CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

This evening was Lady Bellamny's soiree for young ladies coming out. Alice had heard about it from her older sisters. When Charlotte and Louisa had attended, Lady Bellamny had intimidated not only them, but the other ladies as well. But Alice had known her ladyship for so long she did not think she would be afraid of Lady Bellamny at all.

A knock sounded on her door, and it opened. "Are you ready?" Madeline asked.

"Yes." Alice took one last look in the pier looking-glass. This was their first adult event in Town, and she was happy to see she actually looked like an adult. Her hair was arranged simply in a high knot with curls framing her face. A yellow ribbon with seed pearls was wrapped around the knot and seed pearls were scattered across the bodice of her yellow silk gown. A Norwich shawl covered her shoulders. Nodding to herself, she picked up her reticule. "I am ready."

Grace was in the hall when they arrived and fixed each of them with a stern look. "I understand you have known Lady Bellamny for several years, but tonight is a bit different. You must act as if you are meeting her for the first time. Think of it as a test."

A test. That is what Charlotte had called Lady Bellamny's soiree. Louisa had said she felt as if she were a horse being inspected.

"It sounds daunting," Madeline said.

"It does," Eleanor replied.

They were both right, but Alice knew they had been prepared. "We will do well."

Her sisters nodded in agreement.

When they arrived at her ladyship's house, the line of carriages quickly discharged their passengers and moved away smartly. Footmen escorted the ladies to the door, not allowing anyone to linger on the pavement. From what Alice had heard about the long line of carriages at most events, this seemed like a very good idea. "That is efficient."

"What is?" Eleanor asked.

"Having servants to move the guests into the house."

Her twin glanced out just as they reached the front of the town house. "It is."

In no time at all they were greeting Lady Bellamny, who stared at them as if she had never met them before. One by one they made their curtseys. Alice gauged the depth of her curtsey to show respect and take into consideration their respective ranks.

When she rose, her ladyship's black eyes were twinkling. "Elegant, but I would expect nothing less from you, my dear. Mingle and meet some of the other ladies."

She joined Madeline and Eleanor off to the side to wait for Grace.

Lady Bellamny's lips curved as she greeted Grace. "Grace, once again you are to be commended. I suspect they will do exceptionally well this Season, and the gentlemen will think of something silly to call them. I suppose the entire family is here."

"They are indeed." She inclined her head. "Augusta arrived today as well."

Her ladyship's eyes widened. "Excellent. I cannot wait to talk to her about her adventures."

Grace left her ladyship and came to them. "You all did very well. Now you can relax a little. You already know the Lady Patronesses of Almack's. Most of them will be here this evening." She strolled with them into the first of a series of rooms connected by open pocket doors. "I will see you later."

Alice scanned the first drawing room. "I suppose we should go meet some of the other ladies."

"I am glad we have each other," Madeline said.

"As am I," Eleanor agreed. "But Alice is right. We should come to know other ladies too."

They passed one young lady who was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. The girl's mother or sponsor had an aggravated look on her face. "Melissa, stop tearing up. You did quite well."

"Thank you." Her voice was shaky. "I am terrified of Lady Bellamny."

"That is the point. The only thing more difficult will be meeting the Lady Patroness when you attend Almack's."

"Poor Melissa," Madeline whispered to Alice.

She nodded. "I am glad we already know most of the Grand Dames."

"That is probably the reason Grace has taken us out in her carriage during the Promenade," Eleanor said.

They found their other sisters and chatted with some ladies they had met before and introduced themselves to ladies they had not known. The time passed swiftly, and before Alice knew it supper was announced. Louisa found them and led them to a long table that had been set up. Before supper was over, Matt and their brothers-in-law joined them at the table.

As the meal was ending, a gentleman approached. "Good evening, my lords."

"And to you." Matt obviously knew the man. "Who are you fetching?"

"My mother." The gentleman glanced toward another table and inclined his head before turning back to Matt, obviously wanting to be introduced.

He appeared resigned. "I may as well make you known to those of my family you do not know. I believe you have met the gentlemen . . ." He motioned to Alice and her sisters. "Eleanor, Madeline, and Alice, may I present Lord Montagu? Montagu, my sisters, Lady Eleanor Carpenter, Lady Madeline Vivers, and Lady Alice Carpenter."

Lord Montagu bowed. "My ladies, it is a pleasure."

They inclined their heads. Eleanor stared at him for a long moment. "Are you the gentleman who rides a black horse in the Park most mornings?"

He smiled and bowed again. "I am."

"Perhaps you will join us some morning." Eleanor's brows drew together as if she had just thought of a problem. "If you get up earlier, that is."

"I am certain I can manage that, my lady." He turned as two ladies Alice had met earlier approached. "Mamma, Aurelia."

"Thank you for agreeing to come for me." His mother smiled politely.

"It was easily done."

Lady Montagu turned to Alice and her sisters. "I have enjoyed meeting all of you this evening."

"And we you," Eleanor said.

"Yes." Alice glanced at the lady next to Lady Montagu. "Lady Lytton, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

She inclined her head. "I enjoyed meeting and talking with you as well."

"I hope we shall see one another again," Madeline said.

"I hope to see you again soon." Lady Montagu glanced at her son. "We must not keep the horses waiting."

Alice was glad her twin had asked him if he was one of the gentlemen they had seen riding. He also seemed very interested in Eleanor. The only question now was the identity of the other man, and if they could rise early enough to meet them at the Park.

Madeline whispered something to Eleanor.

"What?" They left the supper room and were strolling to the front door.

Had she really not noticed how his gaze was focused on her? "The way Lord Montagu looked at you."

Eleanor frowned at Alice. "How did you hear her?"

"I did not." She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I knew what she was going to say because I thought the same thing."

"I will be very surprised if he can tell us apart." Eleanor snorted lightly. "A great many people will not be able to do so."

She had a point. Then again, if he was the right one, he would be able to see the difference. Even if they did look almost exactly alike, they were not identical twins. "It is a shame we are past the age of pretending to be each other."

"But if he can." Madeline looped her arm with Eleanor's. "It means that he sees you. That you are not just some young lady."

"Perhaps." Eleanor did not sound convinced. "We shall see. Remember neither Louisa nor Charlotte married the first gentlemen they met."

"Very true." Alice took her twin's other arm. "But simply because they did not, does not mean you will not."

"As I said, we shall see." Clearly Eleanor was not willing to be convinced.

"He must have the funds to support a family," Madeline mused. "Otherwise, Matt would not have introduced him."

That was a very good point. None of them had thought about that when they had made their list.

"I am not falling in love at first sight." Eleanor pressed her lips together. "He has many more qualities to meet."

"So it begins." Strolling in front of them, Matt groaned.

Grace patted his arm. "They have become shrewd ladies."

Alice grinned as she exchanged looks with her sisters. Grace seemed certain of them, but Matt needed more convincing.

He helped them all into the coach and took the seat next to Grace. "What did Lady Bellamny say? I remember Louisa telling us she thought she'd look at her teeth."

"Not much," Madeline began to tell him, and Alice and Eleanor added to what she said.

In the coach light, Grace's smile could be seen. "I think it was a matter of like recognizing like. I was very proud of the way the girls held their own under that gaze. Most of the young ladies would have started weeping."

"More than one of them did have tears in their eyes. One was weeping." Alice glanced at her twin. "What was her name?

"Melissa," Eleanor said.

"Yes, that was it. Then another one, she and her friend want to marry gentlemen who live close to each other so that they will not have to be apart, was dabbing away tears as well."

Grace took a breath and let it out. "Either Miss Tice or Miss Martindale. Their older sisters wanted the same thing."

That was interesting. "Were they successful?"

"As it happens, yes they were," Grace said. "You should ask Henrietta about them. One set of Martindale-Tices came out when she did."

It would be nice if they could ask her."We haven't seen her since last summer."

"Dotty has invited us to Easter dinner." Grace said. "You will see her then."

Alice would be glad to see both of them. It would be almost like when they were children and lived in the same neighborhood.

"I shall look forward to it," Eleanor said. "It's nice to have so many people in Town we already know."

"It is," Madeline agreed. "Even if they are not coming out at the same time."

Eleanor yawned. "I do not know how I will stay awake during the entertainments."

Grace chuckled. "You will have so much to do during them that you will not be tired until you get home."

"Just remember we leave after supper," Matt added. "That worked well with your sisters, and now we have even younger children in the house to consider."

So far, everything was proceeding as it hoped it would. Then it occurred to Alice that Lord Montagu could now introduce them to the gentleman on the gray horse.

* * *

Alice rose early the next morning, excited that she might meet the gentleman who rode with Lord Montagu. She met her sisters in the corridor, and they went down to their mares.

She stopped short at seeing all three of their grooms with horses as well. "I thought only one of you were to come with us?"

"We were all ordered to be here." Robertson helped her mount.

Matt must be worried about something. Once they were ready, they headed toward the Park, but Lord Montagu was not there. So much for him being able to rise early. Still, even though it was cloudy, the morning was lovely.

"What do you think happened to them?" Madeline asked.

There was only one reason for them not to be here. "Obviously, they could not get out of bed in time to ride with us."

Eleanor shrugged. "It does not matter. We will have a good ride on our own."

Alice supposed this was a lesson in fashionable gentlemen. Lord Montagu and his friend were not the only ones who could not get to the Park on time. She remembered a story about someone else. "Race to the oak tree?"

"Yes." Eleanor grinned.

They were well matched. Alice arrived just a nose before the others. They rode to the Serpentine then headed back to the gate.

"Do not look, but there they are," Madeline said.

Lord Montagu trotted toward them. "Good morning, my ladies."

Alice and her sisters greeted him. The gentleman on the gray horse had darker red hair mixed with brown, fair skin and green eyes that seemed to take in everything. Would Lord Montagu introduce his companion?

He grimaced. "I meant to awaken earlier, but I had a great deal of work to do last night."

Alice almost snorted. Madeine seemed not to believe him either.

Eleanor gave him a tight smile. Clearly, she was not convinced. "Sometime duties cannot be put off."

He motioned toward the other man. "Allow me to introduce my friend, Lord St. Albans. St. Albans, Lady Eleanor, Lady Madeline, and Lady Alice."

Giff bowed from his horse, and Alice did not think anyone could have done it more gracefully. "Ladies, good morning." He smiled at them each in turn. "It is my absolute pleasure to finally be made known to you."

Eleanor raised a brow. "Indeed, my lord. We have wondered who was riding the gray. Now we know."

This was no time for her to act high in the in-step. Alice almost rolled her eyes "Good morning, sir. It is very nice to meet you as well."

Lady Madeline's lips twitched. "I shall add my greetings, my lord. It is a pleasure."

Lord St. Albans opened his mouth to continue when Lord Montagu said, "Must you return home now, or do you have time to ride some more?"

"I am afraid we are required to be back in time for breakfast with our family." Eleanor's tone was firm. "However, perhaps you will not have to work so late this evening and will be able to join us tomorrow morning."

"Yes. I will arrange that." He gave her a charming smile. "Until tomorrow."

Lord St. Albans glanced at Lord Montagu then to Alice. "The least we can do is to escort you to the gate."

"Yes, of course." This was her first encounter with a gentleman who was not related or whom she had not known for years, and it was exciting. The way his eyes twinkled when he looked at her was also exciting.

Lord St. Albans bowed. "We are at your command."

For some reason, Alice knew he must have said that many times before, still . . . "How nice. I do not believe anyone has ever said that to me."

"I am certain I will not be the only one." The only gentleman she knew whose tone was as sophisticated as his was her brother-in-law Con Kenilworth.

Suddenly, Alice had a suspicion he might be a rake. "Have you spent a lot of time in Town?"

"My dear lady, I have been on the Town for years." As he spoke, a look came into his eyes that she did not understand. Prickles danced across her neck and shoulders before spreading to the rest of her body.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." His horse sidled closer to hers. "And I've seen a great many of them." Alice didn't know what to say or even think. No one had ever been this bold before. "I would be happy to show you the sights."

He was not going to get the best of her. A change of subject was in order. "Although we have not been out, we have come to the metropolis during the Season for many years. Our brother and brothers-in-law are very active in the Lords."

"Fortunately, I have not yet ascended to my father's title." He gave her a look she could only describe as heavy or significant. "Are you interested in politics?

"I am indeed. It is my belief we must all do what we are able."

"A very admirable view." It was an appropriate remark to make, but he did not seem to be referring to what she had said. It was almost as if he had not really heard her.

Alice waited for him to continue, but before he could speak Eleanor said, "Thank you for your escort. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow."

"I shall make it happen." Montagu bowed. "Until then, my lady."

Lady Eleanor inclined her head. "My lord."

"I will see you tomorrow as well, my ladies." Lord St. Albans included Madeline in his comment.

"Until then." Alice left with her sisters. Had Lord Montagu been flirting with her?

"Dear me," Madeline said jokingly as they reached Worthington House. "You two already have gentlemen interested in you, and there is no one for me."

"I am not sure about that." Alice dismounted. "I think Lord St. Albans is a bit too . . . too"—she frowned as she thought—"I cannot find the right word. Worldly? That might be it. He seems too experienced in capturing a lady's attention." She waited until her sisters were ready to enter the house. "I think I shall ask Matt about him."