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Chapter 9
The drawing room of Thornbridge Manor was decorated in a white silk paper with a pattern of small, blue flowers. The white, filmy curtains swayed in the breeze from the open window. The ladies had spent the morning quietly ensconced inside, out of the heat of the day.
Lucy was seated on a blue velvet settee, a cup of tea and a saucer balanced precariously in her hand. Her upper lip was covered in a thin sweat. Aunt Joan sat beside her, while Lady Baldwin sat across from them. The other ladies were all scattered around the room.
“It was ever so kind of his lordship to ask us,” Aunt Joan was saying. “Lucy and I so rarely get invited to anything.”
“We mostly prefer it that way, Aunt Joan,” Lucy reminded her.
“Do you really?” Lady Baldwin asked. She was a kind lady, with blonde hair pulled into an elegant chignon. She was dressed in a lemon-coloured silk, which made her look like a large yellow flower.
“We live very quietly,” Aunt Joan said. “Ever since my dear brother and his wife passed nearly ten years ago, when Lucy was fourteen.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Fortunately, we have each other.” Aunt Joan and Lucy shared a look. They had been through so much together.
“We do,” Lucy agreed with a smile. She knew she was lucky to have Aunt Joan. It meant she wasn’t alone in the world.
Dinah walked over, sitting down beside Lucy. They both smiled at each other.
“How are things going?” she asked.
“Excellent.” An image of Silas Sweet, candlelight flickering across his skin, flashed into her memory. She attempted to banish him, but a tell-tale feeling of desire rose within her.
“I saw you speaking with Lord Browning last night,” Aunt Joan said.
A soft blush coloured Dinah’s cheeks.
“Lord Browning seems very amenable,” she said. “I’m very glad that he’s come to join us this weekend.”
“Good to hear. He’s a very dashing gentleman. He would make an excellent husband.” Aunt Joan took a sip of her tea. There was nothing Aunt Joan loved more than to talk about marriage. Though she herself had never been married, she was more than happy to discuss the impending nuptials of others.
Lady Baldwin beamed, adding, “Not to mention, the house at Browning is an absolute gem. You will absolutely love Browning Hall.”
“What’s the library like?” Dinah asked. Lucy grinned. It would have been the first thing that she would have asked, as well.
“It’s very large,” Lady Baldwin replied.
Lucy and Dinah shared a grin.
“It was so good of your father to throw you this party,” Aunt Joan said.
“It was,” Dinah agreed. “He always wants to do what’s best for me, and I will be turning two-and-twenty in September, so I need to find a husband and settle down.”
They all spoke for a little while longer about Lord Browning and his merits, then Aunt Joan and Lady Baldwin both got up to help themselves to more tea and cake, leaving Dinah and Lucy alone.
“Do you wish to marry?” Lucy asked, curious to know Dinah’s true feelings. After all, Lucy had no plans to wed. She thought the whole thing a definite scourge against women.
“Of course, she does,” Miss Weaver hissed, overhearing the discussion. “Don’t you?”
“Not at all.” Lucy watched as Miss Weaver tilted her head to the side. “You’re very opinionated, Miss Wilds.” She squinted her eyes, as if she couldn’t identify what Lucy was.
“I know. It’s one of my faults.” She shrugged helplessly, even though she was anything but.
“I like it,” Dinah said, coming to Lucy’s rescue. “It’s nice to know exactly what you’re thinking. Everyone else lies for appearance’s sake.”
Lucy laughed. “It’s been a long time since I last cared about that.”
