Lady Annabelle seemed rather uncomfortable with that particular line of questioning, twisting her handkerchief into a small knot. “Well, I only said, oh I don’t know exactly. You know, youdidfall off your horse and Ididhear your grandfather was in trade and I suppose I said…something about that.”
Georgiana was rather taken aback, though she supposed she ought not be surprised. What did cause surprise, though, was that Lord Langley would have put up a spirited enough defense of her to cause Lady Annabelle to collapse in a heap.
“Oh, Miss Wilcox, you do not know what a terrible person I am!” Lady Annabelle said. “I am really the worst person on earth and deserve no consideration at all!”
Georgiana had often thought so herself, though she knew very well that might be taking things a bit far. The lady was irritating, but hardly grand enough to be theveryworst person on earth. She patted Lady Annabelle’s hand and said, “If you really were, you would hardly claim it. I am certain that the very worst person on earth, whoever they are, has engaged in far darker deeds and keeps them a closely guarded secret.”
“So I’ve got that wrong too,” Lady Annabelle said. “You see, I am very stupid and have nothing but my looks and mama says I have to make the most of them. I cannot make enough of them, though. No matter how many times I point them out or point out a wrong done by another lady so I might look better, it matters not. Nobody loves me, nobody declares themself for me.Youmight fall off your horse a thousand times and it makes no difference, it does not put me in a better light at all! I shall be an old maid and a disappointment to my parents. Lord Langley does not love me, though they so hoped that he would!”
“Do you lovehim, Lady Annabelle?” Georgiana said cautiously.
“Him? No, of course not. He is so…serious and ill-humored. He does not dote on me. I believe he knows I am stupid. But what matter? I was determined to do my duty, even if I had rather not. It’s all for nothing, though. Nobody in this Town will love me and I will be shamed. Nobody dotes, though I was quite sure that they would.”
Georgiana was rather touched by this. She had not realized that Lady Annabelle was under such pressure. Or that she did not even like Lord Langley. Or that she was longing to be doted on. A sudden idea occurred to her.
“Was there ever somebody whodiddote on you, then? Somebody not currently in Town?”
Lady Annabelle sniffled into her handkerchief. “Mr. Pottsgrove dotes, though he is only the son of a baron and my mother does not think his prospects good enough. He is a neighbor and I see him often when we are at home, but he does not come to Town.”
As the idea of Mr. Pottsgrove presented itself, Lady Annabelle seemed to cheer. “He’s ever so genial. He talks a great deal, it is really very pleasant as I do not have to fill the silences with anything stupid. I need say nothing about my person or anybody else because he just rambles on about how pretty I am and how sweet I am. He does not give a fig that I don’t read much or care what’s in the newspapers or know so little about anything, he says I am perfect just as myself. I told him I must go to Town and get married and he swore his life was over and he would die a despondent bachelor. That was nice, I thought.”
“Rather more than nice,Ithink,” Georgiana said, suppressing her humor over the situation. “Goodness, Lady Annabelle, rather than fuss over what Lord Langley thinks, I feel you ought to have a frank conversation with your mother. Mr. Pottsgrove has been left bereft and so have you.”
Lady Annabelle gently sighed. “Did I say he has red hair? Not dark red, but very light, almost blond. And freckles that come out in the summer, right across his nose. He’s very tall and he can give me a lift up to my saddle with only one hand. Can you imagine, I step on his outstretched palm and up I go. He swears we would have the most charming children in the world, and I would have to do nothing but be a hostess at parties, which I should like very much. He says I am his perfect person.”
“I am certain he is right. Now dry your tears and resolve to put your foot down with your mama. He will be a baron, after all, not a grocer. He is perfectly eligible.”
“He will, will he not? And I do get on smashing with his father, after all. He’s a jolly old fellow and calls memy pet. Just think, I might be myself all the time and still be admired. I ought to do it! I ought to put my foot down with Mama.”
“Indeed,” Georgiana said, “though please do me the courtesy of leaving me out of the tale. This has to be your idea and yours alone.”
Lady Annabelle nodded and said, “Mr. Pottsgrove, Frederick, he once told me, Annie, you can be the queen of my house and eat marzipan all the day long with a small white dog on your lap. That was nice, I thought.”
Thatwasrather nice of Mr. Pottsgrove. Georgiana dearly hoped Lady Annabelle would find the fortitude to insist on the gentleman, as she did not see that any other gentleman would find his genial ideas at all practical.
“Now, dry your eyes and blow your nose. Let us go into supper or we will be missed.” Georgiana looked over Lady Annabelle’s person. Her red eyes and red nose would not go unnoticed. “We will powder your nose and it will be perfectly reasonable for you to claim an allergy from one of Lady Featherstone’ flower arrangements. Claim it is the hyacinths, the retiring room is overflowing with them.”
Lady Annabelle dried her eyes, and then blew her nose with a force more suited to Mr. Pottsgrove himself. As she did so, Georgiana reflected on what she had discovered. There was to be no match between Lord Langley and Lady Annabelle. Even had Mr. Pottsgrove not been in the picture, they’d had a falling out from what had never been a particularly genial acquaintance. A falling out on her own account, it seemed.
That, of course, was gratifying.
And yet, it must not be gratifying! As soon as Lady Mendleton was apprised that her scheme was doomed, she’d search out another eligible lady for her son. That favored lady would never be the penniless daughter of a baron who had married a tradesman’s daughter. It would never be her.
She must get all thought of that out of her mind at once!
Georgiana had finallyconvinced Lady Annabelle to depart the retiring room after straightening her gown, powdering her red nose, fixing the ribbons in her hair and assuring her that, aside from red eyes which would resolve shortly, she looked exceedingly well.
Most ladies might believe what they saw in a looking glass over what they were told, but Lady Annabelle was perfectly amenable to putting great stock in Georgiana’s opinion. She also apologized for telling almost everybody she knew about the fall in the park. Or, as she said, “Everybody gossips and it was all I had, but I shan’t say another word about it.”
In the end, Georgiana found she could not dislike Lady Annabelle as much as she had done. The girl was silly, exceedingly so, but Mr. Pottsgrove did not seem to mind it and so neither would she.
When they emerged, she realized they had been closeted away for quite some time as it was only Lord Langley and Mr. Avendale who waited, everybody else having proceeded into the dining room.
Both men appeared uncomfortable, though Lord Langley far more than Mr. Avendale. Lady Annabelle threw her chin up rather decidedly as she passed by Lord Langley, having grown courage over the idea of Mr. Pottsgrove and his outlandish promises.
As nobody seemed to have anything to say, they walked to the dining room with only a small sniffle from Lady Annabelle accompanying them.
They were so late to the supper as to be the last in and footmen led the couples in different directions to pairs of open seats. Georgiana thought that was well—poor Lady Annabelle could not be expected to keep herself composed in the face of the man who had so insulted her. Not even with Mr. Pottsgrove to think about.
