Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

E arly the next morning, after being tended by her lady's maid, Olivia walked slowly down the stairs.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase and turned to head toward the dining room where she knew a breakfast buffet was laid, she paused.

Who is that?

Olivia had never been inclined to eavesdrop before, and she didn't mean to do as much at present, but her choices were limited. She could either stay where she was and overhear the squabble that was happening just around the corner. Or she could stride into view, reveal herself, and allow the bickering ladies to think she had been intentionally listening in on their conversation. So, Olivia chose to stay concealed and out of view.

"This will not do," one lady said to the other. "You knew, when I agreed to come to this odious manor house, that I did it with a purpose."

"Yes, Mama," the second lady replied. "I remember well your scheme to…"

"But you have allowed one entire day to come and go, and what progress have you made?"

The second lady hesitated. "I…I talked with Lord Frontershire yesterday, Mama. You must have noticed our interaction. He seemed mightily…"

"I do not care what he seemed ," the first lady hissed. "I told you, Abigail, that…"

Olivia's mind spun.

Abigail? The woman being scolded is Lady Abigail?

She would not have guessed such a thing. Her interactions with Lady Abigail had been minimal yesterday, and Lady Olivia had promptly vowed to stay away from the other moving forward, but she had been under the impression that Lady Abigail was the formidable force, and those who argued with her were few and far between.

But it seems her Mama is relentless.

"We know that Lord Frontershire has come here looking for a wife, and I am determined to see you as his bride," Lady Emerton proceeded. "He is indubitably the most handsome man in the room. His title is desirable, and he is wealthy. Need I continue to enumerate his fine qualities?"

"Mama," Abigail replied, "you do not need to convince me further. We are in agreement. I do believe I caught Lord Frontershire's eye yesterday and if I have my way, we shall be united before week's end."

"Can you guarantee the matter?" her mother pressed.

"I…"

"Abigail," Lady Emerton snapped, "do be more assertive. My friends tell me that Lord Frontershire likes a confident, poised woman. So…" There was a pause, and Olivia could hear some fussing. "Stand up straight. Throw back your shoulders and hold your head high. Not too high, silly child. Must I do everything for you?"

"I will make a clear impression upon the marquess today," Abigail vowed. "You wait and see, Mama. By the end of the day, he will be begging me to marry him."

"Let us hope so," Lady Emerton returned.

Because Olivia was standing with her cheek pressed to the wall, she was spared the indignity of being discovered by Lady Emerton when she stomped around the corner and headed directly toward the dining room. But because she miscalculated and assumed Lady Abigail went in a different direction from her mother, she stepped out of her place of concealment just in time to run right into her adversary.

"What are you doing?" Lady Abigail asked bitterly, giving Lady Olivia a glare that was laced with vitriol.

"I was just going to breakfast," Olivia replied. Then, when she paused and truly looked at Lady Abigail's face, she felt a wave of sympathy course through her. Lady Abigail's color was high, and her cheeks were fully flushed. Her lips were curved into a scowl, and even though she retained a haughtiness about her, she seemed somehow less imposing than she had yesterday. "Would you care to join me?" Olivia offered, feeling it was the least she could do to try and provide a bit of comfort.

Lady Abigail shook her head. "I have already made plans for breakfast. I intend to…"

Olivia was not sure what compelled her to insert her own feelings into the matter, but she did not like what she had overheard. Lord Frontershire might be all the things Lady Emerton purported, but he was not a good man.

"If you are thinking of sitting with Lord Frontershire, I would like to…"

"Where I sit and with whom I share my meals is entirely out of your hands," Lady Abigail interjected. She lifted her chin and gave Olivia a supercilious stare down the length of her nose. "And I thank you, going forward, to stay out of my personal affairs."

Huffily, she lifted her skirts and then sashayed away, moving at a speedy pace, evidently trying to put a great deal of distance between the two of them.

Poor Lady Abigail. She might be terrible, but I would not wish to see her wed to Lord Frontershire for a mountain of gold.

Resigned, Olivia trailed after Lady Abigail, heading into the dining room, so she might join her friend, Edith, for a spot at breakfast. But when she entered the room and sat down next to her, Olivia realized she lacked any sort of appetite.

"What is it?" Miss Templeton asked as she took a small bite of a coddled egg. "Did you not rest well?"

"I slept fine," Olivia returned. "It is just that I was thinking about the people of the ton. They are just as manipulative and callous as my mother always said." She shrugged helplessly. "For so long, I thought she was merely wishing to protect me by keeping me in the country and away from social interactions. But now, I find myself longing for solitude and…" She sighed despondently. "What do you say after breakfast, we forego the day's activities and seek out the library instead? I am sure I recall Mama telling me the dowager has a splendid collection of…"

"Faery stories?"

Olivia was so shocked to hear Lord Frontershire interrupt that she nearly toppled out of her chair when she pivoted quickly to glance over her shoulder at him.

"Careful there," he cautioned, extending a hand as if he meant to support her. Olivia jerked swiftly away from him, teetering back into a proper sitting position. "We would not want you to twist your ankle. Then, you'd have a convenient excuse to get out of today's activities."

"I was only thinking of…"

"Yes," he murmured, "I heard what you said. You wish to escape to the library, but how will you ever succeed in such an endeavor, Lady Olivia? When you disappear, won't everyone think to look for you there? For where else would you go?" He shook his head wryly. "There is a saying that I believe is appropriate here. One simply cannot teach an old dog new tricks."

Furious, Olivia jumped to her feet. But because she moved so hurriedly, her hip bumped the table, and she spilled the cup of tea Edith had been drinking.

"Oh no," Olivia cried, watching as the tea splashed over the saucer and spread across the fine, white tablecloth. "I am so dreadfully sorry," she apologized to her friend profusely and extended her regrets to the man sitting on Edith's other side as well, but she gave up on the matter when she heard Lord Frontershire snickering. Stopping in midsentence and putting her hands on her hips, Olivia turned to glare at him.

"Go on," he prompted, waving his hand at the mess she'd made. "Do continue to make a spectacle of yourself."

"How can you be so scornful?" Olivia admonished. "Your manners are impertinent at best. If you were a true gentleman, you would have offered to help me or Miss Templeton, but instead, you stand there and…"

Her words were cut short when the Dowager Countess of Langford entered the room. She was dressed in a lovely summer gown that was white with fine gray stripes running vertically. Today, she had a bonnet situated atop her head, and it was decorated with an assortment of sunflowers and other such wild blossoms.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, holding her hands out wide as if she meant to embrace them one and all. "It is my pleasure to invite you all out onto the lawn so that we might have a bit of swordplay." She graciously gestured to the man at her side, who was carrying a small sword. "We will have ourselves a competition for the gentlemen." She paused to allow for the reaction that ensued. Then, she added, "And the ladies are most welcome to enjoy the show as well."

As the dowager finished her speech and turned in a full circle whilst sweeping out of the room, Olivia let out an audible groan. "Must we go watch the men fence?"

Edith patted her arm kindly. "Put on a happy face," she encouraged. "Once we are outside, all your cares in here will float away, and you will be left feeling rejuvenated."

Olivia snorted. "I doubt that to be true."

"But you must give it a try," Edith continued. "My father always says competition is good for the soul and…"

"But we weren't invited to participate in the games," Olivia reminded her.

Edith smiled good-naturedly. "Just the same, we shall find a way to enjoy ourselves."

Standing still, Olivia watched as her new friend scurried from the room, joining the gaggle of ladies who were heading up to their chambers to secure their parasols and bonnets. But she stayed put. Her eyes darted until they rested on the buffet.

I am hungry. Perhaps I will stay here and…

But then she saw Lord Frontershire grasp hold of a plate and load it with several rashers of bacon.

I would not share my breakfast with him if he had all the bacon, and I was forced to beg for the scraps from his plate.

She hurried out of the room, slightly content with knowing that even though she would be obligated to spend the rest of the morning watching the fencing bouts, at the very least she would not have to stay another minute in Lord Frontershire's company.