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“Of course not,” Charlotte said.
“Some things are meant to be sprung after the trap,” Keegain teased.
“There is no trap,” the dowager admonished her son.
“So women say,” Keegain muttered good-naturedly and Jane poked his arm.
“Anyway,” Charlotte added. “I was not sure mentioning shooting would be the right thing to say.”
“You did perfectly well,” Mother encouraged her. “The man does not need to know everything about you in the first meeting,” the dowager said. “A little mystery is a good thing.” She turned to her son.
“What do you know of him, Randolph?” she asked.
“Sir John Ashbrooke? I have met him once or twice in the briefest of ways. He is the son of Sir Richard Ashbrooke who died some time ago. The Ashbrookes are a very old and respectable family, but I have had very little dealings with them and cannot comment beyond the most general terms.”
“He mentioned his mother,” Charlotte added.
“Your father knew Sir Richard, I believe,” the dowager said contemplatively. “He had quite a good opinion of him, and you are right, they are an old and respectable line. I have never heard of any scandal attached to them, at least, but I do not recall Sir Richard’s wife.”
“That is all very well,” Jane put in, “But it tells us very little of what sort of person Sir John may be.”
“Well, we know at least that he is a man of good taste, if he has fixed his attentions on our Charlotte,” Lord Keegain declared. “For the rest, I suppose we shall just have to spend a little time getting to know him. Surely, he will be at Almack’s this Wednesday if he is hoping to see Charlotte again, so I will make a point of seeking him out there. If I can pull him away from the dance floor, that is.”
“You mean, pull him away from Charlotte,” Helen teased.
Wednesday evening was almost a week away, Charlotte reflected privately as she continued to devour her beef and cheese before choosing another cinnamon roll. She loved the sticky confections almost as much as her brother, she thought eyeing the rapidly diminishing plate of goodies.
A week, well, six days was entirely too long to wait to hear from Sir John, in her opinion. It was reassuring to see that her family thought that Ashbrooke had given her such marked preference, but all the same she felt doubt beginning to creep into her mind. Had not similar comments been made only last summer regarding Lord Marley? She had felt assured that he cared deeply for her and had been sadly mistaken. It went against her headstrong nature, but she felt the need for a little caution this time. She would not be duped again.
“What shall we do this afternoon?” she asked the table at large, deciding that she needed a change of subject for the moment.
“It is lovely weather today, if you had not noticed,” Alice said promptly. “It is a perfect afternoon for a promenade in Hyde Park, is it not? And Sophia can come with us.”
“Unfortunately, I cannot,” Sophia said. “I must get home. I have a tea planned this afternoon. You are of course, invited.”
“It is a late invitation,” the dowager said, and Sophia shrugged.
“It is only a small gathering of ladies,” she said. “I would love to have you, but understand if my sisters’ Season activities take preference.”
“We shall see,” the dowager said as she kissed her eldest daughter on the cheek.
“I still think we should walk in Hyde Park,” Alice said. This they all knew was because a walk in the park was an afternoon event whereby Alice could accompany them.
“The park does sound enticing, especially after such a long evening of being indoors,” Helen agreed. “I feel like I hardly need to ask you, Charlotte, ifyouwould rather be out in the fresh air or stay in and receive callers.”
“You are perfectly right in that,” Charlotte laughed. “It sounds like a perfect plan to me,” she said,
“Be sure to dress in some of the new things I had made for you. All of you girls,” the dowager said indulgently. “You may be shocked to hear it, but the main point of a promenade during the Season is not to take the fresh air, but rather to see and be seen.”
“Then we shall do both,” assented Charlotte, hearing her mother’s unspoken reminder to behave herself out in the public eye. “A ride would be lovely.”
“Griswold had one of the stable lads exercise Jamari this morning, so he will not be fresh,” Ruddy said.
“When has that mattered?” Charlotte asked with a huff. She enjoyed her spirited gelding and paid no mind to his argumentative temperament.
“Never,” her brother said with a sigh.
“Oh no,” Helen said, who was not half the horsewoman Charlotte was. “I was hoping we would walk.”
