Page 8 of The Truth about the Lady (Whispers of the Ton #6)
CHAPTER SEVEN
A small frown gathered across Samuel’s forehead as he watched the ton walk through the London streets. He was busy enjoying an ice from Gunters as he sat in his carriage and, at the very same time, taking in the sights and sounds of London. It was a rare few minutes that he had alone to think for he had every intention of stepping out and joining the other members of the beau monde once his ice was finished.
There is Lady Rose.
His brow furrowed as he took in the young lady, watching her walk, arm in arm, with another young lady though the lady he knew to be her mother walked only a few steps behind. Lady Rose had not made an excellent impression upon him, he had to admit. The way she had spoken about her sister, Lady Hyacinth, had made not only Lady Hyacinth deeply embarrassed, but it had also clearly upset her. Samuel had seen the color rising in her cheeks, had noted how she had lowered her head, and let her gaze fall to the ground as the others in the group looked at her in astonishment. Quite why Lady Rose had spoken so, Samuel could not be certain but he believed that her main reason for doing so was to make herself appear a good deal more than her sister, so that he – and mayhap others in the group – would be willing to ask her to dance, rather than looking towards Lady Hyacinth at the first.
It had not had that impression upon him. Yes, he had taken her dance card and yes, he had danced with Lady Rose but he had not appreciated the fawning delight that appeared to be a part of who she was. Their dance had been filled with conversation and laughter, though it had come, on the whole, from Lady Rose alone. Samuel had to admit that Lady Rose had a good deal more beauty than her sister, with her sparkling green eyes, lily white skin and fair curls that danced every time she took a step, but her character was, to his mind, certainly lacking. Though, he considered, he did not know Lady Hyacinth very well either, and what he did know of her, he also disliked.
Or is it that my pride stung and thus, I decided that I did not much like her company?
That made him wince. His failure in character was not something that Samuel readily considered, having already assured himself that his penchant for arrogance was something that all gentleman had to bear and was a trifling concern.
“My lord!”
A call to him made Samuel frown, seeing Lady Rose and her companion now beckoning to him. He had not intended to go to join them and had thought, instead, to wait for slightly better company before he made his way out of the carriage. Now, however, he could not escape them and, with a small sigh, he opened the door and stepped out, leaving the glass from his ice for his ticker to return.
“Lord Thorne!” Lady Rose curtsied quickly, her eyes filled with something that Samuel could not quite make out. “I have only just heard the news! You must have thought me very rude indeed not to have mentioned it before and in that regard, I am truly sorry.”
“The news?” Confused as to what she meant, Samuel could only glance to the other young lady, Miss Fortescue. “What do you mean, Lady Rose?”
Lady Rose gestured to Miss Fortescue. “My dear friend has only just informed me that you are the one who has written the riddles!”
“She… ” Samuel shot a quick look towards Miss Fortescue, who quickly flushed red. “Miss Fortescue, that was told to you in the strictest confidence!” He knew well enough that what he had said to Miss Fortescue, Lady Eve and Lady Hyacinth would, at some point, escape through the ton but he had not thought it would be as soon as this!
“I know that it was, yes,” Miss Fortescue answered, looking to Lady Rose as if she required her full support, “but nor could I remain silent! The new riddles in The London Chronicle were exceptional and both Lady Rose and I were thinking just how marvelous they were – and, well, the truth of the matter just slipped from my mouth before I even had a chance to think! I am truly sorry, Lord Thorne. It was an accident, I assure you.”
“Though I have not been sworn to secrecy and I shall certainly not remain silent!” Lady Rose exclaimed, her effervescent manner all the more pronounced. “Good gracious, Lord Thorne, how could you keep such a thing to yourself? I must know why it is that you did not put your name to your work, for surely a gentleman such as yourself would desire the ton to know that you are the one who has put such great dedication into these riddles. That way, they can show you such appreciation as is deserving of your efforts.”
Samuel tried to smile, finding himself a little uncertain as to how to answer. He had always known that lying about this would bring him some difficulties but he had not thought as to what difficulties those would be. Now, he realized, he would have to speak lie upon lie if he were to keep the story convincing, and that was a little troubling. He would have to remember what he said to Lady Rose and, if questioned again by another, recall it exactly so he would say the very same thing again.
“I – I confess that I wanted to enjoy the moment,” he said, hoping that this would be a reasonable explanation. “I wanted to see just how much the ton appreciated the riddles before I told everyone that I had written them.”
Lady Rose lifted an eyebrow. “You mean to say that you were afraid that those of us in the ton would not think well of your riddles?”
He lifted his shoulders. “It was not something that The London Chronicle had ever printed before and, as I have said, I did not know whether the beau monde would like them.” Letting his shoulders fall, he quirked his lips, trying to ignore the steadfastly growing worry in his stomach over all the many lies he was telling. “I must say that I was also a little concerned about my standing in society. I did not want to be laughed at, had they not been a success.”
Miss Fortescue laughed softly, her eyes glinting. “Now that is something I both accept and understand, Lord Thorne. No one in London wishes for the ton to mock or tease them, so to take care in this is, I think, quite wise.”
Samuel smiled briefly, seeing Lady Coatbridge coming to join her daughter, though she stayed a few steps back. Lady Hyacinth and Lady Eve had joined her, though neither of them came to step forward into the conversation, making Samuel wonder whether they did so as not to interrupt his present conversation or if they simply did not wish to join him.
Though why should I mind if Lady Hyacinth does not want to join us? He thought to himself, as Lady Rose began to speak at length about the new riddles printed in The London Chronicle. It should not. He lifted his chin. It does not.
“I must say, I did find these new riddles to be rather different from the other ones, but then again, I suppose you did so to make things more difficult for us.”
Samuel blinked, pulling his attention back towards Lady Rose. “I beg your pardon?”
“The riddles,” she said again, just as Lady Hyacinth and Lady Eve exchanged a glance, surprising Samuel as they both stepped forward as one, coming to join the conversation with seeming eagerness. “They were very different from your other ones. A little more pointed, mayhap? I did wonder if you were using them to point the finger at someone though… ” Lady Rose tilted her head coquettishly, a teasing smile on her face. “I suppose, even if that were so, you would not tell me of it.”
“Indeed, I would not.” Forcing a smile, Samuel gestured to the bookshop behind Lady Hyacinth and Lady Eve, finding himself in a state of nervousness, such as he had never experienced before. Something about Lady Hyacinth’s presence, about her nearness to him and the many lies that were pouring out of his mouth was unsettling him to such an extent, that he was now looking for a way to escape. “You must excuse me, I am afraid. I have only a short while until I must return home and I intend to step into the bookshop.”
“Oh, but then we shall join you!” Lady Rose exclaimed, only for her mother to step closer.
“Alas, you cannot,” she said, smiling her greeting to Samuel. “I must take Lady Fortescue back to her townhouse and you and I are then to take tea, with your father already present at the house. Do you not recall?”
Lady Rose pouted, though Samuel caught how both Lady Hyacinth and Lady Eve exchanged a glance with each other.
“I quite forgot, Mama.” Lady Rose frowned, only to then alter her expression entirely when Samuel turned his attention to her again. “I do hope that we can continue our conversation again later, Lord Thorne. I have so much I wish to ask you about your riddles!”
Placing one finger at the collar of his shirt as he nodded, Samuel’s feet burned in his boots, urging him to begin walking towards the bookshop and escape them all. “Yes, of course. Do excuse me.”
With a nod, he hurried away, relieved to leave them all behind. Stepping inside, he immediately began to meander through the many rows of books, taking in long, steadying breaths.
It did not instantly help his sense of confusion and upset, as he had expected. Regret was beginning to pull in his heart now but he silenced it quickly, reminding himself that he could do nothing to alter what he had already done.
I did not think that I would have to speak so many lies, he thought to himself, frowning. And what did Lady Rose mean when she said the new ones in The London Chronicle were a little more pointed?
That made his brow furrow, confused now as to why Lady Rose would have made such a remark. Making his way to the shopkeeper, he quickly asked for a copy of the London Chronicle and the man hastily obliged him. With a nod, Samuel made his way from the fellow and found, in the upstairs of the shop, a quiet place where he might sit and study the riddles.
He found them quickly enough. One read of them was not enough for him to gain any success in understanding them, cursing himself inwardly for his slow mind. Rubbing one hand over his forehead, he leaned forward in his chair and read the first aloud.
“I am something that ought never to be told, yet I am spoken by both old and young alike. Without a body, I cause great harm, without a knife, I cut many ties. What am I?”
Shaking his head to himself, Samuel muttered darkly over his lack of success, going on to read the second. “I show my face but wear a mask, I walk the path but lead others astray, my words a stumbling guide. The masquerade, my favorite occasion for there, I can be my true self.”
That one hit Samuel right between the eyes, his stomach shifting this way and that as he took in the words. A masquerade was a place of hiding, where one could wear a mask and pretend to be someone they were not. They could disguise themselves, hiding away behind a mask and a costume, if it so pleased them.
So this riddle, this word trickery, spoke of someone who wore a disguise, though not only at a masquerade ball. It was someone who ‘led others astray’ and who did so with their words.
A deceiver.
Samuel closed his eyes, the knot in his stomach growing ever stronger. Could it be that this was as Lady Rose had said? That this was more pointed than before, but it was pointed towards him?
Frowning, he set his mind on the other riddle. Bending his head, he studied it carefully, heedless to just how many minutes were going past. He had to find the answer, had to know whether or not both of these riddles were connected, and if they were, directed solely towards him.
“Good afternoon, Lord Thorne.”
“A lie!”
His head shot up, having shouted the answer to the first riddle just as the quiet voice had broken into his thoughts. Lady Hyacinth blinked in evident surprise at his abrupt statement, making Samuel flush with mortification. Setting The London Chronicle down, he rose quickly to his feet. “Lady Hyacinth. Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.” She smiled briefly, though Samuel saw how her gaze flickered towards The London Chronicle. Silently, he prayed that she had not been able to ascertain that he had been working out the answer to the very riddles he had supposedly written himself!
“I thought that you were gone with your mother and sister,” he remarked, smiling as warmly as he could and taking in the light flush that touched her cheeks, the swirling questions in her hazel eyes. She was so different in coloring to her sister, with her dark hair where Lady Rose was fair, but Samuel did not think her unbecoming. Truth be told, he was much more inclined toward Lady Hyacinth’s company than Lady Rose.
“My sister and mother are gone to take tea with a friend, though I am to take tea with Lady Eve. She and I thought we would follow your lead and come into the bookshop.” Her smile was a little uncertain, her gaze pulling from his only to dart back towards him again. “I did want to thank you for the waltz although it was some days ago.”
“The waltz?” Still lost in his worries about whether or not she had seen him reading The London Chronicle, it took him a few moments to understand what she was saying. “Oh, yes. The waltz at the ball.” The way she was looking at him, the gentle smile on her lips sent Samuel’s stomach dipping low. “It was my pleasure, truly.” A little surprised that he meant every word, Samuel smiled back at her. The waltz had been nothing sensational, it had merely been a waltz but for her, he had understood that it meant a good deal more.
“I thank you.” A pink hint darted into her cheeks. “I shall take my leave of you now. Lady Eve is only just below the stairs and I do not want her to think me lost!”
“I shall accompany you.” Picking up The London Chronicle, he saw her glance at it again. “Have you read The London Chronicle’s recent publication, Lady Hyacinth?”
Rather than make her way towards the staircase, Lady Hyacinth remained where she was, a strange expression on her face. “I have read some of it, yes.”
“And the riddles?” Puffing out his chest just a little, he tried to paste a grin on his face. “I do hope that you enjoyed your time deciphering them.”
A sharpness came into her eyes. “I did not need to decipher them, Lord Thorne.”
This made his grin fix in place. “No?”
“No.” She tossed her head and turned away from him. “I perceived the answers in an instant.”
Samuel closed his eyes for a second as a crashing wave of embarrassment washed over him. This was now the second time she had made it plain that the riddles were of no difficulty to her and he ought to have remembered that. “I – I must say, Lady Hyacinth, you have the most intelligent mind, I think.”
She turned just before reaching the staircase, her eyes a little narrowed now. “Do you mean to call me a bluestocking?”
“No.” He frowned. “But nor do I think that being a bluestocking should be any sort of embarrassment.”
This made her eyes widen rather than narrow, a fresh bloom of color in her face.
“I know that it is the consideration of most members in the ton that young ladies who adore all manner of learning ought to be ignored and rejected but I do not think so.” He spoke truthfully, shrugging his shoulders lightly. “The riddles are for all in the ton , not just for the gentleman.”
This did not bring about the reaction he had expected. For whatever reason, Lady Hyacinth scowled at him, spun on her heel, and marched down the staircase, making it quite clear by the distance she put between them that she did not want even one more moment of his company.
Whatever did I say?
Frowning, Samuel hesitated before returning to where he had been sitting, his mind returning to the two riddles. The first one’s answer was ‘a lie’ and the second ‘deceiver’.
Unfortunately for him, though he did not want to state that the riddles were directed towards him, it appeared, certainly, that they might well be. The riddle writer, whoever it was, had heard that he had taken the glory that ought to be theirs and was claiming it for himself.
His lips tugged to one side as his brow furrowed. Who precisely would be writing these riddles? Yes, he had only spoken with Lord Elledge, Lord Jedburgh, Lady Hyacinth, Lady Eve, and Miss Fortescue initially, but given the way Lady Rose had exclaimed today that she knew of his penmanship, Samuel had very little doubt that Miss Fortescue – if not others – had been telling members of the ton his supposed ‘secret’. Lord Jedburgh was not exactly well known for his quiet nature and Samuel had already been concerned about his penchant for gossip! Closing his eyes, Samuel let out a slow breath, the regret he had felt a short while ago returning, though this time, it came, hand in hand, with guilt.
Just what was he to do?