With his mother pacified, he excused himself to his old bedchambers to rest and get settled back into his home. She happily obliged, rushing off to see to the dinner preparations, leaving him in relative peace. The moment he laid on his bed, he was asleep and back in the world where he remembered every detail of his accident.
***
Later that day, Val made another trip. This one was much shorter, and it was one that pleased him a great deal. He jumped out of the carriage when it stopped in front of a stately townhouse, rushing to knock on the door. When the master of the house answered, Val grinned more widely than he had in years.
“Val, you old cad,” Mr. Henry Gatrall, youngest son of the Earl of Gatton, said, pulling him into a fierce hug. “It sure is damn good to see you back.”
Val laughed as his friend pulled him into his home.
“Likewise, my friend,” he said.
Henry led him to the parlor, hurrying to fetch a bottle of brandy and glasses. Val gladly partook, sitting on the sofa beside his friend while Henry poured the drinks.
“Come,” Henry said, raising his glass high in the air. “Toast with me to friendship and to your safe return to London.”
Val nodded and complied.
“I will definitely drink to that,” he said.
Chapter Three
When Greta helped Cecily into the dining hall the following morning for breakfast, the Countess and Agnes were discussing the ball the previous evening. Cecily could not see their faces, but her mother’s voice told her she was thrilled with how it went. Agnes, however, sounded apprehensive and uncomfortable. Cecily knew it was because Agnes was only thinking of Cecily, and her heart ached.
She put on her brightest smile, wishing her mother and sister good morning as Greta helped her into her seat.
“How are you feeling, Sister?” Agnes asked.
Cecily gave her a kind smile.
“You truly do worry too much about me,” she said. “I am perfectly fine. Last night was just splendid. I hope you enjoyed yourself. You certainly deserve to do so.”
Cecily could hear the Countess clap. There was a pause, and she could see a fuzzy outline of her mother looking at her sister. She imagined that the expression the Countess gave her younger daughter was a pointed one, as though to say, ‘See, I told you.’ Times like these made Cecily uncomfortable, so she spoke again.
“Do either of you have any plans for today?” she asked, keeping her voice bright and cheerful.
That seemed to break the odd tension because Agnes giggled.
“Mother said that the Dowager Duchess of Archington and her son, the Duke, are coming for dinner this evening,” she said. “Just before you joined us, Mother was saying that we will be going to the milliner’s shop on Bond Street to buy some things before they arrive.”
Cecily kept her smile, but her heart stopped. Her mother had made no mention of any dinner. Normally, she would let Cecily know a few days in advance so that she could prepare herself to socialize. She supposed that it must have slipped her mother’s mind, with all the excitement of Agnes’s ball. Still, she wished that they had not told her so suddenly.
“That sounds lovely,” she said, trying to feign interest in her breakfast, which had just lost its appeal.
“Oh, it will be, darling,” she said. “The Dowager is a dear friend of mine. She is a kind and lovely woman.”
Cecily nodded. She knew that her mother was trying to reassure her that she did not need to be self-conscious. She wondered if her mother knew that those attempts were never successful. Her mother adored her; she knew. But would the Countess ever be able to truly understand how her eldest daughter felt?
“I am looking forward to it,” she lied.
After breakfast, Jonathan, the coachman, prepared the carriage and the women and their maids boarded to town. Agnes was more excited about the dinner that evening than she had seemed to be about her ball. Cecily felt guilt knowing that the reason her sister felt hesitant to enjoy her life was because of Cecily’s disability. She would have done anything to do something that would allow her sister to be free of the burden Cecily was causing her.
The milliner’s shop was empty, save for the three of them and Greta and Cecily were glad. She understood that her mother had chosen a time of day that would not be too busy so that Cecily would feel more comfortable. Once more, she was grateful for her family’s consideration, but she felt guilty. Still, she was determined to enjoy the day, so that they would, too.
“Mother, you are positively glowing,” Agnes said.
Cecily turned slowly to face in the direction of her mother. She could not see her mother’s face, but she imagined the brilliant, beautiful smile the countess always had when she was giddy about something. It was the smile that made her look as though she was Agnes’s and her older sister, rather than their mother, and it always made Cecily smile to think about it.
“I am just very excited,” the Countess said. “I am very much looking forward to this evening. The Dowager Duchess and I are good friends, and I cannot wait to see her.”
