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Chapter 9
The next morning, Percy was pacing back and forth in front of Lewis in his study. “But why on earth is he in town then?” Percy wondered aloud. “It must be solely to seduce my sister, as he has no other business with anyone else nearby. Thatmongrel.”
“Perhaps he just likes this town better,” Lewis said idly. He was flipping through the pages of one of Percy’s finest books, and Percy had the feeling he wasn’t entirely listening to him. Lewis was a great friend when he wanted to be, but sometimes he overlooked the seriousness of a situation.
Percy snatched the book out of Lewis’ hands, and his friend became very annoyed. “What was that for?” he asked, offended.
“I’m trying to figure out a way to stop my sister from having her reputation ruined, and you’re sitting there reading, not listening to me. Why do you think I did that?” Percy asked him rhetorically.
“Because,” Lewis said, taking the book back, “if you haven’t noticed, this is a book on the history of the Middleton family. I was trying to see if he had any relations here in town that might be able to give us some insight into his character.”
“Oh,” Percy said ashamedly. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have thought so ill of you.”
“Thanks,” Lewis said simply, re-opening the book. “Next time, just ask me instead of being a prick about it.”
Both gentlemen started laughing, and Percy was relieved that their disruption was over with. “Did you mention something about being friends with that relative of yours, Edmund something?” Percy enquired.
Lewis stopped looking at the book and raised an eyebrow at Percy. “Oh. Yes, that is right. I suppose that he might be staying in town as long as Edmund is. That could be the reason why he’s here, and perhaps nothing is going on between Arthur and your sister.”
Percy rolled his eyes. “Arthur Middleton has been personally responsible for ruining the reputation of Miss Cecily Grantham, Lady Catherine Everlure, and Miss Francesca Gladstone. If he was able to corrupt those three women, don’t you think it would be plausible for him to do the same to Georgiana?”
A strange look came across Lewis’ face. “I have a feeling that Georgiana is far too clever for that, Percival. She might just be toying with Arthur’s emotions to get back at him for what he did to those three women.”
Percy made a sound of disbelief. “While I do know that Georgiana is brilliant, I doubt that she would have enough forethought to carry out a plan such as that one.”
Lewis put his hands up in defeat. “Fine, fine,” he replied, “we’ll keep an extra eye on her at the next party, and we’ll drop the subject for now. It does not do to dwell on concerns and forget to live, Percy.”
Percy sighed and took a seat at his desk. “I suppose you’re right,” he admitted. “What is that Edmund character’s last name again?”
“Russell,” Lewis responded. “But I’m surprised that you didn’t take more note of him at my party. He and Miss Seymour spent a great deal of the evening talking and laughing with each other.”
Percy froze. “He what?” he asked in disbelief.
“They seemed to be having quite a good time of it,” Lewis continued, blissfully unaware of the misery that he was causing Percy. “I wondered why she was enjoying his company so much, though. That man is about as exciting as a dull knife.”
Percy’s hopes were buoyed somewhat. “Oh, really?” he tried to ask nonchalantly.
“Definitely,” Lewis reported. “I remember being stuck in a conversation with him once and wondering how one man could pick so many boring topics in the course of one conversation. He talked about the process of making clotted cream forten minutes.”
Percy chuckled. While he was not excited to hear that Lydia had been seen talking with another man for most of the night, he chalked it up to being polite. He knew that she would never stand for having to put up with a boring man, so for the time being, he felt reassured.
“He is quite nice, though,” Lewis countered. “If he and Miss Seymour were to end up together, it would be an excellent match for both of them. She would finally be rich, and he would finally be interesting.”
Of course.Right when I was beginning to feel all right about the situation, he has to bring that in.
Percy decided that the best course of action for the time being was to change the subject. The two young men began discussing the latest hunt that they’d been a part of and what a miserable failure it had been. They made plans to go on another one the next week.
On the other side of town, Lydia was visiting Marianne at her home and catching her up about the night’s events. Lydia and Mabel had gone home in one carriage while Marianne and Gertrude had gone in another, so they had not been able to gossip after the party. And Lydia had yet to tell her about her meeting with Percy outside.
When she finally finished recounting the story – including the disastrous fall into the fountain that Percy had – to Marianne, she could hardly believe her ears. “Lydia!” she cried. “You were alone in a garden with a man who you swore you hated after your last two encounters with him ... but now you seem to have changed your opinion of him entirely!”
Lydia blushed and looked down at her fingers. There was a spot of dirt on one of them, and she pretended to be preoccupied with cleaning it off, but she knew that she could only hide from Marianne for so long. “My opinion of him has not entirely changed, Marianne,” Lydia said calmly. “I was confounded by his behaviour those two times and had greatly considered writing him off entirely. But now that I know why he had to dash, it makes complete sense, and I no longer see the point of spurning him!”
“And you’re still set on keeping the reason why he brushed you off a secret?” Marianne prompted her.
Lydia chuckled. “Very much so,” she responded. “But I’m surprised that you are focusing on that detail so heavily when you have not asked me one single thing about Edmund Russell.”
Marianne raised an eyebrow at her and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was sitting on the edge of her bed and glowering at Lydia, who was seated comfortably on Marianne’s favourite chair. Marianne’s family was slightly better off than Lydia’s, but the Haggerstons were by no means rich. Marianne’s bedroom was small but well-appointed, and if Lydia had a room like this one at her home, she would have been over the moon.
