Page 21 of A Marriage of Convenience with a Rake
“Mama...well...should we? I mean...”
“Of course, daughter.” Lady Aldford replied. “It was only when Lord Glenfield was unwed that we could not visit here.”
Eleanor gaped, looking from one to the other. “What do you...” she began to inquire, but Lady Aldford reddened awkwardly, and interrupted at once.
“Apologies, my lady! I just, well...visiting here unaccompanied before was...well...given the reputation of the earl, we did not...” she mumbled uncomfortably.
“We couldn’t visit here without Papa,” Miss Hatfield interrupted. “And seeing as Papa has been deceased for many years, well...”
“Come, my dear,” Lady Waddingham interrupted immediately, her voice loud in the sudden silence. “Would you not like to pour tea for the guests?”
Eleanor stared at her earnestly. She needed to know the truth about what the women were saying. Was Lord Glenfield’s reputation so bad that a respectable woman would not set footinto his house without a man to chaperone her? She turned around and looked hard at the women.
“Yes. Let’s sit down for tea,” Lady Aldford said at once, clearly embarrassed by her unexpected confiding in Eleanor.
“Yes, thank you,” she murmured. She glanced at her daughter, as if insisting that they stay. Her daughter looked at Eleanor.
“Of course. Thank you, Lady Glenfield,” she said before taking a seat. They all seemed to have decided to be courteous—much more than they normally would be, to make up for the rudeness of earlier.
“Lady Glenfield can tell us about springtime in London,” Sebastian’s aunt suggested, looking at Eleanor with a surprisingly kindly gaze. Eleanor nodded.
“Yes, I can,” she agreed. She felt a little sick, her thoughts drifting in and out of the topic at hand as she tried to answer the women’s questions about what was modish and who in theTonhad attended which balls.
She poured tea for the guests and answered their polite questions, and her headache was slowly getting intolerable as they sat, sipping tea, her head whirling with thoughts.
“My lady?” the butler appeared in the doorway. “Another carriage has arrived. Shall I show the guests in?”
“Please,” Eleanor said, heart leaping. Perhaps more guests would make matters less uncomfortable.
They sat in awkward silence, but fortunately only for a moment or two, as before she had expected, the butler appeared with three more ladies.
“Lady Elworth and her daughters, Lady Philipa and Lady Betty.”
Eleanor stood and curtseyed as she was introduced to the new guests. The women settled themselves at the tea-table and Eleanor poured tea for everyone. She couldn’t stopthinking about what the ladies had said earlier, even though the conversation swiftly moved to other things.
“Poor Cousin Stella,” one of the women commented sadly.
“What happened?” Eleanor asked at once, feeling her heart twist.
“She had a terrible time in childbirth,” the young woman’s mother confided in her.
“Oh.” Eleanor felt her brow furrow. “But she and the baby, they...”
“Yes. They both lived. She is recovering now,” Lady Elworth explained.
“Good. Good,” Eleanor sighed. “And I am sure she is happy to have a dear little baby to look after.” She felt her heart twist again, but with a feeling of affection that was almost painful. She loved babies.
“Yes. Yes, she is,” Lady Betty told her at once. “And it is a dear little thing. So small and pretty.”
“Good. Grand,” Eleanor said enthusiastically. She was about to say something, aware of Lady Waddingham's curious gaze at her as she spoke about the baby, but Lady Bettie spoke again.
“I wonder when Stella will be ready to attend a party. It’s so dull without her.”
“I’m sure she will be on her feet again soon,” Eleanor assured her. Rachel had not spent much time at all recovering after the birth of her three children, walking about the very next day after each birth.
The conversation changed to other things. Eleanor was aware of Lady Waddingham watching her closely again, and she swallowed uncomfortably, wondering why.
“It has been a pleasure getting to make your acquaintance,” Lady Aldford said after what felt like an age. “But I regret we must return to the house before dinner. Thank you,” she added, and Eleanor was surprised to see no judgement in her eyes asshe stood and curtseyed. She sounded sincere.
