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“I couldn’t say,” Adeline replied. “Was Lord Reginald unconventional before he vanished? I can’t recall what he was like in his youth.”
“A little,” Marcella said slowly. “He was a mischievous boy who liked to have fun at other’s expense. All boys are a bit rambunctious, of course, but it seems like he was more than most of the others. It used to vex the Duke of Mavis terribly. I overheard him speaking his grievances to my father numerous times.”
“Do you suppose he’d have eventually grown out of it if he’d remained with theton?” Adeline asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m quite certain Lord Reginald’s experiences have changed him, perhaps forever.”
Adeline carefully tied her thread and snipped it with her scissors before choosing another color. Her fingers nimbly threaded the needle, and she set to work once more. Marcella glanced at her notes, but she didn’t feel particularly creative at the moment. She wondered instead if she ought to be contemplating men’s lives and how they grew into the creatures that they did.
“You must join me,” Marcella said, “when Lord Reginald inevitably comes to call.”
“It will be difficult for me to hold my laughter if you truly intend to behave as a harpy,” Adeline said. “You know I’m dreadful at hiding my feelings, which has—as I’m sure you’ve noticed—drawn the ire of many at the opera.”
Indeed, it had. Adeline’s amusement was loud and unrestrained, and her laughs were often loud, high-pitched things. Marcella didn’t particularly mind them, though. She quite enjoyed how clearly Adeline seemed to enjoy things.
Still, Marcella was quite willing to take the risk of Adeline’s laughter if it meant that she’d not have to endure the obligatory, awkward aspects of courtship all on her own.
“If you do laugh, I’m quite sure Lord Reginald would not be able to discern why,” Marcella pointed out. “You could ask Lord Brookshire to accompany you even, and then, Lord Reginald would assume that you were laughing at Lord Brookshire’s famous wit.”
“Oh, do you truly think you can persuade me by invoking his name?” Adeline asked, grinning.
“I do,” Marcella replied. “You fancy Lord Brookshire, and I do not fancy Lord Reginald. I can see no reason for you to disagree with the arrangement. Besides, if I’m going to act awful—which indeed, I am—you will surely look all the better by comparison.”
Adeline laughed. “And what will you do if Lord Brookshire spreads word of your behavior to his friends?”
“If Lord Brookshire is such a gossip, I don’t know why you’d be interested in securing his affections,” Marcella countered. “The best judge of a man is his behavior whilst confronted with an unpleasant thing.”
Adeline shook her head. “If your father and stepmother learn of your plan, they won’t be pleased, my friend.”
Marcella felt her spirits wane just a little. They certainly wouldn’t be pleased, far from it, and when Marcella thought of disappointing them, her stomach twisted in knots. She really didn’t want to disappoint them; that was entirely true. It seemed there was no way for her to please them and also be true to herself, so what was left for her to do?
“I’m hoping they won’t find out what my plans are,” Marcella said carefully. “Because Lord Reginald hasn’t been among thetonin quite some time, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to interpret my actions as vapid. I doubt he encountered many fine ladies as a vagabond.”
Adeline nodded. There was something about her expression that Marcella couldn’t quite interpret, though. She suspected that Adeline wasn’t quite eager about Marcella implementing the proposed plan.
“At the very least, it will be an opportunity for you to grow closer with Lord Brookshire,” Marcella pointed out. “That’s better than nothing at all.”
“I suppose,” Adeline said, “but you do know there’s one solution you’ve not even considered. Why not ask Lord Reginald if he disagrees with the engagement? Perhaps he’d willingly agree to call it off.”
“If not, I’d be found out,” Marcella replied.
Besides, most men probably wouldn’t take well to being told that their betrothed found marriage to them to be utterly undesirable. Lord Reginald would be more likely to tell his father of Marcella’s reluctance, and the Duke of Mavis would doubtlessly then share the news with Marcella’s own father. In the end, Marcella would find herself, as always, in her father’s office, receiving a lecture from her stepmother, Claudia.
While Marcella’s father cared the most about propriety, Claudia was always the one who delivered lectures on the importance of maintaining appearances and of being a proper lady.
“It will be an adventure,” Marcella said. “Thwarting this engagement will be the only thing in my life that I’ve ever really done for myself, and even if it ends badly, I think it will be a worthwhile venture on those merits.”
“I don’t understand,” Adeline replied. “I do sincerely hope it ends well, though. You deserve the world, Marcella.”
Marcella smiled warmly. “So do you, my dearest friend.”
She took her notes once more, and taking a blank piece of paper, Marcella pressed her quill to it. It was time to begin penning her second letter to her intrepid intended. The first one had surely vexed him, and Marcella would make sure the second one did, too.
