Sweet Surrender Page 8

  “My lady is expecting you. Please, follow me,” intoned the butler so formally that the entire family was struck uncharacteristically dumb as they followed him down the short hallway to what was obviously the formal receiving room. It was exceedingly strange for the earl and his family to be so intimidated by the aristocratic display since they themselves were from the highest echelons of society. Nonetheless, most of their lives they had been sheltered from such overt displays, and they worried for their reception.

  “Your guests have arrived, my lady,” announced the butler before he disappeared from the room as discreetly as he had arrived.

  Lord Ashwood stood at formal attention while his wife remained seated as befit her station. All six occupants of the room gazed uncertainly at one another, at a loss as to what to make of each other, until Fletcher broke the silence.

  Striding forward with an outstretched hand and a friendly smile on his youthful, lean face he approached his grandfather. “Lord Ashwood, it is a pleasure to see you. I hope it is not an imposition that my father and I joined the ladies in dropping by this morning. Our aunt thought it best that we all come and greet you.”

  His grandfather could not help but return his relaxed grin with a smile of his own. It was impossible to remain too starchy in the face of Fletch’s infectious joie de vivre. “Not at all, Fletcher. It is our pleasure to finally have you in our home.” Turning to Odelia, he continued, “Odelia, my dear granddaughter! How you have grown since last we saw you. You look so much like your lovely mother that it brings a pang to my chest.”

  Poor Odelia was at a loss how to answer this since it had been years since she had seen her grandparents. Obviously she would have grown, she thought with uncharacteristic sarcasm. Unsure what to say in response to his questionable statement, she merely dropped an elegantly deep curtsy and refrained from any comment.

  This must have been the correct response as Lady Ashwood finally broke her silence. “Please come in, all of you, and be seated. Parker, our butler, shall shortly be bringing in the tea service. We have a few moments to get reacquainted before he returns.”

  There was a pause filled with the rustle of skirts while everyone found a place to sit. None of the furniture was really made for comfort, but the Montgomerys managed to settle themselves politely.

  Again they glanced about at one another. Julianna felt compelled to speak to cover over the awkwardness but worried that it was not her place as the Ashwoods really were no relation of hers. Relief filled her as their hostess resumed speaking.

  “It is lovely that you all could come. It is so hard for us to believe that Odelia is actually ready to have her first Season! Would you mind sharing with us what you have planned for the coming weeks?” Despite their formality and obvious discomfort, it was exactly the right thing for the grandmother to say.

  Odelia began to speak with enthusiasm about all she wished to see and do while in the city. Within minutes Fletcher chimed in and they were soon vying with each other to regale their grandparents with stories of what they had already done and what they hoped to accomplish. Interspersed in their stories were also details of the ball they were planning that was to be held in a couple of days, and the invitation was extended. The reception to their invitation was lukewarm, but it did not overly dampen the visit.

  The earl and his sister smiled warmly at the youngsters and allowed themselves to relax marginally. Perhaps they had worried for nothing.

  “Lady Julianna, it is nice to see you have finally returned to Town,” began Lady Ashwood.

  Unsure of the lady’s intent, Julianna merely replied in soft tones, “Thank you, my lady, I am enjoying being here with Lady Odelia.”

  “I would think it would be difficult for you after your own aborted Season so long ago,” continued the older woman with just a hint of malice in her seemingly concerned tone of voice.

  Finally understanding Lady Ashwood’s implication, Julianna’s voice took on hints of steel. “It is never difficult to be with my darling niece, Lady Ashwood, but thank you for your concern. Will we be seeing much of you and Lord Ashwood throughout the Season, or do you find the rigors of the social rounds to be too daunting?”

  Julianna feared she had gone too far with her question, but they were all surprised when Lord Ashwood chuckled in his deep voice. “That was a great parry, Lady Julianna. Ah, here is the tea. Such impeccable timing, Parker. I think my lady is not too old to manage the pouring, are you my dear?”

  Lady Ashwood shot a quick glare at her husband but stood to pour the tea for their guests. It was almost laughable to see Fletcher trying to balance the delicate cup in his large hand. Julianna regretted that she had not seen fit to train him more in the art of taking tea, but it was difficult to get the athletic young man to sit still for something he viewed as completely silly. She was happy to see he was managing not to spill anything on her ladyship’s light-colored furniture.

  Having gotten nowhere with Julianna, Lady Ashwood turned her veiled venom onto more likely prey. “What have you been keeping yourself so busy with lately, Hartford? We have not seen you in years.”

  Hart was not going to take full ownership of this particular problem since the road to London can be travelled in both directions. “It is true. It has been much too long since we have seen you at Somerton.”

  The Ashwoods had the grace to look guilty momentarily. The earl had mercy on them and continued speaking. “I have actually become quite involved with the politics of the nation over the last few years. I am involved in several things presently with the Earl of Westfield. Are you acquainted with him and his new wife? I understand we are invited to a large ball they shall be hosting soon. Perhaps we shall see you there.”

  “We do not often attend very large gatherings as you can never be certain who else shall be attending. I understand the earl and his wife are rather loose in their standards when they are throwing larger gatherings and invite almost anyone involved with politics at times, which nowadays could include anyone from the lower orders, couldn’t it?” Lady Ashwood barely suppressed a shudder at the thought of sharing a ballroom with anyone not carrying the bluest blood in their veins.

  Regretting the conversational path he had chosen, Hart made an effort for diplomacy as befitted his political leanings. “Well, such events are rather educational if nothing else.”

  “Not the kind of education I require,” declared Lady Ashwood with marked snobbery.

  Surprisingly, Fletcher managed to extricate his family gracefully from the visit. The requisite amount of time had passed, and they had not been invited to remain longer. Despite being family, it was obvious the Ashwoods would not invite familiarity so Fletcher stood, managing not to knock anything over with his gangly long arms.

  “Thank you, Lady Ashwood, for the refreshments, those cakes were quite tasty. I believe the time has come that we must take our leave. It was a pleasure to see you again. No doubt we shall see you about Town over the next weeks while we gad about with Delia.” He again shook hands with his grandparents as the rest of the Montgomerys stood and politely made their farewells as well.

  In short order they were being handed into their carriage and were on their way with sighs of relief all around.

  “Well, that was interesting,” observed Odelia, her tone dry. “I guess we know now why we have never seen much of the Ashwoods. We are not high enough in the instep for them despite being Montgomerys of Somerton and the family of the Duke of Westerley.” She laughed. “How did they ever allow mama to marry you?” she teased her father.

  “An excellent question, imp,” he teased back. “Now where shall we drop everybody? I must attend a session of the House of Lords shortly and have a meeting with Westfield beforehand so I must make haste.”

  “I am for Gentleman Jack’s,” declared Fletcher nonchalantly as his sister looked at him with eyes round with surprise.

  “How did you gain access to such a place? You have only just arrived in Town!” she demanded with the r
equisite lack of respect of a younger sibling.

  “I know people,” he was defensive but obviously reluctant to go into any detail.

  Julianna interrupted the emerging argument. “Good then, Hart, you can drop us all off on your way to the House. Odelia and I have some calls to make this afternoon. We can manage on foot or if need be we shall call a hackney before we return home. Should we expect you for supper tonight? Odelia and I will be dining early as we have accepted a couple of invitations for the evening. You will be eating with us, won’t you, Fletcher?”

  “Probably,” was his unhelpful reply.

  “I cannot promise anything, Jules, I am sorry to say. The sessions may run late today, as there is much to debate. Do not wait for me. The staff can easily set a place for me if I do make it in time. If I do not see you, have a lovely evening, my dear.”

  Used to not seeing much of their father, Odelia and Fletcher didn’t seem much put out by his being so busy. As the carriage drew to a stop at a busy corner, they hurried to get down and set off about their errands.

  “Goodbye, Papa, have a nice argument,” was Odelia’s cheeky farewell.

  Before she stepped down, Julianna asked her brother in some concern. “You do seem a bit more preoccupied than usual. Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, yes, all is well. Never you mind your pretty head about it. Although, I may need you to host a small party for me sometime soon, come to think of it. I will have my secretary discuss the details with you.”

  He already seemed elsewhere but Julianna couldn’t help her teasing. “Trying to turn someone up sweet, are you?”

  Hart laughed despite his seriousness. “Something like that. Now do hurry along, dear Jules. I must be on my way.”

  With a huff of resigned indignation, she allowed herself to be handed down, standing and watching as the carriage horses trotted briskly off down the street. Julianna was momentarily nonplussed as to what to do next but she blinked away her indecision and prepared to take leave of Fletcher. He surprised her with some gallantry.

  “Should I escort you two ladies somewhere? You didn’t say what calls you were making. Perhaps I should leave off my own appointment and make sure you two are looked after.”

  Julianna laughed delightedly. “Oh Fletcher, you are growing up to be quite a nice gentleman. No, do not worry about us. We shall be perfectly all right. We aren’t even planning on doing any shopping, so we shall not have anything that needs to be carried. We will meet you back at the house in a few hours.”

  After their visits were done, the two ladies decided that the day was fine enough to walk home. Julianna was relieved that Dee had agreed to the walk. She was finding the city rather confining when compared to their usual active lifestyle. Of course, here they were always on the go, which she actually found somewhat exhausting, but back home there was so much more activity – walking about the estate or visiting with some of the tenants. And today London was actually enjoying some fine weather for once, and the ladies were happy to take advantage of it.

  Once again, though, Julianna found herself trying to explain the Ashwoods’ strange attitude. “Odelia, I am certain you have noticed there are many amongst the ton for whom titles and position are everything. You can comfortably take it for granted since your father is an earl and his mother’s father was a duke and you have been surrounded by wealth and privilege your entire life.”

  “Titles don’t really mean all that much, Aunt Jules. It just means that your great-great-somebody did something nice for the king,” countered Odelia matter of factly.

  “Well, that is a bit of an oversimplification. It is easy for us to think that way. In our case, as Montgomerys we have had titles on both sides of our families for several generations. But your mama did not. Your grandfather is only the second Baron Ashwood. From some people’s perspective, they are barely landed gentry. His grandfather made a monstrously large fortune in trade and managed to buy into the gentry. Your grandmother was from a fine old family. I think her father was an earl, but they were on the verge of collapse financially so they married one another for reasons far different than love.”

  “I think that is very common in our world. It does not explain their attitude toward me and Fletch. In fact, since we are the offspring of earls and dukes, shouldn’t they be all the more interested in cultivating the connection if that is how they feel about our family’s titles?” asked Odelia still trying to understand.

  “You would think so, wouldn’t you? But unfortunately, I think they just cannot get beyond their own insecurities to care about anyone else. Not their own children and certainly not their grandchildren. Since appearances are so all important to them and children are often messy creatures, they never had much time for them. I remember your mother’s determination that you and Fletcher were not to be left with nannies or governesses. She was absolutely resolved to lavish all her love upon you herself, not leaving it to someone else to love and raise you.” Julianna paused with a catch in her throat thinking about the fact that her poor sister-in-law ended up having to leave it to someone else to finish what she had started with her children after all.

  Odelia too must have been thinking along the same lines since she was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment before she squeezed her aunt’s arm and answered her. “She got her wish. She did not leave us to a governess. She left us to you. And I must say I think you did quite a lovely job of it. Well at least with me, maybe not so much with Fletch,” she concluded with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Now speaking of strange grandparents, your great grandmother, the Duchess of Westerley has summoned us for a dinner she wishes to hold for you,” Julianna began in a somewhat worried tone that dissolved into a gurgle of laughter as Odelia turned eyes round with delighted surprise upon her.

  “Truly, Aunty? I can barely credit it! We are to have dinner with the Dowager Duchess? All of us, including Fletch? Who else do you think she shall invite? How perfectly exciting! My season shall be set now for sure if the Duchess vouches for me!” Odelia could barely contain her glee at the materialistic privilege being offered to her, momentarily imitating her Ashwood relatives. “What do you suppose has made her take an interest? I didn’t think she cared too much about us either.”

  “Perhaps she heard your other grandparents had invited us and she could not be outdone,” Julianna speculated cynically. “It does not really matter what prompted it, you can be sure she will not stint once she has made up her mind to do it. And, of course, the duchess is a stickler about who she spends her time with, so you can be sure it will be the most elevated of company.”

  After a pause while she reminisced, Julianna continued, “Actually, she always had a knack for inviting the most interesting selection of guests to her dinner parties. I remember I quite enjoyed the couple she had while I was staying with her during my own Season. I am quite sure you shall be delighted by her efforts.”

  Julianna was surprised to find herself looking forward to the event her grandmother was planning. She was starting to feel that perhaps Hart was right, maybe she should be considering this a Season for herself as well. She would have to give it some more thought as she had promised him she would.

  She was only giving half a mind to her niece as Odelia chattered on excitedly about all the gossip she had heard during their visits that afternoon as well as her anticipation for the various invitations they had accepted for the coming days. She had yet to run out of giggles and words by the time they arrived at their own elegant home. Julianna’s indulgent smile had begun to fray a bit about the edges, and a headache was pushing to the front of her forehead by the time the footman opened the door for them. She resolved to lie down for a few minutes before she prepared for dinner.

  “I apologize for cutting you off, Dee, but I must go have a wee rest before the evening rounds. Please excuse me. I shall see you at dinner.” With that Julianna swept up the staircase swiftly making for her room.

  Chapter 11

  A few day
s passed in which the ladies were involved in swirls of activity going from afternoon visits to dinners, balls, or routs. They even had the promised tickets to Almack’s, which were highly coveted despite the insipid entertainment on offer. Julianna had quite enjoyed escorting her niece to the various ladies’ homes for tea and gossip. It was such fun to watch the interplay of conversations as Odelia found her own place in Society. It seemed she was a natural at the social niceties and collected friends wherever she went. Julianna was rather more serious and did not make friends nearly as easily as her niece, but she was finding her own space amongst the ton as they made their rounds.

  The evening they spent at Almack’s had been quite remarkable despite its reputation for being rather mediocre entertainment. It had started out on the right foot.

  “You look amazingly beautiful this evening, Aunt Julianna,” praised Odelia as she gazed appreciatively at her dearest relative.

  “Why thank you, Dee. You look quite lovely yourself. Have you requested the carriage to be brought around?”

  “Yes, Harley has seen to it. It’s rather exciting to be just the two of us going out for the evening and to have a carriage at our disposal. It so rarely happens for some odd reason. It seems Papa always wants to drop us off somewhere. By the way, what is the earl up to this evening that was so serious that it got him out of escorting us to Almack’s?”

  Julianna laughed with good humor. “In all reality, Dee, I did not really care what he was occupied with this evening. I decided we would be better off without him. His presence at other events of late has been somewhat off-putting, has it not? Whether he is growling at us to hurry up and get ready to go home or glaring at any or all of your potential dance partners, I thought he would be a bit too much for us this evening.”

  “Great choice,” Odelia congratulated her aunt as she did a little dance of glee over the prospect of the evening before them.

  The ladies gracefully descended the stairs and were handed into their waiting carriage when the footman announced its arrival. Both girls struggled to contain their excitement over the evening.