Page 60 of Miss Dignified
“He truly is an earl’s heir, or very nearly. His cousin was the last earl, but that fellow did not come home from the war. Such a pity, you know? Wesley’s papa has stepped in, but the papa is older, and not”—her dark brows knit prettily—“notadepte du maniement de l'argent.Wesley will aid his papa to manage the money. He comes to London on business, in fact, and wrote to me that he looks very much forward to enjoying my company. He specifically instructed me to see to my wine cellar, and he’s quite fond of his claret.”
“Is he fond of you?”
She touched Fournier’s arm. “They are all fond of me, Xavier.”
A howling misstatement, but Sybil’s definition of fond was likely a professional one. “What I mean is, if you told him that claret is a fine drink for the unimaginative, but sophistication and elegance call for adventuring beyond the dependable reds into the more complicated and alluring whites, or even a charming rosé, would Monsieur Glover heed your guidance?”
“Englishmen must have their steak, and that means clarets.”
“Champagne goes surprisingly well with steak, and you will find it easier to procure in quantity on short notice. Champagne has become a drink for celebrations, and those occasions do not always arrive predictably.”
Sybil wrinkled a delicate nose. “I like champagne.”
“As it happens, I have a quantity on hand. A Mayfair customer with a preference for champagne punches could not hold her annual spring event due to an unexpected death in the family. I graciously accepted the return of my wine and offered my most sincere condolences.”
True, but not the whole story. Fournier’s vineyard had only recently adopted Madame Clicquot’s technique for producing a clearer, lighter wine, and his product was not competitive with the best champagnes on the London market—Orion Goddard’s, for example.
Fournier’s clarets were in demand everywhere, while his champagne was… not. Not yet, but a loquacious courtesan could do much to address that little problem.
“I will be charming,” Sybil said, as if charm were a dress that could be put on or taken off depending on the occasion. “Wesley has missed me, and his responsibilities at the Tremont estate have not allowed him to spend much time in London. I will tell him champagne has become the drink of Society’s darlings.”
Very likely, the Glover fellow hadn’t been able toaffordto spend much time with Sybil. “How well do you know this Englishman, madame?”
“I do not kiss and tell, Fournier. If a man snores or has nightmares, that is private.”
“Allow me to be a little indelicate, for I am a Frenchman protective of a lady who finds herself far from home. Which particular earldom will your dashing cavalier inherit? Some of these aristos are rolled up and living on credit. This man is asking you to spendyourcoin for his enjoyment. That is not how the game is played, and a gentleman in line for an earldom should know that.”
Sybil regarded him owlishly. “We must be practical, those of us far from home. You are correct about that, and I will make some inquiries, as the English say. Wesley’s title will be Earl of Tremont, a good Norman name for a title, don’t you think?” She offered a painfully bright smile.
“A fine name, and I hope he is a fine man, and smart enough to know how lucky he is to have gained your notice.”
Her smile became bashful. “He could not afford me, not regularly, but his fortunes have improved, and immediately, he writes to me. He hopes I will smile upon him, too, but I will make him earn his privileges.”
“As well he should.” Fournier dickered a little longer for form’s sake and tossed in two cases of a serviceable merlot to soothe Madame Fontaine’s pride. In the end, he had unloaded a quantity of less than impressive champagne for a reasonable price, but the whole conversation troubled him.
With the peace after Waterloo had come a frightening degree of civil unrest in London. After twenty years of sending their sons off to fight and die, English shopkeepers and farmers were out of patience with their profligate monarchy. The middling sorts could not control their country’s politics or rid it of parasitic peers—yet—but they had taken to asserting their power over its morality with a vengeance.
Englishmen able and willing to openly support a mistress in grand style were growing fewer and fewer, and Sybil’s opportunity to earn a lifetime of security was waning. One wealthy earl could change her fortunes considerably.
And one rotten bounder could ruin them.
Fournier would make what inquiries he could and send along what he learned for Sybil to do with what she pleased. Not, of course, that he moved in the same circles as an earl’s heir, but he knew people who did, and those people—Englishmen, all—would be honest with him.
“How was your call upon the lawyers?” The captain posed that question to Lydia while setting out the black army on the chessboard.
She busied herself with the white pieces, but doubted she’d acquit herself well. “The senior partner informed me that my mother’s funds are doing splendidly.” Mr. Sigafoose the Elder had reassured Lydia that her own portion also remained secure in the cent-per-cents. No need to worry on either account.
Not a’tall! Everything quite in order!
“His reassurances were not to your liking?”
Lydia put her king on a white square, then realized her error. The king always opened opposite his own color so that beside him, the queen would start on her own color.
“My paternal uncle, who is not a client of the firm, has also made recent inquiries. The solicitor offered my uncle the same reassurances he offered me.” Though Uncle Reggie had certainly not sent along a letter of introduction from Mama, such as Lydia had to present to the solicitors at every appointment. That letter empowered Lydia to speak on Mama’s behalf, and the solicitors—conscientious about demanding to see it—never seemed pleased when Lydia produced it.
Perhaps Reggiehadforwarded such a letter, but it would have been a forgery.
“Meaning,” Captain Powell said, “the solicitor gave your uncle specific totals to the penny, while affording you what amounts to a pat on the head.”
