Page 7 of The Truth about the Marquess (Whispers of the Ton #3)

Chapter Six

W hy ever did I suggest that he write to The London Chronicle?

Jane pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear as she looked through the three letters that had arrived for her to consider. Part of her hoped that Lord Edenbridge had written to her, but the other part of her dreaded it, wondering what she might say to assist him. What had possessed her to suggest such a thing to him, she could not say, but there had been something in his eyes that had made sympathy build within her heart. Yes, he had obviously – and badly – misstepped with Miss Dutton… and that was the second time he had done so, so he had said, and thus, she had felt rather sorry for him. Lord Edenbridge did appear to be a good sort of gentleman, although, she reminded herself, that did not mean that he was. Her husband had not been a good fellow at all, and she had only learned the extent of his dark temper and cruel character once she had been married to him. Reading the second letter, Jane squeezed her eyes closed tight, her lips bunching. This letter, the one which had no name, sounded as though it might well be from Lord Edenbridge – though she had very little idea of what to say in response!

A knock at the door made her start in surprise, having been lost in her thoughts about Lord Edenbridge.

“Yes?”

The butler opened the door.

“Lady Guilford, my Lady.”

Jane rose at once.

“A tea tray, if you please.” Having directed the butler, she beamed as her friend came into the room, delighted to see her. “Louisa! How good to see you. Why are you here?”

“I came to call!” Lady Guilford sailed into the room, embracing Jane warmly. “You were out walking in the park with a gentleman, I have been told, and I simply must know who it was!”

A flush touched Jane’s cheeks as she sat down.

“I suppose I should not be surprised at how quickly the ton speaks about such things,” she sighed, though Louisa only chuckled softly. “Yes, it is true that I was walking with a gentleman in the park, but I did so only to assist him.” Seeing her friend’s eyebrows lift, she shook her head. “The gentleman had been walking with a young lady without realizing her reputation.”

“Really?” Lady Guilford’s eyes opened wide. “Who was she?”

Pausing for a moment and wondering if her friend was going to gossip about this, Jane considered that she would not and, thus, she spoke honestly.

“I know that you will not say anything to anyone, but it was Lord Edenbridge walking with Miss Dutton.”

“Oh.” Lady Guilford shook her head. “I am surprised that Lord Edenbridge did not know.”

“You are acquainted with him, then?”

Lady Guilford shook her head.

“Not particularly well, though we have been introduced. All the same, it is unusual for a gentleman of the ton not to know about what has been happening with such things as that.”

Jane shrugged.

“Mayhap he is disinclined towards gossip.”

“Mayhap.”

The tea tray was brought in, and Jane refrained from conversation until the maid had left the room, going on, then, to pour the tea. Once they were both settled with tea, she gestured to the three letters beside her.

“I have just now received the next few letters sent to The London Chronicle.”

Lady Guilford’s expression brightened.

“That is wonderful! I thought your first response was quite perfect.”

“Did you?” Jane smiled at her. “I must say, I was greatly relieved to see that the ton thought it quite acceptable. I was concerned that some would not agree with what I said.”

“Nonsense! You answered very well, though I know it was from experience that you spoke, and I am sorry for that.” Lady Guilford smiled a little sadly. “Let us hope that the lady in question, whoever she is, takes on your advice!” Her gaze went to the letters as Jane nodded. “Might you wish to tell me what these letters contain?”

Jane picked up the first one.

“I confess that I am a little uncertain as to which I ought to reply to first, though I do think that one is quite useless and does not require a reply.”

“Oh?”

With a quiet laugh, Jane picked up the offending letter and read it aloud.

‘To Whom It May Concern, might I enquire as to who it is that writes your responses to these letters? Though I will not disagree that the reply to the young lady seeking advice was very well given, I do think that I might have given a little more to her. Therefore, should you be seeking someone new to write these responses – or, indeed, a response to go alongside the other, then might I suggest you consider me?’

Setting the letter down, Jane laughed aloud as her friend shook her head in clear astonishment, though she was smiling.

“It is quite extraordinary, is it not?”

“It is.” A gleam came into Lady Guilford’s eye. “Might I enquire as to who it is that has written it?”

Jane hesitated, letting her eyes narrow in a friendly, teasing manner.

“You may - though you must promise me that you will not speak of this to anyone, my dear friend. You know that you cannot breathe a word about my employment to anyone, yes?”

A slight flash of hurt dashed across Lady Guilford’s expression and Jane was about to instantly apologize, only for her friend to shrug.

“I suppose you are wise to be reminding me of my responsibility towards you, and the secrecy that you have about this position,” she said, with a slightly wry smile. “I confess to you that I do somewhat enjoy hearing society’s gossip, though I do my best not to share it.” Putting one hand to her heart, Lady Guilford looked at Jane directly. “I promise you, I shall not say a single word of this to anyone.”

Jane smiled.

“I thank you.”

Handing the letter to her friend, she waited for Lady Guilford’s response, only to burst into laughter when Lady Guilford let out a shriek of astonishment.

“Lord Hedley?” she exclaimed, as Jane nodded, knowing all too well who Lord Hedley was.

Something of a fop, he seemed to pride himself on being the very center of attention wherever he went, preening himself as though he were a magnificent bird who wanted to appear at his very best on any occasion.

“I did not at first think it was from a gentleman, I confess it!” Jane chuckled as her friend shook her head. “I thought it might be a lady seeking to usurp me from my position.”

“But it was not! Good gracious, no doubt he would want everyone to know that it was he who offered his advice rather than keeping it anonymous, as you do.”

“Though,” Jane countered, wincing as she spoke, “I did suggest to Lord Edenbridge that he write to The London Chronicle seeking advice for his present situation.” Holding up one hand, palm out, to silence the questions before they began, Jane shook her head. “No, I do not know why I suggested that he do so, and I certainly have no thought as to what I should say to him, but…” Gesturing to one of the other letters, she let out a sigh. “I believe that this anonymous letter is from him.”

“Then read it!” Lady Guilford exclaimed, flapping one hand at her. “I will pour more tea for I am certain that we will need some more to fortify us!”

Appreciating her friend’s consideration, Jane paused for a moment and then began to read.

‘I have found myself seeking a bride this Season. However, circumstances mean that I am not considered as favorably as I had hoped, and even with that, I have not managed to secure a young lady’s attention. On the few occasions I have been successful, I have been met with what we shall call ‘difficulties’, though I shall not go into any more detail than that. If you have any sort of advice that you might wish to offer a gentleman in seeking out a kind, considerate, and charming young lady for his bride, I should be very glad to hear of it, for I find myself in the doldrums on this matter and fear I might soon give up entirely.’

Finishing, she looked up at Lady Guilford, only to see her friend’s sad expression, one hand now pressed lightly to her heart.

“How very sad, if it is he,” Lady Guilford said, softly. “Lord Edenbridge is an excellent gentleman, I am sure, for there has never been any whisper of disrepute about him.”

“That is good for me to hear, although I am then a little confused as to why, then, he is not looked upon favorably by the ton .”

Her friend tilted her head.

“There was concern over his fortune, I recall.” A pink touched her cheeks as she glanced away, perhaps a little embarrassed, Jane considered, at revealing yet more gossip. “From what I know, his late father was very foolish with some of his investments and did, I think, lose a great deal of his fortune. All of society knew of it, for it was not hidden from anyone thanks to one gossiping solicitor, I am afraid.”

“Oh.” Jane’s heart twisted all the more with a sharp sympathy. “Then this letter must be from him, I am sure of it.”

“And shall you answer it?”

Hesitating, Jane looked down at the letter again.

“I confess, I do not know what to say! It seems to me that it is not his fault that he made a mistake with Miss Dutton, it is simply that he did not listen to gossip, which is no bad thing. It also appears, from what you have said, that his lack of fortune does not, again, come from his own foolishness or the like. It has been a difficulty placed upon his shoulders, which he has had to bear. I am sure that he has done all that he can to improve the situation however, though it may be that he seeks a wife to garner a large dowry.” Something tightened in her chest, though Jane did not know why. “Perhaps he is seeking a good deal of money from his bride, in which case, I–”

“No, that cannot be.” Sounding quite determined, Lady Guilford shook her head. “Miss Dutton does not have a large dowry, I am sure of it. Her father is a Viscount and a rather poor one at that, so even though a large dowry might have attracted her a husband after all she has done, I would be very surprised if he was able to promise that for her.”

Jane considered this, nodding slowly.

“Very well. Then he seeks a wife only because he desires one.”

“And she must be kind and considerate, yes?” Lady Guilford smiled. “It seems to me as though his desire is genuine, for he truly wishes to have a lady of good character as his bride. It matters to him what the lady’s heart is like, rather than simply being contented to marry a lady of high standing in society.”

For whatever reason, Jane let her thoughts drift back to when she had been walking with Lord Edenbridge. Instead of responding to her friend, she thought about Lord Edenbridge’s frustration, his upset and embarrassment during the conversation with the two gentlemen and Miss Dutton herself – as well as how those emotions had faded away when he had begun to walk with her. His brown eyes, which had been dark with emotion, had slowly begun to lighten and the heaviness of his frame had seemed to lift as they had walked. He was, she considered, a handsome gentleman though that did not seem to matter to the ladies of the ton for, if there were questions about his fortune, then many of them would be dissuaded from even considering him.

“Jane?”

Blinking quickly, Jane looked back at Lady Guilford, seeing her slight smile.

“Yes?”

“What is it that you are going to write?”

“I – I do not know.” A little helpless, Jane spread out her hands. “What am I to write to a gentleman like him? A gentleman who has nothing wrong about him, aside from the fact that there are those who are uncertain over his fortune.”

“And those who will, no doubt, soon be whispering about his connection to Miss Dutton which will, unfortunately, damage his reputation somewhat.” With a slight shake of her head, Lady Guilford sighed. “I shall not say anything, of course, but his interest in the lady will have captured the attention of some.”

“Then I shall try to be as encouraging as I can,” Jane decided, a sudden determination sweeping through her. “I shall inform him that the right young lady will not care about his fortune, that he must continue simply to be the very best sort of gentleman he can and prove his character that way.”

Lady Guilford smiled.

“I think that an excellent idea though, however, I would suggest that you also give him a practical action, if you might. Something that will spur him on, something that he can take a hold of and enact.”

Biting her lip, Jane tried to think of what that could be.

“It has been so long since I have been in society that I cannot think of what to suggest.”

“I am sure that you will,” came the reply, as her friend rose from her chair. “No, I shall not tell you what it is that you should write, for I can see that hope in your eyes, but I cannot fulfill it. You have the ability, I know. You must only believe that you do.”

Jane rose to her feet quickly, desperation and a sprinkling of fear in her chest.

“I do not have the same confidence in my ability as you do, Louisa. What if you are wrong? What if I cannot find the right thing to say?”

Lady Guilford smiled, reached out, and squeezed Jane’s hand.

“Write from your heart, my dear friend, and I can assure you, every word will be quite perfect. I know it.”