Sweet Surrender Page 4

  “All right, Fletcher, I have been perishing of curiosity! Where did you learn the waltz? I only remember you having two left feet, and you were actually almost graceful in the ballroom just now,” Odelia gave her big brother a backward compliment.

  The young lord actually blushed at his sister’s words. “Almost graceful, you say? Thanks ever so much, little sister. I must say I am shocked looking at you as well. Last time I saw you, you were still in the schoolroom. Now here you are with your hair up and your dress long, almost like a real lady,” he teased.

  Odelia’s swift reaction was a swat towards his well-styled hair, which he not so gracefully dodged. Before things could escalate out of hand Julianna stepped between her two young relatives.

  “Enough, you two! Dee, do you not want to hear all his stories? Please do not chase him from the room before he has had a chance to explain himself. And Fletcher, I was so surprised to see you entering the ballroom. Just last night your father told me he had received word to expect you within the next week, so I did not think to watch for you for at least a couple more days.”

  With the subject safely changed, she reached up to give her nephew another warm hug. “It is so nice to see you Fletch. I had no idea I would miss you quite that badly,” she declared with a watery chuckle struggling to hold back tears knowing the almost twenty-year-old would shudder at the sight of his aunt crying.

  “Well, I’m here now,” the young baron stated pragmatically. “So let us sit down to some of Cook’s scrumptious cookies, and I shall tell you a little bit about our recent travels.”

  So the three took their seats, and the ladies listened raptly as Fletcher related some of his adventures and exploits from his travels throughout the continent with his former tutor, John. After one of his more vivid stories was winding down his ever-attentive aunt chimed in.

  “Where is John, by the way? He has stayed on here with you, hasn’t he? Or did he instead decide to head back to Somerton to see his family? His poor mother must be anxious to see him since you two were gone for so long.”

  Fletcher’s face showed a tinge of alarm as he momentarily worried that his aunt would ring a peel over him for his long absence, so he broke in defensively. “Well, we always kept Father apprised of our whereabouts.”

  “Yes, yes, I did not mean to lecture. My apologies, Fletcher. I am just curious about what you have done with John,” Julianna laughed.

  Fletcher laughed, too. “Oh, old Sober Sides had to report to the earl, then you were right, he planned to set off for Somerton to see his mama. Then, if I understand correctly, I am to be free of a tutor and be a man of the world, since Father has decided he has a new position to offer him.” Fletcher ended this last bit of information with a definite note of pride in his voice.

  Unfortunately, his aunt’s inward reaction was not one of such joy as he continued. “Yes ma’am, I am planning on seeing the sights of London and taking in some of the Season. You need not worry so much, Aunty, I am going to help you keep an eye on my sister for a while.”

  Julianna realized her role would be expanded to keeping an eye on the two of them. Then she chided herself for her worrying ways. No doubt the young lord had gotten a fair bit of experience and polish during his travels about the continent. His tutor, old Sober Sides, as Fletch liked to call him on occasion, was a steady, serious young man who would have kept a close watch on his young charge and no doubt taught him to steer clear of dangers and trouble. And just last night she had been telling the earl she expected Fletcher to help watch out for his sister. She had just hoped that Fletcher’s tutor would also be there to lend a hand. Julianna had been counting on the presence of the serious young man to lend some sobriety to the Season as well as to even out her numbers when necessary if they were entertaining. There was naught she could do about it now; she would just have to manage without him.

  “Excellent news, Fletch, not that I worry about Dee getting into too much trouble. It is the gentlemen I worry about trying to lead her into trouble.” Julianna laughed slightly trying to make light of her deepest fear.

  “Have no fear on that count, Aunt Jules. No fellow is going to play fast and loose with my sister. They would have to go through me first.” Even Fletcher looked surprised over this protective outburst.

  Odelia herself lightened the mood at that moment. With a roll of her pretty blue eyes she declared, “Oh dear, what was the sense of even having a dancing lesson? With all of you “protecting” me, no gentleman will even be able to get close enough to me to be able to ask me to dance with him!”

  After the laughter had died down Julianna stood, putting an end to the enjoyable interlude. “Odelia we should be off to make some morning calls soon. How much time will you need to get ready?”

  “Oh, I just about forgot we were to go make calls this afternoon. I will need to change my gown and have my hair tidied. Could I have a half an hour?”

  “That would be most acceptable, my dear. Let us meet in the foyer in thirty minutes.”

  Odelia turned on her heel and fled from the room without another word to either her brother or her aunt. With a good-natured smile, Julianna turned to bid farewell to her nephew who was regarding her quizzically.

  “Why ever do they call them morning calls if you make them in the afternoon?” he demanded comically.

  “That, my dear, is another mystery of life. There really is no rhyme or reason to most of the myriad of little rules followed by the ton.” After a very brief pause and a slight laugh Julianna continued, “I guess I, too, ought to change and tidy myself before we go out. Enjoy your afternoon, Fletcher. Will you be here for the evening meal? Should I tell Cook to expect you?”

  “Oh, I imagine so, Aunt Julianna. Tomorrow is time enough for me to start making merry now that my education has finally ended,” Fletcher declared with a wicked chuckle, which sounded quite odd to his aunt who was still remembering him as such a little boy.

  Julianna managed to restrain herself from comment, merely lifting her eyebrow dubiously before kissing him on the cheek and exiting the room with rather more decorum than had Odelia mere moments earlier.

  Chapter 5

  The two Montgomery ladies enjoyed making the rounds visiting various friends for the requisite twenty minutes, meeting new people and furthering acquaintances they had met on previous days. Odelia was energetically absorbing every ritual of the Season and was skipping along beside her aunt as they were finally making their way to her friend’s house for a longer visit before returning home.

  “This is the most fun I have ever had,” she declared with youthful vigor. “I can hardly believe you tasted this for just a few weeks and decided to give it all up! How could you ever stand staying at boring old Somerton when you could have been spending the Season here with all the glamour and elegance of the ton?”

  After a momentary pause wherein Odelia contemplated all the aspects of the Season she was most enjoying, she continued, “I declare, I do not wish to choose a husband this Season. It is by far too diverting. I think I shall enjoy all the Season has to offer this year and return next year to choose a husband.”

  “Well, Dee, you are completely entitled to make that choice, but keep in mind that the Season has not even fully gotten underway. You might find that you shall meet some nice, handsome lord and decide that this would be a good year to get married. Or you might decide to wait a few years. The only problem is, many of the friends you are meeting right now will be making their choice this year and moving on with their lives, so it will not be the same next Season.”

  “Maybe so, but I do not want to give all this up any time soon!” Odelia declared vehemently.

  On that note they arrived at Odelia’s friend’s house. “Thanks for walking with me, Aunty Jewel. Are you sure you shall not need Beth to walk with you on your errands?”

  “No, it is best if the maid waits for you so you are not walking home alone. At my advanced age I can get away with walking about by myself a bit. I shall be sto
pping in at Lady Chorney’s home on my way back to our house, but I will still probably be home before you. Have a lovely visit, Dee, and I shall see you later.”

  “Oh, how delightful! I do hope she will plan something truly exceptional!” she declared, clapping her hands with characteristic enthusiasm before continuing in more subdued tones. “That is, if you deem it appropriate.” She then grinned merrily at her aunt. “Oh, you are going to let her host a party for me, aren’t you, Jules? I do not know any girls that are getting to have two different hostesses this year!”

  “You are still such a scamp, Dee, it is hard for me to believe your father and I ever decided it was a good time to let you out of the schoolroom!” laughed Julianna as she bade her niece farewell. “Now behave like the young lady you are supposed to be and let me get on with my calls. I shall see you at home later and I will then let you know what has been decided.” Again Julianna laughed at the crestfallen look on her young niece’s face as she set off at a jaunty pace back along the streets of Mayfair.

  When she arrived at Lady Chorney’s elegant townhouse Julianna took a deep, fortifying breath before she ascended the stairs and used the knocker. Instantly a well-trained footman was opening the door and ushering her inside. Noting the fine quality of her garments, he ushered her into the viscount’s exquisitely appointed parlor and informed her he would see if milady was “at home” to visitors.

  Within moments Catherine squealed in delight from the doorway. “I hardly thought to believe my ears when the footman informed me Lady Julianna Montgomery was waiting to see me! What a delightful surprise! Please sit down. He shall be bringing in a tea tray for us momentarily.”

  “You have a truly lovely home, Lady Chorney. Thank you for seeing me,” Julianna murmured politely.

  “No, no, no thanks at all expected! And please you must call me Cathy like you did when we were children.”

  Spontaneously Cathy pulled Julianna into a quick hug, appearing to surprise both of them by the impulsive act. Smiling somewhat sheepishly at her guest, Cathy excused, “I truly did miss you very much.”

  Julianna was unaccountably warmed by the affectionate gesture, realizing she too had missed her old friend. “I was absolutely delighted to see you so unexpectedly the other day at Gunther’s. I was hoping we could catch each other up on all that has been going on in our lives of late.”

  Briefly interrupted by the servants arriving with the tea, once they were each settled with a steaming cup the conversation flowed freely.

  “I have been married to Lord Chorney for almost five years now. I had a couple of offers during my first Season, but my parents did not apply any pressure on me to settle down, and I was having so much fun I wanted a second Season.”

  Julianna interrupted, “My niece has said the exact same thing just today and the Season has not even properly gotten under way!”

  Cathy laughed. “A girl after my own heart.” After another girlish giggle, she continued. “Unfortunately my second Season was cut short by the untimely death of my grandfather. We left town early since we had to go into mourning. By the time I came up with my sister for my third time, I was ready to accept an offer of marriage and was so fortunate as to catch my dear Robert’s eye.”

  “Tell me about Lord Chorney. I do not recall if I have ever had the pleasure of making his acquaintance.”

  “No, you may not have met him. You really were not in Town for all that long, were you? And he is a fair bit older than us, so it is quite possible that you did not meet him. You may not have even had any friends in common. The first Lady Chorney died several years ago, and at first he did not think of finding himself another viscountess. But then he changed his mind, came up for the Season, and found me.” Momentarily looking uncomfortable, Cathy paused before forcing out another, more strained, giggle. “It is quite fortunate for his line that he had a first wife since she gave him a couple of fine strapping sons and I have yet to bear any children.”

  Seeing that this obviously affected her old friend deeply Julianna struggled for something to say, but all she could do was squeeze Cathy’s hand in sympathy. “Things often don’t turn out quite how we had expected, do they?” she asked in quiet understatement.

  “Oh, but my dear Robert is quite lovely. He says he does not mind not having more children. This way he can have me all to himself. And his sons Winston and Charles are such dear young men. Of course, they are off at Eton for now, but the house is certainly a different place when they come home for holidays. But a little girl would be such a blessing to our family,” she continued wistfully. “Which is why I said I would love to host a party for your niece. I know it is a bit unconventional, but it would be such a delight to share in Odelia’s debut. Please say you have at least given it some thought.”

  “Actually I have given it some thought, and I would be happy to accept your generous offer. What did you have in mind?”

  Catherine clapped her hands girlishly. “Oh, how exciting! Well, I was actually thinking that although we have quite a lovely ballroom, it might not do for us to host a ball for her since she is not family, and, no doubt, you shall do that and, of course, I would not want to go into competition with you. I was thinking a rout would be quite lovely. We could have music here in the morning room, card tables set up in the library, and of course, supper served in the dining room. We have enough space to have quite a number of people, so we can discuss together a delightful guest list in order to allow Odelia to meet with a large group of people. What do you think?”

  Julianna impulsively gave her friend another warm hug. “Thank you so much. That is quite a splendid plan. I had no idea you had given it so much thought.”

  “Well, Julie, my dear, I quite love to entertain so there actually was no effort required. I have had quite a number of balls and other entertainments over the years, but this shall be so exciting. There’s nothing like a young lady’s debut, is there?”

  Julianna’s smile dimmed slightly as she thought of her own debut but had to agree nonetheless. “Yes, it is a marvelous time to be sure. I know Dee is beside herself with excitement much of the time. She will be in raptures about your ideas, I must say.”

  Lady Chorney hesitated momentarily before broaching the sensitive topic. “Julianna, I wanted to ask if you might consider the idea of inviting Viscount Beaufort to any of the entertainments you shall be hosting.”

  Julianna could barely look her friend in the eye, so discomfited was she by this question. Catherine regretted the awkward topic but persisted despite her friend’s obvious reluctance.

  Squeezing her hand in sympathy, Catherine continued. “I am sorry to bring it up, my dear, but it really must be faced. Have you ever spoken to Ackerley since you left London those many years ago?”

  “I did run into him very briefly on the street the other day, but we barely exchanged anything more than the merest pleasantries.” Julianna paused briefly before continuing staunchly, “I must admit, in all honesty, that I am dreading any occasion on which I may have to face him. No doubt he has given little or no thought to me all these years, but it was so awful when I said goodbye to him that I had planned to never see him again in my life if that could be arranged. Do you know if he does the social rounds during the Season?”

  “Yes, my dear, in past years he did socialize to a certain extent. Last year he was more visible than usual, and this Season the on dits are that he is finally hanging out for a wife, so he is expected to be showing up at many of the events of the Season. He is considered quite the catch, so you can imagine the number of invitations that are arriving at his door. He is friends with my husband, so I know he would come if I were to send him an invite, but I have decided my first loyalty lies with you, so that is why I have taken it upon myself to ask you about it.”

  “Thank you, Cathy, it is kind of you to take my feelings into consideration, especially when you are being so generous as to have this rout for my dear Dee. If he is a particular friend of Lord Chorney then there is n
o doubt you must send him an invitation.”

  Julianna stopped and thought for a moment. “I just don’t want my old disgrace to taint Odelia, and I am dreading the stares and whispers when the tabbies strain to ogle our first encounter.” She gave a delicate shudder. “Having spectators for such an awkward meeting is not going to be pleasant.”

  “True enough, but anyone brought out in the household of the Dowager Duchess of Westerley has the backbone to pull it off,” declared Catherine loyally. “But I do have an idea that could take away some of the stress and unpleasantness.”

  Julianna turned grateful and questioning eyes toward her hostess. “Go on. Tell me before I perish of curiosity.”

  “What do you think of me inviting the viscount for tea on an appointed day, and you showing up ‘unexpectedly’ and meeting him without a large audience?”

  Julianna laughed with delight. “Oh, Catherine, you are a dear! That would be splendid. Awkward, no doubt, but a splendid idea nonetheless. When, do you suppose, would be a good day? But don’t you think he will see right through the ruse?”

  In a matter-of-fact tone Cathy pointed out reasonably, “It doesn’t really matter if he does. Politeness dictates that he accepts whatever we tell him. You shall be dropping by to discuss the details of my upcoming rout for Lady Odelia. You could even bring her with you to lend countenance to the meeting, or bring just your maid if you do not want Dee to witness your first conversation with your old beau.”

  Lady Chorney paused momentarily with a twinkle in her eye. “I think it will be good for Lucius to see you again. He gets a little too haughty at times, so it shall be a good reminder that not everyone does exactly as he wishes.”

  Julianna started guiltily. “No, no, I do not want to be an instrument for his humility. I just want any awkwardness to be handled in private. We shall have to manage civility if we are to meet publicly and not cause a great scandal. Please do not read anything more into it.”