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Chapter 13
For a few days after their meeting at the Lucas’ ball, Lydia couldn’t stop thinking about Percy. She, of course, updated Marianne on all that had happened, but there were certain parts of their encounter that she kept to herself.
For example, she did not share with her friend that they had kissed, as she didn’t trust even Marianne to keep that a secret, as well as a few of the more intimate admissions they’d made to each other. Lydia was revelling in every memory she had of the night, and she did not intend to move past it any time soon.
However, after about a week, Lydia became concerned that she might not see Percy again for quite some time. She knew that he likely wasn’t going to call to court her, as they were not yet at that point in their relationship, and so all she could do was hope that some gathering would arise so that the two of them would have an excuse to see each other.
Lydia tried her best to keep her mind focused on other things while she was waiting to hear of upcoming events that Percy would be attending. She attempted to throw herself into her needlework and household chores, but nothing seemed to be keeping her attention quite like Percy was.
And so eventually, she allowed herself a short period in the evening to daydream about him. She thought of it as her reward at the end of the day, and when she allowed herself to fantasize about what it would be like to be married to a man like Percy, her thoughts tended to run away with themselves.
Exactly a week and a half after the Lucas ball, an invitation arrived in the mail for Lydia, her parents, and Mabel to attend a small gathering at the Wentworth estate. When her father handed her the invitation, Lydia was so stunned that she practically dropped it. She couldn’t have imagined a more perfect excuse to see Percy, but she also couldn’t understand how her family had been invited.
When she called upon Marianne the next day, it turned out that she had been invited as well. Now Lydia was even more confused. Marianne’s family and the Wentworths had almost no connection. Why on earth were both families being invited to this exclusive party? In Lydia’s heart of hearts, she hoped that Percy had spoken up and requested that she and Marianne be invited, but she thought that there was likely some other, far less romantic reason.
After a great deal of excitement, preparation, gossiping, and dreaming, Lydia and Marianne found themselves ready to go on the night of the party. Marianne was wearing a sultry red gown which Lydia was secretly quite jealous of, as Lydia only had the same dress that she’d worn to the first party.
It did fit her beautifully, and it was such a fun, yellow colour, but she was mildly disappointed that her family could not afford a new gown for such an auspicious occasion. However, she set aside her disappointment and was determined to have as wonderful an evening as possible.
Marianne and Lydia travelled in separate carriages with their families to the party, but when they arrived, the two girls immediately found each other and did not stray from one another.
Lydia’s father, Rodrick Seymour, was deep in conversation with Marianne’s mother, Juliet Haggerston, a trained nurse who often assisted Dr Seymour on some of his more difficult calls. Meanwhile, Mabel, Gertrude, Vivian Seymour, and Peter Haggerston were off in the corner making polite conversation with each other.
Lydia and Marianne honestly did try to stay close to their parents and their chaperones, but the ‘small gathering’ that the Wentworths had advertised ended up being far busier than either young woman had expected. They found themselves swept away from their families by the crowd, but that didn’t much matter. Lydia was so excited by the prospect of seeing Percy that she didn’t care what else happened that night, as long as she could see him.
Thankfully, Lydia’s wish was granted quite quickly. She was scanning the crowd for her handsome duke when she felt someone squeeze her hand. Her heart soared, and then she turned around to face Percy, who looked just as happy to see her as she was to see him.
“Good evening, Lyd – I mean, Miss Seymour,” he said respectfully with a playful wink of his eye. “You look quite lovely if I might say so myself.”
Lydia felt herself blush as she tried to think of something intelligent to say. She could feel herself getting distracted by Percy’s good looks and dazzling eyes but knew she couldn’t just stand there and stare at him.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Lydia finally managed to say as she gave him a polite curtsey. “That coat suits you very well, is it new for the occasion?”
Percy beamed at her. “How did you know?” he asked coyly, and Lydia allowed herself a small giggle. Then, Percy turned to Marianne and said quietly, “Miss Haggerston, might I impose upon you to cover for Lydia and I so that I might show her some books in the library ... by ourselves?”
Immediately, Marianne took her job very seriously. “It would be my pleasure, Your Grace,” she said. “What do you suggest I tell anyone who wonders where you’ve gone?”
Percy pondered this for a moment, and then said, “I’m not sure. However, I trust that you will be able to come up with something ... inventive yet believable.” He gave her a wink, and Marianne nodded dutifully.
“No one shall know where you have gone, mark my words,” Marianne promised. Lydia gave her a peck on the cheek as thanks, and then she and Percy disappeared into the crowd towards the library.
When they were out of the main room and heading down the empty hallway, Percy and Lydia allowed themselves to relax a little. They did not yet hold hands, but as they walked, Lydia could feel the edge of Percy’s fingers gently brushing up against hers. Every time they touched, a shiver shot up her spine, and she was yearning to be in his arms once more.
Finally, after what felt like the longest walk in the world, Lydia and Percy came upon the library. When Percy pushed open the door and ushered Lydia inside, she gasped. It was the most incredible room she had ever seen. There were plush, comfortable chairs scattered all around the room, plants crawled up the sides of bookshelves and walls, and a fire roared in the fireplace. Lydia thought that this was the kind of room that she could live in for the rest of her life and be very content.
“My goodness,” she said at last, walking over to a shelf and running her fingers along the spines of the books. “I’ve never seen anything like this. How many volumes do you have in your collection?”
Percy chuckled and put his hands in his pockets. “That’s a very good question, and I think that my mother would be able to answer that question far better than I. There are thousands upon thousands of books in here, as all of my family members have been avid readers since ... well, forever,” he explained. Lydia paused at the end of one bookshelf and looked back at Percy, who was going to a shelf on the other side of the room.
“Are you looking for something?” she asked.
“Yes,” Percy responded without turning around, “the book that I told you about the last time we spoke. I wanted to have it ready to give to you tonight, but I have not been able to find it.” Percy continued searching through the titles, bending high and low, trying to locate the adventure book that he had promised to lend Lydia.
“Isn’t that funny,” Lydia remarked. “I wasn’t able to find the book that I wanted to lend to you either. Perhaps our books have run away together, never to be seen again!”
Percy turned around, and when he did, he had a mischievous look on his face. “That sounds like a simply heavenly idea,” he commented. “Do you suppose that our books were married in an intimate ceremony held here on the grounds with only their closest friends and family in attendance?”
Lydia could tell from the tone of his voice that Percy was not just speaking about the books; he was telling her what he thought they might do together one day. She didn’t miss a beat. “I think that our books would have liked that very much,” she responded slyly. “And I bet that once they were married, they enjoyed a lovely honeymoon in a cosy cottage where they could hole up together and not be bothered by another ... book for a very long time.”
