Page 5 of The Uncompromising Marquess
Florence managed to do as her cousin requested, although her smile was heavy. “It is quite all right. You recall how much I embarrassed myself during the Season, I am sure. My motherhas warned me repeatedly not to do so again, and I fear that I may fail such a demand.”
Helena’s eyebrows lifted as they moved slowly forward. “I do recall one or two incidents, but I always thought that they were merely accidents.” A dusting of pink came into her cheeks, and she looked away. “I do hope I do not appear insensitive, Florence. I was being courted by Lord Wickton at the time and did not pay a great deal of attention to much else, I am afraid.”
“No, no, not at all. You were not and are not in the least bit insensitive. You know that I was very glad for you to have found such happiness with Lord Wickton.” Rubbing the thumb of one hand into the palm of the other, Florence chewed on the edge of her lip for a moment or two. “I – I have such an anxiety within me whenever I step out into society, it causes me to act in a manner that is not as I usually am.”
“You mean to say that you might be a little ungainly because of your worry?”
Hearing the understanding in her voice, Florence looked at her cousin with slightly widened eyes.
“I have felt – and have acted – the very same way,” her cousin told her, encouragingly. “When I was being courted by Lord Wickton, I not only spilled the tea in the teacup when I tried to serve it to him, but I then trod on his feet during one of our dances! He tried to take my arm when we were out walking on another occasion, and I nearly fell flat on my face, such was my surprise and my eagerness to have him do so. You need not think that you are alone in this, Florence. Many young ladies in London can sympathize with all that you are feeling.”
Given that this was not something that Florence had ever heard from her own mother and certainly had never seen from her sisters, she was taken aback to hear this from Helena.
“You do not believe me?”
“It is not that,” Florence explained, shaking her head. “It is only that my mother has always made it appear as if I am the only one in all of London who has such difficulties. I have always felt myself to be quite alone.”
Her cousin frowned. “Just because your sisters are well able to go through society with confidence does not mean that you must be the same as them.”
“I – I have never had that said to me before now.”
“Well, I am saying it,” Helena stated, with a toss of her head. “My dear Florence, you are most certainlynotthe only young lady who has ever struggled with a lack of assurance and certainty within society.”
Florence winced. “Although I might be the clumsiest.”
This made her cousin laugh, her arm looping through Florence’s. “I doubt that. But you must not think of that. You must now only consider the path ahead.”
A tremor ran through Florence. “Mother is quite insistent that I make a good match this Christmas, else I shall ruin her standing.” Seeing Helena’s quizzical look, she sighed. “She wants to be known as the mother who has had all her daughters wed in their first Season. Whilst this is not the summer Season, it is the same year and thus, the same Season so therefore –”
“Therefore, unless you wed, she will lose her hopes of being known in that way.”
Florence nodded. “Precisely.”
Helena rolled her eyes. “That does not say anything about you. Rather, that speaks only of her and her own expectations.”
With a sigh, Florence nodded as they came to stand near another larger group of ladies and gentlemen, though they did not approach it as yet. “Yes, it does. But that is mayhap to be expected, given that she has not had any difficulty with any of her other daughters. It is only me who causes her concern.”
“But that is not your fault!” Helena exclaimed at once, as Florence smiled with relief, glad now that someone, at least, understood her. “You have done nothing wrong, and this worry that bites at you can take a very painful hold.” She smiled back at Florence. “I shall help you overcome it, however. You need not have no concern about that.”
“I –”
“Might you step aside, ladies?”
A loud, impertinent voice made Florence spin around, astonished that a gentleman of any standing would think to speak to them both in such a way. It was not at all what would be expected of any person, gentlemanorlady, and yet this fellow, this tall, sharp-eyed gentleman with a frown on his face, seemed to think that it was more than acceptable for him to do so.
“I wish to go speak with Lord Chester, and he is directly behind you.”
Florence blinked, then stepped to one side, a little confused as to why the gentleman could not make his way around them and find another way through the crowd to get to his friend.
“I thank you.”
Doing her best to stand tall with her head lifted, Florence swallowed hard as she was forced to stand apart from Helena, allowing the gentleman to walk between them. She pressed her lips flat, the nervousness within her beginning to rise again as the gentleman passed her, turning his head so he might cast a sharp look towards her from his green eyes. The frown on his face lingered still, his lips in a thin line as if somehow, she and Helena had done something wrong in standing together as they had been doing.
“That, if I am not mistaken, is the Marquess of Applegate.”
Florence looked back at her friend. “You know of him?”
“Oh, society knows ofhim,” came the reply, with a wry shake of her head. “Lord Applegate is a gentleman of particularly high standards, always ready with a word of criticism or complaint.”
