Chapter Ten
Henry sat inthe drawing room with his aunt. He’d kept the conversation going all through dinner by asking her question after question about everything he could think of. How did her steward get on, as he had been poorly last Henry had heard. Had she decided whether or not she would replace her roof on the estate? Or perhaps only repairs would be deemed sufficient? His own steward had suggested he expand his dairy as the cheese they were producing was proving a growing market—what did she think about that?
Now they had fallen to silence as he’d run out of questions.
“Goodness, I really do not understand what could have happened,” Lady Pegatha said.
“Happened?” Henry said, sipping his port.
“Certainly there is a reason you have so studiously avoided mentioning anything about your ride in the park with Lady Verity.”
Henry sighed. Perhaps he ought to have known that his aunt would not be so easily led. How to explain it all, though?
“Come, now. It is only me. What has that girl done this time? I pray she is not inquiring into whether birds can fly with their eyes closed, but who knows!”
“All right, very amusing. Well, first, I arrived to her house and her drawing room was filled with a collection of fops and dandies. You know the type—too young, too precious, and tryingtoo hard to put on airs and adopt some sort of jocular manner that strikes them as the height of sophistication.”
“Ah, yes, London is always littered with overgrown boys at this time of year. They flit, they quip, they ostentatiously peer through their quizzing glasses, and amuse or irritate everybody else, depending on one’s mood. But I suppose you cannot be shocked that they have gravitated to Lady Verity—she is strikingly pretty.”
“She is,” Henry admitted. “But I think those gentlemen were there to collect some amusing gossip. At least, some of them were. Word has got out about Lady Verity’s idea of discovering if fish can see out of water.”
“Her idea? You mean, herstory. But heavens, how has it got out? I assure you, I have not breathed a word of it. It seems unlikely that any of her family would have done it. I saw the looks going her way when she posited the idea. Their eyes were almost willing her to stop talking.”
“It was me. I mentioned it to Lord Wetherby, just out of curiosity over whether anybody had looked into it in the past. I never dreamed he’d talk about it.”
“Oh dear. Thetonwill make hay with it, I am certain.”
“Yes, I believe they already are. We had a picnic of sorts in the park and Lady Lilith turned up. She seemed to know all about it.”
“Lady Lilith turned up, did she?”
Henry nodded. “She was just passing by and stopped.”
“Just passing by and stopped, did she?” Lady Pegatha said, laughing.
“Yes, as I said. What comment do you make on it?”
“Perhaps it was a coincidence, I do not claim to know otherwise. But on the other hand, perhaps it was not a coincidence. Perhaps she continues her pursuit despite lack of encouragement.”
Henry hoped not. If the lady were looking to wed, she was looking in the wrong direction. Then a thought occurred to him. “I do not think, as a general thing, that Lady Lilith has particularly good instincts. That is, I do not think she reads people very well. Lady Valor asked her if her little dog was tremendous. Lady Lilith laughed and said he was a bit small to be tremendous.”
“Goodness, that was stupid. One ought not challenge any ideas a young girl has about her dog. I suppose London is filled to the brim with little girls owning the most tremendous dog in England.”
“You did not scoff at the idea, though she threw that little pug on your lap several times.”
Lady Pegatha laughed. “I certainly did not. There is never a point in challenging a thing that is easy to agree to and no trouble to oneself. Though, my lady’s maid might not approve in this case—she was positively shocked over the amount of fur on my dress afterward.”
Henry lapsed into silence.
“Come now, the visit with Lady Verity could not have been all bad. Does she comport herself well atop a horse?”
“She is rather expert, actually. I’ve never seen the like of her and her sister. Not from a lady, in any event. I felt like we were at Newmarket on the final stretch.”
“I must commend her for that—there is nary a sight more dashing than an expert horsewoman. And I suppose she was very charming in her riding habit.”
“Extremely so. And then the duke suggested I walk her down to The Serpentine. We had a really interesting talk, about everything in the world, it seemed. It felt as if, as if…we had always been talking all our lives. She said my house sounded charming, and I told the truth about it too—I did not attempt to pretty up the facts. She even knows about the map.”
“There you have it. Henry, if you are really interested in this lady, and it seems that you are, then close your ears to any gossip that might be going round and proceed.” Lady Pegatha paused, examining her sherry in its crystal glass. “Though really, that girl had best stop inventing such preposterous notions.”
