“He’s too excitable,” Lady Honora complained. “Any time Colonel Bishop walks into the room he acts like an untrained pup, he does the same with Mr. Reeves—whenever he bothers to grace us with his presence.”
“Personally, I find it difficult not to swoon over either of them.” Jasmine fluttered her fan as if she were on the verge of overheating. Lady Honora shot her a glare, but Jasmine leaned in close to a giggling Miss Georgiana. “What are they putting in those rations? Mama is wasting her time in British ballrooms, she should be on the front lines!”
With a flourish and a smile, Lady Samantha finished her song to assorted clapping from the room. Lady Honora rose to her feet, took over at the bench, and rustled through a collection of sheet music. Lady Samantha sat next to Cassandra and clasped her hands.
“Miss Cooper, it’s been too long,” Samantha greeted her as if their paths hadn’t crossed a half-dozen times in the past few days. “It must be terrifying to be out in society again. A lot has changed in your absence, and you struggled so much before. You have my deepest sympathies.”
Cassandra forced a smile. “That is very kind.”
Samantha released Cassandra’s hands, turned to face Jasmine, and whispered, “Lady Jasmine, you must tell me who is on your mother’s list.”
As much as Cassandra had doubted her methods, Aunt Valentine’s list had become a hot topic of conversation. A consummatebusinesswoman, Aunt Valentine knew how to use scarcity to her benefit. Add in a dash of mystery and she had the gossips eating out of her hand. Even gentlemen completely uninterested in marriage wereslightlycurious whether they made the cut for Lord Dorchester’s one and only daughter.
“Lord Lincolnshire is one name,” Miss Georgiana said as Lady Honora played Beethoven’sMoonlightSonata. “I overheard at the target competition yesterday.”
“Yes.” Jasmine exhaled a frustrated sigh. “Mama’s standards drop every day that she doesn’t have a grandchild.”
Cassandra held back a smile.
“You know who is on the list, don’t you Miss Cooper?” Lady Samantha switched tactics. “Please, one name!”
Feeling mischievous herself, Cassandra whispered into Lady Samantha’s ear, “Lord Worthing.”
“Hmph.” Lady Samantha turned to Lady Honora, who was halfway finished with her song, before she whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, but I believe that Lord Worthing is going to propose to Honora.”
After Lady Honora finished, Jasmine took her place on the bench. Not bothering with sheet music, she forcefully pressed down on the keys, increased the tempo, and stomped her foot on the ground with the beat. Guests in the room cringed at the disorder of the piece. A few more sensible ladies left rather than subject themselves to the noise.
“I don’t recognize this song.” Miss Georgiana tilted her head, as if getting the angle right would help with her recall.
“It’s a sea-shanty.” Cassandra smiled through terse lips. “Spanish Ladies.”
“How fitting,” Lady Honora muttered.
“Oh, it’s working,” Lady Samantha exclaimed. “She’s summoned a sailor! What a clever girl!”
With a soft smile on his face, Commodore Leopold approached thepiano.Summonedappeared to be the correct word choice, as it didn’t take long for the sailor to sing along in a deep bass.
“Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain…”
“On the topic of military men, I must ask you about Mr. Reeves.” Lady Samantha had to raise her volume. “Is he everything that the pamphlets make him out to be?”
“What pamphlets?” Cassandra asked.
“See?” Lady Samantha turned to Lady Honora with a smirk. “I told you she didn’t know.”
“Please don’t take offense,” Miss Georgiana tittered. “We didn’t know until Mr. Lancaster told us. You know the pamphlets that peddlers sell for a penny? Some of them have stories about soldiers—generals, mostly. They’re quite popular among the lower classes. None more popular than Mr. Reeves, if Mr. Lancaster is to be believed. Mr. Reeves hadsixpamphlets written about him, ten pages each!”
“The Gallant Exploits of Captain Seth Reeves,” Lady Samantha cackled. “He never mentioned it?”
“No.” She grinned. Mr. Reeves,famous. Oh, how he would hate that. “What do they say?”
“Tales of heroism, daring-do’s, whatever else it is that young boys find interesting,” Lady Samantha said flippantly.
“I would love to read about his daring-do’s! It’s very romantic, and how hewaltzes.” Miss Georgiana’s voice took on a dreamy, wispy tone. “Every girl dreams of a hero to sweep her off of her feet.”
“I don’t,” Cassandra and Lady Honora said in tandem, then shared a smile.That might be the first time we’ve ever agreed on something.
“We’ll rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors! We’ll rant and we’ll roar all on the salt seas!”Jasmine and Commodore Leopold sang, the Commodore tapping his toes to the beat.
