Chapter Eleven

B ernadette was so glad to see her friends that she could hardly keep her emotions in check until they made it into the safety of the parlor. Even then, the purpose of their flight into the parlor was to find Napoleon.

"I do hope he hasn't upset or damaged any of Lord Alden's belongings," Kat said, heading straight to the sofa along one wall, under which Napoleon could be seen. "Come, darling. Come to Mama," she said, kneeling so that she could reach under the sofa.

"I hope Napoleon has not encountered any of Lord Alden's creatures," Muriel said, searching the area around the sofa, as if looking for lizards. "He would likely eat them, and while I have no great love for my cousin-in-law's slithery things, I would hate for any of them to have come all this way only to be devoured by a house cat."

"Napoleon would never be so inhospitable to his host, would you, dear," Kat asked as she pulled Napoleon into her arms and stood.

Napoleon seemed content to have attention lavished on him rather than to chase after lizards. Bernadette was glad he'd been caught. She liked Napoleon well enough, but she could already see the disasters that would befall if the feline decided Egbert or the others were his playthings and his meals. Or if the alligators or larger snakes decided Napoleon would be the meal.

Of course, thinking about Egbert and alligators led Bernadette to think about Alden. Once her thoughts started down that path, misery followed.

Fortunately, her friends noticed.

"My dear, whatever is the matter?" Kat asked, stepping towards her, though she had to keep a strong hold on Napoleon as she did.

Bernadette told herself that she would be brave and strong, and that she would not trouble her friends with her own heartbreaks. But that did not and could not last.

"It's been so wonderful and so, so terrible," she burst as soon as she saw the expressions of care and affection her friends had directed at her. She was glad that none of the other guests had invaded that room yet and that she could express herself freely, at least for the moment.

"Darling. Your letters have been both heartbreaking and encouraging," Muriel said, stepping forward to draw Bernadette into her embrace, which Bernadette accepted as if Muriel were her sister. "If I had known there was any danger of you falling in love with Alden, I never would have suggested you for the task of planning this ball."

"No!" Bernadette gasped, pulling away from Muriel and looking at her in horror. "If you had never brought Alden and I together, then I would never have met him. Despite my poor, breaking heart, I am so desperately glad to know him."

Kat frowned, stroking Napoleon's head. "How can you be glad to know a man who has fooled you into falling in love with him, then broken your heart by insisting you choose someone else for him?"

Bernadette smiled at her friend's cantankerous outlook. Kat always had had claws. Particularly where men were concerned. Like Napoleon, she saw them as something to play with and devour, but not necessarily to fall in love with.

"None of it is Alden's fault," Bernadette said. "Neither Alden nor I knew we would fall in love, and when I was forced to reveal the full truth of the chains of matrimony that my parents bound me in …" She could only shrug to conclude the thought.

Muriel huffed an impatient breath. "Your parents are among the cruelest in all Britannia," she said. "I've always thought so, and my opinion of them has not changed."

"Is there any way at all you could write to Lord Hethersett to ask for an annulment?" Kat asked, lowering her voice suddenly at the second half of her question as a group of laughing guests passed the door of their parlor while she spoke.

Bernadette cast a look to the doorway, knowing they did not have much time to discuss the matter before the entire house was overrun. "I have already written to him about exactly that," she said. "I explained the entire sad situation to him and appealed to our years of friendship, even though it has only been through correspondence, to set me free. But even if he agrees to end our marriage, Father would never approve of an annulment."

"He cannot be any more attached to this marriage than you are," Muriel reasoned.

"Oh, but he is," Bernadette sighed, wanting to flop into one of the sofas. "In fact, I daresay Father has benefitted from my marriage to Hethersett more than even Hethersett or I have."

"How so?" Kat asked with a frown.

"He has used our marriage and his connection to an esteemed diplomat to secure loans and to advance his social standing in East Anglia," Bernadette explained. "Father cares for little above reaching for a higher place in society. He sacrificed his eldest daughter to improve his standing. I cannot possibly see him agreeing to an annulment when it would humiliate him in the eyes of the people he esteems the most."

"What is this about an annulment?"

The question was asked by Minerva, who strode into the parlor in her jet-black traveling clothes, removing her bonnet with a dramatic sweep.

Bernadette laughed as she crossed to greet her friend with an embrace. "Dearest Minnie," she said, pulling Minerva into her arms. "I can always count on you for precisely the right distraction to take me away from my gloomy thoughts."

"Whyever would you want to be taken away from gloomy thoughts?" Minerva asked, hugging her back. "I find they are the most entertaining thoughts of all."

Bernadette laughed again. Now that her friends and sisters-in-arms were all with her, she felt as though she could take on even the most disappointing heartbreak.

"I was just telling Muriel and Kat that I am in love," she said, her voice lowered, as there were still people in the hallway, "and that I have no hope."

Minerva hugged her again. "Under ordinary circumstances, I would find it all very romantic and tragic," she said. "But only if it were happening to me. You, dearest Bernadette, are far too good and pure to have any thwarted love in your life."

"Yes, but it would seem that is precisely what I am about to have," Bernadette said. "I told Alden about Hethersett, and he insisted that we continue with this ball to find him a bride."

"But you did write to Hethersett that the two of you have been … intimate, did you not?" Kat asked, shifting the way she held Napoleon as the four of them moved toward the seats at the far end of the room. "Surely that must count for something."

Bernadette felt herself flush hot. "Alden and I have been unable to resist each other," she confessed, lowering her head as she sat. "Hethersett is more likely to be furious than moved by such things. He … he has not replied to my confession, and that was sent over a fortnight ago. Hethersett always replies immediately."

"I do not like the sound of that," Minerva said, sitting with her.

"Neither do I, and it could mean – "

Their intimate conversation was cut short suddenly by a shrill scream from the hallway. "Snake!"

Bernadette gasped and leapt to her feet. "Oh, bother," she said, starting for the doorway. "One of the constrictors must have escaped."

The scene that met her in the hallway was one form of panic atop another. There were more guests crowding the front hallway than there should have been. Bernadette had noticed from the earliest hours that double the number of guests that she had invited were arriving. She assumed they were guests that Lady Gladys had invited, but there was little she could do about them once they'd reached Lyndhurst Grove other than work with Mrs. Pettigrew and Mr. Smythe to shuffle the room arrangements.

Lyndhurst's servants all seemed to be running at full speed as they brought trunks in, fetched tea, and accommodated what were likely a dozen odd requests from the collection of marriage-minded mamas accompanying their daughters. Bernadette had experienced it all before and had staffed Lyndhurst accordingly for the weekend, but the usual chaos seemed to be multiplying by the moment.

The cry of "Snake!" and the sudden rush of people flooding back into the front hallway from the long hall felt like a catastrophe waiting to happen.

"All is well," she called out, making her voice quite loud, which always surprised the people who thought she was nothing but sweetness and calm. "Lyndhurst Grove is home to the finest collection of reptiles and amphibians from the southern Americas in all of Britannia, but most of them are kept well-contained in the terrarium."

Unless one or more unsuspecting guests had attempted to venture into the terrarium without leave and left the door open.

"It's a great, vicious snake!" one of the young ladies called out, either not hearing or ignoring Bernadette entirely.

Another scream followed, and the guests already in the front hall surged toward the door. That caused a bit of a pile at that end of the front hallway as more guests were trying to enter the house at the same time.

"Never fear," one of the young lords who Bernadette was absolutely certain she had not invited called out. "Show me this snake and I will catch it and wring its neck."

"No!" Bernadette called out, dodging the people who were fleeing the far end of the hall in an attempt to reach whichever snake had escaped. "Please do not approach any of Lord Alden's reptiles with murderous intention. They are all valuable specimens from exotic locations and should be treated with care and respect."

Her statement did nothing to calm the panic that was quickly growing in the hallway. The only way to do that was to find and catch the snake herself.

As luck would have it, the snake in question was making no attempt to hide itself. It was perhaps unfortunate that the escapee was Alden's albino boa constrictor, Phyllis, the largest and longest of the snakes in his collection. It was no wonder the guests were attempting to flee at the sight of it. Even the brash lordling who had promised to kill the snake reeled back with a crude oath when he saw the snake's size.

"I'll catch her," Bernadette said calmly to the guests who had crowded around the hallway but had yet to make their escape.

The month Bernadette had spent at Lyndhurst Grove had removed all her fears of snakes and lizards and other things that crawled. If she were to suddenly find a spider climbing the walls nearby, she would have screamed and run, but the reptiles had become second-nature to her.

"There you are," she addressed Phyllis the snake in a soothing voice, moving to stand in front of its path as it slithered toward the front of the house. "Do not worry yourself, Phyllis. I have you."

A chorus of gasps and shuddering sounded from behind her as Bernadette crouched to reach for the snake. She'd only held some of the smaller ones to that point, but other than weight, she did not see much difference in the large constrictor from the small garter snakes that lived naturally in the garden.

"My God, you are brave," Kat said from somewhere behind Bernadette as she pulled the front part of the snake slowly into her grasp.

Bernadette would have felt brave as well had several things not happened at once a moment later.

First, Alden rushed into the hall from his study, barreling toward her, Lord Waldorf just behind him. His very presence, looking so dashing and heroic as his expression lit with concern for her, caused her heart to dance a jig in her chest. That spoiled her concentration and allowed the snake to slip through her hands.

Simultaneously, Napoleon let out an almighty hiss and leapt from Kat's arms, scratching her in the process, and shot down the hall in the direction of Phyllis. Napoleon likely had no more interest in the snake than he had in a block of wood, but he had few other options for directions to flee in.

Phyllis did not seem to mind the confusion unfurling around her, but she was curious enough to turn her head toward a terrified Napoleon and to flicker her tongue at the cat. That only spooked Napoleon further, causing him to dart straight for Alden, or rather, Lord Waldorf, as he blocked the hallway.

Lord Waldorf was likely trying to prevent the snake from turning back and escaping, but perhaps on instinct, he attempted to stop Napoleon from running deeper into the house instead. The result was an unfortunate meeting between cat and lord that involved Napoleon tearing up Lord Waldorf's leg, causing the man to shout in pain, and latching onto his jacket for a moment.

"Get this infernal creature away from me!" Lord Waldorf shouted.

"The only infernal creature I see is you," Kat shouted, rushing down the hall to rescue Napoleon.

"You witch!" Lord Waldorf bellowed once he and Kat were face to face.

"What a delightful compliment!" Kat shouted back triumphantly.

Bernadette had no idea what the conflict between the two of them was about. She was beginning to understand that there was some sort of history between Kat and Lord Waldorf. But she did not have time to contemplate it at the moment.

The snake made a move to slither away from the increasing throng of horror-struck but fascinated guests. Bernadette leapt after it. So did Alden. The results of their combined movements threw them into each other's arms as they both reached for the snake.

The sudden breath of Alden's scent and the heat of contact with his body chased all thoughts from Bernadette's mind. She glanced up, only to find that her face was mere inches from Alden's. It did not matter one bit that they had an uncomfortably large audience, every feeling of love and desire that she felt for him rushed at her.

The moment was magnified by Alden's intake of breath and the shift of his hands so that he could hold her and prevent her from spilling over onto the floor. He was so kind and so strong that Bernadette was hit unexpectedly by a wave of longing for him that made her insides ache.

"Phyllis," Alden said, his voice rich and hoarse with longing.

Bernadette quivered for a moment before she realized he was not uttering her name with heartfelt affection. She blinked, then asked, "I beg your pardon?"

"Phyllis," Alden repeated, then rocked back and cleared his throat. "The boa constrictor. That is who we are pursuing, is it not?"

"Oh. Yes," Bernadette said, disappointed. Of course, it was silly to be disappointed. Particularly when half the ton was watching them, and their entire purpose for being there was to make a match with Alden. "We must secure her," she said, coming to her senses and pushing to her feet.

Phyllis had slithered to the other side of the hallway, but she did not seem keen to move from there. Bernadette didn't blame her for not wanting to go near the guests, who watched the scene in the hall unfold as though they were at the Royal Theater in Drury Lane.

Alden attempted to reach for Phyllis, but it appeared as though the snake did not want to be caught. It wasn't until Bernadette moved behind him, using her skirts to create the illusion that there was nowhere for her to go, that Phyllis allowed Alden to grasp hold of her and lift her.

"You see?" Alden addressed the startled and wary audience of his guests. "There is nothing to worry about. Phyllis here is an albino boa constrictor. It is true that her species is larger than the rest of the snakes in my collection – "

"The rest?" the same gentleman who had sounded so brave earlier, but who had gone pale, asked.

"Yes," Alden said, fighting to contain the writhing snake as he spoke. "I was hoping to wait until all of my guests had arrived so that I might give a formal tour of the terrarium, but I have collected over two hundred species of reptiles, amphibians, and birds from across South America and the Caribbean, most of which are housed in the ballroom, which I have converted – "

"You keep snakes in the ballroom?" some unseen lady cried out incredulously.

"It is not a ballroom any longer," Bernadette said, stepping forward in an attempt to assist Alden. "It has been converted into an oasis for Lord Alden's zoological specimens."

"What in God's name does that mean?" another gentleman asked.

Bernadette was distracted from the question as Phyllis attempted to slide away from Alden and into her arms. It was a testament to the time she had spent at Lyndhurst Grove that she did not even question the snake's intentions. Instead, she allowed the great, scaly thing to transfer into her arms. She helped Phyllis along by positioning her over her shoulders, like a shawl, to distribute her weight more comfortably.

She did not expect the round of gasps – and a few cries of surprise – that came from the scrum of guests.

"Are we all expected to commune with snakes in such a way if we are to win Lord Alden's hand?" a young lady asked in horror.

"I will not do it," another declared. "Mama, I want to go home. I want to go home at once."

"Please, no," Alden said, stepping forward. "I can assure you, my creatures will not bother you at all during your stay. They are meant to be confined to the terrarium."

"I do not want to be here," the lady who wanted to leave sobbed, trying to turn and flee.

Another rolling rush of pushing and shoving followed as she, and two other young ladies, tried to turn and run away through the crowd of guests that now clogged the entire end of the hallway and the front hall.

"Damnation," Alden growled, then turned to send a pleading look to Bernadette. "What do we do now?"

Bernadette tried to lift Phyllis off her shoulders. The snake was heavy, though, so Alden had to step close to help her. That only meant he had his arms almost all the way around her in no time. And when Alden had his arms around her, it was impossible for Bernadette to think.

"I'll see if I can stop them from leaving," Muriel said, pivoting like she would barge her way through the crowd to barricade the door. Bernadette had been so caught up in her own travails that she hadn't noticed her friends standing by, ready to help.

As it happened, help, of a sort, arrived before Bernadette could breach even the first line of anxious guests. The front door had remained open through nearly the entire ordeal, and as Bernadette made her way toward it, the guests parted to reveal the regal form of Lady Gladys standing framed in morning sunlight.

"Do not fear," Lady Gladys announced to them all. "I have arrived to put an end to this madness. I will take charge of it all and ensure that everyone here is safe and happy."