Page 3 of The Truth about the Lady (Whispers of the Ton #6)

CHAPTER TWO

“ M ight I ask you something?”

Hyacinth glanced towards Rose as they waited in the line to greet the host of this evening’s ball. “Yes, if you must.”

Her sister looked at her curiously, her brown eyes warm. “What was it you were scribbling earlier this afternoon? You told father that you were writing to Lady Eve but I am not certain that is true.”

“It is quite true.” Hyacinth lifted her shoulders and then let them drop. “I was writing to Lady Eve. She should be present this evening.” Lady Eve was a dear friend of Hyacinth’s, with the two families connected for many a year. Her father, the Marquess of Bath, had long been acquainted with Hyacinth’s own father and thus, the friendship had continued down the family line.

“You are always writing something to Lady Eve,” Rose continued, sounding a little plaintive, her eyes darting away from Hyacinth’s. “You have such a close friendship, I confess that I am a little jealous.”

Hyacinth said nothing to this, not quite certain what it is that she ought to say. It was true that she and Eve had been dear friends for many a year even though Eve was a little older than Hyacinth, and closer in age to Rose. But that, Hyacinth knew, came from the fact that both she and Eve were similar in character whilst Rose was quite different.

“Why must you always be writing to her?” Rose continued, sounding a little childish now. “It is difficult for me that I have no one to write to, while you are always sending notes here and there.”

Hiding a smile, Hyacinth looked away. “I am sure that you will have a good many friends here very soon, Rose,” she murmured, a little surprised at the sense of joy that filled her in realizing that her sister did not, in fact, have all the good things in life. “It is not as though you were entirely alone last Season.” Though I was.

Eve had not been in London last Season, due to the marriage of not only her brother but also her elder sister. With two weddings in one summer, Eve had resided at home and though Hyacinth knew that she had found the weddings to be both beautiful and thoroughly delightful, she had missed being in Hyacinth’s company. Not that she had any desire to be a part of the ton however, which was precisely the same way that Hyacinth herself felt!

From that, however, had come a little game that, to this day, both she and Eve continued. It had begun as a riddle, sent to her friend to entertain her while all the arrangements for the weddings had taken precedence. It had grown since then, so that both sent each other word puzzles, riddles, and all manner of confounding questions, each trying to best the other.

Thus far, neither of them had been unsuccessful in any puzzle given them, though the last one Eve had sent her had taken Hyacinth a good few days to decipher. That was why she had been ‘scribbling’, as Rose had put it, for she had been quite determined to come up with the answer before the ball this evening. Having sent it to her friend, she now only had to meet with her to confirm that the answer was correct. Then it would be her turn.

“I do hope that you will not do as you did last evening.”

Hyacinth, pulled from her thoughts, looked sharply at her sister. “I beg your pardon? I did nothing wrong last evening. Whatever are you talking about?”

Rose lifted her chin a little, the very same glint that Hyacinth often saw in her mother’s eye coming into hers. “You were standing alone, talking to two gentlemen! And you told me thereafter that you were not introduced to either!”

Shock rifled through Hyacinth’s chest. “Rose, you know very well that I had no choice!”

“You did have a choice, however,” Rose continued, astonishing Hyacinth all the more with her sharp tongue. “You could have come with me as I went in search of a drink. Instead, you insisted on staying at the back of the ballroom and let me walk off alone.”

“You were not alone,” Hyacinth answered, quickly, her heart beginning to hammer painfully. “You were in company with Lady Henderson. You were perfectly chaperoned.”

Rose tilted her head. “But you were not.”

Hyacinth did not know what to make of this, staring back at her sister in utter astonishment. Rose had never been unkind like this before, had never shown any sort of cruel disregard for the difficulties that Hyacinth had when it came to making her way into society. Why was she being so now?

“It is just as well that I did not tell Mama about what happened.” With a small sniff, Rose arched an eyebrow. “I know very well that she would be deeply upset with you if she was to know what you had done.”

Her mouth going dry, Hyacinth held her sister’s gaze, trying to ascertain what it was that Rose was doing by saying such things. Could it be a hint of jealousy? Could it be that what they had been speaking about before as regarded Lady Eve and the many letters that Hyacinth shared with her was the cause of Rose’s envy? Hyacinth could think of no other reason and that made her heart fill with pain.

“I do not think it would be wise to put any sort of enmity between us, Rose,” she said, slowly as the line began to shorten, bringing them closer to their host. “I do not know why you would say such a thing to me! I thought that you understood what I found difficult and indeed, delighted in all that you garnered from my absence!”

Her sister looked away. “I do not know what you mean.”

“You had the attention of almost every gentleman upon you and I did not take any of that from you,” Hyacinth answered, speaking quietly so that their mother, who stood in front, did not hear. “Why would you speak to me so now?”

Rose tilted her head, studying Hyacinth with cold eyes. “I have heard mother’s concern. She has told me that your absence from society, and your standing as a wallflower could damage my chances of a successful match and that is what I want, Hyacinth. I want not only a successful match but an excellent one. When you behave as you do, you bring shame to not only yourself but also to me.”

Hyacinth’s heart tore but there was nothing she could say in response to this, nothing that she could give to her sister by way of answer. Swallowing at the ache in her throat, she turned to look at the line in front of her rather than trying to speak, seeing now a fresh new callousness in Rose that had been entirely absent before now.

Soon, they were in the ballroom and Hyacinth, in an instant, felt panic grab a hold of her and hold on tightly. The room was filled with all manner of gentlemen and ladies and, seeing them all only made Hyacinth’s heart pound with fright. The way that Rose moved with ease into the crowd, smiling and laughing in a single moment was something that Hyacinth simply could not do, feeling as though her feet were pinned to the floor. Her chest tightened, her stomach knotting as she gazed after her mother and sister, wondering if either of them would turn around and notice her absence.

They did not.

“There you are! I have been waiting and waiting for your arrival!”

The nervous anxiety that had torn through Hyacinth in an instant faded just as quickly as it had come. “Eve!” Throwing her arms around her friend in what was, most likely, a less than proper manner, Hyacinth let out a long breath of relief. “Thank goodness you are here.”

“Oh?”

Stepping back just a little, Hyacinth closed her eyes and tried to smile, aware of a sudden sense of sadness washing over her. “My mother has demanded that I do not behave as I did last Season, and my sister has, only at this very moment, in fact, told me that I bring her nothing but shame when I stand apart from the ton .” Opening her eyes, she saw Lady Eve’s expression darken. “Neither of them seem to understand my struggle.”

“Though they are very quick to tell you of your failings, I am sure.” Lady Eve frowned heavily. “Where are they now?”

Hyacinth swallowed at the knot in her throat. “They stepped away and, no doubt, expected me to follow but I struggled to put even one foot in front of the other. Now that you are here, however, I will find things a little easier, I am sure.”

Lady Eve smiled. “Then I am very glad that I insisted that I wait by the door for you.”

Smiling back, Hyacinth took in another long breath to steady herself, her gaze darting around the room. “And where are your own parents?”

Lady Eve shrugged. “My mother is somewhere with my new brother-in-law and my sister is just over there, showing everyone her wedding ring.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Though I must say, I can understand why she does so, her husband loves her dearly and gifts her the most beautiful diamond and the like!”

“I see.” Hyacinth slipped her arm through her friend’s. “I have been told that I must marry this Season. I must find a suitable match, though quite how I am to do so when I find myself so upset even by stepping into a ballroom, I do not know!”

“I will help you.” Lady Eve smiled, though, to Hyacinth’s eyes, it faltered a little. “There is something more I must tell you, my friend.”

“Oh?” Pausing in their walking around the ballroom, all thought of mothers and sisters and chaperones forgotten, Hyacinth looked back at her friend carefully, wondering what it was that troubled her. “Is there something wrong?”

Lady Eve closed her eyes for just a moment. “I am engaged.”

It felt as though Hyacinth had dropped through the floor and crashed into the darkness beneath.

“I did not make the choice myself but it was my father’s arrangement,” Lady Eve continued, as Hyacinth tried to drag air into her tight lungs. “I was informed of it only last week and I did not want to write to you about it. Instead, I thought I would tell you when I was in your company.”

“Engaged?” Hyacinth breathed, as Lady Eve nodded. “But why? I thought that you – ”

“Would be able to make my own choice?” A tinge of pink came onto her cheeks. “In a way, I have.”

Thoroughly confused, Hyacinth frowned. “What do you mean?”

A small breath escaped from Lady Eve, though she also began to smile. “As you know, last Season, I was not in London. I spent it at my father’s estate, given the preparations for the wedding.” She glanced away. “During the course of that time, I was introduced to Lord Wiltshire.”

“Wiltshire?” Hyacinth repeated, the name sounding a little familiar. “I remember him – is he not the brother of Lady Livinia, the lady your brother chose to wed?”

Lady Eve nodded. “Yes, that is so.”

Hyacinth’s eyebrows lifted. “You are engaged to Lord Wiltshire? And your brother is wed to Lord Wiltshire’s sister?”

Pressing her lips together for only a moment, Lady Eve nodded again, though there came a slight sparkle in her eyes, one that spoke of happiness – and Hyacinth felt herself slowly lifted out of the darkness that had captured her.

“You are happy, then?” she asked, relieved when Lady Eve smiled brightly. “You have been able to make your own choice?”

“I believe that my father saw that there was a connection between us and he was the one who initiated all manner of discussion between himself and Lord Wiltshire,” Lady Eve told her, beginning to walk again as the first dance of the evening was announced. “When he told me that Lord Wiltshire had agreed to marry me, I must confess that I was not only surprised but a little upset that there would be no courtship or the like. However, my father, in his goodness, permitted me to have some time before my marriage so that I might get to know Lord Wiltshire a little better – an engaged courtship, if you will.”

“And that is why you are in London?”

Lady Eve spread out her other hand. “He is here somewhere! We are to dance later this evening and I must confess that I am already looking forward to it.”

“I am glad for you,” Hyacinth answered, truthfully. “I am truly delighted to know that you will be happy.”

With a small, gentle smile gracing her lips, Lady Eve looked back at her. “I think I shall be, yes… though that also means that I am able now to help you as much as I can! We shall conquer the ton and find you an excellent match.”

Hyacinth shook her head. “I do not think it will be as easy as that, my dear friend,” she murmured, aware of just how much fear still lingered in her. “My mother has made it plain that I not only lack my sister’s beauty, I also lack her poise and her ability to capture the attention of the ton . I do not know what it is I can do if I am already so much of a failure!”

“You are not a failure!” Coming to a dead stop, Lady Eve turned to face Hyacinth directly. “I will not pretend that you are the very same as your sister, for that would be disingenuous, but you are certainly not plain! Nor do you lack poise! Besides which, you have a good many things that your sister does not and that ought to be something you take confidence from.”

Hyacinth looked away, not certain that what her friend said held any truth.

“Think about the riddles and the puzzles you have sent me and I have sent to you,” Lady Eve continued, taking Hyacinth’s hand and pressing it, hard. “I have found them so very difficult that I have, on occasion, been forced to ask others to help me!”

This was news to Hyacinth and her gaze swung back around to her friend, who nodded to confirm it.

“You, no doubt, have not asked anyone,” Lady Eve said, as Hyacinth smiled just a little. “You have an incredible mind, my dear friend and that is something that your sister does not possess. She is much too taken up with fripperies and flirtations, which, in themselves, are not a bad thing but are different from the joys that you seek out. That is not to say that yours are in any way worse than your sister’s or that she is in some way better than you, only that you are both different from the other and that should not be used to set you apart.” She scowled. “Even though I am well aware that it does.”

Hyacinth, feeling her spirits a little lifted, smiled warmly. “Thank you, Eve. You do know what to say to make me feel a little better and I am grateful for that.” Her smile grew as something Lady Eve had said settled into her mind. “Were you speaking the truth when you said that you had asked others about my riddles?”

Lady Eve chuckled. “Yes, I did speak the truth. I was so very frustrated with your last one that I had to go to my father to have his help and even then, I was struggling!”

“Riddles?”

Another voice broke into their conversation and Hyacinth’s spirits quickly dropped as Rose appeared beside her, their mother only a few steps away.

“I am sure that I would be able to solve any number of riddles,” Rose continued, turning her head to look up at two gentlemen who had come to join them. “What do you say to that, Lord Thorne? Lord Elledge?”

“Riddles?” Lord Elledge shrugged. “I am not so good at such things, I confess. I have no time for them!”

Lord Thorne, a gentleman that Hyacinth recognized, chuckled. “Oh, I am very capable when it comes to such things. I do not think that I would have any difficulty whatsoever!”

Any feelings of warmth that might have filled Hyacinth upon seeing the gentleman again – the gentleman that had taken Lord Sunderland from her at the soiree – evaporated in an instant when she heard his arrogance. Exchanging a look with Lady Eve, she forced a smile but said nothing, choosing to keep her love of riddles and word problems entirely to herself.

“I should introduce you, should I not?” Rose smiled but there was a slight sneer in it, as though she was proud of the fact that she was the one who was introducing Hyacinth to not only one but two gentlemen whilst suggesting silently that Hyacinth would never have been able to do such a thing.

“I am already acquainted with one of these fine gentlemen,” Hyacinth found herself saying, seeing Rose’s smile slipping as she gestured to the gentleman she knew. It would have been wise not to have said such a thing, she knew, for she did not know the gentleman’s title but nor could she bear to see Rose’s arrogance being pushed towards her yet again.

“And how is that?” Rose exclaimed, turning to both gentlemen. “How is it that you can be acquainted with Lord Thorne when I am not?”

“Your sister and I were acquainted at a soiree,” Lord Thorne said, easily, though there was a hint of surprise in his expression which Hyacinth could not help but feel a little embarrassed about. “We did not have the pleasure then, however.”

Rose’s face turned a shade of pink which spoke of both anger and embarrassment, though she kept a smile placed upon her lips which, to Hyacinth’s mind, must have taken a great deal of strength.

“I see. Then I shall introduce you to Lord Elledge, Hyacinth.” Rose gestured to the other gentleman, who quickly bowed. “Might I present the Earl of Elledge? Lord Elledge, this is my younger sister, Hyacinth.”

“How very good to meet you.”

Hyacinth smiled and dropped into a curtsy, thinking that Lord Elledge appeared to be a very amiable gentleman given the warmth of his smile and the softness about his expression. “I am glad to make your acquaintance.”

“And I am already acquainted with you, Lord Elledge,” Lady Eve remarked, as Hyacinth rose from her curtsy. “And also with you, Lord Thorne.” She bobbed a quick curtsy but, to Hyacinth’s surprise, did not smile. “How good to see you both again.”

“It has been a pleasant Season thus far, has it not?” Lord Elledge remarked, the warm smile still on his face. “My dear wife insisted that I come to London to enjoy some respite from the business of my estate matters and I must say, I think she was quite correct to do so!”

Rose blinked quickly, twisting her head around to look hard at Lord Elledge. “Your wife is here in London?” The surprise in her voice told Hyacinth that she had believed Lord Elledge unattached. “I – I am surprised we were not introduced.”

“That is because she is not in London, in fact.” Lord Elledge smiled though, to Hyacinth’s eyes, there was a hint of sadness there. “She has gone to spend a few months with her sister, Lady Crawfield. Her husband, Lord Crawfield, has gone to the continent on business affairs and my dear wife did not want to think of her sister all alone. Thus, she has gone to Scotland and, though I was invited, she urged me to come to London and enjoy some time here.” He chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “I think that secretly, she intends to make sure that I miss her so very much, I will be all the more devoted to her – even more than I am at present!”

Hyacinth smiled gently, seeing that Lord Elledge clearly cared for his wife a great deal. It was a lovely thing to see and not something that she had often heard expressed.

“I see.” Rose, evidently regaining her composure, turned her attention instead to Lord Thorne, the only unattached gentleman present. “You must be very glad to have your companion present in London. It is clear you have a very strong friendship.”

Hyacinth resisted the desire to roll her eyes, wondering quite how her sister was able to comprehend such a thing after such a brief connection.

“It does bring me contentment, yes.” Lord Thorne tilted his head, regarding Lord Elledge. “Though I am quite certain I would have been able to have an enjoyable Season without his presence, all the same.”

Surprise filled Hyacinth’s chest, only for Lord Elledge to laugh, making her realize that this was said solely in jest.

“Ah, but who else would be able to bring you to the company of such fine ladies and encourage you, thereafter, to dance?” Lord Elledge said, sending a wink towards Lord Thorne. “I do hope you are all dancing this evening?”

Hyacinth flushed hot, her dance card quickly held behind her back. She had not stepped out to dance with any gentleman in the previous Season and had no desire to do so now – but how could she escape this now?

“Of course we are!” Rose exclaimed, though as she slipped her dance card from her wrist, she shifted her stance so that only she was facing Lord Thorne, leaving Hyacinth hidden from him. Dropping her head in embarrassment over her sister’s clear actions, Hyacinth shot a quick look towards Lady Eve, though she was frowning.

“Lady Eve, Lady Hyacinth?” Lord Elledge, though he also looked to Rose as he spoke, though no expression other than his smile lingered. “I should very much like to dance, I think, if you would oblige me!”

Hyacinth knew that she had no other choice but to accept him, for it would be utterly improper for any young lady to refuse a gentleman. Swallowing hard, she swung her hand out from behind her back and handed it to him, wishing that she did not have to.

“I thank you.”

“Oh, Lord Thorne, might I ask you if you would be willing to fetch me a glass of ratafia before we dance?”

Hyacinth’s heart twisted as she heard her sister vying for Lord Thorne’s attention, pulling him away from Hyacinth herself before she even had a chance for her dance card to be taken.

“But of course, I should not mind in the least,” she heard Lord Thorne say, before walking away from the small group – though Rose quickly sent a small smile towards Hyacinth as she turned around to join her.

“It is not as though you would be asked for a dance anyway,” she murmured, as she came to stand beside Hyacinth. “You know that you do not have my beauty nor my poise.”

Those were the very same words that Hyacinth had heard from her mother time and again but this time, they cut her to the quick. They had never been close as sisters but neither had Rose ever been cruel.

It seemed as though things were going to change between them, Hyacinth realized, though she certainly did not like the change.

In fact, she feared it was going to be more painful than anything she had ever experienced before.