Chapter 16

Mama Has Callers

Mr. Stewart used one of Martin's coaches to return Muriel to her home. As it was a short trip, Mr. Stewart had enough time to go over the alibi; Frank had taken her to his sister's home. It was late, consequently, Muriel was hardly able to speak with her that night. The next morning, she barely had time to dress, break her fast, then wait for Frank to return her home. His sister's name is Martha Durazno; her husband is rarely home so you failed to meet him; and there are two small children, both boys that are mean to be so young. "Do you need for me to go over this again before you go in?" Frank was concerned she would forget some of the information if her mother pressed her.

"I have all the information. There is no need for repetition. I can recite exactly what you said verbatim. I'm good with that sort of thing."

"That is most impressive." They were in front of the house. Frank got down and helped Muriel out. They walked to the front door. "I will go in with you. I think it will reinforce your explanation."

"Alright." She knocked a few times, then opened the front door. Frank and she walked to the drawing room. "Where is everyone?" She walked to the back and Cook was working, most likely, on dinner. "Where is the family?"

"They are all upstairs. They were all up late last night. I would imagine Curtis or Rosa would be up."

She told Frank to have a seat in the drawing room, then ran upstairs to see if anyone was awake.

She knocked on her mother's door, then quietly opened the door in case they were still asleep. As she peeked around the door, there was Mama and Amina. Mama was sitting on the divan and Amina was next to her in an overstuffed, wingback chair. They both saw her at the same time. "There you are! We were so worried. My baby. You must tell me everything. Are you alright?" Her mother was likely close to having a megrim.

"Could you come downstairs? Mr. Stewart is here. He brought me home from his sister's. He is in the drawing room. Amina, please come as well. Do you know if Rosa is awake?"

"Rosa was up earlier to break her fast. I'm unsure if she is still awake. You will have to go up there and see. I will get Marie and myself ready to go down and meet with Mr. Stewart. We are already dressed so it shan't take long."

Muriel went up the third floor, knocked once and entered Rosa's room. She was sitting on her settee, reading. "Rosa."

"Muriel, I was so worried. You must tell me everything."

Muriel giggled. "You sound like Mama. You must come down to the drawing room. Mr. Stewart is here. We will explain. When he leaves, you and I will talk. I have much to tell you. Do you know where Curtis is?"

"He decided to leave today. He said he wanted to see if he might be able to do any of the work he missed before Monday morning."

"I'm surprised he left before I returned home."

"He spoke extensively with Mr. Stewart who assured him that you were in the safest of hands."

"Good. I'm relieved that he went. I worried he might have argued to stay. I'm going down. Come quickly."

By the time Muriel got to the drawing room, Mama and Amina were already there. "I suppose we can begin; Rosa is on her way."

"Before we begin with the happenings of last night, allow me to remind you of the importance of keeping the front door locked. Lady Muriel and I knocked once or twice, then walked right in. That is not good. Not at all. We have yet to identify the man that attacked Lady Muriel last night. He is the same man that broke in through the back, kitchen door. I can't stress enough to you the importance of keeping the doors locked." Frank was rather perturbed about the front door being unlocked.

So Muriel began the story. When she finished, that seemed to satisfy Mama and Amina. Mama had asked Frank if he would stay for tea when someone knocked on the front door. Rosa was closest so she answered. "Flowers for Lady Muriel McDonnell." They all heard. Muriel got up and went to the front door.

"My gosh." She looked out to see three people with flowers. "All these are for me?"

"Yes, ma'am. We even confirmed the order as this is a bit out of the ordinary, but these are all for Lady McDonnell."

"Come in. I suppose you may place them all in the drawing room." Rosa told them, then walked them to the room.

"Is there a card?" Muriel was fairly sure who sent them. She was so excited. All she could do was put her hands to her mouth in awe.

"Yes, ma'am. There are a few cards. You will have to go through the flowers to find them." "How many bouquets are there?" Muriel put her hands to her pinkened cheeks.

"All the roses bought out our shop. The gentleman that ordered them said to buy out another shop. You have two shops of roses, ma'am. We have never had such a purchase, to tell the truth. No offense, ma'am."

"No, of course not." She was unsure where exactly to put all the roses.

Rosa and Muriel made sure the gentlemen were sufficiently thanked for the delivery. They were so impressed with Muriel that they were barely able to return to their coach. Rosa shook her head. "I would like to see a time that did not happen."

"What are you speaking of, Rosa?"

"Nothing, dear. Nothing." Rosa took Muriel's hand and they walked back into the house. "Ladies, I will leave you to your roses. I have much more investigating to do regarding this past week's occurrences. Remember what I said about keeping the doors locked."

Muriel walked Mr. Stewart to the door. "Please make sure you thank Mrs. Martha Durazno for her hospitality. It was so quiet. As if no one was even there. Very unusual." She closed the door and went back into the drawing room.

"Rosa, help me find the cards. How many bouquets do you think there are?"

"Many." Rosa laughed.

"Who in the world sent you all these flowers, Muriel?" Mama looked a bit confused.

"Mama, I have to find a card before I can tell you that."

Rosa found the first one. She handed it to Muriel and she opened the card.

To the most beautiful lady in all of England.

M L Claymont

"Look, Mama, it is from the gentleman that I danced with before the big oaf tried to steal me away." She handed the card to her mother.

"Muriel! Who is this gentleman? He must be very wealthy. These flowers had to be most expensive."

"His name is Lord Martin Claymont. He is a Marquess, Mama. I think that he likes me. At least I hope he does. He is very nice. He fought the oaf, took the knife right out of his hand. It all happened so quickly. Someone notified Mr. Stewart and I had to leave the ball. That oaf ruined my most beautiful ball gown. Everyone was admiring the gown, Mama. My Benefactor has good taste."

Muriel and Rosa took bouquets and placed them in the library, the music room, the small breakfast room, then took them upstairs to all the bedchambers.

They were going downstairs to bring up a few more bouquets when there was another knock at the door. "I will answer!" Called out Muriel. She opened the door. There was a footman.

"I have a calling card for Lady McDonnell. I'm to wait for a reply." He stood at the door, staring at Muriel.

"Mama, you have a calling card. The footman is waiting for a reply." Marie walked into the foyer.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I have a calling card. I was told to wait for a reply.

Marie took the card from the footman and read. "It is from Lord Blackwood. He was such a good friend to Papa. Do you remember him, Muriel?"

"I think so."

"And Lord Aubyn as well. It says they would like to call on me this evening."

"You can say yes Mama, the house looks lovely with all the roses. We can have tea and cakes. Say yes, Mama."

"Alright, please inform the gentlemen that I would be pleased to have them come this evening. Six o'clock is fine."

"Thank you ma'am." The footman continued to stare at Muriel.

"I believe that is all, is it not, sir?" Mama asked the frozen footman. "Oh, yes ma'am. I will relay the message promptly."

"Muriel, close the door and lock it." Mama went back to the drawing room, sat down, and talked with Amina.

"Rosa, shall we find the other cards?" Muriel, overwhelmed by the audacious display of affection.

"Yes, we shall." Rosa squeezed Muriel's hand. "This is most exciting."

"Yes, I think so." Muriel was still unsure if the gentleman she stayed with last night was sincere. She hoped so .

"Muriel, here is another one." "Open it, Rosa. What does it say?"

To the most beautiful lady in the World,

I would be honored to call on you tomorrow at 4:00

Lord M L Claymont, II

"Oh, my goodness. He wants to call on me tomorrow? What should I do?" Was their courtship to become a reality? Now, she was more than nervous.

"You accept, that is what you do." Rosa walked over to her, put both her hands on Muriel's shoulders. "I knew this time would come. I hoped it would be someone worthy of you. Do you like him?"

"I do like him. We have only known each other for a very short period of time. I would be more comfortable if I was able to get to know him." She took Rosa's hands off her shoulders and held them in hers. "He told me he would marry me tomorrow. I'm unsure what to do as he told me he is not sure he believes in love. How could that be? Why would a gentleman wish to marry a lady that he did not love? I find it most curious. Even a bit off-putting. What do you think?"

"We should sit down." They walked over the settee and sat. "Men seem to think there is no such thing as love until they, themselves fall… in love. It hits them one day and then they know. You must give him a bit of time. If by the period of time you have set, he fails to say the words, you have two options. One, ask him, and two, stop the courtship. In some cases option one may automatically lead to option two. Give it time." Rosa paused then asked. "Muriel, do you think you could love him?"

"I, well, he is very handsome. Very caring. Very rich. He seems to say all the right things. I think I could."

"Well, that is why you need to spend more time together and that is what courtship is for."

"I think you need to go into the study and send the gentleman a note, accepting his request." "I think I should ask Mama first." Muriel was thinking about the stupid rules of propriety.

"I suppose so. Shall we?"

They walked back into the drawing room. Mama and Amina were still there. "Mama, Lord Claymont has requested to call on me tomorrow at four o'clock. Do I have your permission to accept. I should send him a note."

"Yes, yes, of course. That would be marvelous. To suddenly have men in the house. Would that not be nice?" Mama was surprisingly pleased which made Muriel happy.

"Now, you ladies must help me dress for the gentlemen calling on me soon. I must have help deciding what to wear. I want my hair to look nice. Special. I hope they think me still lovely." Marie was excited to have men calling on her. It had been a long time since she had seen Blackwood and years since she had seen Aubyn.

Amina and Marie went upstairs to get Marie ready to receive her guests. Muriel spoke with Cook about what could be served along with tea. Muriel knew it was costing. It was important to Mama to impress the gentlemen, so she told Cook to prepare a better choice of tea treats. In addition, she would have a gentleman call on the morow at four o'clock and would like something equally as nice. Cook warned her they were using food stuffs that would cut into their budget. It was a dilemma that Muriel would worry about later.

It was close to six o'clock. Mama was still in her bedroom preening. "Mama, I think you should stay up here until they come. Then I will take them into the drawing room and come to get you. That way it will have them wait a bit. What do you think?" Muriel was giving her mother advice. That felt very strange.

"I will do as you suggest. I will wait here. You will come to get me, correct?" "Yes, Mama. You love beautiful."

Marie took Muriel's hand. "Thank you daughter." Then she cupped Muriel's face with her hand. "You are a beautiful child. It makes me proud that you have always been such a good daughter. I could not be prouder."

Muriel thought she would tear over such tender proclamations. That was the first time in a long time Mama had said anything to Muriel as touching. Hopefully, seeing old friends and getting to visit her Bosom Bows would bring her back to life.

Muriel and Rosa went over to the drawing room to assure it looked clean and comfortable. The abundance of aromatic flowers gave the house a delightful scent. The tea was ready and Cook had a decedent array of sweet treats. Everything seemed in order when there came a knock at the door.

As Muriel answered, there stood a tall, very handsome gentleman that she thought was Lord Blackwood. As he had been a close friend to Papa, Muriel knew he was older, but he certainly could have passed for a much younger man. A shorter, balding gentleman that she did not know accompanied Lord Blackwood. "How do you do. I'm Lord Blackwood."

"Yes, Lord Blackwood" She curtsied. "I remember you. You came out to Willow Bend a few times with Papa."

"Yes, Lady Muriel, is it?"

"Yes, my lord."

"And this is Lord Aubyn." Lord Blackwood introduced him. "How do you do, my lord."

She thought Lord Aubyn was about to answer when Muriel spoke. "I'm sorry to leave you on the front steps. Please do come in." The gentlemen had their hats off and were looking around for a butler. Or someone to take their overcoats.

"Our butler was rather severely injured this past week and is unable to tend to his duties. We are all stepping up so I will be happy to take your hats and coats."

"That's understandable. Those things happen. I hope he is not too severely injured." Lord Aubyn asked.

"Yes, my lord. He was. Broken ribs and possible internal injuries."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Lord Blackwood seemed sincerely concerned.

"If it is acceptable, I will take your coats and hats into the library."

"Yes, that is fine." She had never met Lord Aubyn. He seemed like a pleasant gentleman.

She led them into the drawing room, then told them she would go see about Lady McDonnell.

Muriel had her mother walk down the staircase ahead of her so the gentlemen might eye her coming down. She looked beautiful.

Both gentlemen stood. As Lord Blackwood had been a close friend of the family, he embraced Mama. "Stephen, it is so good to see you."

He hugged her again. "You look wonderful." Holding her

hands, he stepped back from her. "Marie, you are still as beautiful as you ever were." Blackwood had such a look in his eyes.

"Marie." Aubyn took both her hands and held them in his. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld. You have not aged a day."

"That is so kind of you to say, James. I certainly feel it." She laughed. "Would you both please be seated?"

"We have been wanting to call on you for a week. I'm so glad we finally made it." Stephen kept staring at Mama.

"Well, you must tell me everything. What has been going on in parliament? How are all the gentlemen that used to play whist with Curtis? I miss them all."

"We might be able to get a whist game night together and have you come play with us. As I recall you were an excellent player." Stephen would love to be able to have an evening of cards.

"I have tea and desserts prepared. How does that sound?" Aubyn jumped right in. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"I will be a minute, if you will excuse me."

Marie went into the kitchen as Rosa finished setting the cups and saucers. "I will take that in for you, Lady McDonnell." It was one of the new footmen.

"Thank you, um – I apologize. I'm unable to recall –"

"It is Stan, my lady. You go ahead I will follow." So Marie and Rosa entered the drawing room followed by Stan.

As they went into the drawing room, both gentlemen stood again. "Please sit. This is my adopted daughter, Miss Rosa Morgan."

Blackwood had remained standing. "I do remember you. Rosa? Correct? Yes. So good to see you."

Rosa curtsied. And Aubyn stepped forward. "I have never met you. I'm Lord Aubyn. Pleasure to meet you." Rosa curtsied. "I believe I met your mother. Marie, did you not grow up with an ebony woman? I fail to recall her name. It was most unusual."

"Yes." Rosa responded. "That is my mother. Amina Morgan."

"Yes, yes. And as I recall, Marie, you and Amina spent a lot of time together."

"True, James. We still do. She is here. Upstairs. Probably reading. I could not be without her." Mama smiled at Lord Aubyn. She was pleased that he had remembered Amina.

"Will that be all, Lady McDonnell?" asked Stan. He had been standing at the doorway. "Yes, thank you Stan."

Stan and Rosa left the three to enjoy the camaraderie. Stan returned to the kitchen area. Muriel and Rosa went upstairs and spent time in Amina's bedchamber reading. They had stayed until very late. When Muriel heard them in the foyer she went down the stairs to fetch their hats and coats.

"Marie, it was a pleasure to see you. I want us to get together again very soon. Perhaps we might go to dinner." Blackwood never once brought up his wife.

"Yes, Marie, it would be very nice. May I come to call again soon?" Aubyn asked.

"Yes, let me know and I'm sure it will be fine. I did enjoy seeing you both and Stephen, I would love a card party."

"I will work on that tonight."

"Marie, please know if you need anything – anything at all, you need only ask. I would be honored to help you anyway I possibly could. I hope you will remember that if need arises." Aubyn had her hand. It was as if he was never going to let it go.

"Thank you, James. That is most gracious."

They said their good-nights. Marie closed the door. "Mama, lock it."

"Yes, Muriel. I was going to. I was thinking about what a lovely evening I spent with your father's old friends. Stephen was much closer to the family than James, although James was good friends with Curtis."

"I'm glad you had a good evening, Mama. You must do more entertaining like that soon."

Stan came up to the front of the house. "Is all well, my lady?"

"Yes, Stan. I believe is. it Thank you." Mama started up the stairs humming a tune Muriel had not heard since Papa died.

It was Sunday and Muriel was awake before the sun. She went into Rosa's bedchamber, crawled into her bed, and pinched on her derriere. "What! What are you doing? I was having a wonderful dream."

"You need to wake up. I'm beside myself with what to do about four o'clock. You must help me."

"I must? You pinch me on the bum, wake me up, and I'm supposed to help you with your gentleman?"

"Yes!"

"Why? You know he will be delirious. You could put on a paper sack and I doubt he would notice." Rosa wanted more sleep.

"I'm not so confident. Helen and Margaret said he is one of the four most desirable men of the ton. They also said that Lord Claymont has never danced with anyone at any of the balls. Not ever."

"But, he danced with you. Why are you so nervous? The man is a fool if he passes you by. I would say he hardly deserves you as it is."

"Help me, please, Rosa."

"It is early. The kitchen is not even up yet. And there is not a reason to prepare for this gentleman until long after noon. I am not budging. Lay here with me and go to sleep or out." Rosa rolled back over and attempted to return to sleep. "Go!"

"I'm going. Meany." Muriel walked back to her bedchamber, tried to read her new romance novel, and put it down to look out the window. She did that about twenty times. She decided to write in her journal, except she was continually distracted by her own wandering mind. When she thought about the gentleman caller to come today, she continued to have a frisson of excitement.

She thought about her Benefactor and Lord Claymont. How could she have been blessed with two individuals with such largesse. She had wondered if they were one and the same. That had to be impossible as she met Lord Claymont on Friday evening. She continued to hope that one day soon she would meet the person. The Benefactor could even be a ‘they'. She had to remember what Rosa said, ‘Just accept it. If you find out who it is, they may stop the gifts.' She felt selfish hoping it would continue yet she accepted that gifts such as these were likely ephemeral.

She was continuing her thoughts when she heard a knock on the front door. It was too early for Lord Claymont. She went down the stairs and opened the door to find a nicely dressed young man. "Is this the McDonnell house?" "Yes, it is, may I help you?" She did not recognize him. The young man stood there; he stuttered and stammered. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, miss...miss?" He began to look at anything apart from Muriel.

"Yes, Miss will be sufficient. May I help you?" She asked him again. She wondered if he was befogged. "Sir, are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, I have a calling card for Lady McDonnell. That is not you, correct?" "No. It is my mother."

"Oh, good. What I mean is you looked too young to be...I apologize. Um, is she about? Your mother. The gentleman asked to get a reply, miss."

"Oh, please wait while I collect my mother." She closed the front door. The young man must be a simpkin. Mama was in the drawing room.

"What is it, Muriel?"

"There is a messenger here to see you. He has a calling card and was told to get a reply. He is a very strange young man, Mama."

Muriel let Mama address the young man. He was very strange.

Mama returned to the drawing room with a smile on her face, holding the calling card in her hand. "It was from Mr. Charles Davis. He asked to come and call on us today at around four o'clock. "What did you respond?"

"I said yes, of course." The look Muriel had on her face reminded Marie that Muriel's gentleman would be coming today at the same time. "It will be fine, darling girl. In fact, it may be better as your gentleman may feel less, how should I say, conspicuous with Mr. Davis here. They may even know each other."

"Yes, that may be true. I better go speak to Cook again. We will need more tea treats." Muriel dragged herself out of the drawing room. She was very pleased for her mother as people were requesting visits; it was wreaking havoc on the larder. She would keep reminding herself that all would be well.

Muriel was coming out of the kitchen when there was another knock at the door. "Rosa!" She called out. Rosa was in her mama's bedchamber.

"What is going on down there?"

"Would you please answer the front door? Please, I think it must be someone else's turn."

"I'm coming down." Rosa hurried down the stairs.

She was in time to see Stan going to the door. "Miss Morgan, I will answer it. This house has been busy with callers."

Stan opened the door and a young man was holding a bouquet of flowers. They looked to be peonies and sweet peas.

"I have a bouquet for a Lady Muriel McDonnell."

Rosa was standing behind Stan. She rolled her eyes. "Thank you, I will take them. Will that be all?" Stan had the man looking up at him and seemed a bit too nervous.

"No, that is all." So Stan closed the door with a small bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Muriel, you have another bouquet of flowers." Rosa called out. Muriel had already gone upstairs to her bedchamber.

"I will be right down."

Rosa thanked Stan and took the flowers. She set them down next to one of the dozens of bouquets of roses. When Muriel came into the drawing room she looked at the bouquet curiously. "I don't believe these are from the same gentleman." She picked them up and looked at them.

"Whoever is it from, it is a sweet gesture." Muriel thought it was not everyone that could afford to buy out two flower shops full of roses.

"Not as ostentatious as Lord Claymont's." Rosa commented as Muriel checked the card.

Lady Muriel,

Please forgive my forwardness of Friday night. I was overwhelmed by your beauty.

I hope you will forgive me and allow me to come to call.

Yours,

Michael Crumb

"Oh, my!" Muriel scowled at the note. "I failed to tell you about this gentleman at the ball. He was attempting to get my attention and grabbed either my gown or my wrap. I had so many things happen to me that night, I have difficulty recalling them all. And in a few hours at a ball. This Crumb person, I did not receive him at all. Then Helen told me that he has a terrible reputation for assaulting women, gambling, and drinking. I believe Helen. I want nothing to do with the man. How do I respond to something like this?"

Rosa sat down and put her head in her hands. "I have no idea. Your mother may have some idea. Even though it has been a long time since she was a single lady, I'm sure she recalls how to rid herself of unwanted suitors."

"Yes, that is the best idea. I feel that Helen or Margaret would have not the slightest idea." Muriel looked to Rosa. "I think I need to look at my dresses. Which would be the best to wear? What do you think?" Muriel usually always collaborated with Rosa when deciding what to wear. "Shall we go upstairs, look into the dressing area and see what I have to pick from?"

"Yes. It seems odd that now you have almost as many ball gowns as you do day dresses." Rosa tittered.

"Perhaps I should wear a ball gown." They began to dance the minuet.

They stopped, Rosa laughed. "Maybe not such a good idea."

Rosa suddenly had a pensive face. "I fear there is another knock at the door."

"It can't be! It is still too early for our gentlemen callers." They looked at each other.

"I will go. If you go, it might take too long." Rosa smiled as she walked out the door.

"Why ever would you say that?" Muriel shouted as Rosa walked down the stairs.

Once again, Stan had made it to the door. When he opened it, there was a footman with a missive in hand.

"I have a note from Lady Margaret for Lady Muriel and Miss Morgan."

Rosa looked at Stan. I will take it. Stan bowed and left the front door. "I'm Miss Morgan; I can take your message."

"I was told to wait for a reply." The footman gazed down at Rosa and smiled.

"I shan't be but a moment." She ran up the stairs. "Muriel, we received a note from Margaret. She and Helen would like to come by late this afternoon. How would you like me to respond?"

"Rosa, they are your friends as well. What would you like to do?"

"I was thinking that it might be fun, and a lot less stressful to have them come. We could go to the music room. I could play the piano. You could sing. We might even be able to play cards. What do you think?"

"Rosa, I think that is a grand idea."

Rosa went downstairs and told the footman to reply that we would love to have them come. The footman smiled to Rosa once more. "It was very nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Morgan."

Rosa closed the door. "Wow!"

The first to show were the girls, Margaret and Helen. Stan had been given instructions to answer the door for the remainder of the evening. He opened the door. "Lady Margaret and Lady Helen, I presume?"

Helen looked up at him and Margaret thought Helen was going to swoon. "Yes, we are." Margaret answered. It looked as if Helen was unable to speak.

"May I take your wraps?"

He helped them both out of their coats, gloves, muffs, and took them into the library. "I will tell Lady Muriel and Miss Morgan you are here."

"Wow! Where did they get him?" Helen was flushed.

"He is a footman, Helen. Please, know your place." Margaret scolded.

"Handsome is handsome, regardless of their pedigree." Helen rebutted.

"Yes, I admit, he is handsome, even so, there are plenty of handsome men with titles. Don't forget that!"

"Yes, Margaret." Helen answered sarcastically.

Muriel and Rosa could hear the two bickering as they came down the stairs. As soon as Muriel made it into the drawing room, they swarmed her. "You must tell us everything. Lord Claymont. I told you that he had his eyes on you the minute you entered the ballroom." Both were excited to hear Muriel's story.

"He is to come here at four o'clock. I'm very happy you came early. I'm so nervous."

"Hello, ladies. Remember me?" Rosa gave a quick laugh.

"Oh, Rosa. So sorry. We want to hear everything about her night on Friday. It was full of surprises, was it not, Muriel?"

"Yes, it certainly was. Not all of them were good." As Muriel answered them, Helen and Margaret walked over and hugged Rosa.

Helen turned and noticed all the roses. "Is the McDonnell family opening a flower shop? Margaret, look at all these roses."

Rosa laughed. "And that is not all of them, either. There are some in the library, the music room, the breakfast room, and all the bedrooms."

Margaret grabbed Muriel's hand. "All from...?"

"Yes." Margaret took Muriel's hand as they stomped their feet and giggled.

Helen noticed the small bouquet of peonies and sweet peas. "And who sent this little bouquet?" She walked over and scrutinized it. "I suppose it is the thought that counts. Who is it from?"

"Remember the gentleman that came up and grabbed me. He wanted to speak to me. Michael Crumb."

"Oh, no. What did his note say?"

"Here, you are welcome to read it." Muriel handed the note to Helen. Margaret walked over and they both read it. "Oh, no. You must not see him. He is a despicable person. Not a gentleman. Not at all."

"I agree. I know there are rumors about him although often the rumors are exaggerated. There have been too many rumors about different incidences to be able to ignore. He is a scoundrel." Helen was adamant.

"Rosa called him a – what was it? It is a very old term." Muriel was trying to recall. "

It was riff-raff." Rosa snickered.

"Riff-raff. I think that is the perfect word for Mr. Crumb." Margaret agreed.

Stan walked into the drawing room. "My lady, Lord Claymont has arrived."

The four girls tittered together. Martin entered the room and it was as if he had taken every bit of space from the room. "Ladies. I was not expecting such a lovely array of beauties." He walked over to Muriel, took her hand and kissed it. As he raised up, he gave such a look to Muriel that her face turned a light shade of red. Then he walked to Margaret, took her hand and bowed over it. "Have I had the pleasure before?"

"I think not. I'm Lady Margaret. Lord Maxwell's daughter."

"Ah, yes." He remembered Muriel had accompanied Margaret with the other two ladies that day they spied the oaf. "It is nice to meet such a good friend of Lady Muriel's."

He walked to Helen and bowed over her hand. "And I fear I have not met you."

"No, you have not. I'm Lady Helen; my father is Lord Green."

"Ah, yes. I can see the family resemblance." She looks like her father, poor dear. "And this is Miss Morgan. I have heard much about you. Muriel is your sister."

He took her hand and bowed over it.

"Yes, my lord. She is. We have grown up together. And Margaret and Helen." Rosa added .

They all stood looking at him. Muriel realized the awkward silence. "Shall we all go into the music room?"

Rosa led the way. Margaret and Helen were right behind her. Muriel and Martin stayed in the drawing room. Muriel knew they would not be able to stay in the room alone for too long. She only wanted a minute of time with the two of them.

"I have missed you. I see you received my flowers." He looked around the room.

"Yes, thank you so very much. We have bouquets of roses throughout the house."

"I only wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you." As he looked around the room, he noticed flowers that looked out of place. "Do I have competition?" He walked over to take a better look. The card was tucked into the bouquet. "Michael Crumb? Tell me you don't know this man."

"I don't. He approached me at the ball. I thought him very rude. I suppose this was his way of apologizing." He walked back to her.

"Muriel, he is not a good man. Actually, he is a very bad man. Has no respect for women or his own family for that matter."

"Please, don't think because he sent flowers that I have any inclination to allow him to call on me." She looked to the drawing room door, then back at him. She took his lapel. "As I recall, I had a gentleman ask to court me. Would that exclude all other suitors?"

This time, he looked to the door. Turned and put his hand on the nape of her neck and bent down to kiss her. A short, sweet kiss. "It most certainly does. I have staked my claim. No gentleman callers save for one Lord Martin Lester Claymont, the second. Are we of one accord on that, my fairest of fair ladies?"

"Yes, my lord. No gentleman callers save for the tall, handsome Lord Claymont." She gave a little giggle.

"I love your laugh. I love to make you laugh." He looked at the door once again, bent down and kissed her. This time it was a kiss that sent chills down her spine. She wondered if he felt that, too.

"We had better join them in the music room." Muriel pulled him along. Right before they entered the music room, Muriel stopped. "Are we supposed to do something with Mama, I'm not sure what the rules are for this kind of thing. Are you?"

"I'm not; besides, I have never been one for protocol. I know I want to do the proper thing with you, but the particulars elude me." Martin did not care one whit about social norms regarding relationships. He had never had a relationship such as this. All past relationships were either with mistresses, although not that many, or widows; widows that expected nothing more than a sexual dalliance. This was foreign to him as well. If it was up to him, he would have married her yesterday and they would still be in bed. He had a lot he wanted to show her in the marriage bed. He knew he had better not think of those things at the moment. His cockstand was rather too obvious in the tight pants he wore.

They went into the room and Rosa was sitting at the piano. "We have been waiting for you to tell us what you would like to hear? Something to dance to, something to sing to, what?"

"I would very much like to dance with Lady Muriel. What can you play that we could dance to?" Martin would love nothing better than to hold her in his arms.

"We danced to–"

"Lady Muriel, Mr. Charles Davis to see Lady McDonnell."

"Oh, yes, Stan. I will go tell her that he is here." She had to walk past the drawing room to get to the stairs so she stopped. "Mr. Davis, so good to see you. I'm so glad you came to call. I will fetch Mama, Lady McDonnell right now."

She got to Mama's bedchamber door and knocked. "Come." "Mama, Mr. Davis is here. "

"Do I look alright? Is the dress too much? Too much décolletage?"

"No, Mama. You look beautiful. After you speak with Mr. Davis, Lord Claymont, Margaret, Helen, Rosa, and I are all in the music room. I think it is necessary for you to meet him, Lord Claymont."

"Yes, yes, of course. How could I forget. Only nervous about seeing Mr. Davis." Mama must have some kind of feeling for Mr. Davis.

"Shall we?" Muriel held the door open for her mother, then they went down the stairs.

Mr. Davis was standing when Marie went into the drawing room. "Lady McDonnell, I'm so happy you agreed to see me. I hope this is not an inconvenience."

"No, none whatsoever. I thought this to be a social call. Was I mistaken?" Marie's cheeks were getting warm. If she had misinterpreted Mr. Davis's note she would be terribly embarrassed.

"I hoped it to be a social call. That is alright? Yes?" Mr. Davis seemed as embarrassed as Marie.

"I was hoping it was. Please sit down." Marie sat, then Mr. Davis sat down next to her.

"I could not help but notice the abundance of roses. Were they all for you?" He hoped she had no suitor already. He hoped he was not too late.

"No, Mr. Davis. These were all sent to my daughter from an admirer. In fact, he is here. I should have met him when he first arrived. I was...I guess I was thinking about seeing you. I failed to perform my maternal duty." He smiled at her, reached over and took her hand.

"I'm most flattered that you felt that way. I have been a bit anxious about this evening myself. It is rather silly when you think of it. We have known each other a very long time. I hope you don't think me too bold when I say that I'm hopeful we can develop a new kind of relationship. If you wish it. I want to let you know that is my wish."

"Mr. Davis, Charles, that sounds very good to me." He still had her hand. "I think we should go to the music room. Allow me to introduce you. I also will be asking a few questions of Muriel's suitor." Mr. Davis stood, held out his hand. "Shall we?"

As it was hoped, the evening was most exhilarating. Rosa played the piano. Mr. Davis and Marie danced. Martin and Muriel danced. Helen and Margaret danced. Then the two men danced with Helen and Margaret. Stan, the footman, brought in the tea and treats. Later, Marie asked Stan to bring glasses and the bottles of sherry and brandy. They sang, Taffy was a Welshman. Then Muriel played music for another dance and Martin danced with Rosa. Marie and Mr. Davis danced together again. Margaret and Helen decided to dance together again and laughed the whole time. Muriel played Mozart's, Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor. She received a big round of applause. She looked at Martin and she could see he was impressed. They had another round of drinks. Muriel and Rosa talked them all into singing,

A-Hunting We Will Go. Everyone surrounded the piano as Rosa played and everyone else read the words to each stanza. By the end of the second stanza, everyone was laughing. Martin stood next to Muriel and when no one was looking, he put his arm around her. When she looked up at him, he would wink at her or blow her a kiss. No one had paid any attention to the time, until Mr. Davis looked at his pocket watch and it was close to midnight. They had so thoroughly enjoyed themselves that they had forgotten all about the time.

"I sincerely regret having to end the party, nonetheless, I feel it is time for me to go before I wear out my welcome." Mr. Davis looked at Marie with such loving eyes. Muriel wondered what Mama would do if and when Mr. Davis asked for her hand. Rosa and Muriel enjoyed his company. He was fun and funny and very attentive to Marie.

"I guess we should leave as well." Margaret spoke up. "Much as we hate to go. I, for one, had such a good time. We should do this again very soon. Maybe next time, we can have everyone come to my house."

"That would be fun." Rosa remarked.

"Thank you, Muriel." Helen walked to Martin. "It was very nice to meet you."

"And you as well. I hope to see you again very soon." Martin replied to Helen. Then he walked to Margaret. "It was a pleasure. I would look forward to attending a gathering at your home. Would you tell your father that I sent my regards."

Then it was Rosa, Muriel, and Martin. After Mr. Davis left, Mama had gone upstairs. Rosa looked at Martin. "I hope you had a nice time this evening. I enjoyed it very much. I hope we can do it again."

"You play marvelously. Muriel told me how well you played. She did say she sang better." He laughed. "Yet she sang nothing. We must make her sing the next time."

"Yes, I agree. We will do that." She started out the door. "I'm going into the kitchen for a minute or two. I will be back when I finish in there. I know you will both behave." Then she winked at Martin.

"Well, my sweet, we have a whole five to ten minutes all to ourselves." He put his arms around her. "I need to get a step stool for you so it will be easier to kiss you." He looked around. "I have a better idea." He picked her up, held her in his arms and thoroughly kissed her. "God, my sweet. I want you. I'm sorry. It is not the gentlemanly thing to tell you, yet I'm compelled. Are you sure you want to do this courtship ritual?"

"Yes, I believe that we should. I understand that you are sexually attracted to me, nevertheless, there is more to a relationship than sex." Muriel was looking at him, trying to read his face.

"There is more? I thought it was purely sex." He kissed her again. "I understand. I know there are many other things to consider other than the sexual attraction. I also know what you want. I hope I can give it to you." Martin was serious.

"I hope you can as well. I can't be wed to anyone without it." Muriel kissed him this time. He moaned. She pushed away from him. "Do you think we might be able to get a cat, too? I love cats. And maybe spend more time at your country estate? Town gets extremely stinky, does it not?"

"Martin laughed through his answer. "Yes, it does." He hugged her tight. "You are my very own spectre. I'm one lucky man."

"I hope you are." She hugged his neck. "Now, I think you better put me down before we are discovered."

"I won't. I'm going to carry you to the foyer with me." "Martin, you can't."

"And why not?"

"Because you need your topcoat. It is in the library. Shall we go and get it?" She smiled at him. "If you decide to come back to this crazy house, you may want to look through the library. I like all the books in there."

"What are your favorite kind of books, non-fiction? Biographies? What?"

"We discussed this at your abode. I shan't tell you. You will have to exercise that –" she tapped his temple, "and attempt to recall."

"Did I tell you what I liked?"

"You said–and I quote, ‘my taste is similar to yours except for romance novels."

"Well, that did not help me at all." He grimaced .

"Ah-ha! You were trying to trick me and you could not. And I do think you might like a romance novel, especially if it has a sub-plot with it."

"How did you remember that? About the books?"

"I remember things. Usually almost everything I read. And conversations if I'm interested. If it is boring, I decide I shan't keep it."

"Are all angels able to do that or is that one of your unearthly specialties?"

"Martin, you are so silly. Now, will you put me down and I will walk you to the door."

"So you want to rid yourself of me?"

"If you would sleep with me again, you could stay. That would be nice. I like to cuddle."

"I can get a special license tomorrow. What say you?"

"I say no, even if I do like the cuddling."

"Muriel, you drive me mad."

"I think you like me...a lot...I think."

"A lot, you are correct."

"Now, say good-night, Lord Claymont."

"Good night, my sweet. Tomorrow is Monday. I'm thinking about what I have to do tomorrow. Would you like to go to the theatre tomorrow evening? I can see what is playing. I have a box. And I know, you will have to bring someone along. Who? Mama or your friends–Margaret? Helen? Who, by the way , looks exactly like her father."

"We all know. At the ball, I thought she looked quite lovely."

"I think Margaret looked nice in that royal blue gown. She seems to be interested in someone in one of the four horsemen, only none of us can figure out who. Would you be interested in telling me?"

"Check on what is playing and send me a missive." She opened the door, he stepped out, she shut the door, and all the way up the stairs.