“How will he, though?” Beatrice asked. “We all saw how much trouble Rosalind had to go to so that Conbatten could show his courage. I will not even refer to my own adventures in love, as they are too ridiculous to recount.”
Viola nodded, as she’d had the same thoughts herself. Her sisters had not had an easy time of it and howwasLord Baderston to prove his loyalty?
“I cannot be certain yet,” she said, “but it is early days. Certainly, something must come up.”
Beatrice rubbed her chin. “Hmm,” she said. “It is difficult to think of something. Everything is so perfect between you.”
“Yes, perfect…” Viola trailed off. As much as she would push two particular ladies out of her mind, Lord Baderston’s mother and Lady Clara were very insistent on pushing their way back in.
“What are you not saying, Vi?” Rosalind asked.
“Well, one thing is, at Almack’s, you see Lord Baderston’s mother was there.”
“The dowager?” Rosalind asked. “I understood she never came to Town. At least, I did inquire of Conbatten any facts he might know about Baderston and he mentioned that. He also said it was well she did not, as she was not a very happy woman.”
“She is here,” Viola said, “and it is true that her temperament seems less than genial. Lord Baderston told me that himself, after apologizing for her.”
“Apologizing! Goodness, what did the lady do?”
“Rather what shesaid. When we were introduced, she was very cold. And curt. And held a very high opinion of some other lady.” Viola paused, then said in a whisper, “And it even seemed as if she did not like Papa.”
“The woman must be mad,” Rosalind said. “Everyone likes Papa.”
“Do not worry, Vi, she’s bound to come round,” Beatrice said. “Now what is the other problem? You said the dowager isoneproblem.”
“Yes, well I suppose I wonder about this other lady. The dowager is very approving of her, and Lord Baderston took her first dance.”
“Perhaps he had no choice,” Rosalind said. “Perhaps that was the only one that was open?”
“That seems unlikely though,” Viola said. “Would all the other gentlemen have passed on it?”
Just then, their tête-à-tête was interrupted by the earl, Darden, and Miss Mayton coming into the drawing room.
“We’d best rejoin the party,” Beatrice said. “Juliet and Cordelia have kept our husbands examining that parrot for long enough. Poor Van Doren, he is not at all fond of the idea of a bird in the house.”
“Chin up, Viola,” Rosalind said. “It will all come right, I am certain it will.”
Viola nodded and did put her chin up. What else could she do?
*
Tattleton had expresslyignored the wretched bird when announcing that the family might go through to dinner. That little heathen might scream murder all it liked, with no reaction from him.
He would not condescend to notice the creature. He was a butler, not a zookeeper.
A bird like that, with a brain the size of a pea, could not be expected to understand the gravity of this particular dinner.
It was not just the immediate family anymore. The Benningtons had expanded their intimate circle.
He was used to serving Lord Westmont, Miss Mayton, occasionally Lord Darden, and the earl’s daughters. Then of course, Lord Van Doren, being a neighbor in Somerset, had often been on the scene. An earl, two viscounts, and four ladies.
How things had changed. Now, they had a duke and duchess on hand. Aduke. There was nobody placed higher but for the royal family. His Grace, the Duke of Conbatten, was now a relation.
Tattleton had already noted the duke look approvingly at the wine he’d selected. He’d managed to discover, through a vast network of servants, that the duke had been exceedingly admiring of a certain dry Tokay he was served at Lady Hightower’s house last season.
It had not been easy to find, but he’d contacted every wine merchant in the city until he’d located one who had the stuff.
Now, with great aplomb, he served it as if it were a mere trifle. After all, it would be very un-butler-like were he to allow the perspiration of the effort to be seen on his countenance.
