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Lydia looked back at Mabel, who now looked as annoyed as Lydia was by not hearing what society had gossiped about her. “No, no,” Mabel said, “please go on. It would help us greatly if we knew what was being said about Miss Seymour, Your Grace.”
That was very uncharacteristic for Mabel, as she was usually one to squash the topic of gossip as soon as it arose. But Lydia thought that because the gossip pertained to her dear charge she was eager to know what had been said.
“All right,” Edmund replied, now looking more uncomfortable than ever. “If I remember correctly, I thought I heard Lady Bratsworth saying to Miss Granger that she thought that you were going after the Duke of Wexley and ...” he trailed off, looking anxiously from Mabel to Lydia and back again. “And,” he finally continued, “that you were trying to entrap him so that you could steal his title and his wealth, which someone like you would have otherwise never attained.
Lydia stopped walking. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was so angry that she quite literally saw red. She couldn’t believe that there was such gossip surrounding her relationship with Percy, as she thought that they were discreet enough that most people wouldn’t have noticed them. But evidently, they had, and they were now spreading malicious rumours about Lydia.
She clenched her fists and looked at the ground. She felt Mabel come up beside her and put her hand on her shoulder. “I think that Miss Seymour might be finished with the walk for this afternoon,” Mabel said politely.
“Oh yes, of course,” Edmund said, sounding very disappointed. “I will walk back with you to the house.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Mabel said firmly. “But thank you for your kindness, and for informing us of the things that have been said about Lydia.”
Mabel steered Lydia away from Edmund, and Lydia obliged her. They began walking back the short distance they had come, and once they were out of earshot of Edmund, Mabel said, “Lydia, no matter what I have said against your behaviour with the Duke of Wexley in the past, I must tell you that you did nothing to warrant that sort of gossip. What is said between society ladies in town is never believed by others in our community, and you should not take a word that young man informed us of to heart.”
Lydia could feel her tears of frustration stinging her eyes. “Thank you, Mabel,” she said gratefully, “but you and I both know very well that isn’t true. Now that a seed has been planted in everyone’s minds, whenever they see Percy and me together, they shall think of nothing but that.”
Lydia allowed a few of the tears that had been collecting in her eyes to trickle down her face. They blurred her vision so that the floor of the forest just looked like one melting pot of green, amber, and brown. She couldn’t believe that people could say such cruel things about her when she had done nothing to warrant them. If there had been rumours about what she and Percy had been doing behind closed doors, that would have made sense, but the fact that they were using Lydia’s class against her was unduly cruel.
“My darling Lydia,” Mabel said softly, “I am not blind. I see the way that you look at Percy every time that you are together and how devastated you are when you’re apart. Is there not a chance that he might wish to court you so that you could have your meetings together in private, as well as with the blessing of both his family and yours?”
Lydia looked sadly at Mabel. “There has been no mention of courting yet,” she replied, and as the words were escaping her lips, a rock fell into her stomach. She realized that she had let Percy take control of her mind and body without even so much as a mention of his desire to formally court her. For all she knew, he could be using her as he pleased, and when he left, her reputation might very well be ruined. She felt her breath becoming shallow because of the panic that was setting in.
But then she remembered that she was not dealing with a scoundrel like Arthur Middleton. It was Percy Wentworth, who she knew was a good, kind person and would not abandon her. But as she tried to reassure herself of that, she began wondering why in heaven’s name Percy hadn’t asked to court her. They had both admitted they had feelings for each other, and it was rather obvious that their passion for each other was unrivalled. Was it really Lydia’s class that was holding Percy back from courting her? Or was there something more holding him back?
“Then Percy must either make the public announcement that he wishes to court you now,” Mabel reminded her, “or you should not continue seeing him. I can tell the depth of your feelings for that young man, but if there is going to be no chance of moving forward with him, then you are wasting precious time on a boy who is toying with your heart!”
Lydia knew that Mabel was right, but there was still something inside her that made her want to wait and see what happened. She was too scared to think about asking Percy directly about courting her, and she had a feeling that he would eventually explain why he had waited so long to make formal arrangements with her. That consoled her for the time being.
She and Mabel were soon back at the house, and when Lydia got up to the front door, she turned to Mabel and said, “Thank you for removing me from that situation, and thank you for your kind words as always. But I would like to be alone now.”
Mabel gave her a knowing look and nodded. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, my dear,” Mabel reminded her. “You deserve a gentleman who is unafraid of courting you publicly, and if that is neither Percy nor Edmund, then we will find someone to fit the bill perfectly.”
Lydia hugged her and went inside without saying another word. She knew Mabel was right, but she needed some time to herself to think about what they had discussed. And so, Lydia took to her room and spent the rest of the day thinking about what might happen with Percy and their relationship going forward.
