Love for Lucinda (21 page)

Several hours later, the ladies returned to Mays House for tea. Exhausted but pleased, Lucinda regarded the mountain of parcels that filled the carriage. Scarcely one belonged either to herself or to Lady Thorpe.

“I have never enjoyed myself more,” said Lady Thorpe, nodding her head in Miss Mays’s direction.

Lucinda also looked at her sister-in-law, and she smiled. Miss Mays appeared to be caught up in a happy daze. “Nor I,” she said.

The carriage stopped. Lucinda quirked an inquiring brow at Lady Thorpe. “You will come in to take tea, won’t you?”

“I would not miss it for worlds,” stated Lady Thorpe positively.

Lucinda laughed, knowing that her ladyship meant to have her bursting curiosity fully satisfied at last. When she entered the town house, she gave orders that the packages be carried in from Lady Thorpe’s carriage. “You may take them all up to Miss Mays’s bedroom,” she said, drawing off her gloves. “We shall want tea in the drawing room.”

Miss Blythe had heard the return of the trio of shoppers, and she came down the stairs to greet them. When she saw the number of parcels that was carried indoors, her eyes widened. “My word!”

“Oh, Miss Blythe! They are all mine!” exclaimed Miss Mays, as though she still could not believe it. “It was a wicked extravagance, but their ladyships insisted. I could not say no!”

Miss Blythe smiled. “Why do you not show me everything, my dear? I am bursting with curiosity.”

“As I am also,” murmured Lady Thorpe.

Miss Blythe caught the aside and she chuckled. She put her arm companionably through Miss Mays’s elbow. “Come along! We shall drink our tea above stairs so that you can satisfy my curiosity.”

Miss Mays was nothing loathe. She had never been blessed by such generosity in her life, and she could scarcely contain her eagerness to share her excitement with someone.

Lucinda and Lady Thorpe went into the drawing room. The tea had already been taken in and served. The butler closed the doors, and on the same instant Lady Thorpe rounded on her hostess.

“Now you must tell me everything,” exclaimed Lady Thorpe. “I know that there is something odd about Miss Mays. Why, I have just spent hours in the woman’s company, and she was a constant amazement. She is the humblest, most effacing creature that I have ever met.”

“Quite. And you will understand why, once I have explained it all to you,” said Lucinda. She told her sister-in-law’s story matter-of-factly and without added pathos.

At the end, Lady Thorpe shook her head in near disbelief. “It is all like something out of a lurid novel. I am so thankful that I have never experienced such cruelty and neglect. I wonder that Miss Mays is so unaffected as she is, for I suspect that I would have grown to be quite bitter.”

“It is curious, is it not? But I think that Agnes is of such a sweet, giving temperament that she is quite incapable of the meaner emotions,” said Lucinda. “Tibby contends that she needs a kind husband, and I agree with her. Agnes is not the sort who could survive without someone who is willing to pick up the cudgels on her behalf.”

“Yes, I quite see that. Then we shall simply have to find her a suitable mate,” said Lady Thorpe. She laughed. “I have never been a matchmaker before. You have opened up wonderful new vistas for me, Lady Mays. I am truly in your debt.”

“If you can discover a husband for Agnes, it is I who shall be forever in your debt, Lady Thorpe,” said Lucinda.

Lady Thorpe finished her tea and set down the cup. “I must run now, but we shall get together again soon. Very soon! For I do not wish to miss one moment of this unfolding saga!”

Lucinda laughed and rose to her feet as her guest stood up. “I am glad that you suggested this outing,” she said.

“Oh, so am I. I was feeling a bit low, you know, but it is amazing what a little time spent with a friend in the shops can do for one,” said Lady Thorpe.

Lucinda once again experienced the warm feeling that Lady Thorpe had engendered in her. She caught up the other woman’s hand and briefly squeezed her gloved fingers. “I am so very glad to have made your acquaintance. Do, pray, call me Lucinda.”

“And you must call me Cecily. I should like that,” said Lady Thorpe with a quick smile. “Now I really must run or Gerald will be wondering what has become of me. He has promised to take me to the theater tonight, if I shall first ride with him in his new phaeton in the park. I don’t much care for high-perch phaetons as they are so high off the ground. But it will give Gerald pleasure to puff off his new equipage to me.”

“At least it is your approval that he wishes to hear,” said Lucinda.

Lady Thorpe laughed and nodded. “Yes, I am very fortunate,” she said happily.

Lucinda saw Lady Thorpe out the front door to her carriage. As she reentered the town house and traversed the entry hall toward the stairs, the butler stopped her and handed her a twist of paper.

“Lord Mays stopped by earlier, my lady. His lordship was sorry to find you out, and he asked that I give you this when you came in,” said Church. He lingered while Lady Mays straightened out the twist and unfolded the note to read it. At her sudden frown, he inquired, “I hope that it is not bad news, my lady?”

Lucinda looked up. “No; merely a temporary disappointment.” She folded the note. “What is the report on Mr. Stassart today, Church?”

“Mr. Stassart is known to be resting well, my lady. The physician returned as he promised, and it was my understanding that he was very pleased with Mr. Stassart’s progress,” said Church.

“I suppose that he did not mention when my cousin would be able to leave his bed?” asked Lucinda.

“I regret, no, my lady.”

“Thank you, Church. I shall not be in to callers for the remainder of the day,” said Lucinda, moving once more toward the stairs.

“Of course, my lady,” said the butler.

Lucinda paused as her foot touched the first step to look back at the butler. “Unless it is Lord Mays, Church. Send up word at once if his lordship should stop in.”

“I shall do so, my lady.” As he watched her ladyship move lightly up the stairs. Church could not but wonder what had been in the note from Lord Mays.

* * * *

After Lady Thorpe had left, Lucinda went up to discover what Miss Blythe thought about the purchases that she had made for Miss Mays. She knocked on the door of her companion’s private sitting room. At Miss Blythe’s invitation to enter, Lucinda opened the door and went in. She smiled at the older woman, who was seated before the hearth with her ever-present embroidery in hand. “Well, Tibby, how did you find Agnes?”

Miss Blythe chuckled. “Miss Mays was beside herself, just as one might expect! The attention showered on her by you and Lady Thorpe has helped her more than anything else, I suspect.”

Lucinda sat down in an opposite chair. She lay her head back against the cushions. “It was a treat for Lady Thorpe and myself to see someone begin to blossom like that. Where is Agnes now?”

“I suggested that she might lie down before dinner. It has been a very exciting and fatiguing day for her,” said Miss Blythe.

“Yes, indeed. I don’t know that I could survive too many of like nature. We argued and pleaded and bullied over nearly every scrap of ribbon and glove and gown. But I knew it would be just like that, and so I had warned Lady Thorpe. Lady Thorpe has taken a liking to Agnes, by the way. She intends to help us to find her a suitable and kind husband,” said Lucinda.

“That is something indeed,” said Miss Blythe. She glanced over at Lucinda, her eyes keen. “What has you in such a fret, Lucinda?”

Lucinda looked at her, smiling suddenly. “Am I so obvious, then?”

“Only to me, I think. But then, I know you fairly well,” said Miss Blythe, pulling up her thread. “Is it Mr. Stassart?”

“Yes. At least, not Ferdie himself. I have not seen him today, but Church tells me that the physician was in and pronounced himself satisfied with Ferdie’s progress,” said Lucinda. She rose from the chair and went to the mantel to fiddle with a small vase. “Lord Mays left a note for me while I was out. He says that he hasn’t been able to speak to Ferdie’s particular friends, having learned that Lord Levine and Mr. Pepperidge have both gone out of London to attend a cockfight. They are not expected to return for a few days.”

“That is disappointing, of course. However, I think that you can trust Lord Mays to persist in his quest. He will eventually run these gentlemen to ground,” said Miss Blythe.

“Yes, I know that I may depend upon Wilfred to do just as he says that he will.” Lucinda turned to her companion and said idly, “Lord Mays is one of the few people that I do trust, Tibby. There is not a shade of subterfuge about him. He says just what is on his mind and he is kind to boot. In fact, I do not think that I have ever met a more kindhearted person.”

“Perhaps he is the very one to take on Miss Mays,” suggested Miss Blythe.

Lucinda frowned. “I admit that I had thought of that very thing. But I am not certain that it will do, after all. Wilfred is not at all slow, whereas it must be admitted that poor Agnes is not in the least needlewitted. I do not think that they would suit.”

“A valid observation,” said Miss Blythe. “However, I believe that many connections are formed between personages of unequal intelligence, and they go along very well. Therefore we should not count Lord Mays out as a possible
parti,
wouldn’t you agree?”

“We shall see how things go along,” said Lucinda. She was strangely reluctant to commit herself to promoting a match between Lord Mays and her sister-in-law. She shrugged and covered a sudden yawn behind one hand. “Pray excuse me, Tibby. I did not realize that I was so wearied by the outing with Agnes and Lady Thorpe. I believe that I shall also lie down for a few minutes.”

“Very well, my dear,” said Miss Blythe, smiling to herself.

Lucinda left her companion and entered her bedroom. She lay down on her bed, intending to close her eyes for just a few moments. An hour and a half later, she wakened. She did not feel in the least refreshed, for there was a slight pounding in her head.

It was the evening of Lady Sefton’s soiree. Lucinda would far rather have stayed at home, in the event that Lord Mays chose to call on her, but that was not an option open to her.

She had written to Lady Sefton to ask her ladyship’s indulgence in bringing along her sister-in-law, Miss Agnes Mays. Her ladyship’s reply had been most gracious. It would be churlish indeed to turn about at the last minute and not attend the soiree. She would simply have to forget about Lord Mays and her feeling of physical malaise and go to the soiree.

Miss Mays, also, would have preferred to remain at Mays House for the evening. Though she had yearned after the entertainments of society, she was at the same time petrified at the thought of mixing with such august company as was certainly to be present at Lady Sefton’s soiree. However, putting on a new gown of a pale peach tied with gold ribbons and having her hair done in a daring cascade of curls went far in mitigating her fears. She was in a flutter of excitement when she joined Lucinda and Miss Blythe downstairs.

Lucinda thought that her sister-in-law looked much like any other young lady might who was about to go to her first important party. Miss Mays appeared surprisingly attractive with the high color in her cheeks and the bright light in her brown eyes. In fact, she actually looked some years younger than her nine-and-twenty.

Lucinda hoped that Miss Mays’s excitement would carry her through the evening. It would be lovely if she and Miss Blythe did not have to shepherd their timid lamb too closely.

Chapter Twenty

Lady Sefton’s small soiree proved to be a gathering of upward of thirty couples and several unattached ladies balanced by an equal number of gentlemen. Upon the arrival of the ladies from Mays House, Lady Sefton at once came forward to welcome them.

Lucinda made known her sister-in-law. Miss Mays was attractively flushed with excitement and trepidation. Her response to Lady Sefton’s greeting was somewhat inarticulate, but Lady Sefton smiled kindly on her. “You must allow me to make you known to everyone, dear Miss Mays.”

Miss Mays endured this extended introduction with more aplomb than Lucinda had expected of her. Behind her hand, Lucinda murmured to Miss Blythe, “I am very well pleased with her, Tibby.”

“Yes, indeed. She will do very nicely,” said Miss Blythe quietly.

Miss Mays effaced herself as soon as she possibly could, however, and thereafter she responded only when she was addressed and then in trembling syllables.

Lady Sefton drew Lucinda aside for a moment. “My dear Lucinda, I have noticed that Miss Mays is an extremely reserved young woman for her years. Of course I knew that there was a daughter of the family, but I do not recall ever having met her before. Surely she has been out on the town for some time?”

“You would think so, indeed. But that has not at all been the case,” said Lucinda. She gave her ladyship a brief history of Miss Mays’s life up to that point. “So you see, Lady Sefton, why I begged your indulgence in allowing me to bring Agnes tonight. I wished to show her every possible consideration while she is with me.”

Lady Sefton nodded, her gaze resting thoughtfully on Miss Mays. The young woman was sitting as far in a corner of the large drawing room as possible, obviously hoping to be inconspicuous. “I quite understand. And you wish to introduce her into society now?”

“Yes, my lady. I pity her so exceedingly, you see, and I have hopes that she will take.” Lucinda also looked over at Miss Mays, and she stifled a sigh. “As you may imagine, it appears to be a formidable task. However, Miss Blythe agrees that we must make a push at it and perhaps even secure an eligible match for her.”

Lady Sefton smiled. “You have a kind heart, Lady Mays. Not many in your place would bother to take on such a formidable responsibility.”

“It does appear that I have my work cut out for me,” agreed Lucinda. She and Lady Sefton both watched as Miss Mays positively shrank when a gentleman approached and addressed her.

“I shall sponsor her to Almack’s. That will be just the place for Miss Mays to try her wings,” said Lady Sefton.