The Maiden At Midnight (10 page)

Familiar as she was with her sister’s
history, the youngest Miss Hathaway tried not to look apprehensive.
‘You have?’

‘Indeed I have. And I promise you, it is
nothing so very terrible.’ She freed her hands but only so she
could enfold her sister in a gentle hug. ‘It will all be well. One
way or another, we shall come out of this mess and… and we shall be
happy again. Perhaps not as happy as we once were, but happy
enough.’

Isabella meant every word of it. No matter
what, she was determined to succeed in snaring a suitable match and
forging a brighter future for Audrey and Millicent. And the Earl of
Stornley was going to help her do it.

Harry returned to his lodgings in a confused
state of irritated elation, two emotions he felt in almost equal
measures. He could not say why he felt elated but the irritation as
self-evident. Miss Hathaway was a very vexing girl, exactly the
type he most disliked; opinionated, headstrong and distressingly
forthright. He could only assume that the elation came from the
novel experience of crossing swords with a dewy-eyed debutante, not
something that came his way every day. Isabella Hathaway might
possess the most abysmal manners but she certainly wasn’t
boring.

He found Joss lying low in
his library, reading a book. This was so unexpected that Harry was
momentarily flummoxed, staring at his guest incredulously. ‘You
are
reading
?’

Joss looked up vaguely. ‘Oh, hullo. Hope you
don’t mind, but I’ve more or less moved in. Had my man bring a
valise around.’

‘Of course I don’t mind. But… a book,
Joss?’

‘Plato.’ His lordship looked down at the
cover. ‘It’s been several years since I’ve broached it.’

‘Good lord. I didn’t realized you were
bookish.’

‘I read classics at Oxford.’ The earl
reminded his friend.

‘Yes, but… I didn’t realize
that you
read
the
classics at Oxford. I thought they just awarded a pass to earls and
dukes for the principle of the thing.’ Harry sank into a
chair.

Joss grinned. ‘They do, occasionally.
Rothermere was as dense as wood and he took down a third in English
literature. I doubt that lad could read more than a betting
slip.’

‘A duke. There you are then. But are you
telling me you actually worked at school?

‘It was hardly work. I like books. Still, I
suppose we didn’t spend that much time discussing literature. More
interested in drinking, horse racing and chasing skirt. But I took
a first, you know. Cicero, Homer, Petronius. And Virgil, of course.
I am particularly fond of Virgil.’

‘Good Lord.’ It was times like these that
Joss managed to surprise Harry all over again. One simply did not
think the fellow had the slightest interest in anything that was
not frivolous. He had certainly managed to disguise his scholarly
inclinations at Oxford. With an effort, he put his surprise aside
for more pressing matters. ‘I ran into Miss Hathaway in Kensington
Gardens.’

Joss winced. ‘Did she pull up all right from
her ordeal? Poor gel… feel terrible about putting her through such
an experience.’

Isabella had not seemed particularly scarred
to Harry. ‘She seems to have recovered tolerably well,’ he observed
dryly. ‘She asked if you would pay her a call.’

Joss looked intrigued. ‘Call on her?
Why?’

‘She would not tell me. You are to go around
at three-thirty.’

‘Three-thirty? Really?’

‘Apparently so.’

‘Well I will, of course. Be rude not to.’
The earl considered this for a moment, then looked at Harry. ‘Is
that a good idea, d’you think?’

Harry shrugged. He did not know if it were a
good idea or not, but he really wanted to know what she was up to.
‘I see no reason why you should not. As nobody is aware of what
happened the other night, there is nothing unseemly in it.’

‘Very well, then. I shall call around
tomorrow.’ Joss frowned. ‘Although devil only knows what I am going
to say.’

‘It is just a call, Joss. Young men pay
calls on young ladies all the time.’

‘But we haven’t even been introduced. Not
officially, anyway.’

‘Nobody need know that. You could have met
the girl anywhere.’

‘I suppose. Although it seems like an odd
thing to me.’ The more he thought about it, the more disturbing
Joss seemed to find the prospect. ‘Why don’t you come with me?’

Harry had already considered doing so. The
idea of tickling Miss Hathaway’s extremely sensitive sense of
outrage was very appealing. He’d been forced to reject the outing,
however. ‘Because we shall look like a crowd scene and very odd
into the bargain. Young men do not pay calls on young ladies in
pairs. It would be absurd.’

‘I suppose so.’ Joss agreed reluctantly.

‘Honestly, there can be no harm in it. Miss
Hathaway might have only a casual acquaintance with the way a
gently brought up female behaves but I don’t believe there’s any
malice in her.’

Joss arched an eyebrow. ‘Cross swords, did
you? She struck me from the first as being scratchy.’

‘Under the circumstances she might be
forgiven for a little scratchiness. Unexpected abductions tend to
do that to people.’

‘Oh, well. True enough I
suppose. But still… she’s no Miss Piedmont who, I might tell you,
knows
exactly
how
to behave. No scratchiness there.’

‘If you’re so keen on the
girl why are you sitting here? Go and pay
her
a call. Court her, for God’s sake
for I have it on good authority that such actions frequently secure
a wife. Win her over or you’ll be spending the next God knows how
long in my cellar.’

Joss sighed. ‘I was planning on paying a
call tomorrow. Do you think it too forward of me to pay two girls a
call in the same afternoon?’

Harry grimaced. He might be regularly
surprised by his friend’s unexpected depths but he was equally
depressed by the earl’s lack of initiative in his own life.
Specifically, his love life. Joss had no trouble talking to a
pretty lightskirt who knew how things worked in regards to sex but
he did not seem to know how to go about obtaining his future bride.
‘Do it anyway. What’s the worst that can be said of you? That
you’re looking for a wife?’

‘I don’t want Miss Piedmont to think that
I’m after every pretty young thing in town!’

‘With your reputation she’ll probably think
that anyway. Trust me when I say it will stand in your favor for
all females like to think they have it in them to reform a rogue.
Relax, Joss. Call on Miss Hathaway and discover what she’s after
and then focus your attention on Miss Piedmont. When word gets
around that you are seriously looking to get buckled down, it might
be enough to get dear old Gallows Jack to stand down for a
time.’

‘You think?’ Joss looked hopeful at this. He
was finding it difficult to live while constantly having to look
over his shoulder.

‘Indeed. It cannot hurt your situation,
anyway. I know the circumstances are thorny but you’ll come
around.’

‘A great many men are after Alora Piedmont,’
his lordship said glumly. ‘The competition is stiff.’

‘But
you
are the Earl of
Stornley.’

‘I am,’ Joss agreed, then
more firmly, ‘I
am
the Earl of Stornley, damn it. And a damn fine prospect
because of it.’

‘Here, here!’ Harry said heartily, rising to
his feet. ‘On that note, I’ll hunt down some Madeira. Mustn’t be a
shabby host.’

And he went to fetch some wine, determine to
put aside all thought of Miss Hathaway, Miss Piedmont and females
in general out of his head and move on to more enjoyable
subjects.

Chapter Five

Determined to move ahead with her plan, Miss
Hathaway paid a call on Miss Piedmont the next day, dropping by
before two o’clock as she was expecting the Earl of Stornley at
three-thirty. She was half expecting her quarry to be out but she
was at home and received Miss Hathaway with apparent delight,
rising from her chair with a smile.

‘Miss Hathaway! But how charming.’

Isabella sailed forward blithely. ‘Miss
Piedmont, forgive me for being so eager but I was in the
neighborhood and came on an impulse. I did feel yesterday that we
might be friends and, as I am practically a stranger to London, I
am so looking for a sympathetic face.’ Inwardly, Isabella winced at
the fulsome words. Perhaps she was laying it on a little too
thickly? But it seemed to extract just the response she was after
for Alora Piedmont’s smile grew a little wider. ‘I did think that
your face seemed particularly kind.’

‘How lovely of you to say so. And of course,
I would be enchanted to become your friend. Is your sister not with
you?’

‘She decided to remain at home.’ And
Isabella had not invited her, unwilling to subject her sister to
what would quite likely be a great deal of fiddlesticks as she
convinced Miss Piedmont that she was a worthy acquaintance.

As it happened, she did not need to convince
the young lady at all for the whole thing went far more easily than
Isabella had dared hope for, the more so because Alora’s aunt was
absent. Tea was ordered and Isabella brought forward to sit before
the fire for the sunshine of the day before had given way to chilly
grey rain and her youthful hostess was concerned her guest might
have taken a chill. It was a lovely room in a very impressive
house. Miss Piedmont lived in Brook Street, an excellent address by
any standards. The rooms of the townhouse were substantial and
furnished to a very high standard.

Money
, Isabella thought a little wistfully. At twenty thousand a
year, Alora Piedmont had oodles of it.

‘Of course it has made
her
the
Seasons
catch.’ Aunt Geraldine had gossiped. ‘She is an only child who has
inherited a
fortune
. Naturally every fool is dangling after her,’ her aunt had
observed a little waspishly. ‘It would not be so bad but she
possesses tolerable looks as well. Best to stay away from her
Isabella. Two blondes do not look well together. Stand only with
brunettes to better highlight your coloring.’

It was the kind of advice that her aunt was
fond of passing on, whether one wanted it or not. Isabella’s lip
had grown quite tender from biting it to stop the words coming
out.

Looking around her,
however, she knew it must be true about Alora Piedmont’s wealth. A
great deal of money had been spent on this fine house. Once her
family had lived in just such a place, in just such a street. She’d
had not had a care in the world in those days, convinced that the
future held only good things. A dazzling debut in London society, a
magical marriage and an agreeable household of her very own. All of
these things would have been hers, if she had married Willett.
Indeed, even before her engagement she had assumed that they would
occur. She had not particularly
wanted
such largesse things. She had
just taken them for granted, as the daughter of a gentleman
must.

It was extraordinary how quickly ones
fortunes could change.

The two girls chatted together and, for
once, Isabella found she did not have to watch every word she said
for she and Alora had more than enough to talk about. Her sweet
face hid a surprisingly sharp brain and it quickly became apparent
that the girl was no simpleton, but held an intelligent view on a
great many subjects. She also possessed an innate gentleness in her
that was very appealing. Isabella only stayed for half an hour,
long enough to establish a base for her future campaign and by the
time she rose to go, she had decided that she genuinely liked the
girl and wanted her as a friend; her appealing demeanor was
indisputable and she seemed honestly delighted at the prospect of
getting to know the Hathaway sisters better. It gave Isabella a
small twinge of conscience, but only a small one. The earl had
seemed genuinely taken with the girl. Now it only remained for
Isabella to discover if Alora reciprocated those feelings.

Rising to her feet, she began pulling on her
gloves. ‘Thank you for your hospitality. I hope very much to meet
again soon.’

‘Are you going to the fete given by Lady
Morvyn on Saturday? She always throws such delightful parties and
if the weather is a little more forgiving, I believe she will have
it in her garden.’

‘How charming. I have not met the lady,’
Isabella confessed, ‘but I have seen her, of course. She and the
Marquis often walk in Hyde Park. She seems awfully nice.’

‘She is. They do not spend a great deal of
time in town, I believe but prefer to stay in the country.’

Isabella could understand that. She would
have given much to have remained in Wiltshire, inured in the
undemanding life of a country girl with nothing more demanding
expected of her than the occasional appearance at local assemblies.
‘I’m sure that Mama has received an invitation so I shall
undoubtedly see you there.’

‘I will look forward to it. I’m afraid I
find many of the entertainments a little overwhelming which makes
Aunt Elise quite cross with me. She wishes me to be more forward
but there are always so many people and the crowds…’ Alora shrugged
and grimaced, ‘Aunt Elise says that a wallflower does not enjoy the
sunlight but I am not fond of crowds.’

It seemed to Isabella that Aunt Elise and
Aunt Geraldine had a great deal in common, including pithy sayings.
‘Do you like dancing?’

‘Very much. But then, there
are so
many
gentlemen who wish to dance.’