Chapter 22

CHAPTER22

The ton was abuzz with the latest gossip, for the two young ladies—Lady Esther Follet and Lady Amy Clarke—who had both been deemed ill choices for marriage had caught the eyes of no less than the Viscount of Drew and His Grace, the Duke of Leonbridge.

Many hearts sighed at the news of it all. How could such two perfectly fine gentlemen ever be attracted to a renowned bluestocking and her virago of a best friend? Had the women done something to bewitch the men?

For Lady Farthingon, it did not matter much. She was much too elated at the prospect that her daughter had finally found a suitable match.

So, when they invited Lord Drew and His Grace for tea that afternoon, the lady of the house was all in a tizzy, making sure that everything was absolutely perfect—a concept that her poor daughter did not care for much.

"Mother," the young lady called out in a tone belying her growing frustration. "I still do not understand what the fuss is for. We are only having guests over for tea, not holding a grand ball!"

Her mother glared at Esther as she ordered the maids to bring out another frock for that afternoon. "How can you be so cavalier about all this, Esther? Your future all but depends on it!"

Sometimes, Esther felt that Amy might have been right in pursuing spinsterhood for pursuing a husband was much more trouble than she bargained for.

Besides, if Lord Drew was to cry off merely for the smallest reason, then it was best that she knew now before she married him. Esther shuddered at the thought of finding out just how bad her husband could be when she would no longer have the option of calling off their union.

"I think you consider Lord Drew to be an exceedingly fastidious person," she mumbled. "He is not like that at all..."

In fact, Esther herself had seen him roll up his breeches to wade in the creek at the Leonbridge Estate and spend an afternoon fishing. He certainly did not seem like someone who would be thoroughly dismayed if the China did not match the tablecloths or if his tea was not brewed exactly to his tastes.

And why should she spend the entire morning looking through her wardrobe for the exact dress to wear when he had already seen her in her usual garb?

"Do you not want to make an impression on him at all?" her mother demanded of Esther, putting her hands on her hips.

"I do," Esther admitted, blushing at that. "But I also do not want to mislead him into thinking I am... something else."

At those words, she saw her mother’s expression soften. Lady Farthingon might be a little overbearing at times, but she truly cared for her youngest daughter. If she did not, then she would have married Esther off to the first gentleman who asked for her hand. As it was, she had waited long enough for a gentleman who truly cared for Esther and was not merely salivating for her daughter’s dowry.

"I have no doubt that the Viscount is well aware of your more positive qualities," Lady Farthingon told her in a much gentler tone. "Is it so wrong if I want to show him just how beautiful my darling daughter can be?"

Esther smiled a little at that. "Mother, I have never been considered beautiful."

"Nonsense! For a woman as intelligent as you, you should know better than to listen to the prattling of idle tongues."

Lady Farthingon had no patience for gossip, especially those that touched on her daughter. Fortunately, Esther had never given her much cause for worry in that regard although Lady Farthingon did wish her daughter would be more outgoing...

None of that mattered now, anyway, for Esther had already caught the eye of a rather upstanding young man. In fact, Lady Farthingon could not have found a better match for her young daughter. She only hoped that Lord Drew was nothing like all those other dandies out there who overlooked her Esther...

The sound of knocking on the door snatched their attention for a moment, and when it swung open, Esther smiled in relief when she saw that her best friend had come early.

"Oh, thank heavens, you’re here!" she exclaimed.

Amy, who had come dressed in a pretty lemon-yellow dress and a matching bonnet, smiled candidly as she strode over to her friend.

"It seems like someone wants to make an impression on the Viscount!" she teased. "Lord Drew will never know what hit him when he comes by later!"

"Amy!" she admonished, her fair face turning a rather vivid shade of pink. "How could you say something so... so..."

"We already know that Amy is as honest as they come, my dear." Lady Farthingon smiled at her daughter’s friend fondly. "You are looking lovely as well, dear Amy. Like spring sunshine, you are."

And Amy, who had never once been vain or given much thought to her looks, blushed prettily at that.

"It looks like someone is wanting to make an impression herself," Esther teased her back.

"Oh, shush you!"

"Truly, those two gentlemen must be blind if they cannot see just how lovely you two are," Lady Farthingon remarked. She did have a soft spot for these two girls. Amy, whose mother had died young, was almost like a daughter to her. Perhaps, she should also observe the Duke of Leonbridge much more as well...

"I think this one is rather pretty on you, Esther," Amy murmured as Esther changed into a lilac gown that brought out the color of her eyes.

Lady Farthingon stood back. "I agree with Amy on this one—it looks absolutely perfect!"

Esther heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally! I was wondering when we will ever be done with this!"

"Well, we cannot have a gorgeous flower in an ugly vase," her mother countered. "It would only diminish the flower, and that would be such a tragedy."

Amy and Esther shared a knowing look at that. Lady Farthingon could be a little dramatic at times, especially when it came to her daughter.

She took one more look at the dress and instructed the maids how to do Esther’s hair before she finally went off to make sure the garden was set up just right to receive their guests.

"I was so worried that Mother would be fatigued from running around the house all day," Esther admitted as she sat down before the mirror while her maid began to work on her hair. "I had never seen her as excited since, well, my coming out ball."

"It is only because she cares for you so much," Amy said softly. "It would have been much worse if she did not care at all."

"I suppose you are right."

A month or so ago, Esther would never have thought that she and Amy would be standing in her room right now, preparing for their suitors. The ton had all but put them both on the shelf as women who were nigh impossible to be married off.

Who would have thought that they would catch the eyes of the two most eligible bachelors in London?

As her heart began to beat excitedly at the thought of meeting Lord Drew later, she could not help but feel a sort of apprehension.

Good things, after all, were rarely acquired without much sacrifice.

* * *

Meanwhile, Amy was mostly oblivious to her best friend’s thoughts. She was simply much too elated to think about such things—as was often the case when one was in love.

But was she in love? She truly could not tell for she had never been in love before. Everything still felt rather surreal to her.

All she knew was that with Evan, she felt a lightness of heart that she had never felt with anyone else before. He made her comfortable enough in his presence to lower the guard she had painstakingly put up over the years.

He never disparaged her for her boldness or the sharpness of her tongue. He even seemed to appreciate it, and their conversations never lacked for excitement.

She also found that the Duke had a mischievous side to him, and he was forever teasing her. Of course, she was not one to be outdone and teased him right back which had led to rather intimate discussions between the both of them.

With Evan, she felt that she could be free to be herself.

"I... had a talk with Lord Irington earlier this morning," he told her as they walked around the gardens of the Follet estate.

Amy glanced up at him in surprise. "You did?"

"If I was not quick, somebody else might claim you for himself," he groused. "Of course, I did."

She smothered her giggles behind a gloved hand. "And...I trust that it went well?"

"One would think that your father was loath to let you go," he grumbled. "The man all but threatened me with castration and bodily harm if I dared to act out of line with you."

That was not something she expected, considering that her own father was the same person who put forth the condition that she was not to refuse any gentleman who would approach her this Season. Now that His Grace had declared his intentions, however, did that mean she could refuse all the other gentlemen who would approach her? She was not exactly looking forward to entertaining most of them.

Not when she would much rather spend all of her time with Evan.

Besides, she mused to herself, I doubt anyone would have the courage to "approach" me with His Grace around...

Most of the gentlemen in London looked up to the Duke while the rest of them steered clear of him.

As for the young ladies...well, she could expect to be the target of their petty jealousy, but it was nothing she could not handle well enough on her own. After all, she had been dealing with their talking behind her back for several Seasons already. It was hardly anything to be surprised at by this point.

"I do not see Lord Repington here today," she observed. "I thought that the three of you were rather close friends..."

Perhaps, the Marquess felt left out with both his friends pairing off with her and Esther? Somehow, that did not seem to suit his character. Thinking back to the day of their picnic and his scathing reply upon winning their race, Amy did not have a very good opinion of his character at all.

"He and I had a disagreement," Evan told her simply. "But why are you looking for Lord Repington when I am here with you?"

She blinked up at him and burst out in laughter. "You cannot possibly be—"

"My dear, you underestimate just how illogical I can be when I am with you," he growled. "You have driven me insane. I still have to get back at you for your antics in the past two weeks."

"Was that really my fault?" she asked with feigned innocence. "Your Grace, are you going to change your mind now?"

"Never," he swore.

She smiled up at him, and placing her gloved hands on his shoulders, she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss on his lips. "Good. Because I don’t intend on changing my mind either, so you should not worry about such trivial things."

"With you, my dear lady, I hardly know what to expect." He crushed her against his chest and pressed a soft kiss to her hair. "But I would not have you any other way."

Amy smiled happily at his words. He did not seem to be lying as his gruff tone implied his sincerity. She felt in her heart that the Duke was not quite used to saying such things, just as she was not used to hearing them.

She knew that he still felt some doubt after all that she had put him through in the past two weeks. But just as he had proven to her that she could trust him, she wanted to prove the same thing to him, too.

And tonight, she had just the plan to make him see just how dear he was to her.