Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

I n the late morning, the guests made their way outside for a picnic on the grounds of Harbeck Manor.

Seth positioned himself near to Lady Lavinia, though he did not attempt to join her. She was sitting with her sister and her father. After a short time, another gentleman joined them. Seth frowned watching them—had his plan really worked so well so quickly? Was this man expressing an interest in Lady Lavinia?

Why did that make him feel a surge of displeasure? It was what he had wanted. He had taken her shopping out of a desire to help her in this way, so there was no excuse for being unhappy if it was working.

Was it the man he didn’t like? He squinted, trying to see if the fellow was someone he recognized—if that could explain the way he was feeling.

No, he didn’t recognize him. Not exactly. But there was something familiar about him. Something about the eyes, and the way he held himself…

It came to him. He looked like a male version of Lady Lavinia. And as he observed the four of them sitting together on their picnic blanket, he realized that this newcomer must be Lady Lavinia’s brother. That was the only thing that made sense—of course that was who he was. Seth hadn’t realized that she had a brother, and he didn’t think the man had been at the party at all before today—he must have made a late arrival.

It surprised Seth to realize how relieved he was at this new understanding of who he was looking at. What difference did it make to him who Lady Lavinia sat with?

Shaking his head to clear it, he looked around, taking in what else was going on around the grounds. Other partygoers were laying out blankets, finding places to sit and enjoy their picnic, and he noticed almost at once that several gentlemen had claimed spots near to Lady Lavinia. People were looking at her. Noticing her. The new gown was having the desired effect.

Seth felt proud.

He was also filled with anxiety, as if he had started something that he knew he would not be able to control.

He was distracted from his worries by the arrival of Allan. His friend sat down beside him. “I’m glad the weather decided to cooperate with our plans,” he observed. “I worried it might be too cold for this.”

“It is pretty cold,” Seth said.

“Yes, but not too cold. And at least it isn’t raining. Then we would have been forced to stay indoors.”

“You’re right,” Seth agreed.

“And you’re looking at her again. Do you think I didn’t see you?” Allan shook his head. “Go over and sit with her if you’re so interested.”

“I’m not interested. I already told you,” Seth said. “She’s wearing one of the gowns I purchased for her, that’s all. I’m just noticing how it looks on her.”

Allan looked at her rather appraisingly for a moment. “Well, I think it looks good,” he said. “I think you’ve made a very good choice. The blue is a good color for her—I wouldn’t have thought it, but it is.”

“Yes, it is,” Seth said. “I wonder why she wasn’t already dressing in blues.”

“She probably was, at least on occasion,” Allan said. “It’s not as if you’ve seen her whole wardrobe in the time you’ve known her.”

“But if she was wearing blue, she wasn’t doing it deliberately or with any thought about it,” Seth said. “That’s the part I wonder about. Someone in her life must have been able to tell her, somewhere along the way, what colors would suit her best.”

“Did you know blue would be a good choice?” Allan asked. “Was it a guess? Or did someone else advise you?”

“We had advice from the modiste, of course,” Seth said. “I don’t think I would have been able to figure that out on my own. I did guess, but her advice was what made me feel sure.”

“Well, maybe Lady Lavinia has never had someone who can give her advice like that,” Allan commented. “Her mother is dead, after all.”

Seth looked over at his friend. “I hadn’t realized that.”

“The Marchioness of Feverton died years ago, giving birth to her younger daughter,” Allan said. “I’m surprised you didn’t know. It’s widely known—but I suppose someone who doesn’t socialize much wouldn’t have heard those stories.”

Seth thought of the young lady he had met just a short time ago—Lady Edwina. She was the one, then, whose birth had ended her mother’s life. He felt deeply sorry for both sisters.

His own mother caused him grief sometimes, it was true, but he would certainly rather have her than be without her. Even when she was pressuring him to marry against his wishes, it was much better to have his family, and he was grateful for the fact that his mother was in his life.

And it made sense of a lot of the things he had come to notice about Lady Lavinia. Of course her social skills were lacking. Of course she didn’t know quite how to present herself in public. Those were things a mother would have taught her daughter, and if Allan’s story was correct, Lady Lavinia would have lost her mother before she had become old enough to learn them.

It was much more difficult to feel judgmental now that he knew this. Of course Lady Lavinia struggled to know what to do with herself in society. It was rather a miracle that her younger sister didn’t seem to have the same struggles—but then, some people were born with charm and charisma, and some people had to learn those skills. Lady Edwina seemed to be the former type, and Lady Lavinia the latter. And she had had no one to teach her.

It was a sad thing to realize.

He looked over at Lady Lavinia and saw that she was shifting uncomfortably on her picnic blanket, picking at her gown as if something about it didn’t suit her. It looked as if she had never worn a gown like it before. Perhaps she hadn’t—he had never seen her in that style. But even so, she needed to stop doing that. The people who had been looking at her with admiration were starting to look away. Some of them were frowning.

“I wish she wouldn’t do that,” he murmured aloud.

“What?” Allan asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Lady Lavinia. Look at her. Look how she fidgets.”

Allan laughed. “You truly do have a lot of attention to give to one lady! I’ve never seen you like this, Seth. What is it about her that holds you so captivated?”

“I told you already?—”

“Yes, yes, I know. You’re trying to repay your debt to her. Well, wouldn’t you say the debt has been paid now? And more than paid, really. The cost of those gowns ought to cover the service she did for you. You ought to look the other way now. Stop worrying about her. Both of you should go on with your lives.”

But Seth shook his head. “She can’t go on with her life,” he said. “Pretty gowns aren’t what she wanted, Allan. That’s not what she cared about. You can say that the amount of money I spent is fair payment for the service she did me, but it’s more complicated than that. That’s not something she would have asked for as repayment.”

“We don’t always get to choose the way people compensate us for the things we do for them,” Allan said. “She ought to be happy that you’re tending to her needs at all—and I’m sure she is. It’s not as if she refused to wear the gown.”

“No, but she’s not comfortable in it, so it’s not showing her off to her best advantage,” Seth said. “Just look at her. You can’t honestly tell me that you believe anyone would see her fidgeting around like that and be interested in a courtship.”

“Well, she is a bit difficult to watch,” Allan said. “Hardly the picture of a well-mannered, alluring young lady. Still, I don’t find it impossible to believe that someone could take an interest in her—I think it could happen.”

“This is what she would want from me,” Seth said. “This is how I pay her back—not by spending money on gowns, but by helping her learn the lessons no one was ever able to teach her.”

“You mean to say that you’re going to instruct Lady Lavinia on the proper way for a young lady to comport herself in society?” Allan shook his head. “What do you even know about such things, Seth? No one ever instructed you about the right way for a lady to behave in society.”

“Of course they did,” Seth said. “My parents have been teaching me all my life about what I should look for in a lady. My mother has very specific opinions on the matter, and she’s made sure I know what they are so that I can follow them. And now, whether I agree with her ideas or not, I do know what’s expected of a lady. I’ll be able to help Lady Lavinia make herself at least a little bit better.”

“And you really think this is what she would want?” Allan asked. “More than gowns or gifts—she would want you to give her etiquette lessons?”

“Yes, I think so,” Seth said. “She finds herself in a dire situation, after all. She has to find a husband. I might be the best chance she has at achieving that goal, so that’s the best way I can repay my debt. She saved me from being ensnared in a loveless marriage. I can do the same for her—or at the very least, I can try.”

So saying, he got to his feet and left his picnic blanket. As he passed Lady Lavinia’s, he jerked his head to one side ever so slightly, indicating—he hoped—that he would like her to follow him.

He walked all the way down to the water’s edge before turning around, whereupon he was relieved to see that she had gotten up and was walking after him. She’d given him a good head start so that no one would see her and believe her to be following him. His estimation of her rose slightly. Whatever else she was, it was clear that she was clever.

She approached him beside the water, where they were concealed by trees from the view of the others. “You wanted to speak to me, Your Grace?”

“I’d like to meet with you,” he said quietly. “Alone.”

Her eyes widened. “Alone? You’re not afraid of a scandal? I thought that was what you feared most.”

She had him there. He couldn’t help smiling. “We’ll make sure not to be caught,” he said. “Come to the library tonight at the stroke of one. No one will see us then.”

She hesitated. “Why?”

“Have I led you wrong so far?”

“No, but?—”

“Then come. I promise you, you’ll be pleased you did,” he said. He walked away without waiting for a response—without allowing any further argument—and hoped that her curiosity about the matter would be enough to compel her to appear.

And he hoped, too, that he was right in thinking that this was what she would want, and that she would be glad she had come. It was a risk, to be sure—but Seth believed it was a good one. If this went well, they would both reap the rewards.