"Oh, child, don't bother to trifle with me now. I've heard everything."
"You have?" I asked, climbing in next to her. The driver urged the horses on, turning towards Grosvenor Square.
"You should be more careful about receiving gentlemen visitors late at night, my dear. It can lead to all sorts of gossip."
"What exactly have you heard?"
"All of London has heard tales of you and the Duke of Bainbridge. I will admit to having been most distressed by your conduct until I heard about last night."
"Last night?" I was mystified.
"Have you and Jeremy settled all the details between you? I imagine he spoke to your father at his club."
"Mother—"
"I think you ought to be married from our house, Emily. Berkeley Square is too much the domain of your late husband, and a duchess should have a completely fresh start. I am so pleased that Jeremy does not object to your having been married before. Some men, you know — "
"Mother!"
"Do not interrupt me, Emily. Have you told Mr. Hargreaves? He is a dear man, and I hate to see him disappointed, but don't concern yourself with that too much. He'll recover nicely. He's so much in the company of the Marlborough Set that I can't help but think he knew his suit was hopeless. Oh, Emily, a duke! I'm so happy!"
"Jeremy and I are not engaged."
"What can you possibly mean by saying such a thing?" She gave me a sharp look.
"I don't know that I could speak more plainly."
"Of course you are engaged. Were you not chasing him through Berkeley Square, calling out for him? Odd behavior in any case, but I suppose young persons in love must be forgiven for such transgressions."
"How on earth do you know I did that?" I had not seen anyone in the square. Surely the undercover policeman sent by Inspector Manning would not have started such gossip.
"Everyone is talking about it."
"Hardly evidence of a betrothal, Mother."
"Well, if you are not engaged to him, you'd better remedy the situation quickly. Whatever were you thinking to send Mrs. du Lac and Miss Seward away in the middle of the night?"
"It was not the middle of the night, and I did not send anyone away. Jeremy dined with us. Cécile and Margaret went to a ball. I stayed home."
"No wonder Mr. Hargreaves has thrown you over. Who would want a wife with so little a sense of propriety?"
"Mr. Hargreaves has not thrown me over, and I can't believe that you are angry at me over this. Shouldn't your anger instead be directed to whoever is spreading this gossip?"
"There was nothing malicious in the story, Emily. People assume that the daughter of an earl would always act honorably, and, given your behavior, which is completely lacking in discretion, that would necessitate marrying the Duke of Bainbridge." There was a little too much satisfaction in her voice.
"Colin's called on me innumerable times in similar circumstances, and no one's ever raised an eyebrow over that. I'm a widow, and not subject to chaperones like an unmarried girl." She did not reply. "Have you orchestrated this, Mother?"
"How could you accuse me of such a thing?"
"It's not difficult in the least. You've made no secret of your desire to see me married again."
"I will not allow my own daughter to speak to me like this."
"Then I've nothing further to say on the subject." I rapped on the side of the carriage to signal for the driver to stop and climbed out, slamming the door behind me. "I do not appreciate being so brazenly manipulated and can assure you, Mother, that such tactics will never succeed."
"If you are not engaged to the Duke of Bainbridge, you'd better find a way to become so as soon as possible. I'll not have my daughter providing fodder for gossip." Much to my chagrin, tears filled my eyes, and I turned away before she could see them. Suddenly, the day felt oppressively hot.
10
"Lady Ashton! My dear child! Are you unwell?"
I recognized the voice at once, and cringed at the thought of any of my acquaintances seeing me in my current condition. Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of ignoring Lady Elinor's question; given my rank and the friendship between our families, deliberately slighting her would be a gross insult. I stopped walking and tipped my head back, trying to will the tears away. My eyes would not cooperate.
Lady Elinor caught up with me and took my arm. "Do forgive me for accosting you like this, but I could not help overhearing your argument with your mother. Will you walk with me?" Having at the ready no acceptable excuse to refuse, I consented, and we headed along Upper Grosvenor Street and crossed Park Lane. All this time, Lady Elinor said nothing. It was not until we had entered Hyde Park through the Grosvenor Gate that she broke her silence. "It is difficult to be at odds with one's own mother."
"I'm afraid that my mother and I have quite different ideas of what makes for a satisfactory life. She looks no further than a high-ranking husband."
"And you prefer intellectual pursuits?"
"Yes."
"The two need not be incompatible."
"No, of course not. But, invariably, no matter how enlightened one's spouse is, a woman loses much of her freedom when she agrees to marry."
"Theoretically, yes, but a good husband can broaden one's view of the world. I'd never left England before my marriage. In fact, my mother only rarely brought me to London. So far as I knew, the world hardly extended beyond Sevenoaks and Kent."
"It sounds as if you made an excellent choice for a husband. But for me, at this moment, I've so much that I want to do on my own. There is merit in discovering things independently." We were rapidly approaching the southern edge of the park and sat on a bench near a fountain decorated with stone portraits of Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Milton.
"A sentiment with which your mother cannot agree." She shook her head. "So unfortunate. I hate to see the spirit driven out of a young lady."
"There's no danger of that happening," I replied, closing my parasol and tipping back my head, savoring the feeling of the sun on my face as I contemplated Lady Elinor's comment. Had she not driven the spirit out of her own daughter by forcing her into an engagement with Mr. Berry?
My companion must have guessed my thoughts. "Isabelle's situation is entirely different. I abhor gossip so shan't recount the details, but suffice it to say that she is far better off away from Lord Pembroke. I hate to see her heartbroken, but she's already beginning to recover. Mr. Berry does, after all, have his charms. But I'm sure I need not tell you that. He's always held you in high regard." Her voice held the slightest note of question in it.
"No more so than any other lady he happens to encounter. There has never been any understanding between us." My words had the desired effect. The tiny wrinkles around Lady Elinor's mouth smoothed as she relaxed.
"Isabelle and I have been closer than the closest of friends ever since she was a tiny girl. If I had any doubt that marriage to Mr. Berry would bring her much happiness, I should never have agreed to the match. Now, in your situation, marrying the Duke of Bainbridge — "
"Would bring little lasting joy." I snapped my parasol back open.
"You have already made one brilliant marriage. You have both rank and fortune. It is only natural, though, that your mother would grow concerned when she finds your actions being scrutinized by gossips. I'm afraid it's due to your age, Lady Ashton. Were you an older widow, your romantic liaisons would be of far less interest."
"Society has such vacuous standards. Sometimes I think I ought to live in Greece year-round."
"Mr. Routledge took me there several times. Have you been to Delphi?"
"More magnificent views are not to be found on the earth. The crags are spectacular, and the way the fields of olive trees stretch all the way to the Itea Bay is mesmerizing."