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Chapter Five
Dearest Graciela:
Surely, it is time for you to come for a visit. It has been far too long since you were here last. I am nearly pining for you.
Gracie smirked over the opening words of her sister’s latest letter. Despite how busy she was as a duchess and mother, Felicity hadn’t let up in her love of corresponding with as many people as she could. Grace was reasonably certain her sister had reduced the frequency of some of her letters, but she still found the time to write almost daily to her youngest sister.
Grace appreciated the effort all her sisters made to keep in touch with her, but most especially Felicity, her sister closest in age as well as fondness. Her sister’s addiction to letter writing had been the only reason she had agreed to help Felicity with her madcap scheme to escape what she had seen as her mundane future.
Gracie wondered if Felicity was missing home despite her evident delight with her new life. Having grown up in a family of five girls, it was likely she was missing female companionship, though she did have her stepdaughter for company. Grace looked around the familiar room. She didn’t really have any strong desire to leave the comforts of home, but a brief visit to help her sister adjust to her new circumstances wouldn’t be so bad.
She liked to savour her sisters’ letters, so she had taken her eyes off the page as she contemplated Felicity’s opening sentences. Now, she looked back and nearly choked as she read the next paragraph.
Lord Sterling came by to tell us about his visit with you. I think you ought to consider him as a potential suitor. I know it’s quite hypocritical of me to change my mind so completely about my stand on marrying a noble, but I can tell you, you will quite like it.
Grace rolled her eyes hard. Felicity had always been the managing sort. Not quite as bad as Hilaria perhaps, but she definitely always thought she knew what was best for her youngest sister. Felicity was deeply devoted to her stepchildren, so Grace had thought that would be enough to keep Felicity from trying to direct her life, but she should have known better. It would seem Felicity was going to try her hand at matchmaking.
Maybe she shouldn’t have suggested to the earl that he mention he had called upon them as a way of introduction to the duchess. The fact that he had been at Felicity’s wedding should have been sufficient, and so she should have told him. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she turned her attention back to the letter. It was a letter, she reminded herself. She could easily just ignore the parts she didn’t want to deal with. Or so she thought.
After her sister’s citation of all that she and the Barrington children had been up to of late, she concluded with words that set a shiver of foreboding up her spine.
I know you are the homiest of all us girls and would rather remain ensconced at Glendale for the rest of your life. But I cannot agree that it is best for you. I hope you won’t mind terribly, but I’ve written to Mother to formally invite you to visit. You really must come.
Grace stared at the paper in her hands as though it had suddenly burnt her fingers. Felicity has certainly taken to the role of duchess,she thought with asperity.
Of course, Mother would think it a most excellent idea. It would seem the countess was finally recovering from her single-minded fascination with the young heir. Augustus was now toddling around the estate and, to Grace’s mind, ought to be even more all-consuming, since he could get into much more trouble now that he could move around under his own efforts. But their mother had finally started to notice other things in her life and was returning to her managing and controlling ways once more. Other things . . . such as her youngest daughter’s unwed state. And her dismay that Graciela didn’t wish to ever leave Glendale.
Gracie could see that Lady Sherton would think her visiting Rathnelly would be a good first step toward getting her to Town.
She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly and quietly, trying not to sigh. Gracie didn’t like to sigh, as it revealed too much of one’s inner turmoil and she did it far too often without noticing. But if there everwasa time to sigh, it was now.
Why wouldn’t everyone just let her remain comfortably as she was? She was far from aged. Surely, there was time for her to make her debut later. She couldn’t define when exactly an acceptable later might be, but surely it didn’t have to be soon.
Still, she couldn’t think of an acceptable reason to avoid visiting Felicity. She had been in favour of a visitation when she thought it was to assist her sister. But if the duchess thought she was going to match her sister up with a nobleman, Grace couldn’t muster a single iota of interest in making the trip.
Being a nobleman’s daughter, it wasn’t as though she had anything against nobles in general. But this particular gentleman made her uneasy. She couldn’t completely explain why. Part of it, she was fairly sure, stemmed from the fact that he was the most attractive man she had ever met. And well he knew it. Gracie didn’t think she would be comfortable with a husband who was better looking than she was. That only worked for birds. She grinned at the thought, abandoning the frown that had formed as she’d contemplated her sister’s plans. Then too, there was the fact that she couldn’t keep the dratted man from her thoughts. If ever there was a man who could rearrange her carefully laid plans, it was him. That simply would not do. Felicity could not be allowed to continue along this path.
Grace shrugged. If Felicity had written to their mother, there was little Grace would be able to do to avoid the visitation. And surely, she wasn’t so daft that she wouldn’t be able to sidestep her sister’s machinations. She had years of experience in the art.
“Are you that eager to see the back of me, then?” she asked her mother while taking tea in the countess’s favourite withdrawing room. Despite Grace’s displeasure with the turn of events, Lady Sherton did not consider the afternoon ritual to be disposable.
“Not in the least, you silly girl. But surely, you must see that it is time for you to get comfortable with leaving here. You cannot sit in the baby’s pocket for the rest of your life.”
Gracie stilled as heat suffused her body. She had absolutely no intention of taking advantage of her brother in any way. If anything, she had thought she would be of assistance to him by remaining at Glendale, since their parents surely weren’t going to live forever. But of course, she couldn’t point that out to her mother.
With a nod, Gracie gained her feet.
“You are quite right, of course, my lady. How soon do you suppose I should be on my way?”
“If you agree, the servants could have your things ready by morning.”
Grace’s cheeks burned anew. It would seem the matter was of the utmost urgency. Mortification wouldn’t kill her, but she wished it could. She couldn’t even be angry with her mother and sister. She was well aware that they thought they knew what was best for her and were, at least for the most part, motivated by love and concern for her. For their mother, there was likely a dash of pride thrown in for good measure. Mother would never be able to hold her head up amongst her friends if she had a spinster on her hands. She wouldn’treallybe considered on the shelf for at least a couple more years, but that thought was little consolation, as Grace was certain her mother would not be so accommodating.
Grace would be on the way to Rathnelly in the morning, whether she truly wished to be or not. Her only hope was to come up with a plan for how to avoid her sister’s matchmaking forays.
Such a task would be so much easier if Grace didn’t find her mind constantly fixating on the gentleman in question.
Grace returned to her room after the audience with her mother. If she was to be traveling to Rathnelly for an extended visit, she ought to oversee the packing and ensure her favourite things were included. But at the back of her mind, she began enumerating her list of all the reasons why she did not want her sister to try to match her with Lord Sterling.
