Page 46 of Sacrificing the Untamed Lady Henrietta
“Very well, my Lord,” she acquiesced.
He sat down in a chair across from her, apparently intent on visiting further.
“But to be clear, and at risk of being tediously redundant, I take no issue with you speaking with freedom, even should I not appreciate the subject matter.”
That was all very well and good. He would allow her to speak her mind, to him at least. And while she appreciated the allowance, as wonderful as that freedom was, she had to admit she wanted more. It would not be enough just to speak freely and share her opinions with him. Before she knew it, she heard herself declaring her intentions to embrace more than freedom of thought and speech.
“I don’t just want to speak with freedom, my Lord. I want to live with freedom.”
“And what does that mean, Henrietta? Please be clear.”
“I want to make unconventional choices.”
“Such as?”
“Choices society traditionally denies women.”
“Yes. I understand. Can you please be more specific?”
“Education.”
“You have been educated, my Lady. In fact, your education certainly exceeds the education of three-quarters of the Duchy.”
“More education. More knowledge. Discoveries. Science.”
“Medicine?”
Surprise shot through her, leaving her without a pithy retort. His eyes were bright, but she could not make out what he might mean by the suggestion he had just made. At last he saved her by changing the subject.
“Lord Averson has a box at the theater in Tanner Street and has invited us to join him tonight. The theater season closes tonight. It is set to be most memorable. Are you agreeable?”
“Are you agreeable?” she asked softly, finding her voice at last.
“I am if you are.”
“We agree to agree then.”
He smiled for the first time since the tea room. For a moment, it seemed to Henrietta like he had forgiven her for calling him a hypocrite.
* * *
Lord Averson had some estate lands in the area just outside Scarborough, and his family had held a position on the town corporation board for generations. He was thus often called upon to participate in matters of judgment relating to the Spa and Pump House, usually a rebuilding project undertaken to make repairs to the buildings that brought in the pleasure seekers. Damaging storms pummeled the sea coast, leaving the spa’s structures in ruins with discouraging regularity.
As he was frequently in town, Lord Averson kept a box for the entirety of the season at the Tanner Street Theater, though he himself did not usually stay at the coast for long. He had lately finished some business in York after his jaunt to Nightingale and decided on some diversion by the sea.
The theater in Tanner Street had been lately painted on the outside, with the stone architectural embellishments perched along its roofline also getting a freshen up. Inside, the fancy boxes had all benefited from a thorough renovation before the season opened, and though it was closing night, they retained their novelty, having weathered the usual swell of happy tourists comfortably.
From mid-July until October, for two fashionable nights per week, the Tanner Street boards were graced with the acting of some of London’s most popular performers, and usually to a sold-out crowd. Tonight, though the curtain would fall onThe Merchant of Veniceone last time for the year, the theater buzzed with the electricity of excitement.
After the performance, which earned thunderous applause from all, the Marquess and Lady Peterborough were in no great hurry to return to the Old Bell, and the crowded theater was nearly empty by the time the three of them moved toward the doors to the street. When their coach and driver were not waiting for them in front of the theater, the Marquess did little to hide his annoyance. The street was nearly deserted which made the situation all the more –
“Irritating?” Henrietta replied to her husband’s grumbling as she watched him pace. He whistled sharply, but no one appeared from around the corner to answer his call.
“Perhaps he’s had an issue,” Averson suggested as his own chaise rolled up.
“With his beer? Or with the time?”
“Perhaps both,” Averson laughed.
