Chapter 3

" N ow, Alicia, you'll sit here next to me, then we'll put Anne here, yes…and Isobel can sit next to her. That way it won't be obvious we're trying to bring the two of you together in conversation. You and Anne can swap once you're in the throes of establishing a connection. We'll put Florence Digby here – she has a funny obsession with being close to the door, it's some anxiety she has, and next to her…yes, Caroline Pickering," Lily said, counting the chairs, as maids and footmen scurried back and forth preparing the tea table.

Alicia had arrived early at Lily's instruction, and the two women had spent the last hour discussing how the subject of Ernest would be broached. Alicia had resigned herself to Lily's intentions, even as she felt certain they would come to nothing, even as Lily was convinced she had found the perfect way to play matchmaker. They were to take tea in the salon, looking out across the gardens. It was a beautiful day, and the doors onto the terrace were open, the sweet scent of the late spring blooms wafting into the room on the warm breeze.

"Caroline Pickering…she's the daughter of…" Alicia began, and Lily finished her sentence.

"The Viscount Pickering – he's a widower, and dotes on Caroline. She gets anything she wants – and she wants a great deal. She's Florence's friend, really, but I thought I should invite her. One doesn't want to make anyone jealous, after all," Lily said, adjusting the tea cups on the table so the handles all faced precisely the same way.

"Is anyone else coming?" Alicia ventured, though the current list was formidable enough.

Amongst the invitees were the starring names of the county – daughters of dukes and viscounts, the wife of a baron, and Lily herself. Alicia felt somewhat out of place, being merely Miss Alicia Saunders.

"The Marchioness of Ripon, Suzie Hurrell – she's a sweet creature. Her husband's ancient. I thought it would be nice to include her. I think she spends most of her time playing bridge with his elderly sisters. But we'll make sure she has a jolly time today. I just hope they don't think badly of me – I can hardly fit into this dress, despite what the modiste did to it. I'm getting bigger by the moment. Do you think we've got enough food?" Lily asked, glancing at the table, where a mountainous plate of scones had just been deposited by one of the footmen.

Alicia smiled and shook her head.

"I don't think there's any danger of that, Lily," she replied.

Anne was the first to arrive, having been instructed to do so by Lily, and was able to reassure their host she looked perfectly turned out in her flowing purple dress and shawl.

"Everyone knows you're with child, Lily – no one's going to mind," Anne said, glancing at Alicia, and smiling.

"Oh, but I get so worried. I always think people are judging me. I wasn't born to be a duchess. It's not always easy to make the impression one wishes for," Lily replied.

Both Alicia and Anne attempted to reassure her, but it was not long before the first guests arrived – Florence Digby and Caroline Pickering, who had traveled together by carriage.

"What about a beautiful salon. It must be the finest in the county," Florence exclaimed, gazing around her in awe.

The salon had been decorated in a baroque style, following Lily and Maximilian's visit to the continent after their wedding. The décor was heavy on winged cherubs in gold, and the ceiling had been painted to depict the breaking of the dawn, with pink tinged clouds greeting the sun. It was not to everyone's taste – certainly not Alicia's – but no one would dare say so, of course…

"I designed it myself," Lily said, greeting the two women with a kiss.

Florence Digby was a large, rotund woman – bigger than Lily, though unmarried and thus, not with child. She had a red, beaming face, and was dressed in blue, with a fascinator adding height to her already substantial frame. Caroline Pickering was her total opposite, a thin woman with a high brown and ringleted hair, drawn back into a bun. She was wearing a white dress with a lace neckline, and pearl earrings to match her necklace. There was an air of slight disdain about her, though she was friendly enough.

"It's very kind of you to invite us, Lady Oakley. And what a pleasure to come to the house of Burnley Abbey. You've certainly made it your own," she said, glancing around her with a less than approving gaze.

"It was all plain fabrics and peeling wallpaper when we arrived. I said to Maximilian, I simply must redesign it," she said, inviting the two women to sit down at the tea table.

Next to arrive was the Marchioness of Ripon. She was a pretty creature, very timid looking, and dressed in red. She smiled at them each in turn as Lily introduced her.

"It's a real pleasure to be here. I don't often attend such occasions. My husband's quite ill, you see. I don't like to leave his side. But bless him, he insisted I did. Margaret – his sister – is sitting with him. I say, what a beautiful room this is," she said, gazing around her at the ornate cherubs protruding from the ceiling.

"We're just waiting for Isobel now," Lily said, taking her place at the head of the table, the others arranged in the seating plan they had earlier decided on.

"Isobel Howard? She's Ernest Howard's sister, isn't she?" Florence said, as a footman stepped forward to pour the tea.

Alicia shifted slightly in her chair, her view blocked by the mountain of scones on the plate in front of her. It seemed Ernest was well known in county circles, though she herself had only heard of him in passing before the ball at the assembly rooms.

"That's right, the daughter of the Duke of Crawshaw – the blind duke," Lily said, and the others nodded.

"I'm amazed he's still unmarried. They say he's quite the handsomest of men," the marchioness said, taking a sip of tea.

"Isobel's a good friend of mine. Her brother's certainly an eligible man – the heir to the dukedom, a man of charity and philanthropy, not to mention good looks," Anne said.

Alicia blushed. She felt certain Lily was about to say something about her dancing with Ernest at the ball, but to her relief, Isobel herself was now announced, entering the room with an apologetic exclamation.

"I'm so sorry for being late. I rather underestimated the time it would take. Then there was a herd of sheep on the road up to the estate – the farmer just wouldn't move them. It was quite an awkward situation. But I'm here now" she said, as Lily rose to greet her.

"Isobel, how nice to see you. We were just discussing your brother," Lily said, glancing at Alicia, who turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Oh, don't flatter him – even when he's not here. I'm sure he's the talk of every salon in the county," Lily said, sitting down at the table with a sigh.

More tea was brought, and plates of cakes and scones were handed between the women, each of them demolishing more than their fair share. It was a feast, but Alicia remained quiet, hoping Lily would forget the matter she had so enthusiastically spoken of.

"When's the child due, Lily? It must be soon," Caroline said.

"Not soon enough. It should come any day, but it seems to delight in making me wait," Lily replied, shaking her head.

"I long for a child," Suzie said, looking suddenly very sad.

Her husband, the Marquess, had been a widower and already had his son and heir. Alicia felt sorry for Suzie, even as she herself did not share such a sentiment or desire.

"You're always welcome to come here and spend time with my little one. Emily's a delight," Lily said, though judging by the expression on Suzie's face, Alicia did not think it was quite the right thing to say…

Talk now turned to charitable endeavors. It seemed all of the women had some cause or other close to their heart, and once again, Alicia felt somewhat inadequate in comparison.

"It was my mother who got me involved. We just couldn't bear the thought of it – what an abhorrence. These are human beings, snatched from their homelands, and taken thousands of miles across the Atlantic to work as slaves. We simply had to do something. It should be abolished at once," Florence said.

She was heavily involved in a campaign to end slavery, and she and her mother were constantly petitioning the great and the good for the matter to be debated in parliament. The marchioness did good works amongst fallen women in Lancaster, whilst Anne has thrown herself into helping widowers without means to send their sons to good schools. Only Caroline Pickering seemed without a cause, and when questioned by Lily, she turned the matter towards Isobel.

"But of course none of us can compete with Isobel, or should I say, her brother," she said, taking a sip of tea and looking pointedly at Isobel, who blushed.

"I can't take any of the credit, though I do help my brother with one or two small tasks by way of contribution. No, it's entirely his doing – the school for the blind children in Manchester, and he hopes to open another one soon, too," she said.

The other women nodded approvingly, and Lily glanced at Alicia, who shifted awkwardly in her chair and turned her attentions to the remnants of the tea table.

"I think it's admirable. It's just what the aristocracy should be doing. I used to think my family were merely the idle rich, but when I see the things my father-in-law does to help others, and the things Maximilian and William do, too. They're philanthropists. They're always trying to help others," Lily said, and Isobel nodded.

"You're right – privilege should mean duty. My brother sees that. It wasn't always the case, of course. But he's grown into a fine man. We're so proud of him," Isobel said, smiling, as she helped herself to another scone.

Alicia's heart was beating fast. She knew Lily was poised to speak, and decided to preempt her, knowing the matter would be revealed one way or another.

"He told me a great deal about it when we danced together at the assembly rooms ball," she blurted out, and Isobel looked at her in surprise.

"Oh…did he? I'm sure he did…it's all he ever talks about, really. He's so taken up by it all. It was all his idea, you see," she said.

Alicia was unsure of what to say next. She had enjoyed her conversation with Ernest, though she had not expected ever to recount it, nor had she realized just how popular the heir to the Duke of Crawshaw was amongst women of a certain type. Caroline Pickering raised her eyebrows.

"He danced with you, did he? Well…aren't you the favored one, Miss Saunders," she said, emphasizing the "miss."

Her tone was lighthearted, though there was something of a challenge behind it, and Alicia wondered if she was not stepping into another woman's territory. Did Caroline Pickering have designs on Crawshaw heir?

"It was just a dance, but very pleasant. He told me all about the school for blind children. I was very impressed. I'm going to ask my father to make a subscription," she said, and Isobel clapped her hands together in delight.

"Oh, are you really? He'll be delighted about that. He works so hard, but it's always an uphill struggle to raise the money. You should come and call on us at Leamington Grange, Alicia. I'm sure my brother would like to meet you again," she said.

Alicia blushed, knowing just what Lily was thinking. Her plan had worked perfectly, even as Alicia had expected it to fail spectacularly, and it seemed she now had an open invitation to meet the man she had thought would not remember her at all.

"I wouldn't want to impose on you," Alicia replied.

"She'd be delighted, wouldn't you, Alicia?" Lily said.

Caroline looked thunderous, even as she forced herself to smile, and Alicia knew she had said entirely the wrong thing in making her association with Ernest known.

"And we'd be delighted. Perhaps your father could come, too. I'm sure he'd like to hear more about where his investment is going. It's good to know the merchant classes share our philanthropic principles," Isobel said.

Alicia smiled. She knew Isobel was not being purposefully insulting, even as her words reminded Alicia of her lowly status compared to the others. But as the conversation turned to other topics, and even as Caroline Pickering continued to look angrily across the table at her, Alicia could not help but feel a certain delight in the prospect of seeing Ernest again. She had not expected the invitation to come so easily, nor had she wished to appear as though she was forcing the matter. But Isobel had been insistent, and when the tea party came to an end, she reiterated her invitation.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you," Alicia said, as the women wished one another goodbye, and Isobel leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

"You must come to our garden party on Friday, and bring your father and mother, too. My father gives a garden party at the start of the season, you'd be very welcome. We'll all be there," she said, looking hopefully at Alicia, who knew she could not refuse such kindness, even as she felt awkward in accepting.

"That's…very kind of you," she said, and Isobel smiled.

"I'm so glad to hear it. I'll send the details to Lily – we'll see you on Friday, goodbye," she said, filing out of the drawing room in the company of the other women, and leaving Lily and Alicia alone.

"There, what did I tell you?" Lily exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight.

Alicia smiled. She had not meant for it to happen like that, but it seemed fate had intervened, and she was destined to meet with Ernest again.

"It's only a garden party, and I doubt he'll be interested in saying more than a few words to me," she replied, but secretly, Alicia was pleased.

She had enjoyed dancing with Ernest, and the thought of seeing him again was certainly a pleasing one…