Both ladies nodded, and he said, “One hopes a sufficient amount of ribbons and bits and bobs were located?”
“Indeed,” Lady Cordelia said, “we felt it a duty to put some money into the villagers’ pockets, as we do at home.”
Her tone was rather sharp, though he could not account for it. He’d only asked about ribbons, after all.
“It was well we did,” Miss Mayton said. “Were you aware that Mrs. Macklethorpe has just lost her husband and now runs her shop alone?”
Percival, of course, had no way of knowing who the lady was or what her situation might be.
“I am afraid I am not.”
“Oh yes, Cordelia and I had a long talk with her,” Miss Mayton said. “Very sad thing, really. She was fond of Mr. Macklethorpe.”
How like Lady Cordelia to have a talk with a shopkeeper and discover the woman’s personal circumstances.
“Lady Cordelia,” the duchess said, “Do meet Lord Poppin.”
Lady Cordelia turned round to meet the said lord, who Percival thought was not aptly named. He’d have been better to be named Lord Popinjay. This morning he’d claimed to have mastered ten-foot seas off Brighton; by the afternoon he was floundering on a lake.
Percival was left with Miss Mayton.
“Now mind,” Miss Mayton went on, “Mrs. Macklethorpe was a bit standoffish in the beginning, but Cordelia could see well enough that the lady was in some sort of straits. After the other ladies had left the shop, she said to me, “I do believe that lady is near tears.”
“Was she?” Percival asked.
“Oh yes, we got to the bottom of it quick enough. She was frightened over whether or not she was capable of running the shop on her own. We assured her she was and had a comfortable tea together until one of the duchess’ footmen came to fetch us away. Cordelia bought the very feather she wears tonight. It was overpriced, we both knew it, but in the circumstances…”
Percival found the tale strangely touching. He did not suppose any of the duchess’ other guests had noticed Mrs. Macklethorpe’s sad demeanor.
No, of course they would not have.Hewould not have. Only Lady Cordelia would have comprehended the situation.
“Oh goodness,” Miss Mayton said, “there is Theodora. She wished me to tell her more about Mount Vesuvius.”
Miss Mayton hurried in Lady Theodora’s direction. To Percival’s surprise, Lady Theodora appeared delighted to note it.
The world, at this moment, seemed topsy-turvy. What he’d thought it was, it wasn’t. At least, not entirely.
His rationality, his pursuit of knowledge, had only taken him so far. It had been like a dead-end road that went nowhere. All along, hiding behind his facts and figures, there was this whole other world of people and their feelings.
Again, Lady Hightower’s words came back to haunt him—there were more types of intelligence than he’d been aware of.
He’d been a shell of a man and had not known it.
All that would change, though. He would act the Corinthian and he would learn from Lady Cordelia.
Assuming she would accept him.
And assuming he could drag her away from Lord Popinjay, who was just now droning on about his harrowing ordeal at sea.
The duke’s dinner gong sounded. Conversations quieted and everyone began to organize themselves by rank to be ready to file into dinner.
The duchess stood at the doors and said, “We are a country party and need not be formal, so I will pair everybody off in some amusing fashion.”
And so the duchess did pair her guests off.
Lord Popinjay appeared disappointed to understand he would not be escorting Lady Cordelia in, but Hamill had been as good as his word.
Percival held his arm out to Lady Cordelia.
