She immediately wished that she hadn’t said that. Lord Vincent and Daniel both threw her curious, speculative looks. She flushed and pretended ineffectually not to have noticed.
“I must go, but I’ll be returning later this evening for Mrs. Langley’s musical event,” Lord Vincent said suddenly. “She tells me that you are opening the evening with pianoforte playing. I must say, I look forward to that performance.”
Felicity flushed. The three of them exchanged bows, and she was obliged to give him her hand. He bowed low over it, shooting a quick, knowing look up at her. He spared a brusque nod and glance at Daniel, then strode away, heading towards his hostess, doubtless to bid his goodbyes.
“I do not like that man,” Daniel announced shortly.
Felicity winced. “The feeling is mutual.”
***
“MustI go down tonight?” Felicity pleaded, while her maid laced up her dress tighter and tighter.
Mrs. Thornhill snorted. “Of course you must. Why ever would you want to stay up here?”
“Miss Sinclair is coming,” Felicity muttered. “I don’t much like her. She was rather rude to me earlier today.”
Mrs. Thornhill sniffed disdainfully. “I think a little rivalry will do you good. It’ll stop you becoming too complacent, and you can see how the gentlemen treat a pretty, amiable young lady who doesn’t bore off their ears with tales of plants and flowers. Miss Sinclair is a pretty, pleasant young lady, and you’ll find yourself obliged to work harder. It will do you no harm.”
“She doesn’t like me, Mama.”
“So what? You don’t have to like each other. Frankly, I believe that excessive female friendships only serve to distract a young lady, when she ought to be concentrating on finding herself a husband and an establishment.”
Felicity opened her mouth to argue, but soon thought better of it. There was really no point. Mrs. Thornhill didn’t much like being contradicted, and Felicity’s books and studies still hung in the balance. She eyed her own reflection instead, watching her waist narrow unnaturally.
“Mother, I fear that my voice will suffer if my dress is fastened so tightly. I may sound shrill and squeaky, like an inflated ball punctured with a pin. You don’t wantthat, do you?”
Mrs. Thornhill gave an angry, long-suffering sigh, and gestured to the maid to loosen the dress. Felicity let out a relieved breath, glad to be drawing in air freely once again. Aside from the too-tight lacing, this was one of Felicity’s favourite gowns. It was velvet blue, simply cut and fashionable, with longer sleeves than other ladies preferred, trimmed with lace at the wrists and neckline. The colour suited her, she thought.
“Lord Vincent has been paying special attention to you,” Mrs. Thornhill commented, after a pause. “You could do worse than him, you know.”
“I have no interest in Lord Vincent,” Felicity said without thinking. Realising her mistake, she met her mother’s eye through the mirror.
“Recollect our bargain, Felicity,” Mrs. Thornhill said, her voice calm and dangerous. “If I believe you are not taking your search for a husband seriously, I will have to act accordingly.”
A cold tingle of fear ran down Felicity’s spine. She imagined her life stretching out before her, without books or study of any kind, aging steadily, scorned by Society, and facing the incessant, daily reproach of her parents.
They would never forgive me.
“Of course I am taking it seriously, Mama,” Felicity said, as lightly as she could. “I’m going first in the musical evening tonight. I’ve been practising for hours.”
Mrs. Thornhill leaned back in her seat.
“Good,” she said simply. “See that you are, that’s all.”
Half an hour later, her dress comfortable and looser around her, Felicity summoned her courage and went downstairs.
The library had been fitted out with seats, all arranged around the pianoforte in a semi-circle. Most of the seats were occupied already. Not wanting to take one only to vacate it a moment or two later, Felicity clutched her music to her chest and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
She spotted Lord Vincent – ofcourse– lounging in a seat. He shot her a wide smile, and if there had been a seat next to him, no doubt he would have summoned her over.
Miss Sinclair sat beside him, straight-backed, beautiful, and shockingly graceful. She kept looking from side to side, and no prizes as to who she was looking for.
“I see you’re hiding away too, Miss Thornhill,” said a familiar voice in her ear. A tingle ran down Felicity’s spine.
“Good evening, Lord Lanwood,” she said, keeping her voice low in case sharp-eared Miss Sinclair heard. “Are you feeling better?”
“Much, thank you.”
