Page 2 of Enticed By an Earl
Not only did the tiny room contain a chamber pot and washstand, it held a collection of powders, creams, and cosmetics as well. After relieving himself and washing his hands and face in scented water, he availed himself of those supplies. A few minutes, a touch of powder, and a hint of rouge for his lips and cheeks later, and Kit felt infinitely more like himself. He even smiled at himself in the small looking glass above the washstand, pleased with the softer, more refined reflection that greeted him. With the right clothing, slightly longer hair, and perhaps a bow or ribbon, he would be able to see an even truer reflection of himself.
When he stepped back out into the parlor, even walking differently as his body relaxed into a more comfortablepersona, his friends were already in the middle of their discussion about the upcoming coronation.
“It is said that no expense will be spared, for the ceremony itself and for the myriad celebrations that will surround it,” Alice said, her eyes bright with excitement.
“Mama has commissioned at least half a dozen new gowns for my sisters and I,” Georgiana added. “She is certain that this is the occasion for all of us to find husbands.”
“Does she still disapprove of your intention to wait until you are five-and-twenty to give your hand away?” Kit asked, sinking comfortably into the one of Lady Everly’s chairs that was designated as his and reaching for the tea set.
“She most certainly does,” Georgiana told him with a roll of her eyes. “She may never forgive me for throwing Lord Walton over this past spring.”
“The man was so dreadfully boring,” Alice complained, flopping back on the couch she shared with Georgiana. “Surely you can find a man much more lively than him.”
“I am most certain I can,” Georgiana said. “When the time is right.” She glanced to Kit with a cheeky look.
“Do not look at me,” Kit said, allowing his mannerisms to soften to an extremely effeminate tone so that he blended in with his friends. “I would not settle for anything less than an interesting man…with a good fortune.”
Georgiana and Alice laughed. Even Lady Everly found the comment amusing.
Kit felt as though his soul had found its home.
“Ladies marry far too young these days,” Lady Everly said, taking a small biscuit from the plate on the table beside her. “While I do understand the need for haste for a man who needs an heir or a lady of meager fortune, none of you need worry about that.”
Kit lost the comfortable smile he’d settled into. “One could argue that I am in need of an heir of some sort, if onlyto appease my father,” he said. “But truth be told, the thought of getting that heir leaves me cold.”
Georgiana and Alice hummed in sympathy. Lady Everly reached over to pat his hand as it rested on the arm of his chair.
If he were honest, Kit had considered offering for either Georgiana or Alice’s hand in the past. They were noblewomen, and though his father would have preferred he marry the daughter of a duke, he would grudgingly approve of either of them. But Kit knew beyond all doubts that he would never be able to do what was necessary to give them children, and he did not wish that sort of a cold marriage bed on his friends.
“It is a pity any of us have to marry at all,” Alice said, though Kit suspected she only said as much to make him feel better. He knew full well that for all her independence of mind, Alice wished to be a wife and mother.
“Seeing as none of you need to be led to the altar with any haste, let us turn our thoughts back to the coronation,” Lady Everly steered the conversation with consummate ease. “I have never seen so many families remaining in London this late into the season before.”
“But of course everyone has remained in London,” Georgiana said, her expression turning lively again as the conversation returned to merry things. “No one has any wish to miss out on a moment of this historic event.”
“Imagine. A queen!” Alice said with a sigh.
“I daresay a woman will do a much better job of leading this country than men have done for the last several years,” Kit said, relaxing into the idle gossip once more.
“Of course, Lord Melbourne actually leads the country,” Alice said with a sly smile. “And I have it on good authority that the man is a libertine and a rake.”
“Oh, yes,” Lady Everly said with a knowing nod. “Especially in his younger days. The tales I could tell….” She touched a finger to the side of her nose.
“I love a good rake,” Kit said, settling in with his cup of tea. “They are simply delicious.”
“Did you hear about what Lord Windermere did at The Royal Theater last week?” Georgiana asked, leaning forward a bit. When both Alice and Kit leaned in, she went on with, “He brought his mistress to a performance! The two of them sat together, in full view of everyone.”
“The theater is so deliciously wicked,” Alice laughed. “I wish Mama would let me attend more often.”
“Yes, the theater always has been a rogue’s gallery,” Lady Everly said, as delighted with the gossip as the rest of them. “It is the ideal place for rake-watching.”
Kit laughed. “I shall have to attend a performance as soon as possible, then. Which rakes should I look out for?”
“Lord Avelthorpe, of course,” Alice answered right away. “He is one of the handsomest men in all of London by my reckoning.”
“And one of the most in debt,” Lady Everly said with something of a warning look for Alice.
“I like the look of Lord Deveraux Ogilvy,” Georgiana said with a devilish light in her eyes. “He is both handsome and dangerous.”
