Page 10 of A Brooding Christmas Promise
“I have not often danced the waltz,” Charlotte admitted, with a small smile. “I know that you wish me to have the very best of times here in London for the Christmas Season and I assure you, there is nothing that you need concern yourself with. I have been here less than a sennight and already, I have had a more enjoyable time than I have ever had, I am sure!”
Amelia’s smile slowly faded and she took Charlotte’s hand for a moment. “Are you sure that you will do as our stepmother demands?”
Charlotte let out a slow breath, wishing that Amelia would simply accept her decision and would not press her on it. “Amelia, it was not our stepmother who demanded anything, remember? Our father insisted and therefore, I have decided to accept his parting wishes. Indeed, you will tell me that I do not need to and I quite agree with you there, of course. But that does not mean that I will not do it regardless.”
Amelia sighed and shook her head. “There were so many gentlemen who were admiring you at Lord Trenton’s ball. I am sure that, with only a few more minutes of conversation, you would find that many would wish to call on you.”
The thought did make Charlotte’s heart skip with a sudden excitement but she dampened it down quickly, reminding herself of her requirements. “Did you see that gentleman listening to our conversation, however?” she asked, changing the conversation quickly. “I thought him very rude indeed!”
“Listening to us?” her sister repeated, her eyes widening. “Goodness, that was very impolite!”
“I do not know who he was but yes, he was certainly listening,” Charlotte continued, with a shake of her head. “The way he looked at me told me that he knew full well that he had been listening when he ought not to have done so but there was also an unashamed look in his eye. I am glad that when I caught his attention, he hurried away, however.”
Her sister shook her head. “Goodness, how improper a gentleman he sounds! If you see him at this ball, then you must point him out to me, just to see if we are already acquainted.” The twinkle came back into her eye. “And if we are, I have every intention of making it quite clear to him just what I think of such behaviour!”
Charlotte laughed and was about to say more, only for there to come a knock at the door. Amelia called for the footman to come and he did at once, holding a calling card. Amelia took it, only for her brow to furrow and her eyes to flash.
“Who is it?”
“Lady Foster.” Amelia handed the calling card to Charlotte, her jaw set tight. “How dare she think that she can come to call?”
A knot tied itself in Charlotte’s stomach. “No doubt she has come to remind me that she will be continuing to watch me,no matter where I am in public,” she muttered, closing her eyes tightly. “Even now, this is what she seeks to remind me of.”
“And we will not permit her,” Amelia stated, getting to her feet and taking Charlotte with her. Handing the card back to the footman, she directed him back to the door. “Please inform Lady Foster that your mistress has gone out for the afternoon.”
Seeing what her sister meant to do, Charlotte chimed in quickly. “For a walk to St James’s Park.”
Amelia threw a look at her. “St James’s Park? In this weather?”
Charlotte nodded, and within a few moments, the footman was dismissed. “I am sure we will only be able to do this once, but Lady Foster, being informed about such a thing, might then decide to take a walk through St James’s Park herself, albeit in the cold and the drizzle.”
A small smile tilted the edge of her sister’s lips. “And thus, she will find herself frozen to the bone and irritated with it,” she said slowly, as Charlotte nodded, a sense of guilt prodding at her heart which she quickly ignored. “My dear sister, you are more devious than I had ever expected!”
“Mayhap but I have decided that, after what you said to me, I am not about to let Lady Foster make this a difficult Season for me,” Charlotte stated, firmly. “If she wishes to come against me, if she wishes to state that shewilldo all she can to make certain that I cling to my promise to her sister, then she will find herself in more difficulty than she has mayhap expected.”
Amelia grinned her agreement. “Wonderful. Now, shall we take tea together? Or would you like to go out in town as we first thought?”
Charlotte considered, then sat back down on the couch with a small, contented sigh. “I think I should like to stay indoors, where it is warm, where the tea is gently steaming and where the cook’s honey cakes are quite marvelous,” she said, makingAmelia laugh with delight, only to then go and ring the bell. “And let us hope that Lady Foster enjoys her walk in the cold!”
***
The ball was in full swing and Charlotte, given that she was of age now to no longer require a chaperone, chose to step away from her sister for a time and walk around the ballroom alone. Being alone was not something that she found overly difficult, for it was something that she had become used to these last few months, living with her stepmother in the Dower house. There was something very different about being here alone, however, rather than merely wandering through a large house all on her own! Now and again, someone smiled at her, a gentleman nodded towards her and Charlotte returned each of the gestures but did not stop to speak. For the moment, she was quite contented merely to walk.
I wish I could be seeking out a match.
The thought came to her unbidden and Charlotte frowned, telling herself that she did not need to think of such things. She had already made her decision and, thus, she had no need to think of any gentleman, nor look with longing around the ballroom.
And yet, all the same, that longing remains.
A lump caught in her throat as Charlotte dropped her gaze to the floor for a few moments, trying to keep her composure. She had done her utmost not to let herself think of such things and yet, despite that, they came back to her mind time and again. Perhaps it was simply because she was now here in London, in a place that was filled with gentlemen who were all, as yet, unattached, that she felt that longing grow.
“I do not know why father said such a thing,” she murmured to herself, lifting her gaze again and blinking quickly so as to push her threatening tears back. “Why would he think I shouldnot want to have a happy future for myself? Or was it simply because he thought I would never be anything more than a spinster?”
That last thought sent more tears to her eyes and Charlotte blinked furiously, forcing them back as quickly as she could. She did not want to let such thoughts upset her, not when she was in the midst of another beautiful Christmas ball. She could enjoy the little Season without the thought of what falling in love might be like, could she not?
“Howdareyou?”
Charlotte blinked in surprise, taking a step back.
