Page 81 of Wedded to the Cruel Duke
“No, no!” she shook her head vehemently. “Actually, it was he who insisted that I accompany you.”
Daphne frowned. “But I do not see him today.”
“That is because he fell ill last night,” she confided in her sister morosely.
“And he still insisted you came with me?” Her younger sister’s surprise was written all over her pretty face. “That is very… magnanimous of him.”
Phoebe did not think that magnanimous was a word she could actually use on Charles. He was suspicious to a fault, with an arrogance stamped in his bones that came from years of being groomed to inherit a Dukedom. He was also fiercely intelligent and more than just a little overprotective.
Magnanimous, he certainly was not, but she loved everything about him all the same.
“Well, well, well, if it is not the new Marchioness of Wentworth.”
Both sisters whirled around to find Miss Thomas with an unusually saccharine smile on her usually smug face. When her cold gray eyes fell on Phoebe, they seemed to grow even harsher and her lips curled into a little sneer.
“We were wondering when you would grace us with your presence, my lady,” she continued. “After all, you left us soabruptly in the Spinster Club that we were rather bereft in your absence.”
Phoebe doubted Miss Thomas ever missed her, but she truly felt apologetic towards the other members of the Club. The wedding with Charles had happened much too fast for her to get her bearings, that she never got the chance to tell them of it personally.
“Seeing as I am no longer a spinster, I did not think it would be appropriate to join in any more meetings,” she replied, keeping a pleasant enough smile on her face. “As for my membership, I understand that it was revoked the moment I said my vows. I do apologize for failing to inform you of the personal details of my life.”
Daphne hid a snicker behind her gloved hand as Miss Thomas turned a shade redder, her normally wan cheeks tinged with a bright rosy hue. Her arrogant smirk faltered just the slightest bit before she let out an incensed sniff and brushed past the two sisters.
“I do apologize, Phoebe,” the youngest Townsend sighed. “I had a feeling Miss Thomas would be inclined to be rather difficult today, which was why I was so anxious about this entire tea party…”
Phoebe tilted her head slightly in curiosity. “If that is so, then why did you not refuse her invitation?”
Her youngest sister looked aghast at the suggestion. “Oh, no, no, no!” she exclaimed. “If I did that, then how wouldanyoneever want to invite me to another tea party again? Not to mention that these… ladies willtalkand we are not even in London yet…!”
Phoebe could only sigh inwardly as she watched her youngest sister spiral into gloomy thoughts of being ostracized by all of Society and languishing in their London residence with nary a caller.
“Dearest,” she told her sister with an exasperated smile. “Miss Thomas is known all over London for her most disagreeable temper. Why, she always puts an effort into making one feel awful—which is hardly ideal for a hostess, but it is what it is.”
“She does have some influence…” Daphne pouted a little childishly.
Phoebe could only laugh. “Yes, and she has a great many more enemies than friends, I assure you. Otherwise, with her hefty dowry, how could she have become a spinster.”
It was an astonishingly uncharitable observation, that one, but Phoebe was not feeling particularly charitable towards Miss Thomas, who most probably was the one who leaked her journal to the scandal sheets. Fortunately, it had ended rather well and she was now married to a wonderful husband, while Miss Thomas continued to make everyone around her just as miserable as she was.
Both sisters shared a look before proceeding to follow the other guests out into the parlor, which had been set up for the tea party specifically. Wickham Hall was one of the prettiest estates in the country and Miss Thomas certainly spared no effort in hammering that particular point in.
Phoebe noted that a great many members of the Spinster Club were in attendance, and Miss Cartwright shot her a shy smile before looking away. The rest, however, were not as friendly, but did not snub her outright.
“Miss Thomas might be of considerate influence, I suppose, but I do not think anybody would be so audacious as to snub a Marchioness outright,” Daphne whispered with a sly smirk. “Not to mention that Lord Wentworth is the only heir to the Duke of Cheshire.”
“Perhaps they should have invited my husband, then. Or his title.”
Her younger sister chortled. “It might not mean much to you, but to some people it truly does.”
How could Phoebe forget that? When she had been mere Phoebe Townsend, most ladies would never have been inclined to give her the time of day, let alone invite her to a tea party.
Daphne, however, had some significant success in London on her first Season alone and gentlemen callers were a regular sight in the parlor of Townsend House, as well as the family’s Londonresidence—which was a great deal more than what Miss Adeline Thomas had to show for.
Tea was served in dainty little cups and it could be said that the kitchens of Wickham Hall truly outdid themselves with the lovely selection of sandwiches, cakes, and scones that had been prepared for the guests. All the while, Miss Thomas preened as the other ladies lavished her with praise for the success of her party.
Phoebe would have been content to remain generally unnoticed. After all, she was merely there to accompany her younger sister, and her mind was still largely preoccupied with thoughts of Charles back at home.
“Oh, Lady Wentworth!”