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“Well, don’t you suggest I’m not in a better position than you are to discover gossip and other important information. I have a much wider network than you do. And greater access to important people who can yield the right information. I can be more persuasive. I have friends who know how to be very persuasive. And here I am, suggesting to you that we join forces and share information, yet all you do is make me feel small. Like when we were children. Small and unimportant.”
Lissa drew a breath for forbearance, but also because there was truth in what Kitty was saying. She’d always felt protective of her younger sister, but also slightly exasperated by Kitty’s lack of insight on occasion.
“I’m not insinuating you’re not open to the idea of doing whatever you can, Lissa. I just think you’re too busy trying to make me ashamed of myself that you’ve lost sight of what’s more important. And you know what that is? It’s bringing justice to Lord Debenham and his cronies so you and Ralph can be married, and so I can at least prove to Lord Silverton that I would have made a brave and worthy wife.” Impatiently, she dabbed at the moisture in the corner of her eye.
“Come, it’s probably time to turn back,” she muttered, breaking off a leaf from an overhanging branch. “You’ll have Miss Lucinda to attend to, and you’re both going to Lady Richmond’s ball tonight, I know. But you will marry Ralph someday, and you will be happy. I will watch Lord Silverton being married in four weeks’ time and know that I will never be happy.”
Lissa put out her hand and squeezed her sister’s briefly. “You will find someone else,” she said. “You’re young and beautiful, and you are feted by the whole of London it would seem. I am proud of you, even if you think I’m not. Already, in less than a year, there’s been Lord Nash and then Lord Silverton, and while I don’t approve of your…liaisons, it proves there’ll be others.”
There was a curious look in Kitty’s eye as she whispered, “I can’t believe you’re insinuating what I think you are, Lissa! That I can so easily transfer my affections. I knew Lord Silverton for months as a good and loyal friend. I would do anything for him except ruin his future and relations with his family. No, there will never be another of his caliber. He and I were good together. We love each other. There’s no changing that! Just like there’s no changing the way you feel for Ralph.”
“Now!” Her trembling mouth turned up into a smile. “If you’re going to be out on the town tonight, you can’t possibly disgrace the family name with the poor ensemble that is all you have at your disposal, so I shall send Dorcas around with several suitable possibilities.”
Lissa was glad the conversation had ended on a better note, but she shook her head. “I can’t possibly, Kitty.”
“No, I insist!”
“It’s not your generosity I’m turning down. I truly thank you. But I couldn’t possibly turn up somewhere in what would be a gross putting forward of myself, suggesting I had ideas beyond my station. It would look like I wanted to cast Miss Lucinda into the shade.”
“Ideas beyond your station?” Kitty’s look was sad. “Lissa, you are the daughter of Lord Partington. Is it ‘above your station’ to wear a beautiful gown to an event that…that Araminta and Henrietta will be attending in lavish ball gowns? Don’t you want to show them up? Prove you’re just as good?”
“But I’m not.”
“Not as good as Araminta?! Please!”
They both grinned at that, and then Lissa ended the camaraderie with a worried look at the fading light. “I’ll have to go in now and see to Miss Lucinda.” She put out her hand feeling much more charitable toward Kitty now, despite the fact that Kitty was as impulsively misguided as ever. Kitty had always wanted to be better than Lissa knew that they could be. They’d been born in sin. Their brother Thomas could ride above the stain to his birthright through industry and the backing of influential sponsors.
Kitty had sunk to the lowest depths of degradation possible, but Lissa could still cling to tenuous respectability as a governess.
“Oh Lissa, you’d look just lovely in the pale green silk and roses. I do wish you’d consider it!”
“If it’ll make you happy to say I’ll consider it, then all right.” Lissa tried not to show her sadness as she gazed at Kitty’s animated face. Already her sister had put the unfortunate aspects of their conversation and situation behind her, and was gaily contemplating future happy pursuits. But what would happen to poor Kitty when her looks were faded? She’d have nothing.
No, it would be up to Lissa to maintain her impecunious little sister, when Kitty had run through all her funds, and there was no gentleman to support her.
“I wish you well for tonight’s performance, Kitty,” she said, turning.
“And I wish you well for finding out something important at Lady Richmond’s tonight.” Kitty put her hand on Lissa’s arm. “You are very clever at keeping things close to your chest. I don’t wonder you were chosen for a position of such discretion, and I’m sure you’ll find out exactly what we need to find out if we’re to help Ralph. I want to see the pair of you happily married, truly I do!”
“That’s very sweet,” said Lissa, thinking how far distant any such a possibility seemed right now. “And I’m sure you’ll do whatever you can to find out who else might have an axe to grind with Lord Debenham though, of course, Araminta only wants such information so she can protect him in order to protect herself.” She sighed. “I’m sure it’s all far too complicated for you to have to worry about. Goodnight Kitty.”
Chapter 18
Kitty plastered on a cheerful smile as she farewelled her sister, but it was hard to keep her shoulders back and walk without showing the real depths of her sadness. Lissa and Ralph were deeply in love and all that held them apart was a lack of money.
Kitty and Silverton were madly in love, but the factors that held them apart were insurmountable.
Still, she was an actress, a celebrated actress, she had to remind herself. In a few hours, she’d be performing on stage and presenting herself to an adoring public as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Lissa clearly had little admiration for the choices she’d made, nor for her ability to make any difference in solving a mystery that had such important ramifications for her sisters—Lissa and Araminta—but Kitty would show her.
She just wasn’t sure how.
Therefore, it was an enormous surprise when directly after the performance, she was given notice by her dresser that a lady wished to see her in private and was there somewhere they could repair to.
“A lady? Did she say who she was?” Kitty wondered fearfully if it could be Miss Mandelton come to accost her having heard rumors about her past liaison with her future husband. Not that she believed Miss Mandelton would have the courage to do such a thing. Carefully nurtured females such as she were trained to keep their heads demurely down, preferably over stitching their husband’s shirts or infants’ nightcaps, and to pretend they had no knowledge of the deviant underworld to which Kitty belonged.
“She didn’t say miss, but I knew it were Lady Debenham.”
