Chapter Five

"You do not mind if I take a short respite before I meet you back at the townhouse for dinner, do you?" Edmund looked from his mother to Dinah and back again. "Though of course, Dinah, you did very well and it is not because I want to rush away from this afternoon but only because – "

"My dear, you do not have to make excuses." His mother laughed softly and put one hand to Edmund's arm. "You have stayed through Lady Dinah's presentation and sometime afterwards also, so I can understand why you might wish now to step away for a while. I will take Dinah home and we will make certain that all is prepared for this evening."

Edmund smiled and then took his cousin's hand, bowing over it. "It was my honour to present you to the King and Queen," he said, quietly. "I was truly delighted to be able to do so and, as has been said to you before, you did marvelously well. I am sure that the Queen took notice of you."

Dinah nodded, though the smile she offered was a little lacking in happiness.

"Are you quite all right?" Edmund asked, a little afraid now that the reason for her absence of smiles was because of him. "I can linger here with you, if you wish it. I quite understand that this has been a very overwhelming time and – "

"I am a little overcome with it all," his cousin said, interrupting him just as his mother had done a moment ago, "and would be glad to go home to rest. Thank you for all that you have done for me and continue to do, Wrexham. I am truly grateful."

Seeing something that looked like tears in her eyes, Edmund held back his questions, thinking silently to himself that the lady was not quite herself but at the same time, clearly did not want to explain why that might be. "Very well. We can all return home."

"Oh, no. You must stay and do as you please!" Dinah exclaimed, blinking quickly so that the hint of tears in her eyes quickly fled. "I quite understand. I am ready to return to the townhouse with your mother but you must not feel obliged."

"And we have two carriages," his mother reminded him, who had insisted that they each take a carriage simply to make certain that society knew of the Duke of Wrexham's arrival into society. "I will take Dinah and you can do as you please… though do recall the ball this evening."

Edmund put one hand to his heart, ignoring the niggle of annoyance that came with his mother's words. "I would hardly forget Dinah's first ball," he said, quietly. "I shall return home in plenty of time, I assure you." With a smile, he nodded and then took his leave, though his smile quickly fell away. Why was Dinah upset? The presentation to the King and Queen had gone very well indeed and though Dinah had been nervous, she had not betrayed a hint of that to anyone. Why, then, had she had tears in her eyes?

With a sigh, Edmund made his way to the carriage and climbed in. This was a great responsibility, taking Dinah to London and chaperoning her, though he was grateful that his cousin – and Dinah's brother – Lord Fullerton had asked him to do so. That had come as something of a surprise, for Fullerton had always been somewhat cold and unwelcoming towards Edmund though he knew full well where that had come from. The many hours that Edmund had spent with the late Earl of Fullerton, poring over notes and trying out different things, the late nights in deep discussion and in reading, that had all been most beneficial for him but Edmund had always known that his cousin had felt himself jealous over Edmund's closeness with his father. It had not been Edmund's intention to come between father and son but given that his own father had despised all that Edmund set his hand to, there had been a great deal of solace in spending time with his uncle.

Though, Edmund considered, mayhap now the difficulties between them were healing since Lord Fullerton had asked him to take care of Dinah. That spoke of a trust, at the very least.

Though I do wish I could understand why Dinah appeared so upset. That has troubled me.

Edmund sat there for a moment, knowing that the driver was waiting for him to say where he wished to go and yet, for the moment, Edmund remained a little uncertain. He had thought to go for a drive through London, simply to take in the scenes and the people and let himself consider but now, he found himself thinking of the London museum. It offered him so much to engage his mind and, he considered, might offer him some insight into his current inventions.

"The museum!" he cried, rapping on the roof. "And be quick about it!"

The urge to step into the museum and to lose himself in the artefacts and the history pushed through him so that, had the carriage not already been moving, Edmund might have considered climbing out and running for it instead. The ton would have something to say about that, if they saw me, Edmund thought, chuckling to himself before closing his eyes and resting his head back against the squabs. This was going to turn out to be a very pleasant day indeed.

***

The museum was fairly quiet, with only a few gentlemen wandering around and looking at the various things which were placed for their viewing interest. Edmund relished the quiet, glad to be away from the crush of the crowd as they all stood to survey their daughter, sister or niece making their presentation to the King and Queen.

Lady Vivianne was not present, he thought to himself, an uncomfortable kick coming into stomach at the thought. This first sennight, his mother had not once mentioned the lady and Edmund himself had barely given her any thought either. They had been much too busy making certain that Dinah had everything that she required and that her introduction to society would go well. Now that the first presentation was over, however, Edmund was all too aware that he would soon have to think about what his obligations were to the lady. He would have to find her, make certain that he was acquainted with her family and thereafter, attempt to find a way to broach the subject of any expectations that she or her family might have of him.

What would become of that thereafter, Edmund did not know.

"It is quite fascinating!"

A quiet voice caught his attention and, hearing it more like a lady's voice than a gentleman's, Edmund turned his head to see which young lady might be present in the museum, only for his gaze to fall upon a familiar face.

Lady Lillian.

Edmund smiled to himself, remembering just how quickly her mind had worked when they had the difficulty with the carriage and silently thinking that, out of all of his acquaintances, she was the one he might have expected to be present in a museum! His smile quickly fell as he saw her arm in arm with another gentleman who was nodding, smiling and gesturing to whatever artefact it was that they were looking at.

Edmund's stomach dropped but he shook his head to himself, turning his head away and looking ahead of him instead. He had not given much thought to Lady Lillian either these last few days, though that was not because he had lost his interest in her but simply because of how busy he had been. Neither did he have any right to let himself feel irritated at seeing Lady Lillian with another gentleman, for they were barely acquainted! And yet, all the same, despite his reasoned discussion in his own mind, Edmund could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy, looking back over his shoulder at the two of them walking together.

"This has always been something that you have been good at," he heard the gentleman say, as Lady Lillian murmured something in response that Edmund could not hear. When he dared another glance, Lady Lillian was smiling brightly up into the gentleman's face – and that kick of jealousy came again. Irritated with himself, Edmund made to turn and walk away entirely, only for Lady Lillian's voice to catch his attention.

"Your Grace? Is that you?"

He turned towards her fully then, forcing a smile and bowing low as Lady Lillian curtsied. "Yes, it is. How pleasant it is to see you again." He cast a glance towards the gentleman who was looking at him rather curiously, before turning to Lady Lillian, clearly eager for an introduction.

Lady Lillian was quick to do as was needed. "Your Grace," she began, gesturing to the gentleman who still had her arm in his. "Might I present my brother, Lord Weatherly? Harry, this is the Duke of Wrexham. He and I were acquainted recently, as were mother and father. I was also introduced to Lady Dinah, the Duke's cousin, who has just been presented to the King and Queen."

"Ah, of course!" Lord Weatherly bowed as a wave of relief washed over Edmund, realizing now that the lady was with her brother rather than with any gentleman of note. "I did think to myself that I recognised you, though I was also certain that we had not been acquainted beforehand, Your Grace. Now I realise that it was only because I saw you taking your cousin to be introduced."

Lady Lillian blinked and then looked in surprise to her brother. "You were in the room during my presentation?"

"Of course I was, little sister," came the reply, the camaraderie between them making Edmund smile. He turned to Edmund, spreading out one hand and lifting his shoulders lightly. "I surprised my sister by my arrival, Your Grace, only a short while before coming to the museum."

"Ah, now I understand," Edmund answered, seeing how Lady Lillian smiled. "I did not think that there had been mention of you when I was first acquainted with your family, Lord Weatherly. Your sister will not have had time to tell you as to how our acquaintance came about, then? It was the most extraordinary circumstance and, had your sister not given us the aid we required, I am sure that we would still be stuck in the mud by the inn!"

Lord Weatherly's eyebrows lifted and he looked to his sister, who had begun to blush furiously. "A story I shall look forward to hearing, I think." He smiled at her, then looked back to Edmund. "Might you wish to walk with my sister for a time? You will find that the museum holds a great many interests for her, as it does for me. I do believe it has been one of our favourite places to visit in London these last few years!"

"I should be glad to," Edmund answered, offering Lady Lillian his arm without hesitation and, with a sharp look to her brother, she did accept it. "You have been to London before this year, Lady Lillian?"

She nodded, as Edmund began to move to the right of the room, though Lord Weatherly remained where he was. "My brother came to London for two Seasons in order to search for a bride and I was permitted to come with him and my parents, though I was not out in society, of course."

"I see. And you enjoy parading around the museum?"

"Oh, I find it the most wonderful place!" she exclaimed, enthusiasm flooding her voice. "Do not you? To know that so many remarkable things have been created before we even walked this earth is quite astonishing. And I do very much like to hear of the latest inventions and the like, for the process such people go through in order to achieve their goal is remarkable and is, to my mind, worth applauding."

"I quite agree," Edmund murmured, half wondering if he ought to reveal to her that he himself was something of an inventor. The moment that thought came, however, he recalled how his father had broken into the room when he had been speaking with his uncle and that thought snapped in half and broke away. No, he could not say such a thing, not as yet. He did not know the lady well enough to do so for, even if she did admire inventions and the like, he did not know what she might think of a gentleman being involved in such things.

"Is Lady Dinah glad that her presentation is over?" Lady Lillian asked, changing the topic of conversation and looking up at him as she did so, her honey brown eyes softening. "I know that she was dreadfully nervous."

Edmund's heart warmed at her consideration. "She is quite relieved, yes." His light smile faded as he recalled the tears that had come into her eyes. "Though… " With a slight frown, he glanced away. "I do think she was a little upset over some thing, but it may just have been relief."

"Upset?" Lady Lillian's hand tightened on his arm and Edmund kicked himself for speaking so plainly. The lady did not need to know that Dinah had been upset. There had been no reason for him to say anything at all and, indeed, Dinah might well have wished for that to remain quiet, given that she had told him that she was quite all right.

"I did not mean to say that," he said, hastily. "It was only that she appeared a little sorrowful but assured me that she was quite well. She did not want to speak of whatever troubled her."

"I see." Lady Lillian let out a soft sigh. "No doubt she will be sorrowful over the fact that her brother was absent from such a momentous occasion. Her father has passed away, yes? But her mother?"

"Her mother is a little unwell and taking sea air," Edmund answered slowly, realizing the wisdom in what Lady Lillian had said, "though I think she is recovering. She did want to come to London but Dinah insisted that she did not, that she remain and continue her recovery."

"And though I am sure that she is grateful for both yourself and your mother's care of her, there must still be some pain there." Lady Lillian glanced up at him again, then flushed. "Forgive me, I do not mean to speak out of turn. I do care for Lady Dinah and we have become friends rather quickly, I will say, though I have only been surmising as to her pain. She has not said anything specific to me, you understand."

"I do." Edmund smiled at her. "You are quite right, I think. I had not thought of that before but now that you have spoken of it, I can see the wisdom in what you are saying. Yes, no doubt she will be feeling a little sad that her brother nor her mother are present with her at her presentation to the King and Queen."

"And the reason she did not want to say anything to you is to make certain she does not hurt you nor injure you, fearing that her sadness could make you feel as though what you have provided is not enough." With a small shrug, Lady Lillian smiled briefly. "Though, again, I am only surmising."

"But you are considerate in ways that I am not," Edmund told her, thinking all the more highly of the lady. "Of course that all makes perfect sense to me now that you have said it! I will return home and have my mother speak to her about it all."

Alarm jumped into Lady Lillian's expression. "Please, do not say that I was the one who suggested it! I do not want her to think that I have been talking ill of her."

Edmund smiled. "I do not think that she would even imagine that for a moment though I shall do as you ask. My mother will speak gently about the absence of her brother and mother, simply in the hope of comforting her before the ball this evening." A sudden idea came to him and he paused in his walk, looking down at Lady Lillian. "I must hope that you are to be dancing this evening, Lady Lillian?"

Her eyes widened just a little. "Yes, I am."

"Then might you be willing to save me one of your dances? It can be whichever one is your favourite and I shall come in search of you this evening to discover which one it is."

She looked at him for a few moments before agreeing, a small hint of a smile at her lips though it did not spread all the way up to her eyes. Had he surprised her by his request? Had he astonished her by his forwardness that she was now a little taken aback? A flush of heat began to inch its way up Edmund's spine but he refused to let it take a hold of him, telling himself inwardly that he had done nothing wrong by asking her such a thing. It was an expression of gratitude, of consideration given what she had offered him in advising about his cousin. "Wonderful. I look forward to the ball this evening all the more." Seeing Lord Weatherly return, Edmund stepped back and released Lady Lillian's arm, a little relieved that he was able to step away before he embarrassed himself by attempting to explain his reasons for asking her to dance.

"I should take my sister back home." Lord Weatherly inclined his head. "But I presume you are attending the ball this evening?"

"Yes, I am."

Lord Weatherly smiled. "Then I look forward to being introduced to your mother and to your niece. Good afternoon, Your Grace."

"Good afternoon," Edmund murmured, before smiling at Lady Lillian. "A pleasure to speak with you again, Lady Lillian. Good afternoon to you too."

She smiled and Edmund's heart leapt though he quietened it immediately. "Good afternoon, Your Grace. Please do tell Lady Dinah that I am ready to step beside her the moment she enters the ballroom, so she has nothing to worry about."

"I shall." Still touched by her consideration, Edmund bowed again. "In fact, I shall return home and do so this very moment. Thank you, Lady Lillian, for everything."

***

"It was just as you had suggested, my dear."

Edmund looked up as his mother came back into the drawing room, her face one of sympathy. "Oh?"

"I have just finished speaking with Dinah and yes, her upset is over the absence of both her brother and her mother. I can quite understand that and reassured her that we did not and would not think badly of such an expression of sorrow."

"No, indeed not," Edmund murmured, rubbing one hand over his chin. "Though I should confess that it was not I who had that thought, Mother. I was speaking to someone else and mentioned how sorrowful Dinah had appeared after her introduction to the King and Queen – though I did not mean to, I will admit – and that suggestion was made."

Alarm jumped into the Duchess' expression. "I do hope that this person can be trusted and that they will not think badly of Dinah!"

Edmund smiled. "There is no concern there, Mother, I can assure you. It was spoken out of concern and I am glad that it was shared, for it has meant an excellent conversation between Dinah and yourself."

The Duchess nodded and sank down into a chair, looking rather fatigued. "It has been a very long day for her and there is yet more to come!"

A little concerned for his mother and her lack of strength, Edmund frowned and sat forward in his chair. "Mother, if you would prefer to rest this evening, then I would be content to take Dinah to the ball."

His mother smiled and shook her head. "I will be quite all right, once I have had some time to rest. Dinah is being prepared now for the ball and I shall sit here for a time until I must go to change also." With a sigh, she rested her head back against the chair and closed her eyes. "The start of the Season is always a busy time." Her head lifted suddenly as she pointed one finger at Edmund's chest. "And are you going to seek out Lady Vivianne?"

A scowl darkened Edmund's face. "That is not something that I have any desire to discuss, Mother. I have already informed you that my intention is to do so but I want to first see Dinah through her first ball."

"I know that she is present here in London," his mother replied quickly, as though she had not heard him. "It was told to me by Lady Denfield, whom I saw only this morning. She stated that Lord and Lady Kent had come to London with their daughter for her Season, though she could not recall whether the lady had made her debut last Season or if this was to be her come out. I fully expect them to be present this evening."

"Indeed." Edmund said nothing more than that, his stomach clenching and his heart thudding rather furiously as he thought about what it would be like to meet the young lady his father had so eagerly wanted him to marry. Mayhap she nor her family would be aware of that hope, however, in which case, Edmund would have to decide whether or not he would follow what his father had desired for him. But if she was aware of it, then Edmund felt himself obliged to consider very strongly engaging himself to the lady. It would be nothing more than an obligation, doing as his late father had wanted and not because he himself desired it, but given that he was a gentleman of purpose and understanding of responsibility, Edmund shouldered that burden regardless of his own feelings.

Though, he admitted silently, he had been avoiding even thinking of Lady Vivianne these last few days, doing his best to push away what he knew he would have to do.

"You will speak to her if she is there, will you not?"

Edmund let out a huff of breath and turned, glaring at his mother. "Mother, please. I told you of what was in father's will so that you would know of it, not because I wanted you to push me to do as he asked. Believe me when I tell you that I understand the responsibility I have here, it is only that I do not want to be pushed into it."

His mother looked away, a slight pinch in her lips.

"I do not intend to upset you, but please understand how big a decision this is for me," Edmund continued, when she continued to look away. "You must know that there is a heavy weight upon my shoulders with this. I had always presumed to find my own bride and never once did I imagine that father would encourage me to marry one particular lady. Indeed, I am surprised that he never mentioned her to me before, for though I knew that Lord Kent and he were very close friends, Lady Vivianne was never mentioned. Neither did we ever meet and I am astonished by that also."

"It may be that something happened to make your father consider such a thing," the Duchess answered, looking back at him. "I do not think that he determined that you ought to marry the lady, otherwise he would have made that very clear in his will, I imagine." She shook her head and sighed. "He did not mention it to me either, so I cannot be of any aid to you there. Though what I will say is that I would encourage you to carefully consider, once you meet the lady. Even if there is an expectation, recall that you are not forced to wed her."

Edmund blew out a frustrated breath, pushing one hand through his hair as he shook his head. "Mother, I do not understand you. One moment, you tell me that I must do all that I can as regards Lady Vivianne and the next, you state that I must consider carefully and have no requirement to marry her! I do not know what I should trust!"

With a small smile, his mother tilted her head. "I want you only to fulfill your responsibilities, that is all and, by going to see the lady and hearing if there is any sort of expectation there, you shall be doing that. Whether you fulfill that expectation, however, is not required."

Trying to understand, Edmund shook his head again. "I see."

"She may be very beautiful and you might find yourself quite in love with her after a moment's glance," the Duchess suggested, lifting her shoulders and offering Edmund a twinkling smile. "Then all shall be well and you will find yourself quite contented."

For whatever reason, Edmund's thoughts immediately returned to Lady Lillian and, though he smiled, inwardly he found himself rebelling against that particular idea. Lady Vivianne might be the most beautiful lady in all of London, he considered, but if she did not have a sharp mind such as Lady Lillian had, then Edmund would not be drawn to her in the same way. Of that, he was quite certain.