“Lord Van Doren proceeded to lecture the gentleman that he was not at all suitable for you as he took far too long with his toilette,” Lady Jersey said.
“But why should he say anything of the sort?” Beatrice said, her mind racing. It was not a question Lady Jersey had any hope of answering, but it was the only question on her mind. Why would Van Doren go out of his way to be so outrageous and attempt to drive off Conbatten?
She understood what she hoped the answer might be. That he might have some sort of feeling for her. Though, she also knew how highhanded he could be. Just because he wished for another to step away did not mean he wished to step in.
“Lady Beatrice,” Lady Jersey said, “I do not have the faintest idea why Lord Van Doren might say or do anything as I do not particularly know him. Do I take it, from your reaction, that there is nothing between you and the duke?”
“Nothing at all, my lady,” Beatrice said.
“Ah, that is a shame,” she said. “It would be a brilliant match.”
“Fortunately, my lady,” Miss Mayton said, “Beatrice is not at all swayed by money and title.”
“Is that fortunate?” Lady Jersey said, clearly not seeing the appeal of such an opinion. She turned to Beatrice and said, “If Lord Van Doren wishes to keep his voucher to Almack’s, he’d best rein in his unusual behavior. Otherwise, I will be forced to rescind and that always looks very bad.”
“But I am not sure thatIcan advise him,” Beatrice said, wondering how in the world to broach such a conversation.
“Well somebody must!” Lady Jersey said imperiously. “In the meantime, I will speak to Conbatten to make him aware of the situation. I will suggest he bow out of your ball to tamp down the talk. He will agree that if he does not turn up, he cannot be considered a suitor. That is what we must always do at such moments—tamp down.”
“Is it really so very much talked of?” Beatrice asked.
“Of course it is. Every mama in London has designs on Conbatten, making him perennially interesting. Every member of thetondelights in being the first to pass some tidbit along. They have nothing to do but talk, and so talk they do. Sometimes, I rattle on about absolutely nothing so they can’t get a word in. It amuses me.”
Lady Jersey rose. “I will see myself out. If your butler at all resembles mine on the eve of a ball, he is on the razor’s edge of a nervous collapse.”
Lady Jersey sailed from the room and out the front doors, closing them behind herself.
“Well my goodness,” Miss Mayton said, appearing perfectly satisfied, “Lord Van Doren has put a foot out of place. He ought to be lectured about it, just as he has so delighted in doing all these years.”
Beatrice nodded absentmindedly, though she had no intention of lecturing Van Doren on the subject.
“You might end whatever scathing words you put together withI only give you that hint.” Miss Mayton said with a snort. “That is amusing, is it not?”
Beatrice forced a smile. “Ever so,” she said. Though, she was less amused and more burning with curiosity. What had been his purpose? Did he know he’d approached the wrong man?
Her sisters all filed back into the room and Miss Mayton speedily apprised them of the cause of Lady Jersey’s visit.
The great lady herself might not have been so determined to send them away, had she known how quickly they would return and that nothing would be kept from them.
“Hah!” Juliet cried. “Van Doren has gone mad. I knew it should happen sooner or later—one cannot be coiled up tight like a spring without eventually popping loose.”
“Is that it, though?” Rosalind asked. “Or is he just sticking his nose in like always? It would be just like Van Doren to believe he had some right to direct who you ought to pay attention to, Bea. Even ifweknow Conbatten is not your true love,hedoes not know it.”
“I think he just likes to boss people about,” Viola said.
“Also, he has always thought he is the most important person living,” Cordelia said. “I see how he looks down upon my Desdemona. Perhaps he could not stand being outranked by a duke, so he sought to put him down.”
“I only wonder at his becoming so intemperate,” Miss Mayton said. “It is not at all what he has been.”
Itwasrather intemperate for Van Doren to speak to the duke regarding her, and outrageous to mention the duke’s toilette. Why had he done it? Why had he been intemperate?
Beatrice’s rational mind told her to put it aside. Rationality, though, never stood much of a chance on a battlefield when hope was poised for combat on the other side.
Hope was determined not to be vanquished.
It was the stupidest thing in the world, but she had the tiniest shred of hope and found herself very loath to part with it.
Perhaps she would hint to her father that Van Doren ought to be asked for dinner. It was to be a quiet family night in, as the ball was on the morrow. Perhaps he might say something about why he’d approached the duke who was not the duke.
