Page 70 of Lady Audacious
‘Oh,’ she said, gaping at her reflection. ‘I had no idea.’
‘That you have a lovely bosom that ought to be displayed as much as common decency allows, as well as an enviously tiny waist.’ Emily pouted. ‘I thought not. If I did not like you quite so much then I would be obliged to hate you on principle. However, you will look absolutely lovely tonight. I shall send my maid over to do your hair.’
‘No!’
Emily held up at hand to cut off Odile’s protest. ‘She might as well come. We will send a carriage for you. You can’t have Harris drive you in your old thing with Patrick doing the honours. He is the dearest chap—Patrick that is, not Harris, although I dare say he is just as obliging as Patrick—but that isn’t the point. Tonight you dress to impress and you travel in style. I absolutely insist upon it.’
‘Goodness,’ Mrs Blaine said later that day when Odile was dressed and ready, her hair piled behind her head with curls dancing on her bare shoulders and silver combs sparkling through its thickness. ‘I would not have known you.’
‘I barely know myself, Mrs B. I hope the countess doesn’t stand on too much ceremony. It has not escaped my notice that she hasn’t called, which makes me think that she considers me to be beneath her.’
‘Oh, don’t you worry none about her, pet. Where do you suppose that Lady Emily gets her down to earth attitude from?’
‘Well yes, I suppose. Anyway, I had best be gone. Wish me luck.’
Mrs Blaine wiped her eyes on her apron. ‘You won’t be needing it, love. Just be yourself and don’t let the surroundings get the better of you.’
‘I shall not.’ She gave a careless little laugh. ‘You know how fiercely independent I can be.’
Reuben had exercised patience he’d been unaware he possessed over the past four weeks, somehow managing to keep himself occupied and away from Odile. She needed time to become accustomed to the changes that had occurred in her life without him muddying her thinking. He had contacted her grandfather on a whim, not expecting to receive a reply. But that reply had arrived by express and its contents had stunned him into action. Before he knew it, he had offered Aspen his hospitality and the old man had travelled all the way from Scotland in the hope of making amends to his granddaughter.
Reuben hadn’t known if Odile would accept the olive branch, and wouldn’t altogether blame her if she did not. He wondered more than once if he had done the right thing to interfere. But their initial meeting had gone better than he had anticipated, according to Aspen, who was delighted with her. He had described her occasional prickliness to Reuben, who was secretly glad that Odile had not been intimidated by the old man. Reuben had lost sleep thinking that he should at least have prepared her for his visit, and that she would think him callous and unfeeling at best.
And now, finally, his patience was to be rewarded. He would see her here tonight at his table. He had recruited Emily to ensure that she had something appropriate to wear but when she walked into his drawing room, head held high, he almost didn’t recognise her.
‘Good heavens!’ he blurted out, conscious of his brother choking on a laugh at Reuben’s reaction. He recovered quickly, took her hand and welcomed her to his home. ‘I am very glad you agreed to come,’ he assured her, sending her a warm smile and somehow resisting the urge to kiss her in front of his entire family.
‘Emily didn’t give me a great deal of choice,’ she replied in her customary blunt manner. ‘However, I am glad to be here.’
‘Let me introduce you.’
His mother smiled and bade her welcome with warmth and sincerity, just as Reuben had known that she would. She had expressed her intention on several occasions of calling upon their new neighbour, but Reuben had cautioned against it. He wanted her left alone. Too much had happened too quickly, and she needed time to adjust.
‘My dear Miss Aspen,’ his mother said, beaming at her. ‘At last we meet and a very good thing it is too. Whatever must you think of me, not calling in person to welcome you to Fox’s Reach? You really must excuse me but we have all been a-fluster what with Beth announcing her engagement to dear Mr Aldridge.’ She waved in the direction of the affianced couple. ‘But still, I have been most remiss and I hope you will forgive me.’
‘There is nothing to forgive, ma’am.’ Odile smiled and Reuben sensed the tension leaving her body.
He introduced the rest of his family and left her in conversation with her grandfather until dinner was announced. He offered her his arm when it was time to go through, smiling as Aspen and his mother walked slowing into the dining parlour. They seemed to find a great deal to talk and laugh about—two people of advanced years who still had a lot of life left in them. Reuben allowed himself to wonder.
Dinner was a lively affair, and Reuben could see that Odile wasn’t daunted by splendour that he took for granted. He encouraged her to talk about her plans for Fox’s Reach and everyone at the table listened attentively and very politely as she grew increasingly enthusiastic about her intention to follow in her parents’ footsteps.
‘I have an affinity with herbs,’ she said simply. ‘I looked after all the girls who became ill at Miss Mackenzie’s because I always seemed to know how to treat them. Clearly, I inherited that interest and a little skill, which I now find myself in a position to exploit for the good of others.’
‘Well said!’ Emily clapped her hands. ‘You make me feel quite ashamed for being so idle.’
Odile smiled. ‘There is nothing idle about you, Emily. You never sit still for more than five minutes at a time. Besides, you are a lady, and ladies are not supposed to have occupations. It would be most audacious if I laid claim to such a position.’
Her grandfather cleared his throat. ‘Stuff and nonsense, my dear,’ he said. ‘You are a lady by birth, whether you like it or not.’
Aspen’s words rang in Reuben’s ears when he and Chase walked across to Fox’s Reach the following morning. Unsurprisingly, he found Odile in her boys’ clothing, tending to her herbs. Chase bounded up to her and Willow and she bent to make a fuss of his dog.
‘Hello,’ she said, smiling at him. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Am I not permitted to call?’
‘Well, you haven’t. Not since Miss Farquhar…’ Her cheeks burned and her words trailed off.
‘You needed time to adjust to all the changes without me being in constant attendance. I didn’t want to distract you.’
