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Chapter14
James and I slipped into the house together and found Lady Edith waiting at the door. “You go on and change,” she said to her son. “I need to speak with Felicity.”
He nodded and obeyed, sending me a glance that I could not quite decipher.
Lady Edith waited until his footsteps had fully retreated before turning her attention on me. “My nephew is here, and it is no secret that he is a stickler for propriety. I can only imagine that he has chosen to visit in order to take your measure and ensure that James has not brought a smudge upon our name.”
“The earl does not carry the Bradwell name though, correct?” If I understood the family lines correctly, this earl was the son of Lady Edith’s deceased brother.
“No, he does not, but he is connected to our family, and it would be disastrous if he was to revoke his good opinion of us.” Lady Edith paced away and paused near the window, moving the curtains in order to see out onto the drive. She looked back at me, as though gauging whether or not she could trust me. “Since his father’s death a few years ago, Matthew—or, the Earl of Claverley, rather—has made it his aim to prove himself worthy of the title he now holds. I have managed to secure his word that he would assist me with a problem, and I cannot allow him to change his mind.”
Lady Edith stepped closer still, her brown eyes intent upon me. “We carry a tenuous relationship, for his father and I were never close. My brother was a difficult man, to say the least, but I need to remain in Matthew’s good favor, and for that to happen, I need him to approve of you.”
Pressure settled on my chest, making it harder to secure a full breath. “What can I do?”
She let out a quiet breath. “You can dress your best, allow my maid to come style your hair, and please do not let his lordship learn that your marriage to James was rushed in any way.”
“Does he not already know that we were married within a month of meeting?” I could do my best in this house, but I could not stem the strength of the gossip tide that swept Society across England.
“He has no reason to know. Surely, you can see to it that he believes James and you have an authentic marriage. You needn’t prove a love match, merely show Lord Claverley that you did not marry in order to avoid a scandal.”
Though that was precisely what we’d done. How did my mother-in-law expect me to accomplish this?
“I will do my best.”
“It is imperative that you succeed, Felicity. Not that you merely do your best.” She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers together in front of her lips. “Lord Claverley has agreed to sponsor my goddaughter for one year to aid her in making a match. She needs his good name—and he needs our money. But it was difficult to navigate an agreement that suited both of us, and one wrong step can surely lead to Lord Claverley retracting from the agreement.”
“You cannot sponsor your goddaughter?”
“No.” Lady Edith’s words became clipped. “Even if I could stomach a voyage to London, I fear I do not hold enough clout to give my goddaughter any real chance of obtaining a good match. I did not marry a title, and mine is old and too distanced from the current earl to be of any real use.”
I nodded. Scandal was somehow embroiled in this situation, and Lady Edith did not wish for my connection to topple her precariously stacked house of cards. “James is aware of this necessity?”
“Of course. Now, don your best day dress, and I will send my maid in to see to your hair.”
I made my way upstairs and selected my best gown. I washed my face with water from the ewer and slipped on the green muslin dress. Its embroidered sleeves reached my elbow, and while they were beautiful, they were scratchy on my skin, so I hardly ever wore this dress. I tucked a sheer fichu into the bodice, wishing I could tuck a fichu beneath the already itchy sleeves as well.
Lady Edith’s maid arrived not too long later, and by the time she was finished putting up my hair, I hardly recognized myself. She’d piled my pale copper hair on the crown of my head, utilizing the curling tongs to place a few ringlets above my temples. It was simple when compared to Lady Edith’s hair, but it was far above what I was used to, and the higher hairstyle seemed to draw my face up a little, giving me a brighter, younger appearance.
I hated to admit so to myself, but I rather liked the way I looked when someone else assisted me with my hair. I turned on my seat and thanked Lady Edith’s maid. She bobbed a curtsy and left.
Lady Edith awaited me in the drawing room, and I could see from the rigid way she sat with the needlework suspended on her lap that this was of great importance to her. “Come, sit near me,” she said absently, and I took the open seat beside her on the sofa, setting my workbasket on the floor near my feet.
The tall ceilings in the drawing room were bright with the midday sun, the gold and burgundy papered walls simple beneath a frescoed ceiling. I had not yet grown accustomed to the majesty of this house, and I doubted I ever would.
“Do you have something to occupy you?” Lady Edith asked.
I bent to retrieve my basket, my itchy sleeves sliding roughly over my skin. I attempted to shift my position to ease the discomfort. “I thought to accomplish a little embroidery.”
She nodded. Then, after a moment, asked, “Do you play the pianoforte?”
“Yes, though I’m afraid my skill leaves something to be desired.”
“We shan’t ask you to play for the earl, then. Do you sing?”
“Not in company.”
She gave a light laugh. “Gracious, Felicity. What do you do to impress your guests?”
