dinner tonight. We have been invited to Lark Hall, and you shall not disappoint them.”
Julia grumbled. She loved how her mother took her choice out of any situation. She ruled over her quite like a little autocrat, and she did it with style.
“Some fashion magazines came in the post the other day, Julia. Why don’t you just stay at home, do some shooting or archery, or whatever else strikes your fancy, and then, you can come back inside, and spend the rest of the day with me? We shall study the magazines like you read your books, and we can make plans to hit the shops like a hurricane the next time we go to London.”
“I already spent a pretty penny on a wedding trousseau that I can no longer stand to look at, much less, wear, Mama,” Julia said, sighing.
“Oh, my darling daughter, you have always spent a good deal of gingerbread on your wardrobe before? What stops you now? You know no one at this table minds if you take that trousseau and give it to your personal maid…or…” Beatrice brightened visibly, “You could invite dear little Ruby over and ask her if she’d like anything, and I am quite certain the Miss Prices wouldn’t be opposed to taking a few frocks off your hands. You might as well get rid of the whole lot, and we shall commission a new trousseau for you when the time comes.”
“Thank God, we are not like Tobias Avondale,” Richard said.
“Why is that, dear?” Beatrice asked innocently.
“Because he couldn’t afford to keep the two of you in new frocks, spencers, pelisses, redingotes, capes, cloaks, fur muffs, hats, bonnets, scads of gloves, and whatever the hell else you two decide to buy.”
“Well, I suppose I could invite Ruby over tomorrow, as I plan on holding the Moonrakers meeting, then…”
“Oh, well, you had best start writing out missives, and get one of the footmen to deliver them, or they won’t know that the meetings are being held once again. I am quite certain that Rose and Iris will like seeing you up and about. Secluding yourself from the world, just doesn’t suit your gregarious personality, Julia.”
“Oh, I don’t send out missives, Mama. I send everyone a snippet of lace, and that tells them the meeting is on for the following day, and if they have the afternoon free, they come. A few footmen can deliver them, and they know where they have to go.”
“You will have to send a rider out to Maidstone Manor, and Wylye Hall, you cannot expect one of our footmen to run out that far.”
“No, indeed, Mama. Oh, this shall be such fun.”
Julia sighed. If she took her curricle out today, she knew where she would be going. She would be going to return something to Freddie that she never should have kept this long. She had his betrothal ring, and it was about time, she gave it back to him.
“And, Julia, dear…”
“Yes, Mama?”
“You need to do something about Lord Charles. The poor man is quite out of sorts. He shows up here every single day. And every single day, it falls upon your brother and me to turn him away. It is rather vexing. Lord Charles looks quite wretched. He is staying at Avondale Abbey, and I am quite certain he would like to see you. You owe him that much. You owe him closure. You cannot keep stringing him along like this.”
“I know, Mama. I know, I do,” she whispered.
She sighed. Today might not turn out to be as fun as she thought it would be.
Love was hard, and she wished she could turn her heart to marble like the many statues of white marble Gods and Goddesses that were in Castleton Court’s majestic ballroom.
Eager to escape her mother, she stood up.
“Off then, dear?” Beatrice asked.
“Aye. I shall prepare the lace to be sent out, and then, then, I think I shall go out for a ride, and see where the day takes me.”
“Make certain it takes you to Avondale Abbey, and stop off first at Lark Hall, and fetch yourself a chaperone, or chaperones,” Beatrice advised.
“Yes, Mama,” she said dully, leaving the
Julia grumbled. She loved how her mother took her choice out of any situation. She ruled over her quite like a little autocrat, and she did it with style.
“Some fashion magazines came in the post the other day, Julia. Why don’t you just stay at home, do some shooting or archery, or whatever else strikes your fancy, and then, you can come back inside, and spend the rest of the day with me? We shall study the magazines like you read your books, and we can make plans to hit the shops like a hurricane the next time we go to London.”
“I already spent a pretty penny on a wedding trousseau that I can no longer stand to look at, much less, wear, Mama,” Julia said, sighing.
“Oh, my darling daughter, you have always spent a good deal of gingerbread on your wardrobe before? What stops you now? You know no one at this table minds if you take that trousseau and give it to your personal maid…or…” Beatrice brightened visibly, “You could invite dear little Ruby over and ask her if she’d like anything, and I am quite certain the Miss Prices wouldn’t be opposed to taking a few frocks off your hands. You might as well get rid of the whole lot, and we shall commission a new trousseau for you when the time comes.”
“Thank God, we are not like Tobias Avondale,” Richard said.
“Why is that, dear?” Beatrice asked innocently.
“Because he couldn’t afford to keep the two of you in new frocks, spencers, pelisses, redingotes, capes, cloaks, fur muffs, hats, bonnets, scads of gloves, and whatever the hell else you two decide to buy.”
“Well, I suppose I could invite Ruby over tomorrow, as I plan on holding the Moonrakers meeting, then…”
“Oh, well, you had best start writing out missives, and get one of the footmen to deliver them, or they won’t know that the meetings are being held once again. I am quite certain that Rose and Iris will like seeing you up and about. Secluding yourself from the world, just doesn’t suit your gregarious personality, Julia.”
“Oh, I don’t send out missives, Mama. I send everyone a snippet of lace, and that tells them the meeting is on for the following day, and if they have the afternoon free, they come. A few footmen can deliver them, and they know where they have to go.”
“You will have to send a rider out to Maidstone Manor, and Wylye Hall, you cannot expect one of our footmen to run out that far.”
“No, indeed, Mama. Oh, this shall be such fun.”
Julia sighed. If she took her curricle out today, she knew where she would be going. She would be going to return something to Freddie that she never should have kept this long. She had his betrothal ring, and it was about time, she gave it back to him.
“And, Julia, dear…”
“Yes, Mama?”
“You need to do something about Lord Charles. The poor man is quite out of sorts. He shows up here every single day. And every single day, it falls upon your brother and me to turn him away. It is rather vexing. Lord Charles looks quite wretched. He is staying at Avondale Abbey, and I am quite certain he would like to see you. You owe him that much. You owe him closure. You cannot keep stringing him along like this.”
“I know, Mama. I know, I do,” she whispered.
She sighed. Today might not turn out to be as fun as she thought it would be.
Love was hard, and she wished she could turn her heart to marble like the many statues of white marble Gods and Goddesses that were in Castleton Court’s majestic ballroom.
Eager to escape her mother, she stood up.
“Off then, dear?” Beatrice asked.
“Aye. I shall prepare the lace to be sent out, and then, then, I think I shall go out for a ride, and see where the day takes me.”
“Make certain it takes you to Avondale Abbey, and stop off first at Lark Hall, and fetch yourself a chaperone, or chaperones,” Beatrice advised.
“Yes, Mama,” she said dully, leaving the
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