Chapter Sixteen

"You are courting?"

Lady Julia nodded, her eyes alight with evident happiness. "I am. He asked me after having already spoken to my father."

Louisa's eyes widened. "He spoke to your father about his intentions? Already?"

Laughing, Julia slipped her hand through Louisa's arm as they walked through the London streets. "Yes, indeed. It seems that he wants to make himself quite clear, both to my father and to myself. I am grateful for that."

"And you are contented with him?"

Lady Julia nodded. "Yes, more than contented, if I am to be truthful." The gentle smile on her face made Louisa's heart squeeze with happiness for her friend, truly glad that she had found someone so wonderful.

"I do hope that I will be asked to be a bridesmaid," she said, making her friend laugh delightedly. "You know I will be upset if I am not asked."

"Of course I shall ask you, though you must not hope for too much too soon… though I think I am speaking to myself rather than to you when I say such things!"

Louisa smiled. "You care for him?"

"I do." Lady Julia sighed, her smile still stretched across her face. "I think him wonderful. He is kind-hearted, considerate, gentle in nature and yet determined to do all that he ought when it comes to our courtship. We have taken tea together many a time, he has come to dinner and we have gone to dine with him. There have been many walks, dances and conversations and all of them have become a little better than the times before! And, of course, I think him very handsome."

Giggling, Louisa elbowed her friend gently. "How could you not?" For a moment, a picture of the Duke filled her mind and Louisa's smile began to fade, wondering as to why she was beginning to think of him when they were talking about Lord Quillon.

"The Duke is handsome also."

Louisa snatched in a breath, her eyes widening as she looked at her friend. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard what I said," Lady Julia answered, a twinkle in her eye. "The ton has always said that the Duke of Yarmouth is a handsome fellow so it would not be surprising for you to think so also."

"Oh." Louisa shrugged but turned her gaze away. "Of course he is."

"And might I ask if your opinion of him has improved at all of late? I have heard the rumours, of course, but I have also heard that each one has been refuted. I think that, at this moment, society does not know what to make of your Duke!"

Louisa hesitated, looking away from her friend and towards the shops which lined the streets, trying to think of what would be best to say. "The truth is, Julia, not all of the rumours are true." She looked back at her friend, seeing a light frown pull across Julia's face. "There is one that I am uncertain about – the rumour that he was at a house of disrepute – but the Duke says that it is not the truth and thus, I have decided to believe him. More than that," she admitted, wincing just a little, "I have told the ton that I was present with him so that it could certainly not be true, though that in itself was a lie."

"You are defending him?" Blinking in surprise, Lady Julia's eyes widened. "Why would you do that?"

"Because," Louisa admitted, a little heavily, "I have come to think a little better of him than I did before. When he tells me that one rumour is a lie, then I am more inclined to believe him and, therefore, I find my heart eager to defend him. Yes, there is some self preservation there also given that I do not want the ton to think poorly of me, for my own reputation could also be damaged, but that is not the main purpose behind my defense of him."

"Goodness!" Lady Julia shook her head quickly, as though trying to remove the expression of surprise from her face, perhaps seeing how Louisa was upset by it. "Forgive me, I do not mean to judge you in any way, I assure you! It is only a little surprising to hear you say such a thing about him. Though, perhaps, that is a good thing! It is good that you will not be at odds with your husband, once you are wed. If there is some good in him that you can cling to, then I am glad for you."

"He still insists that he wants to change, that he wants to become the gentleman he knows he ought to be," Louisa said, speaking slowly as her brows furrowed lightly. "As I have said, I am more inclined to believe him, though I am still not certain. He certainly appears to have altered somewhat already."

"Though you cannot be certain that he did not go to the house of disrepute."

Louisa looked at her friend, her own frown still present. "It is very strange, is it not? When he said that it was a lie, my heart believed him. In a single instant, without even considering anything else, I trusted that he spoke the truth. I do not know what it was, something about how he looked, something in his eyes which told me that he was being honest. And yet, my heart says I cannot trust him fully."

For some moments, Lady Julia said nothing. Then, after a small sigh, she lifted her shoulders lightly and then let them fall. "I do not know what to say. Your heart is your own, your considerations your own.

Louisa pulled her gaze away from her friend, having been silently hoping that Lady Julia would be encouraging.

"Lord Quillon told me that he was going to call upon the Duke this afternoon," Lady Julia continued, making Louisa's gaze rush back towards her. "He did not say as to why he wished to speak to him but he only said that he had much to think about."

"Do you think that he too might be willing to reconsider his friendship with the Duke? Might he too be feeling much the same way as I do?"

Julia smiled and then patted Louisa's hand. "Who can say? It may be that or it may be that he wishes to express some harshness over some matter or other though, given what you have said, I do wonder if it is the former." She took in a deep breath as a trickle of excitement began to wind through Louisa's heart. "Perhaps this Duke of Yarmouth will become a trustworthy gentleman after all."

***

"Are you quite ready?"

Louisa nodded, having purchased two new books from the bookshop. "I am. Do you wish to take a hackney or will we walk back to your townhouse? I can take the hackney from there."

"Or I will send you in the carriage," Lady Julia answered, with a smile as she held open the bookshop door so they might both step outside. "Yes, I am content to walk, though Mama will, no doubt, screech that I have been out for so long and that I will have no time to prepare for the ball this evening!"

Louisa laughed. "I am sure that Lord Quillon will think you quite beautiful no matter what you look like," she said, only for a few squeals of laughter to ring out, catching her attention. Looking ahead, she saw a small group of ladies all standing together, with two gentlemen now ambling towards them, flickers of interest in their eyes. Louisa shrugged inwardly and made to continue her conversation with Lady Julia, only for her to hear her own name being spoken.

"I do feel sorry for Lady Louisa, for she has no choice in the matter! Her father has agreed to it and thus, what can she do but marry him?"

A slow heat began to build in Louisa's chest, rising up to her neck and into her cheeks.

"Wait." Lady Julia caught her arm. "We should not walk past them. Come, let us go another way and – "

"No." Louisa shook off her friend's hand. "I have already been fighting rumours about the Duke himself. I will not let anyone else speak of me in such a way, not when I am close enough to hear it!" Despite her embarrassment, she lifted her chin and approached the group of ladies, some of whom caught their breath at the sight of her, their smiles instantly fading.

"I should like to inform you all that my father did not force me into this betrothal," she said clearly, as everyone in the group looked back at her, including the two gentlemen who had come to join them. "I should also prefer it if you did not speak such nonsense to any other; there have been enough rumours at present about the Duke of Yarmouth and I certainly do not wish for there to be any other!" Her face hot, she set her gaze to each and every face, feeling her stomach twisting inwardly as she fought to keep her composure. She wanted to appear strong and determined, not wishing to show any sign of weakness for fear that the ladies present would pounce upon it – and make yet more rumours spring from that.

"Forgive us, Lady Louisa." One of the young ladies – one that Louisa recognized – bobbed a quick curtsy. "We were only expressing our sympathy about your situation, that was all. There was no malice meant in it."

A few murmurs of agreement came from the others and Louisa nodded though she did not let the conversation go. "Be that as it may, it might be wise, then, to ascertain the truth before speaking about it in such a way, do you not think? It is true that I am betrothed to the Duke of Yarmouth. It is not true that I have been forced into it. Indeed, the Duke himself has told me that I may end our betrothal if I wish it and that he would take the responsibility for it!"

"And… and you do not wish to end it?" another of the ladies asked, sounding utterly astonished as Louisa's face grew hot, swallowing tightly as she pinned her gaze to the rather bold young lady.

"No, I do not."

"But why?" the lady asked again, staring at Louisa with wide eyes, as though she had never seen such an extraordinary creature before. "The Duke of Yarmouth does not have a good reputation, as I am sure you must be aware! Do you not know that most of society pities you? That we look upon you with sympathy?"

"Mary, please." Another young lady put a hand to the one speaking, though there was a slight glint in her eye which Louisa did not like. "You are being much too forward."

Louisa sensed the presence of Lady Julia beside her before she saw her, grateful for the way that her friend had come to join her, despite the fact that she clearly did not think this a wise idea. "While I appreciate that the ton feels sympathy towards me, I can assure you, it is entirely unnecessary. I am fully aware of the Duke's reputation but for reasons which are my own, I will marry him. I would very much appreciate it if there was as little as possible spoken about me, however, for hearing my name in rumours and whispers is not something I value."

"And," Lady Julia added, before the murmurings began, "might I also remind you all that you stand in the presence of the lady who will soon be the Duchess of Yarmouth?"

There came a few quiet gasps at this, as though some there had not realized the significance of this. Whatever they said and did now would be remembered and, given that Louisa would soon be the Duchess and hold a very high title indeed within society, it would not be wise to upset her. That was not something that Louisa had considered but seeing now how some of the ladies flushed and looked away from her in obvious embarrassment made her appreciate Lady Julia's presence and thoughtfulness all the more. It seemed that, with this reminder, she would be less likely to have the whispers of the ton floating around her.

"I shall take my leave of you now." With a nod to one or two, Louisa kept her head high and turned to walk away, Lady Julia following quickly after her. They said nothing for some moments, only for Louisa to let out a long, slow breath and then grin at her friend. "My dear Julia, I think you may have silenced a good many wagging tongues this afternoon!"

Her friend chuckled. "I am glad, for they have no need to speak of you in whispers! Though I must say, it did take me a little by surprise to have you speak with such determination. I think it will have astonished some of them also, though I do not think that it is a bad thing. It will, I think, have even less of them willing to talk about you in that way."

Louisa nodded, her heart lifting just a little as she found herself thinking of the Duke. "If I can quash more rumours about the Duke and about myself, then I think that an excellent thing," she said, softly. "I admit that I am quite determined about my marriage now. I must hope, however, that the Duke does prove himself to me, that his word can be trusted and that his character improves in the way that he has promised."

"I hope so too," Lady Julia answered, softly. "For your sake, I pray it will be just as you have said."