Page 6 of The Spinster’s Stolen Heart (Willenshires #5)

“I’m surprised a second son can afford all of this,” Bridget commented, tight-lipped. “Although, I suppose it is Katherine’s dowry that paid for it.”

Pippa flinched, throwing her mother an alarmed glance. “Mama! You can’t speak that way. Katherine and Timothy are hosting us. This is where we’ll meet the rest of the family. They invited us to a party , Mama.”

“Gratitude is all very well,” Bridget responded tartly, “so long as it is not taken too far .”

Pippa gave up.

They had spent the first night at William and Lavinia’s home only the previous night. Pippa had found herself lying awake for hours, despite sleeping in a larger and more comfortable bed than she had ever had.

My whole life has changed, she’d thought, over and over again. But what if it doesn’t last? What if I only get used to it, and then it’s over?

She was being foolish, she knew that. Nothing lasted forever, and anyway, if she wanted a more comfortable life, she’d have to marry somebody who could provide it for her.

It didn’t help the nerves.

The carriage on loan from William, of course rolled to a halt in front of a well-appointed, pretty little town-house. It wasn’t as large as the Willenshire manor, of course, but it was five or six times as big as anywhere Pippa had lived in her entire life.

A woman stood out on the front steps, smiling and waving. She was tall, pretty, and with the same colouring as William; olive skin, light eyes, dark hair. She was also pregnant to her second child, her belly curving out under her dress. A man of average height stood beside her. He was wiry, with dark blond hair and large green eyes, a handsome oval face and round wire-rimmed spectacles.

“This must be Mr. Rutherford,” Bridget muttered under her breath, and Pippa cringed.

“Please, Mama. Don’t be unkind.”

“Who said I would be unkind?” she shot back. “Don’t speak to your own mother like that, Pippa. Now, wipe that look off your face. Smile, for heaven’s sake. You have to be pretty and entertaining, or they’ll ship you off to one of the other cousins.”

That was all they had time for before the door was opened by a liveried footman, and it was time to climb out.

“Pippa, Aunt Bridget!” Katherine said, beaming. “I’m so happy to see you. William wrote and told me all about your visit. We’re all quite thrilled to see you!”

Pippa never thought about curtsying, which she probably should have done. Instead, she threw her arms around her cousin, hugging her tight.

“Pippa!” Bridget hissed, obviously mortified, but Katherine only laughed and held on tighter. She pulled back, inspecting Pippa closely.

“You are extremely pretty,” Katherine announced. “I have rooms all prepared for you, and I hope you’ll stay with me for at least a few days, perhaps longer, before you decide to go back to William. Now, as he and Lavinia are just married, they won’t be going into Society straightaway, so I thought I could take you to a few events, while you find your feet and make a few friends. I daresay you’ll be wanting to make a good match this Season?”

Pippa opened her mouth to respond, but it was Bridget who answered.

“Oh, heavens, yes,” she said, laughing. “If we’re to take our proper place in Society again, Pippa will need to marry. We’re hoping for a Marquess at least.”

Katherine blinked, taken aback for just an instant before she recovered.

“Well, the party tonight will have plenty of eligible gentlemen,” she promised, throwing a smile and a wink at Pippa. “And since it’ll be hosted here, we can all relax and spend some time getting to know each other. Speaking of which, this of course is my husband, Timothy.”

She laid a hand on her husband’s arm, smiling affectionately up at him. Timothy, who had been staring adoringly at his wife during this entire speech, dragged his gaze away from her to smile and nod at Pippa and Bridget.

“I’m thrilled to meet you,” he said, shaking first Pippa’s hand then her mother’s. “Katherine has talked incessantly of your visit, ever since we first learned that you were in London. I hope we’ll be friends. We have an extensive library, by the way, in case you want to borrow any books while you’re here. Unless you brought some from William’s home?”

Before Pippa could answer, Bridget spoke up again.

“Oh, I doubt Pippa and I will have time to read ,” she said, smiling faintly and adding a pointed inflexion on the word. “We shall be far too busy, I’m afraid.”

Timothy’s smile wavered. “I see. What a pity.”

Pippa wanted to cringe. It seemed that the initial meeting with William and Lavinia had gone well enough to go to her mother’s head, and now she was feeling haughty about Timothy, the infamous second son .

“Well, I shall show you to your chambers,” Katherine said, interrupting the brief, tense moment that followed. “And Pippa, I have a little surprise for you in your room.”

***

“Oh!” Pippa gasped, snatching up the gown from where it was draped across the bottom of the bed. “Oh, it’s beautiful!”

It had, of course, occurred to Pippa that she had no dresses suitable for a fine London party. There’d been no need for showy gowns in their new life as a dowager viscountess and her daughter. Even before Philip’s death, they hadn’t gone much into Society. Over time, the dresses Pippa did have had gradually deteriorated, so that even if they hadn’t been embarrassingly out of fashion, she could hardly have worn them.

The dress Katherine had set out for her was beautiful. It was pale blue, edged with icy lace, with a daringly low neckline which skimmed her shoulders, a tight bodice, and swathes of ruched silk forming the skirts. The smooth, high-quality material slid between her fingers like water. She imagined herself wearing it and shivered with pleasure.

Perhaps it was silly to be so excited about something as simple as wearing a pretty dress, but really, Pippa thought she deserved a little excitement.

“It isn’t new,” Katherine warned, “But I only wore it a couple of times earlier this Season, and it is most certainly in fashion. I have some other gowns you might like to have, all from this Season. They are all worn at least once, I’m afraid, like this one. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind? Oh, Katherine, it’s beautiful. I can’t wait to wear it!” Pippa laughed, clutching the material to her chest. “It’s been so long since I…”

“Indeed, we are most grateful,” Bridget interrupted, taking the gown roughly from Pippa and tossing it onto the bed again. “Pippa, darling, you mustn’t be so excited about everything . Cousin Katherine will tell you that it’s simply not fashionable to care quite so much. You don’t want people to think you’re a country girl, do you?”

Pippa’s cheeks coloured. She cleared her throat, looking away.

“Come now, Aunt Bridget, that’s a little unkind, isn’t it?” Katherine said, managing a laugh. “Society manners are so very boring, I think. Pippa will do best by being herself and being original. There’s no sense in being like everybody else, is there?”

Bridget pressed her lips together in a thin smile and said nothing.

“Now, I shall let you settle in, and then you can come and join me in the parlour for tea,” Katherine continued, smiling at Pippa. “I am glad you’re here, both of you. We have a great deal to catch up on, I think.”

She left after that, closing the door softly behind her. Once they were alone, Bridget gave a harsh, sharp laugh, throwing herself down into an armchair.

“The audacity of it,” she muttered.

Pippa went red. “Mama, what is wrong with you? You were so rude to Timothy, and to Katherine! They are our hosts . If they tell William that we are impolite and ungrateful, we may well be packed off home!”

Bridget had the grace to blush. “I was a little sharp, mayhap, but really, Pippa, a worn dress? Could she not buy you a new gown?”

“I didn’t expect a new gown of any sort,” Pippa retorted. “She didn’t have to give her old dress either. She could have let me look like a frumpy old drab in my ordinary clothes. It was thoughtful , Mama. And look at how lovely it is! It’s brand-new, just about. I am not complaining.”

Bridget gave a moue of displeasure. “Well, I suppose it is better than nothing. But a new gown would have been best! We’ll have to adjust this to fit you, I suppose. And try not to be too thrilled by everything at the party tonight, Pippa. It is so very vulgar .”

Pippa clenched her jaw, the happiness of her new gown and her reunion with her cousin entirely gone.

“Yes, Mama. I shall try.”

***

The small, intimate party was nothing of the sort. At least, Pippa felt that it was nothing of the sort. The house seemed to be crowded with people, all talking and laughing. Katherine had introduced her to what felt like a horde of people, their names slipping from her mind like water.

She knew, of course, that forgetting somebody’s name or making a similar mistake would be most frowned upon. There was not a great margin for forgiveness in Society at any rate.

I can do this, Pippa reminded herself frequently. The blue gown had gotten her many compliments so far, and she felt more beautiful in it than she had in quite a while.

As Katherine had promised, there were a good many youngish men in the party, around Pippa’s age or a little older, trailing around behind older relatives or clustered with a group of friends in the corner.

Pippa found that Katherine, as the hostess, did not have much time to spend with her. It was a little nerve-wracking, but after the first hour, she began to feel a little more at home. People were polite, if not particularly effusive, and so far, all was well.

“I have somebody I want to introduce you to,” Bridget whispered, hooking her arm through Pippa’s. “Lord Owen Barwick, that gentleman over there by the refreshment table. He’s the Marquess of Allerton, and unmarried, of course. See how handsome he is.”

Pippa followed her mother’s gaze. A tall gentleman stood there, broad shouldered and remarkably handsome. He wore a blue coat in the latest style, and had his fair hair combed back in a dishevelled way that seemed very fashionable and very intentional. He had clear blue eyes, like chips of ice in his well-featured face, and those sharp eyes raked across the room.

He was standing with an older woman, tall and austere, resplendent in black velvet and studded with pearls and diamonds. She had grey hair piled ornately on the top of her head, and a severe, haughty expression.

“That is his mother, the Dowager Marchioness. Lady Henrietta Barwick, that is. Henrietta and I were friends, once. Of course, once I married your father and left Society, it was all at an end between us, but I believe she still has a soft spot for me. I wrote to her to inform her that I was coming to stay with William, and that our fortunes were on the rise. She responded most graciously. I think she will be most amenable to an introduction, so you must be on your best behaviour.”

Pippa swallowed thickly. The nerves which she had just begun to get control over began to return.

“I… Do I have to meet him now, Mama?”

Bridget threw her an incredulous look. “What a question! Of course you must. Lord Barwick may be the only gentleman you need to meet at this party, if all transpires favourably between you. You must know that I am thinking of you making a match of it, don’t you? You might have a dowry settled up on you by William, and our connection to the Willenshires will do us a great deal of good. The Barwicks are rich, to be sure, but not quite such an old family as we are. There’s a great deal to be gained on both sides.”

“He’s very handsome,” Pippa managed hesitantly. “But he seems very stern. And… and see how he glared at that lady just there, in the pink dress. Oh, lord, Mama, they’re laughing at her behind their hands! That is most cruel.”

“Well, she should be more careful with her appearance, then, shouldn’t she?” Bridget responded heartlessly. “Come, I shall introduce you now.”

Pippa could not have said where the panic came from, only that it was powerful and sudden. She swallowed again, anxiety shimmering in her stomach.

“Not just yet.”

Bridget threw her an annoyed stare. “Whatever is wrong with you, Pippa? This is our chance , and you are wasting it?”

“I…I…” Pippa floundered. She was suddenly aware that she had to get out of the crowded ballroom, and she had to get out right away. The noise was suddenly unbearable, as was the heat.

I can’t breathe.

“I need some air,” she said stoutly, turning away before her mother could grab her. She hurried through the crowd, knocking against people in her eagerness to get out. She twisted around, making sure that her mother was not following her.

Just as she was almost running, she walked straight into the back of a tall, broad-shouldered gentleman.

“Ouch,” she managed, stumbling back. She would likely have lost her balance and landed in an undignified heap on her backside, had the gentleman not grabbed her by the elbow, steadying her.

“Thank you,” she began, an apology dying on her lips, as she looked up at the most handsome man she’d ever seen.