She did not dare do it, though. She was not certain she would ever set foot in that room again.
*
Jasper went backto the library to contemplate his conversation with Miss Wilcox. As Perry had claimed, she had been in the library earlier, giving her every chance to read the letter. She had also seemed rather cagey about the whole thing, changing the subject to his opinion of Lord Bertridge. All of that was not in her favor.
What had possibly been in her favor though, was the mention of having previously attended mystery nights in her own neighborhood. Could that account for how skilled she’d turned out to be at the activity? Or was it a clever ruse?
Her mention of her trepidation over visiting the queen had surprised him—it hardly represented the temperament of a hardened spy. He had, for a moment, thought that might be just a ruse too. Until she mentioned that it was not fear of thequeen’sopinion but of his mother’s that worried her. His instincts told him she had been genuine in that expression.
And then, she had not prevaricated aboutwhenshe had been in the library. A person guilty often sought to put distance between themselves and the crime.
It seemed as much of a muddle as ever and he would not know anything for certain until he determined if the report made its way into the newspapers.
For now, he must be careful and not be swayed by how beguiling she could be. She had been so prettily charming upon hearing that Lady Annabelle had told of her fall from a horse. Her rosy cheeks became even rosier and she faced down the whole thing with aplomb. She’d defended herself without voicing any low opinions of Lady Annabelle. Though, he was certain she held them. It was far more grace than could ever be expected from Lady Annabelle herself.
He did not often wish that he was found to be wrong in some matter. But if it pleased God, he would be wrong in his suspicions. Let there be no report of the king’s sudden preference for lamb and venison in the newspapers. It was altogether possible that the evidence he’d gathered was just coincidence and even if she had read the letter, she might only be nosy. If she were only a meddler, that he could accept.
Chapter Nine
As the carriagemade its way to Buckingham Palace for tea with the queen, Lady Mendleton had directed Georgiana on everything that lay ahead. The lady had met the queen on many different occasions, though she did not hold herself out to be as favored or as intimate with the royal as her son was. Still, she thought the queen’s fondness for Jasper certainly did her no harm.
The key to royalty, according to Lady Mendleton, was to afford them far more courtesy than one might otherwise do. Or as she termed it:When in doubt, inflate, elevate, overstate, exaggerate—what is good becomes superb and what is fine becomes sublime.
They would arrive exceedingly early, as it would be their pleasure to wait upon the queen’s convenience. Their curtsies would be very low with an extended pause at the drop down. They would not dare touch the tray of edibles until the queen had urged them to it and informed them of what she thought was best. This was likely to be the rather noxious sandwiches of butter and dill. One must suppress any expression not hinting at delight when consuming them. Most importantly, Lady Mendleton would allow the queen to direct the conversation. She was a terrific gossip and was likely to convey her opinions on any number of people. Georgiana, herself, was not to have opinions on anybody.
The queen was to be addressed as Your Majesty, and then ma’am. For heaven’s sake,don’tsay Your Royal Highness. Some European dunderhead did just that a few years prior and had been unceremoniously marched out of the queen’s presence and put on a boat back to wherever he’d come from.
If there was to be any taking a turn round the room for exercise, never discover yourself in front of the queen, no matter how slow she goes or how many times she stops.
The tea would likely be short, for after all it was only a favor to Lord Ryland the lady was doing. The queen would indicate the visit was over in some subtle manner. Lady Mendleton had often seen her simply turn her teacup so the handle pointed to her butler. He then swooped in and cleared the tea things, she rose, and everyone in attendance understood the queen was done with them. They would leap to their feet, curtsy again, and remain in the room until she departed. Finally, servants would whisk them out.
Georgiana thought she might easily follow the rules by simply following Lady Mendleton’s lead. She planned to say as little as possible. Therefore, simply remembering Your Majesty and ma’am, doing as Lady Mendleton did, and answering anything she was asked ought to do it.
She had, though, brought one advantage with her. Sometimes, the knowledge gathered from country life was found to come in handy. Knowing that the queen doted on her Pomeranians made Georgiana certain that the lady would look kindly upon anybody the dogs took a liking to. To ensure that they would take a liking toher, at breakfast she had very carefully dabbed the smallest bit of grease from a mutton chop onto a handkerchief and carefully folded it. It was just now tucked into her bodice. The two very reliable things about dogs of all sorts were that they could smell subtle scents that people could not, and they adored the smell of meat. There was a reason a stray dog would follow a butcher down the lane, though the man did not carry any meat with him.
“Well, my dear,” Lady Mendleton said, patting her hand, “here we are.”
They had come through the gates and driven up the drive, all the while Carstares taking the horses at a dignified walk to suit a royal approach. The coachman had been to the palace many times and knew he was not to descend, nor had there been any footman brought in past the gates. Finely-dressed queen’s guards approached and opened the door.
They were then handed over to another servant who led them through one fine room after the next. They finally arrived in a room smaller than the others, but exceedingly charmingly done. It was light and airy and done mostly in cream—cream satin on the furniture, cream silk curtains, and a pale patterned carpet of light blue on cream.
As Georgiana gazed round it, Lady Mendleton said softly, “The color is to match the dog’s, I think. The shedding won’t show.”
This nearly made Georgiana giggle, as it was so unexpected. Being surrounded in splendor, it had not occurred to her that a queen might face very usual practical household problems.
As they had planned on arriving exceedingly early, they waited for some time. They dared not sit before the queen arrived, and Lady Mendleton took to shifting from foot to foot. The poor dear lady was used to sitting everywhere, only moving from one seat to the next, and the prolonged standing was beginning to wear.
Just when Georgiana began to fear that the lady must sit or fall over, the doors were thrown open.
A stern-faced and exceedingly tall and dignified butler came through, followed by the queen. She was dressed rather old-fashioned with ribbons and bows sprouting up everywhere, and wore a heavy necklace of rubies and diamonds. Two fat Pomeranians trotted at her heels and a bevy of footmen brought up the rear.
“Your Majesty,” he intoned, “The Countess of Mendleton and Miss Georgiana Wilcox, daughter of Baron Manley.”
Both Georgiana and Lady Mendleton swept down in low curtsies.
“Lady Mendleton, charmed to see you. Miss Wilcox, I bid you welcome,” the queen said. “Please do sit yourself.”
Lady Mendleton appeared vastly relieved and sank into a chair. Georgiana sat on the settee on the other side of her, while the queen took a chair at the head of the small table made of fine-veined pale marble and mahogany wood.
