Lucy Muir (17 page)

Melissa was the first to notice that Viscount Wool-bridge appeared to be showing some interest in Lady Amelia. They had been much in each other’s company most of the Season, since Amelia was Melissa’s closest friend, but Lord Woolbridge had always been so busy making sheep’s eyes at Melissa that he had not noticed her quiet friend. Now he suddenly seemed to become aware of her. Melissa commented on it to Anne, and the next time both the viscount and Amelia were at Half Moon Street, Anne watched them closely. It did appear to be true. Viscount Woolbridge no longer focused all his attention on Melissa but sat next to Lady Amelia and seemed to be quite taken with her quiet charms.

But while this state of affairs pleased Anne, it had the opposite effect on Lady Conliffe. Her determination to destroy Miss Amberly and Miss Southwell in the eyes of Society gained renewed strength. The inquiries she had made in Bath and Brighton had proved fruitless, but the servant she sent to Medford came back with some very interesting information. She put on her gloves to make morning calls with anticipation. She would have her revenge at last.

Anne did not see Lord Stanton at any functions after the night at his sister’s, although she did hear gossip of escapades he was getting into with the Carlton House set. Anne told herself she did not care where the marquess spent his time, as long as it was away from her. She felt that after her betrayal of her feelings and his rejection of them that she could only conceal her anguish if she did not see him. Only if she did not see him could she hide her heartbreak.

One person, however, was not deceived by Anne’s acting. The same morning Lady Conliffe’s servant returned from Medford, Lieutenant Halcott and Captain Leslie arrived together at Half Moon Street. The lieutenant asked Melissa to accompany him on a walk, but to Anne’s surprise, the captain did not invite her to go on a walk as well.

After the other two left, Captain Leslie stood looking out the window for a moment, running his fingers through his sun-bleached hair. Finally, he seated himself next to Anne on the sofa and gently took her hand. He looked at her affectionately, his appreciation of the charming picture she presented in her purple-trimmed lavender round dress evident in his eyes.

“Miss Southwell, I am going to presume upon our friendship again and ask what it is that is disturbing you lately. I can see your heart is not in things.”

“Forgive me, Captain Leslie,” Anne replied, smiling at him and answering lightly. “It is only a temporary indisposition. I hope I have not been casting a pall on everyone’s pleasure.”

“No, Miss Southwell, you dissimulate well. I only notice because of my affection for you. Please confide in me. You know that I only await your word to have the right to take all your problems upon myself.”

Anne knew that she could not continue to allow Captain Leslie to hope after her realisation of her feelings for Lord Stanton. She had been remiss not to have informed him sooner. She drew her hand away and spoke.

“Captain Leslie, I shall never forget the honour you did me to make me an offer. But I must ask you not to renew your suit. I have come to know, only recently, that I cannot accept.”

She looked at him steadily, hating herself for the pain she knew she must be causing him.

Captain Leslie smiled sadly at Anne. “I have known, somehow, that you had come to that decision. There is someone else, isn’t there?”

“Yes, there is,” Anne answered truthfully.

“Does he return your affections?”

“No. But it would not be fair to you to give you only half my heart.”

“I would tell you it didn’t matter, but I know you would never give yourself at all where you could not give yourself completely.” He was silent a moment, then added, “I hope to remain your friend, Miss Southwell. If you should ever require assistance, please call upon me.”

“Thank you, Captain Leslie. I should have been sorry to lose your friendship and support.”

Anne smiled at him again, tentatively, wishing she could give the captain what he desired. He lifted her hand again and placed a light kiss upon it.

“Good-bye, Miss Southwell,” he said, standing.

Anne had the feeling the word held a different meaning this time than it ever had before. “Good-bye,” she said, knowing that the next time she saw him it would be very different between them. The easy affection that had characterised their relationship would no longer be there.

She remained seated on the sofa after Captain Leslie had left, feeling quite cast down. She wished she had never left Medford. She seemed to be causing nothing but sorrow for those persons she cared the most about. She sighed. At least Melissa was happy again. It would not be long before Lieutenant Halcott applied for her hand.

Anne suddenly remembered that she had not yet returned the two thousand pounds and went to the desk to write out a bank draft. The thought of Lord Stanton plunged her into deeper misery. Why couldn’t she have loved a good man like Captain Leslie? Why did she ever have to meet Lord Stanton? It would have been better if she had never known the kind of love she felt for Lord Stanton. Much better not to know what one was missing then to have a taste, only to have it snatched away.

She was still seated at the desk when Melissa returned from her walk with Lieutenant Halcott.

“It’s the oddest thing, Anne,” she said, drawing off her lilac gloves and taking a seat near Anne, “but Lady Fanning did not acknowledge my nod when we passed her near Hookam’s. Then when we passed Miss Spencer and Miss Armstrong in the street, they turned to look at a window, pretending they hadn’t seen us.”

“I am sure you are imagining things, Melissa,” Anne said reassuringly. “They probably truly didn’t see you.”

“Perhaps, but I have a strange feeling something is wrong. Maybe we should not go to Lady Roberts’s musicale tonight.”

“Nonsense. We have been looking forward to it. Lady Roberts has promised some very talented musicians.”

“If you are certain,” said Melissa, thoughtfully taking off her gypsy hat and swinging it by the ribbons.

“I am certain,” said Anne getting up from the desk and ringing for Benton. She would have the bank draft delivered to Lord Stanton immediately. “You are overly sensitive because of our previous troubles,” she reassured Melissa.

* * * *

As soon as they entered Lady Roberts’s town house that night, however, Anne knew that Melissa had been correct. There was something dreadfully wrong. Their hostess welcomed Mrs. Halcott with restraint, but said nothing whatsoever to Anne and Melissa. Conversations seemed to die as they walked through the room, and when they sat down for the performance, chairs near them emptied and remained so.

Melissa’s face was white with mortification, and Anne felt her heart begin to beat rapidly with anger. What now! What social solecism could they possibly have committed? She could fee! Mrs. Halcott tense beside her, but that lady gallantly behaved as though nothing were wrong. Anne and Melissa tried to emulate her, focusing their attention on the performance and applauding when it was over, but they could not have said who performed or what they sang.

When the entertainment ended, Mrs. Halcott took Anne and Melissa with her as she went to speak to a few of her closest friends. These women did not let the captain’s wife down, and acknowledged her protégées, albeit reluctantly. The minutes seemed an eternity to Anne and Melissa, but Mrs. Halcott made them stay a full hour after the singing had ended. Then, when others began to leave, she allowed them to do so, as well.

Once they were safely in the carriage on their way home, Mrs. Halcott finally spoke, her bosom heaving indignantly. “I must get to the bottom of this immediately. I cannot understand what has happened that you should be cut so completely. Twice we have proven rumours wrong; I cannot credit they have begun again a third time.”

Anne and Melissa echoed Mrs. Halcott’s bewilderment. When the carriage stopped at their townhouse, Mrs. Halcott left them with a parting promise. “I shall find out what is behind this and return to tell you. Wait up for me please.”

Anne and Melissa gave their pelisses to Sanders and waited soberly in the drawing room for Mrs. Halcott’s return. They searched their memories for some possible infringement of the rules, but could come up with none.

“Do you suppose it is the rumours of our finances or the one about you again?” asked Melissa.

Anne shook her head. “No, even at their height we were not cut as devastatingly as we were tonight. It must be something else, something even worse, but I cannot imagine what.”

Two hours later Mrs. Halcott returned, looking tired and defeated. Anne and Melissa waited anxiously for her to tell them what she had discovered.

“It is bad, very bad indeed,” Mrs. Halcott said with a terribly serious expression. “I only hope that there is no truth in what I have been told, for if there is, there is no hope.”

She shook her head gravely and took a deep breath. “The
on dit
is that you and Melissa spent several days alone at Lord Stanton’s estate. I must ask you—is there any truth to this rumour?”

Anne looked at Melissa in dismay. They had not imagined anyone would ever hear of their stay at Longworth. Anne reached for Melissa’s hand and pressed it reassuringly before answering Mrs. Halcott. She did not consider trying to evade the truth, but explained about the storm on their way to London and their two days at Longworth.

“But nothing improper occurred. I would have explained all this to you before, but I did not think it mattered. It was an accident that we stayed there, and Sanders and I were there to chaperone Melissa,” Anne finished.

Mrs. Halcott sighed deeply. “Thank you for being frank with me. I do not blame you for not telling me before. You could not foresee that problems might arise from it. It is to Lord Stanton’s credit that he did what he could to protect your reputations. It is also true that you were there with Melissa. But you are an unmarried lady, Anne, whatever your age, and Sanders does not qualify as a proper chaperone, either. I am afraid that with someone of Lord Stanton’s reputation it simply isn’t enough. I have no idea what to do. I know of no way to re-establish you in Society.”

“But how did this get out, Mrs. Halcott?” Anne questioned. “No one knew but Lord Stanton and ourselves. I cannot believe that he would have let anything slip.”

Melissa, whose opinion of Lord Stanton had deteriorated since the scene she saw on the balcony, was not so sure, but she remained silent.

“Someone made inquiries in Medford. I understand the story came from your coachman.”

Lady Conliffe! It could only be she, thought Anne, and voiced her thought aloud.

“I have no doubt you are right, Anne, but knowing the source of the information does us no good,” Mrs. Halcott said sorrowfully. “You
did
stay at Longworth unchaperoned, and even if nothing happened, no one would ever credit it. The damage is done. You do not have the wealth or social position to weather such a storm.

 “I am more sorry than I can say that this has happened. I feel that I have failed the memory of your father, Miss Southwell. Do not think that we will abandon you, but I fear we can do little to re-establish your credit. I must prepare you for the worst. You will no doubt be cut by most of your acquaintances wherever you go. And the gentlemen who do not cut you will be recognizing you for reasons best not gone into.”

She sat in silence for a moment, then rose. “I must go now and confer with Colonel Halcott. Perhaps he will have an idea how to deal with the situation.”

She leaned down to embrace both of her protégés affectionately, promising that she, at least, would not desert them.

After Mrs. Halcott had gone, Melissa, who had remained silent while their sponsor was there, suddenly burst into tears, covering her face with her hands and rocking back and forth on the sofa.

“Oh, Anne. What will I do? Stephen—Lieutenant Halcott—will have nothing to do with me now.”

Anne put her arms around Melissa and held her, trying her best to soothe her unhappy cousin.

“Melissa, my darling, if Lieutenant Halcott truly loves you it will make no difference to his feelings. You heard Mrs. Halcott say that they do not intend to abandon us.”

But Melissa would not be comforted. Sobs continued to shake her body until she had no tears left. Anne sat with her until the early hours of the morning, when Melissa at last fell asleep from exhaustion. Anne stood up carefully so as not to wake Melissa, and went in search of Sanders. She explained the events of the evening to her, and the two went back to the drawing room, Sanders taking a blanket.

“I told you no good would come from staying at that rake’s house,” she said, covering Melissa with the blanket and preparing to sit up with her mistress all night if necessary. Anne placed a light kiss on Melissa’s tear-streaked cheek and went upstairs to bed, feeling she had failed in her duty to her ward.

* * * *

The next morning Anne and Melissa appeared late at the breakfast table, dark circles showing under their eyes. The two said very little to each other and were picking aimlessly at their food when Benton came in.

“Lieutenant Halcott is below, Miss Southwell, and asks to be allowed to speak to you.”

Melissa gasped as the lieutenant strode into the room, not waiting for permission. He bowed and briefly bade them good-morning, then addressed Anne.

“Please forgive me for interrupting your meal, but I felt the urgency of the matter overcame social conventions. May I speak to you privately, Miss Southwell?”

“Of course, Lieutenant Halcott,” Anne replied, rising from the table. While Melissa watched with apprehension apparent on her face, Anne led the lieutenant into the drawing room. She seated herself on the sofa, but Lieutenant Halcott remained standing. He came straight to the point of his call.

“Miss Southwell, I have come to ask for Miss Amberly’s hand in marriage. I had intended to wait until the Season was over, because I wished her to be very sure of her mind. She has the opportunity to marry into the aristocracy, and I wished her to be very sure she would prefer the life of an officer’s wife. However, now I feel the circumstances warrant my applying earlier.”