Page 33 of Lady Liar (A Series of Senseless Complications #5)
Lilith had scraped together enough funds to compose some sort of costume for Lady Darlington’s masque.
She would present herself as an innocent milkmaid and hope that perceptions of her stayed innocent.
She had begun with a caricature to drive Lord Wembly away from Lady Verity, but the entire thing had got completely out of hand.
The Town seemed to be papered with prints mocking Lord Wembly. At a card party last evening, it was all anybody talked about.
There were two problems with that. One, Lord Wembly was likely outraged.
And two, the talking had made it far more important than it was ever meant to be.
When something became important, more and more people started looking into it, inquiring about it, wanting to know who was at the bottom of it.
They could not discover that she’d started it all.
She’d never had the wish to do something underhanded, it was not particularly in her nature, but she was desperate.
Lady Verity could have anybody. She was undeniably pretty, despite Lilith’s claim to her maid that she did not care for the lady’s coloring.
Lilith did not know the precise details of Lady Verity’s dowry, but it was said she was well-funded.
She was a duke’s daughter. What didn’t she have?
Lady Verity might be in the habit of making ridiculous claims, but a well-funded and pretty duke’s daughter had that sort of latitude.
Why must she set her cap on Lord Wembly? He was the one person who might give Lilith what she wanted. What she needed, really.
As the carriage rumbled along, on the way to Lady Darlington’s masque, her father said, “You’ll need to settle on someone soon. We cannot afford to forever come to Town husband hunting. If necessary, you’ll have to consider Mr. Grantley after all.”
Lilith did not answer. She could not bear to answer.
She would go into the masque head held high and she would do what she’d always done as a child when she’d broken something and was loath to admit it.
In those days, she’d run to her governess and pretend to just have discovered the broken item and lamented over who could have been so careless. It had usually worked.
Tonight, she would make a point to sympathize with Lord Wembly over those dastardly prints and denounce whoever these people were who occupied their time in such a ridiculous manner.
With any luck, the very last person anybody would suspect of being involved was herself.
*
As the queen was going to arrive to the house, the preparations by the duke’s household staff had been extensive.
Never had baseboards and corners and windowsills been scrubbed so thoroughly.
The chandeliers had been lowered for a polish.
If a speck of dust drifted into the house looking for one of its own kind, it would find none.
All of that, as it happened, was for naught.
The queen did not even descend from her carriage, much less come into the house.
Of course, that did not stop Thomas and Charlie and Cook and all the housemaids peering out of windows and trying to get a glance of Her Majesty.
Winsome, Valor, and Mrs. Right could be seen lurking at the drawing room windows.
Once they were apprised that the queen would not come inside, the duke and Verity had hurried outside. Verity had thought the lady might ride in some sort of elaborate and gold-plated coach. However, while the carriage was large, it was very usual and did not even display the royal arms.
As they performed the exceedingly awkward exercise of attempting a bow and curtsy while inside a carriage, Queen Charlotte said, “Duke, I’ve not seen you in quite a few years, though I do recall receiving your letters each year, explaining why your daughters cannot come to make their curtsy.”
“Your Majesty, I’ve made a guess that shortening up the whole procedure by one girl must be pleasing, as I imagine the whole palaver is tiring and tedious.”
Queen Charlotte tapped her fan on his knee. “Even if it is, and I will not admit to it, it is not seemly that a duke does not send his daughters. Save your eccentricity for everybody else, if you please.”
The duke suppressed a laugh. “I understand, Your Majesty.”
Verity supposed that meant that Winsome would make her curtsy next year. She could not imagine the result when Winsome found out she was to wear that preposterous gown while the rest of them had avoided it—she’d be positively livid.
“Lady Verity, you look exceedingly charming.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for sending such a lovely dress.”
“I have decided to come as the Goddess Nemesis. She is known for many things, but restoring balance is what I think of.”
The queen was dressed in a gold satin gown with folds hinting at the Greek with a gold holster and dagger round her waist. Her tiara was a glorious platinum and diamonds studded with evenly matched pearls. The dagger’s hilt glittered in the passing light coming through the carriage windows.
“You, Lady Verity, go as a swan, and you might recall that the Goddess Nemesis was very kind to a swan.”
Of course, Verity did not recall. It was precisely the sort of thing that was buried in a book somewhere. But then, perhaps it was not necessary to recall, but simply agree. “I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your kindness, Your Majesty.”
“It is likely well that you cannot begin,” the queen said. “One does tire of people expressing gratitude every time one turns round.”
The duke snorted.
“We are looking quite well,” Queen Charlotte said, fussing with the folds of her gown.
“I wish I could say the same for this rather pedestrian box on four wheels. Not even my coat of arms on the door.” The queen sighed.
“My advisors tell me it would be dangerous to announce my presence while I travel, but really, am I to creep around Town like a criminal?”
Neither she nor her father answered that, as neither of them could hardly know what factors the queen’s advisors had taken into account.
“I suppose you might have encountered a certain print of a certain red-haired gentleman on a fainting couch?”
The duke smiled. “Among my many presumptions, Your Majesty, I did imagine your hand in that?”
“Ah, I gave myself away, did I not? Everybody knows I like to offer my vinaigrette when one of my subjects is becoming hysterical over nothing. Now, is Lord Wembly still hysterical over what has occurred? Lady Verity?”
“We are not certain, Your Majesty,” Verity said. “He did come to the house twice, but as I was to sequester myself and see nobody, he was not admitted.”
“Well, we will see what he does tonight. My presence will serve the purpose of throwing my considerable influence on the side of Lady Verity Nicolet. That will close the talkers’ mouths, if I am not mistaken.
I have found a pall falls over drawing room gossip when I make clear I do not like it.
Lady Pembroke is already primed to circulate the room, mentioning that I quite depend upon hearing Lady Verity’s views on a whole host of topics. ”
Verity was not very successful in suppressing a small gasp over that idea.
The queen laughed over it. “Never fear, Lady Verity. If you are asked anything about precisely what I consult you on, you are to say that your conversations with the queen are of a private nature.”
The carriage slowed to a stop in the line of carriages in front of Lady Darlington’s house.
“Your Majesty,” the duke said, “they do not make way because they do not recognize the carriage. Allow me to descend and alert them.”
“Not on your life, Duke,” the queen said.
“I did not tell Lady Darlington I would attend. Would you really deprive me of the amusement of the surprise? They will scramble like mice at sunrise and then attempt to compose some sort of throne or place of honor where I may view the proceedings. It will all be badly done but I will nod in approval so Lady Darlington might sleep tonight.”
The carriage did eventually make its way forward and then waited an age while Lady Catherine and her lord came out of their carriage, then the lord went back in to fetch his lady’s reticule, and then there was some further delay for nobody knew what reason.
Verity presumed they’d be mortified when they realized that the queen’s carriage had been behind them, all the while waiting through their disorganized disembarkation.
Finally, at the queen’s direction, Verity and the duke descended and then her father helped Queen Charlotte to the pavement.
The look on the waiting grooms and footmen when they realized the queen had arrived was amusing.
When one of them made to dash inside to alert Lady Darlington, the queen stopped him in his tracks.
She sailed in with Verity and the duke behind her.
Verity, of course, understood that the queen making an unexpected entrance would put people on the back foot, and so it did.
Lady Darlington had been almost speechless.
After they moved on from the receiving line, Verity could hear the surprised hostess issuing orders for a particular chair to be brought into the ballroom and placed at the top.
They entered the room and the hush rolled across it in waves, one party seeming to notice that the party next to them had stopped talking. Men bowed, ladies made a low curtsy.
Queen Charlotte said, loudly, “I have not been in the habit of attending Lady Darlington’s soiree, however, Lady Verity mentioned that it was amusing.”
Her father winked at Verity over that particular pronouncement. She supposed the queen, of anybody in England, knew just what to say to manage the ton .
Verity scanned the crowd looking for Lord Wembly. It was very hard—what was he wearing? Everybody was in at least a half mask.
Lady Darlington’s footmen had run in at the top of the ballroom carrying an oversized chair with gilt arms, racing to get it in place before the queen reached them.
The three violinists who’d been there to provide soft music for the party were moved to the other end of the room.
Several other footmen brought smaller chairs and placed them on either side of the makeshift throne.
“Come, Lady Verity, we will view the proceedings from the comfort of a chair. You too, Duke,” the queen said.
As they made their way there, the queen leaned toward her and said quietly, “Let us see if Lord Wembly has a stiff enough spine to approach his queen and request an audience with Lady Verity Nicolet.”