Page 27 of Scandal’s Daughter

Chapter 13

“Wherein our heroine meets the countess and finds an ally.”

It occurred to Georgiana, in the light of these forbidding words, that she still didn’t know the outcome of his meeting with Lord Falmouth.

“As I see it, we have two choices,” her uncle explained with rushed words. “The first is to do as your uncle wishes and marry Rufford.” He grinned, looking over the top of his spectacles at her. “I feel we are of a like mind on this particular subject.”

“Indeed, we are, sir,” she replied, smiling in return, though her nerves were once more all of a jitter.

“Then that leaves us but one course of action. We must face the scandal head on and in such a way that it dies away, and no one has any further interest in speaking of it.”

Georgiana felt her heart plummet and her stomach appeared to somersault, accompanied with a quite nauseating wave of heat that washed over her. “Oh dear,” she murmured.

“Now then, love. You won’t be alone in this by any means and that was why I contacted the earl. You see the man owes me a debt after his fool physician nearly killed him last year. A wound got infected and he was running a fever. If he hadn’t called me in for a second opinion, it could have been quite nasty indeed. Anyway, he told me he was in my debt and if I ever needed anything ... Well I do need something, and I didn’t hesitate to tell him so.”

“Uncle!” Georgiana exclaimed in growing horror. “Whatever have you asked him for?”

She watched as he sat back in his chair and stroked his thick white sideburns with the back of one hand.

“Now don’t panic, child. The whole idea is that you must avoid any scandal attaching to you. You must act with the utmost propriety and good sense, of which I have no doubt at all you will be able to do quite admirably.”

For a moment Georgiana’s mind flitted back to an afternoon with Beau and the way she had cried out when his hand slid under the skirts of her dress. Her cheeks flamed but her uncle just chuckled, thankfully perfectly ignorant of the path her thoughts had taken.

“So, I believe you know that the earl has recently married. In fact, I met his wife this afternoon and a more delightful creature you never did meet. I think you’ll be enchanted by her. She’s very young, mind, but nonetheless as a married woman she can bring you out in society and indeed she has very graciously agreed to do just that. And damn me, but with the Earl of Falmouth giving his name to your cause, you just let the bloody baron do his worst! We’ll face them all down, Georgiana, and come out of this the winners. You mark my words!”

This impassioned speech did much to restore Georgiana’s spirits, though she felt very close to fainting once more when her uncle gave her the quite stunning information that he believed she was worth close to fifty thousand pounds.

The staggering amount of money made her head spin and her uncle’s next words, about bewaring fortune hunters for they’d be on her like bees on honey, quite went over her head. The rejuvenating effect of this plan on Aunt Jane, though, was something close to miraculous.

She was swept away to Truro where several new gowns were purchased so she wouldn’t be put to the blush when she was presented to the countess the next day.

“But, Aunt Jane,” she whispered, out of hearing of the shopkeeper. “I don’t inherit until I’m twenty-one. That’s a year and a half away. How on earth ...?”

“Hush, love!” her aunt scolded her, pausing a moment to throw a smile at the shop keeper who had glanced in their direction. “Lord Falmouth has advanced you a sum to cover all of your expenses, which of course you will repay him when you come into your inheritance.”

Georgiana looked at her aunt, quite aghast.

“B--but he’s never set eyes on me, I mean ... how ... why?” she stammered, becoming so flustered that her aunt held her vinaigrette close under her nose until Georgiana squealed with disgust. It did, however, bring her back to earth.

“That will be quite enough fretting, Georgiana,” her aunt said, with quite astonishing severity from one who was usually so mild. “It just so happens that the earl holds the baron in as much contempt as you would wish and is more than happy to help you thwart his plans.” She lowered her voice a little more, whispering to Georgiana. “According to Joseph he has some other, private reasons for his involvement he didn’t wish to discuss but suffice to say your success would please him very much. Now your uncle and the earl have arranged it all for you and all you need do is enjoy the nicer parts of it, like the shopping and making new friends with ladies like the countess.”

Her aunt came closer and touched her face with empathy.

“Of course, facing the haut ton is going to wear on your nerves I know, child. But there is nothing like being properly attired to be able to stare down those who would say wicked things about you, take it from me!”

Seeing as her aunt must have run the gauntlet of just such kinds of ill-natured gossip when her family disowned her, Georgiana could readily believe the truth of it. Either way, there was little she could do. Everything was apparently arranged to everyone’s satisfaction. All she had to do was play her part, do and say nothing scandalous, and hopefully her mother’s infamy would not continue to taint her own future.

***

Both her aunt and uncle were right about one thing. The Countess of Falmouth was an absolute darling.

Setting foot inside the vast doors of Tregothnan was by far the most terrifying thing Georgiana had ever done. She was greeted by an elderly butler of such grave dignity she might have been of a mind to turn around and flee had it not been for Aunt Jane’s iron grip on her arm.

They were led into a lavish drawing room, painted in the palest duck egg blue and with massive gilt-framed pictures lining the panelled walls. It was exquisitely furnished, and in every direction her eyes alighted on some beautiful piece to delight the eye.

Nothing in the room, however, could compare to the vision that rose to greet them.

With the widest, bluest eyes Georgiana had ever seen, surrounded by an artless arrangement of guinea gold curls - that she could well believe had taken hours to achieve - the countess rushed over to greet them. She wore a dress of amber silk with a rich lace trim around the bust and was quite the most dazzling creature. Holding her hands outstretched she drew Georgiana to her and kissed both of her cheeks.