fear in her tone and continued on his teasing path. “Is there no one here who could charm you from your single state?”
Again, she unexpectedly paused before replying. “None who would have me.”
Were those tears in her eyes? Bitterness fled and regret filled its place in his heart.
“I apologize. I have gone too far in my quest to know your secret, but we have shared so much.” He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close so that she could feel his remorse for causing her discomfort.
“One day,” she whispered. “One day, perhaps we can share this secret as well.”
He nodded and opened the door slowly. He would have to accept that for now.
“Are you well?” he asked as she passed him to enter the room.
“How can I be anything but well when you are here?” she said lightly.
He shook his head. “Seriously, Vic, are you well?”
“I would be better if I did not have to practice the piano, but yes, I am well. You have not upset me.”
Perhaps he had not upset her, but his own heart was far from settled as he turned to seek the safety and solitude of his room.
Chapter 4
Victoria settled into a chair next to the piano and shuffled through the available sheets of music looking for a song that was familiar.
“Is my brother treating you well?” Diana Berkeley whispered as she took the chair next to.
Victoria glanced up from the pages she held and smiled at Roger’s older sister, who had agreed to be her chaperone for this house party so that Victoria’s mother would not have to attend. There was a young Berkeley boy who would be visiting Roger’s mother, and since Mrs. Hamilton did not yet have any grandchildren, she had wished to help Mrs. Shelton enjoy her grandson.
“He always does,” Victoria replied before turning her attention back to the sheets of music she held.
“What about that one?”
Victoria shook her head. “I am forever getting the timing wrong in the middle. If I were just playing, I could fudge my way through it, but that is not possible when someone is singing.” She sighed.
“Is something amiss?”
“I do not wish to play.”
“Then, why are you?” Diana was a lot like her brother in not bowing to the demands of others. If Diana had not wished to play. Diana would not have played.
Victoria shrugged.
“You felt guilty,” Diana said.
It was not a question. It was a statement of fact. A very accurate statement of fact.
“I would not have told your mother.”
“I have no doubt that Mrs. Abernathy would have seen to that duty for you. I could see it in the way she arched her brow at me when prodding me to play for Mr. Carlyle.” Victoria lowered her voice and lifted a piece of music to hide behind as she whispered. “I confess that I was also fearful of how Mr. Carlyle would portray me to the other gentlemen.”
“Are you considering any of them?”
“Not presently,” Victoria replied. “However, one must not paint herself as unyielding when she does not have the advantage of youth on her side.”
She lowered the piece of music she had used as a shield. “I shall have to marry eventually, and I have not met every gentleman here. Most I have seen at one function or another in town, but I have not had an opportunity to converse with any of them. It would be foolish to hinder my chances over a piece of music.”
“But I
thought you were intent upon –”
“Yes, well,” Victoria cut her off before she could finish her comment, “that is as likely to happen now as it has always been.”
“You are not giving up hope, are you?”
“What do you think of Mr. Ainsley?” Victoria asked, ignoring her friend and chaperone’s question.
“Does this mean you are giving up hope?” If Diana was anything, she was persistent. “Do you like Mr. Ainsley?”
“He is a very nice gentleman, but I am not asking for myself. Miss Grace, who has, as I understand it from Roger, spent some time at Stratsbury Park attempting to sway your brother from his single state, seems to think Mr. Ainsley might be a better alternative as a husband.”
“Oh!” Diana’s eyes grew wide as understanding dawned on her. “I have only heard good things about him from the other chaperones. His finances are good. His country estate is not lacking. He does have the care of his mother, but she is a dear lady – or so I have been led to believe. One can never be too certain with these chaperones. They might be trying to rid themselves of an unwanted prospect instead of speaking truthfully.”
“This whole marrying business is a bit of a nightmare if you ask me. Does anyone truly know who she is marrying when she agrees to be wed?” Victoria shook her head in disgust. It was the part of the season she liked the least. It was difficult to discern the true intentions of anyone when a proper front must be displayed at all times. The length of a dance or a call in a drawing room was not enough time to learn much about someone. Topics were kept to the mundane and safe. One must not venture into areas of discussion that were of much substance.
“One does if she does not rush into it. Berkley and I knew each other for nearly a year before we were betrothed. Be patient. There is no need to have the thing decided by the end of this party. Unless, of course…” She smiled knowingly but did not finish her thought. She did not need to finish it, for she knew precisely where Victoria’s heart lay.
“I have sung this one before.” Mr. Carlyle, who was holding a sheet of music, had approached them. “’The True Lover’s Farewell’,” he said, presenting her with the music.
Victoria shook her head. “I am afraid I have never played that song.” She picked up the music which lay on top of the pile on her lap. “This one I know quite well.”
“’The Ash Grove’?” He eyed the piece. “It seems simple enough.”
“It is not complex. Mr. Shelton and I have performed it several times. It is one of my father’s favourites, and so he requests it often. I doubt I shall stumble at all while playing, for I shall be able to listen, and my fingers will just do as they have learned to do.”
“It is a favourite of your father’s, you say?”
The way Mr. Carlyle’s eyebrows rose in curiosity caused Victoria to wonder if she should not have just accepted the new piece he had presented her. His look was too calculating. It was as if he were considering how he might use this to impress her father or some such thing.
“And do you also like this song?” he asked.
Very much so, especially when Roger sang it. Mrs. Abernathy had not been wrong in her assessment of Mr. Shelton’s ability to sing. However, that was not what she wished for Mr. Carlyle to know. She wanted Mr. Carlyle to know as little about her as possible, so she said, “It is a very pleasant song.”
From the smile he wore, she knew he was satisfied with her answer.
“Then, it shall be perfect. Do you think we might try it now?” He motioned to the piano.
Victoria tamped down her irritation about having to play anything at all, handed the remaining sheets of music to Diana, and took her place at the instrument. The things one had to endure to please one’s mother!
Thirty minutes later, once Mr. Carlyle, who was as exacting as she had imagined him to be, was satisfied with both his performance and hers, Victoria was allowed to quit her spot at the piano.
“Of all the frustrating, arrogant men!” she complained in a whisper to Diana. “Did you hear him instructing me on how best to play?”
Diana linked her arm with Victoria’s. “I did. You bore it quite well.” She glanced over her shoulder to where Mr. Carlyle still stood near the piano, singing the song to himself. “I rather think he might be considering you.”
Victoria shuddered. “Please, do not accept any offers from him for anything. I shall take to my bed or be taken home early with a horridly contagious disease if necessary. I cannot abide such an imperious person!”
Diana chuckled. “Perhaps you should refuse to do as he says next time you meet so that he will know of your disgust of his fussiness. You gave him no reason to think you were anything but pleased to perform as directed. It was really not like you.”
“He is the biggest gossip, Diana! I have heard him making mince of more than one lady.”
“And if he were to say one bad thing about you, I would only need to tell my husband or my brother, and the man would be sorry for having ever even thought of you in a light that was not positive.” She gave Victoria a stern look. “Do not let him lead if you do not wish to follow. That is it. Plain and simple.”
Victoria sighed. Diana was correct, of course.
“If I had not heard him denigrating Miss Deighton last season…”
Diana gasped. “Is he the source of her troubles?”
Victoria nodded.
“Does my brother know this?”
“I could not say.”
“I would think he does not if he allowed you to spend time with such a gentleman.”
“Diana, I am nothing more than a friend to Roger. It would seem very strange if he did not allow me to spend time with other gentlemen.” There was no reason for Roger to stand guard over her as if she were his.
“Little more than a friend,” Diana scoffed.
Victoria gave her a pointed look, and she said no more.
Grace waved to them as they stood by the door and then turned to say something to Mr. Ainsley before hurrying over to join them. Neither Victoria nor Diana could leave without her. It would not do to leave a young woman alone in a room with two gentlemen and no chaperone.
“He is simply wonderful,” Grace said when they had entered the hall. “His voice is divine. I am certain I could listen to him sing for hours, although he is perhaps not as good as Mr. Carlyle. You were very fortunate to have acquired such a good partner.” She sighed. “And his care for how you played. I found it very touching.” Her hand rested on her heart.
“I found it tiring,” Victoria said. “He was condescending and overbearing.”
“Then, you do not like him?” Grace looked at Victoria as if there were something wrong with her. “He is so handsome.”
“I wish for more than a pretty face,” Victoria replied. “I want someone who will treat me with respect, and I fear the only person Mr. Carlyle respects is Mr. Carlyle.”
“How did Mr. Ainsley treat you?” Diana interjected.
“He was very kind. He asked after my comfort many times, and he excused all my mistakes while encouraging me to try again.”
“You see!” Diana cried. “That is how a young man should treat a young lady. Mr. Ainsley is the sort of gentleman one should seek. Even if his eyes are not as deep a brown as Mr. Carlyle’s and if, in terms of stature, he does not tower over any of the other men, his character sounds as if it is all that it should be.”
“Do you really think so?” Grace asked eagerly.
“Yes,” Diana answered firmly. “I have no doubt in my mind that Mr. Ainsley could make a fine husband for some young lady.”
That seemed to make Grace think quite well of herself if one could judge such a thing from the lift of her chin and the smile on her lips.
“Do we still need to discover more about Mr. Yardley or Mr. Ramsey?” Victoria inquired.
“Hmmm.” Grace’s brow furrowed.
“I think it is a good idea if we do,” Diana answered. “One does not select a hat without trying several
, and I dare say it would be foolish to not consider the other gentlemen,” she held up a finger, “unless, of course, your heart is engaged. Then, we must not waiver from our objective.”
They stopped in front of the door to Victoria and Diana’s room.
“Come,” Diana said, “we will refresh ourselves and discover your heart’s intent in our room.” She opened the door. “I will send a message to your mother so that she does not worry about where you are. She was quite pleased to allow me to keep watch over you. I am certain she will not mind if I continue to do so.”
Grace entered the room behind Diana. “Oh, I am sure she is far too busy with my sister. Felicity does like to sneak off at times.” The young girl plopped down on the window seat. “This is an excellent view!”
“Yes, well,” Diana said, “Victoria is not without a substantial fortune. An excellent view is expected.”
Grace blinked as she turned to Victoria. “I had no idea you were an heiress.”
“I would not say heiress,” Victoria countered.
“I would,” Diana said in a loud whisper. “But Victoria does not like to speak of such things. She finds them vulgar.”
“I do not! I just think that a lady should be valued for more than the amount of money attached to her name.”
“I am certain she should be, but that would not have gained us such a spacious room with such an excellent view.”
“It really is a beautiful garden,” Grace said. “Mother, Felicity, and I have a room that overlooks the drive. It is the same room we use whenever we are visiting Miss Abernathy. She and Felicity are particular friends, you see.”
“Pull the bell, please, Victoria,” Diana said as she took a seat at the desk near the window. “This message must get sent to Mrs. Love straightaway. We would not wish for her to worry that her daughter has gone missing.”
Victoria moved to do as requested while Grace set forth on an explanation of how her mother rarely worried about her. It was Felicity, it seemed, who was the cause for concern.
“And she was found in the garden – alone with Mr. Everett Clayton. She is fortunate that Mother was not there or the scolding that she would have had to endure would have been great indeed!” Grace leaned forward and whispered. “She was not wearing her bonnet, and her cheeks were very rosy when she returned to the house. She will not tell me what she was doing, but I am not so stupid as she thinks. I have heard what happens in dark corners of gardens.”
