A Sisterly Regard (29 page)

"Great God! Have you developed a tendre for that romantic
puppy?"

"No, not at all. I do like him, for he is a kindly person. He and
Phaedra are friends, but we could never go beyond friendship. I am being
selfish, for I would feel left out, with you and Phaedra playing your
romantic games, if I had no one with whom to flirt. And I feel sorry for
him, for no one ever seems to take him seriously. He will be absolutely
devastated when he discovers that Chloe has married someone else, you
know."

"Then suggest it to Her Grace. But be sure you do not toy with
his affections, Mary."

"I would not do anything so unkind. If it will reassure you, I will
be very frank with him as to why he is being invited."

"You do that. I'd like to see the good fellow's face when he is
told he is being invited on a house party so that the Duchess'
granddaughter can have someone to flirt with."

Reggie felt shame that he was amused, for at least no one had
ever invited him to a house party to provide the hostess with a
cicisbeo.

Had they?

True to his word, Reginald Farwell played the part of ardent
suitor for the next few days. He came to take Phaedra driving in Hyde
Park the very afternoon of their discussion. His equipage, a dashing
phaeton with yellow spokes and red hubs, red trim on a forest green body,
and yellow harness, was a surprise. She had never seen him in the park
except as a pedestrian or a passenger.

His groom was also a surprise. Instead of livery, he wore a
turban of spotless white. His dark brown trousers and jacket resembled a
military uniform, with brass buttons and leather belting, and his bare feet
were shod with sandals. She looked curiously at the groom as Mr. Farwell
handed her to her seat. The swarthy groom man returned the look with an
interested directness not usual in servants.

Once the horses were in motion, Phaedra said, "What an
unusual fellow your groom is. A native of India, is he not?"

"Yes. Haresh came with me when I returned from there." He
guided his team into a side path. "May I say, Miss Phaedra, that you are
looking uncommonly lovely. That rich brown pelisse and russet gown suit
you very well. And your bonnet is charming."

She thanked him courteously. "I did not know you had been in
India. When were you there?"

"Years ago, when I was just up from school. Do you attend Lady
Dillingsworth's musicale tomorrow evening? I would count myself
privileged to escort you there."

"Oh, I suppose so, if you wish." She had not planned to attend
the musicale, but if he would be there... "Why did you go to India?"

"I wanted to see more of the world, I suppose." He shrugged,
his shoulder moving against hers.

She wanted to scoot away from the contact, for it had a
somewhat disturbing effect upon her thought processes.

"Miss Phaedra, the Duchess will be sending your family an
invitation for a house party at Verbain. I hope you will come, for the
company will be sadly flat without you."

"If my parents accept, I will be there, I imagine. Tell me about
India. How long were you there?"

"Just over five years. It is hot, disease ridden, and the women
are not nearly so lovely as you. Has anyone ever told you, my dear, that
your eyes are the most beautiful in the world?"

"Will you stop this! I did not come with you to endure the sort
of nonsensical flattery with which you shower every female. If you cannot
converse seriously, you may take me home."

"You know I never converse seriously. It sends me to
sleep."

"Twaddle. You could not possibly sleep when driving. Please,
tell me about India. I have never met anyone before who has been there.
All I know of the country is what I have read in books. Are the flowers
beautiful? Do tigers really prowl the streets?"

Giving up his intention of wooing her with flattery, Reggie
described the parts of India e had seen, making it sound as if he had been
touring the country. She could not possibly be interested in his real
adventures, for they had not been pleasant. On the spot, he invented an
anecdote about a man-eating tiger who only caught boy children below the
age of seven, and those only on Sundays. He concluded with, "So they
finally caught him, by gathering all the little boys of the village in front of
the local mission church and luring the tiger thence, to be caught in a
gigantic net. The natives were told that God had helped in his capture, and
so the good parson had several new converts that week."

Phaedra giggled. "I do not know how much of that tale is true
and how much of it you invented, but I enjoyed it. Did you make your
fortune in India?"

"No, I inherited it from an aunt. Fortunately she was somewhat
miserly, else I should have inherited a good bit less."

"Did she leave you property also?"

"A small estate north of Oxford. My agent manages it for me."
Feeling backed into a corner by the trend of the conversation, he extracted
his handkerchief from his sleeve and waved it. "Can you imagine me with
my feet in the furrows and hay in my hair?"

"No, but I would like to. How much better a life it would be for
you than this useless gallivanting about Town, wasting your youth at
parties and balls."

"But such a bore, my dear, such a bore." He forced a yawn.
"Society is ever so much more diverting."

They returned to the main road, which was crowded with other
carriages and many riders. Further conversation was made difficult by the
constant necessity of responding to greetings from acquaintances.

Phaedra was enjoying herself, despite her frustration with Mr.
Farwell's insistence on keeping their conversation superficial. The oily Mr.
Dervigne appeared and rode alongside the phaeton for several minutes. He
was clearly curious about Chloe's sudden marriage. When Phaedra made it
apparent she was going to tell him nothing, he smiled at her and said,
"May one assume you will continue to grace Society, my dear. I would
delight in becoming better acquainted with you." His smile widened and
became, in Phaedra's opinion, positively lascivious as his gaze swept over
her body. "Much better acquainted."

"Move aside, Dervigne. My horses are restive." Mr. Farwell
made no obvious move, but his team surged forward. Dervigne had to jerk
his horse aside to keep it from being struck by the back corner of the
phaeton.

The team settled back into their slow walk within a few yards.
Again Mr. Farwell seemed to do nothing to control them.

"Thank you for getting rid of him. I cannot like the man. He
makes me uncomfortable," Phaedra said, with heartfelt gratitude.

"He is a rake of the worst sort. Preys on young girls in their first
Season who are flattered by attention paid them by an older man. He has
ruined at least three, that I know of. Stay as far away from him as you can,
Miss Phaedra."

"Trust me, I shall." She turned to stare at him, suddenly
curious. "Do you mean he has really ruined them, or just caused
unpleasant gossip"

"What a shocking question for an innocent young woman to ask.
What must I think of you?"

She scowled until he replied.

"One died in childbirth and disgrace; two others were married
very suddenly to suitors previously thought unacceptable." His mouth
suddenly closed into a hard line. "There is Lady Everingham," he said, his
words audible only to her. "Put your chin up, and smile your prettiest at
me."

She gave him a dazzling smile and laid her hand affectionately on
his arm as they passed the Everingham carriage. Conscious of the
poisonous stare of its occupant, she chattered brightly until they were well
past the Everingham carriage.

Her words did not match her carefree expression. "Can nothing
be done about people like Mr. Dervigne? How can he continue to be
acceptable to Society? Oh, dear, she hates me, I can see it in her face.
What an evil woman." Her smile faded as they drew away from the
Everingham carriage and she sighed in relief. "I hate to act someone I am
not. How happy I will be to l return to the country where I may be
myself."

"You may always be yourself with me. In fact, you may always
be yourself in London, once the gossip over Chloe has died away. Your
behavior is beyond reproach."

"Oh, but I am afraid that my unruly tongue will lead me into
disgrace. I become so tired with always keeping it in control."

"Once we are married, Phaedra, you may say whatever you like.
A married woman may be much more frank than her unwed
sisters."

She let the artificial gaiety drain from her voice. "I have not yet
said that I will marry you, Mr. Farwell." Suddenly she was very tired. "I
think you had better take me home."

Reggie mentally kicked himself. What was it about Phaedra that
made him forget his public persona so frequently?

The drive home passed in silence. Phaedra seemed depressed.
He berated himself, because for a while they had been in perfect
accord--until his mention of marriage had driven her to withdraw into
herself.

When he escorted her to her door, she said, "Thank you for a
lovely afternoon, Mr. Farwell. I enjoyed it very much." The tone of her
voice belied her words. He bowed over her hand, keeping his lips a scant
quarter-inch from her leather-covered fingertips.

I wish I could kiss her hand. Her mouth.

Great God, I want to kiss her.

* * * *

Edgemont handed Phaedra a note as she entered. "From your
sister, Miss Phaedra. She wrote to your parents, as well."

She tore it open and read it, standing in the foyer. "Oh,
Edgemont, she sounds very happy," she said, knowing the butler had been
almost as concerned as she that Chloe's marriage was not a mistake.

"Very good, Miss. May I take the liberty of saying that I was
quite impressed with his lordship. He seems a proper gentleman."

"Not like the madcap Hazelbournes, you mean," she
teased.

"I am quite satisfied to serve your family, Miss Phaedra. What I
inferred was that I think he will do very well for Miss Chloe, I mean to
say, her ladyship."

"Yes, he'll keep her in line, I'll wager. I am so glad to hear that
she is happy. I was worried, you know."

"Of course you were, Miss Phaedra," he told her in his most
butlerish tones. But he winked as he so often had when she and Chloe
were children.

She laughed and returned the wink, then ran up the stairs to
change her dress. The faint depression that had taken possession of her
after the encounter with Lady Everingham was gone.

The next day Phaedra, her mother, and Cousin Louisa went to a
tea party at Marie Sefton's. The announcement of Chloe's marriage had
appeared in that morning's
Gazette
, so they were expecting to be
questioned about the suddenness of it. And so they were. Lady Gifford had
decreed they would say that Wilderlake had been unexpectedly called
back to his estates. Not wanting to depart without Chloe, he had begged
that their nuptials be moved forward. His mother had agreed to support
the story.

They had reckoned without Lady Everingham and her
cronies.

Lady Sefton's first words to Lady Gifford were, "My dear, I was
so surprised to read of your daughter's marriage. Why I had heard that she
and Everingham were practically betrothed."

"Nonsense, Maria, you should not listen to gossip," Lady
Gifford replied. "She and Wilderlake fell in love at first sight and wished
to marry immediately. So impetuous, you know, as all young lovers are.
We told them that they must wait until they knew each other better
before formalizing their relationship."

"What made you change your minds? Surely not her behavior at
the Duchess' ball, Isabella?"

Lady Gifford smiled serenely as she told of the emergency
situation at Wilderlake's estate. "He feared that, because of the distance,
he might not get the situation resolved until it was too late to return to
Town this Season. So he convinced my husband and me to give our
consent to an immediate marriage. We could not, you know, leave
London at this time, because of Phaedra."

"I had heard that the gel was seriously ill," a nearby woman said,
her tone positively dripping unction. "Surely, Lady Gifford, you did not
let her be married from her sickbed."

"Of course not. Her illness was not serious, and she was quite
recovered from it."

"Enough to take a little jaunt into Hertfordshire, dear Lady
Gifford?" came a syrupy voice from across the room. Lady Gifford ignored
the question, but her back stiffened and her face reddened.

Phaedra started to turn to see who had made the remark, but
Cousin Louisa prevented her from doing so. Just then, Lady Mary came up
and drew Phaedra away, saying, "I am so glad to see you today, Phaedra.
Grandmama has said your parents have accepted her invitation to a house
party at Verbain. What fun we will have."

Phaedra ground her teeth, but she managed to smile back at
Lady Mary. "Yes, I am sure we will, Lady Mary. I am quite looking
forward to it." She smiled at the quiet girl who waited in the corner.
"How do you do, Miss Graham."

"Oh, Miss Hazelbourne, how brave you are," Miss Graham
ventured, in a near whisper. "I would not have come here for anything,
had I been you."

"Sarah, come here," Mrs. Graham called from across the
room.

"Not just now, please, Mama. Miss Hazelbourne just arrived and
I wish to visit with her for a few moments," the girl replied, not moving
from where she sat. Both Phaedra and Lady Mary stared at her in
amazement. She blushed furiously.

"Good in you, Sarah," Lady Mary said. "For we know your
mother would not wish you to associate with Miss Hazelbourne, after the
gossip that has been raging in this room today."

Still blushing, Sarah Graham said, still almost whispering, "I
know she does not. She told me this morning that we would no longer
acknowledge the Hazelbournes. But I could not obey her. Miss Phaedra
was kind to me before anyone. I could not desert her when she is in need
of friends." It was quite the longest speech either of the other two had
ever heard from the shy girl and their amazement grew.