CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Alice awoke to rain, meaning she would not be able to ride today. However, Lord Normanby had asked her to walk with him this afternoon. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she donned her robe, crossed the corridor into the parlor, and took out the list she and her sisters had written.

Intelligent

Kind

Like house animals

Like children

Make us laugh, and think we are funny

Interested in the plight of the poor and unfortunate

Must support us in our charities and other ventures

Passable looking

Allow us to be ourselves

Be able to support a family

Must love us in return

Taking out a pen, she dipped it in the standish and wrote, Be a friend at the bottom. Since Eleanor's wedding, it had struck Alice forcibly that as she would not have her sisters with her all the time, whoever she married must be a friend as well as a husband. Thus far, Lord Normanby seemed intelligent and kind. She would know more by the end of their walk today.

She went back to her bedchamber, washed, and dressed, then went down to the breakfast room.

Elizabeth yawned. "Posy is not happy. She tried to hide under my bed, but George found her and took her out."

Alice smiled as she pictured the Dane attempting to crawl under her niece's low bed. "I am surprised she did not come to my chamber."

"The door to the nursery was closed," Gideon said.

The footmen were most likely tired of hunting for Posy when it was raining.

Mary and Theo took their seats. The two of them had their heads together. Alice wondered if Mary would feel left behind after Theo wed. The three years between them had not kept them from being fast friends, but it would stop them from coming out together. A footman set a pot of tea on the table in front of her, and she poured a cup.

"What would you like this morning, my lady?"

"Shirred eggs, toast, and whatever fruit we have." She would have to find something to do until her walk this afternoon.

"The table looks empty," Gideon said.

Matt looked at him with slightly raised brows. "It won't when everyone visits."

"We will have to put another leaf in the table when the rest of the family is here," Grace added.

Looking at it from Gideon's point of view, Alice had to agree. When she married, there would be one more person gone. That is how it felt when her older sisters had wed. But then he and Elizabeth were able to join them. "In no time at all Edward and Gaia will be sitting at the table."

"They're just babies." He stuck a fork in the eggs he'd been brought.

"So were you," Mary said.

His little face scrunched up. "I suppose you're right. I just never think about them growing up."

Matt covered his mouth with a serviette, and his shoulders shook.

Grace regarded her eldest son. "It is the way of things that children grow."

"And if things proceed as usual," Theo said, "you will have new cousins next year."

Well, that brough it full circle back to Alice. She was ready to be a wife and mother and have a house of her own. If only she could find a husband. Normanby had to be the one. He had already displayed most of the necessary traits. She did not want to be left behind.

"Alice," Grace said, "what do you plan to do this morning?"

That was an excellent question. She may as well keep to the regular schedule until she could think of something else. "I will do some shopping and go to Hatchards."

"While you are at Hatchards, would you mind collecting the books I ordered?"

"Not at all. Did you happen to order Miss Anna Maria Porter's latest book?"

Grace's eyes widened in surprise. "I did not know she had a new one."

That would give her more time to see what else the bookstore had. "I will look for it and place an order if they do not have it."

"Take the town coach if it is still raining," Matt said. "I'll have it sent back for you."

"Thank you." Alice finished her breakfast. "When do you depart?"

He glanced at the clock. "Shortly." Rising, he went to Grace and kissed her cheek. "I shall see you later."

Alice looked at Mary and Theo. "Is there anything you would like me to fetch for you?"

"Yes, please," Mary said. "I will write a list."

"I shall add what I want to her list," Theo rose and turned to Mary. "If you wish to get that done before classes, we had better go."

Mary glanced at Alice. "What time do you plan to leave?"

"Around nine-thirty. I will go to the Arcade first."

* * *

Giff sighed with relief when he heard rain hitting his window. When he'd returned home from the lecture Lady Mary had given to him, he had gone to the library and found copies of Miss Austen's books and a copy of Cooper's Precaution. He spent the rest of the day and most of the night reading. By the time he finally went to sleep, he understood exactly why Cooper's book had missed the mark, and why Lady Mary thought it could be a topic of discussion with Alice. He rose, and was pleased to see his breakfast was waiting in his parlor. Now that he had some idea of the tact he should take, he could imagine sitting across the table from Alice and discussing books. Of course, it was even easier to envision waking up with her next to him.

A knock came on his door.

"Enter."

A footman came in and handed him a note on a silver salver. "This just came for you, my lord."

Giff opened it, and his jaw almost dropped.

Dear Lord St. Albans,

You should be at Hatchards no later than ten-thirty and wait as long as you need to.

Yer friend,

M.C.

He was being managed by an eleven-year-old. Yet surely, she had not sent a footman. "Who brought this?"

"A boy who said to give it to you straightaway."

"A street urchin?"

"No, my lord. He was clean enough and looked well nourished."

Where had she found a lad to do her bidding? Giff gave himself a shake. He'd eventually have his questions answered. He pulled out his pocket watch. He only had an hour, and there were a few things he must do. Chief of which was to speak with his mother.

He knocked on the door of her parlor. Her maid let him in. "Good morning, Mamma."

She gave him her cheek to buss. "Good morning. What can I do for you?"

"I need to discover more about Normanby's family. There is something about him I do not trust, but I can't put my finger on it."

One dark russet brow rose. "Would this have anything to do with Lady Alice?"

"Yes. I think I know what I've been doing wrong in approaching her, but Normanby has been courting her. I don't want her to accept an offer from him before I have a chance to mend my mistakes with her."

"Hmm." Mamma picked up her teacup. "What could he be hiding, I wonder? His mother did not come for the Season, which is unusual. She also recently wed when she said she would never do so again. Let me see what I can discover."

"Thank you." Giff had learned that the older ladies, not that he thought his mother was that old, had avenues of information others did not possess. In the meantime, he would look around as well. "I will see you at dinner."

A line appeared between her eyes as if she was thinking, then she glanced at him. "Until then."

"Thank you." A thought occurred to him. "I'm going to Hatchards. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

Mamma's face brightened. "Please see if they have a new book by one of the Misses Porter. I believe one is releasing soon."

That was fortuitous. "My pleasure."

Giff arrived at the bookstore shortly before the appointed time and began to peruse the shelves. He'd been there on many occasions before but only to pick up books he'd ordered. This was the first time he'd taken the time to just browse. He found the section on estate management and discovered several books he'd not known about. As he started toward the area that housed novels, the outside door opened, and Alice greeted the clerk.

"Good morning." She sounded as if she was in a good mood. "I must fetch the books my sister, Lady Worthington, ordered after I search for something for myself. Can you tell me if you have received Porter's The Village of Mariendorpt?"

"Good morning to you, my lady. We have several copies. Shall I get one for you?"

"No, thank you. I would rather look for myself."

"As you wish. I will wrap up the books for Lady Worthington."

Giff glanced over the rail in time to see her flash a smile at the clerk, then ducked back. He was staring at the shelves when she entered the area. "Lord St. Albans. What are you doing here?"

He plucked a book by Miss Austen off the shelf. "Searching for books."

"I did not know you read." Alice sounded surprised.

What was it about him that made the ladies in her family doubt his reading skills? "I did attend university. It is a required skill."