AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I did my best not to let the sting of her comment puncture my delicate opinion of myself further. Lady Edith seemed to hold the same great opinion of accomplishments as the rest of the ton did, which meant I would pale in comparison to any young debutante of her acquaintance. I swallowed the discomfort of my situation and chose to speak the truth. “My accomplishments are abysmal, Lady Edith. I am often overly nervous in company, and it diminishes the few minor skills I do possess, for I am unable to display them to the best of my abilities.”
Lady Edith looked at me with her brow furrowed, but immediately turned her focus to her embroidery when male voices could be heard in the corridor, seemingly coming our direction.
I rubbed a palm over the outside of my sleeves in hopes of removing the itchiness before the men joined us.
A moment later, James stepped into the drawing room, followed by a man similar in age to him but possessed of fair, neatly arranged hair and a round face. I lowered my hand to the embroidery on my lap so as not to be caught scratching. The earl was shorter than James by a head, at least, and one would not imagine them to be related if one was not told of their relationship, for they appeared as different as the sun and the moon.
“Lord Claverley, you will allow me the honor of introducing my wife, Mrs. Bradwell.”
I rose for this introduction and curtsied. Lord Claverley bowed over my hand as the remainder of the introduction was performed, then took his seat on the sofa opposite me, James beside him. My sleeve dragged over my skin lightly, and I clenched my teeth to fight the desire to scratch.
Lord Claverley was as foppish as James was elegant and tasteful. His violet coat was bold to the eye and his yellow waistcoat equally bright. He lifted an ornate eyeglass from his pocket and through it he thoroughly inspected me. He put the eyeglass away and turned toward Lady Edith. “James mentioned you intend to give a ball in the bride’s honor.”
Lady Edith smiled benevolently. “We need to celebrate the glorious union that has blessed our home, of course. Shall I ring for tea?”
“James plied me with both food and drink,” Lord Claverley said, then turned his attention on me. “Where does your family reside, Mrs. Bradwell?”
“In London, my lord. Though we spend a good deal of time in Northumberland every summer at Arden Castle, if you know it.”
He perked up. “I do. I have the fortune to call Daniel Palmer a friend of mine.”
“Daniel is my cousin.” I hoped the connection was as positive as his expression seemed to imply. Daniel had the habit of making enemies as swiftly as he did friends.
A wide smile spread over Lord Claverley’s lips. “Say, will Palmer be present at your ball?”
“I’ve yet to extend the invitation, my lord, but I intend to. It is hard to say if we can expect him, however. I believe he is away from Arden Castle more often than he is found at home.”
“I should hope to see him.” Lord Claverley said, warmth in his tone.
“We look forward to seeing Lady Claverley,” Lady Edith said. “I do believe it has been an age since we were graced with her presence at Chelton.”
“The dratted business of confinement has made that difficult,” the earl said. “Though I am certain my wife will be pleased to visit. She received a letter recently from our Miss Northcott. It appears the young lady will remain at school for the duration of the summer holiday and will come to us in early August.”
“Oh?” Lady Edith shifted in her seat. “She has not mentioned it to me.”
“She wanted additional time to perfect her accomplishments, or some such thing. I wondered if there was anything amiss, but it would seem that you are no wiser on the matter than I.”
Lady Edith seemed to freeze, both body and tongue. It appeared that Lord Claverley had taken her quite by surprise. She’d hoped to warn me against breathing any scandal into his ear, but evidently Lord Claverley came prepared with some of his own. I was unaware of the nature of Lady Edith’s agreement with her nephew, only of its importance to her, and I could see that this development was not good.
A quick sweep of the silenced Bradwells present in the room proved that we were at an impasse, and something needed to be done about it. But Lady Edith could not be expected to pull herself from a situation for which she had just admitted to having no knowledge of. The moment of silence stretched and glared over us, and I hurried to fill the gap left by Lady Edith’s seemingly tied hands.
“I am deeply looking forward to meeting Miss Northcott,” I said, hoping I was not erring in my judgment of the situation. Lady Edith had not yet stopped me, however, so I smiled and continued as though I did not feel the tense undercurrent flowing in the room. “I have heard nothing but the effusive praises of her talents and her dedication to both the pianoforte and her art. Now to learn that she has chosen to spend additional time on perfecting her accomplishments?” I tried to laugh lightly to soften the self-deprecating blow. “It would appear that I have much to learn from her commitment.”
“Do not forget the languages,” James added, his twinkling eye cast on me in approval. I was at once relieved that I had not seemed to err too much in his opinion. “She can speak no less than four, and you, my dear, only know a bit of Latin.”
I tried to suppress my smile. He had referenced our conversation about Solis and Luna. “Yes, well, my grasp on ancient languages is not to be commended. I suppose my only great skill is reading.”
“You are a bluestocking, then?” Lord Claverley asked, his eyes narrowing in interest.
“Oh, of course not,” Lady Edith said, laughing gaily. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the edges of her embroidery. “How these two do enjoy their jesting battles. I vow, Lord Claverley, you have yet to meet a couple so contemptible in their joy. It will be a blessed relief for all at Chelton when the honeymoon period has ended.”
“Though it is true that my wife enjoys a fair bit of reading,” James said, smiling at his cousin.
I could have kissed him again for so unashamedly coming to my defense.
“I can see that the honeymoon period is far from over,” Lord Claverley said. He pushed up from his seat.
Lady Edith stood as well. “You must stay for dinner, my lord.”
