Chapter 15
I had been at the Beaumont townhouse for so long that I was afraid of wearing out my welcome. Besides that, Juliet had received word that her sister had just had a new baby and she and Jeremy were to go for a brief three-day visit, so I arranged to return to my aunt and uncle’s.
The next day, as Juliet and her brother said farewell and saw me off, Jeremy said, “We will see you at the ball on Thursday evening.”
“Yes, I should be there.”
He gazed into my eyes but said nothing more.
I only had to travel a short way, and I arrived to my aunt saying, “Oh, my dear, it is good to have you here again. Algernon and I can go with you on your morning walks, for I know how much you enjoy walking.”
Algernon was lounging on the sofa and did not bother to stand when I entered the room. He had the same pale complexion and red eyes I remembered.
“Good to see you, Amelia,” he said.
“And you as well,” I said.
“You must call her Miss Moore now. She is a lady, not a playmate, not anymore,” Mrs. Kendall said brightly.
“Good to see you, Miss Moore,” he said, an amused look on his slightly bloated face.
I smiled and nodded politely. Turning to my aunt, I said, “Thank you for welcoming me back.”
“Of course, my darling. I hope you had a wonderful time with Miss Beaumont. I’m so glad you were able to make their acquaintance. Do you anticipate Mr. Beaumont making you an offer of marriage?”
“No, I’m afraid not. He and I are not the greatest of friends, I’m afraid.”
“That’s a pity, but there are many young gentlemen in London. It is the Season, after all. Shall we expect any gentlemen to call on you?”
“There is one gentleman who has promised to call, Mr. Colin Harper.”
“Oh, is he rich?”
“Ah, Harper,” Algernon said. “He’s a right good fellow. I see him at the club sometimes. Although I haven’t seen him of late.”
“So you know this Mr. Harper?” Mrs. Kendall said.
“I’ve known him for a few years.”
“And he is a man of honor and integrity, would you say?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“I suppose. He pays his debts, I know that. I’ve been to his estate in Lincolnshire, and we put on a theatrical there. Right good fun, it was. Harper is a good sort.”
What was I to make of what Algernon was saying?
With Algernon’s penchant for drinking and gaming, how could I trust his assessment of anyone’s character?
I determined to ask Mr. Harper some probing questions when next I saw him.
After all, If I were to even consider marrying him, I needed to know his character.
The ball was finally here. After being with Juliet and Jeremy every day, it felt quite lonely and dull to be at Mrs. Kendall’s, though she was very kind to me.
Algernon was always lounging about, or leaving abruptly to go to his club, and I had to forgo my daily walk for the past two days because of heavy rain.
But the rain had finally eased, and I was dressed and ready for the ball.
Algernon accompanied us, and his mother said, “Algie, you will ask some ladies to dance, will you not?”
“Mother, you know I do not like to dance.” Algernon sighed heavily as he looked at the ceiling of the carriage.
“Well, you never know what might happen while you’re dancing,” she said cheerfully.
“I’d much rather play cards.”
Our carriage arrived and we went inside, greeting the host and hostess. Mrs. Kendall found a place to sit and a cup of something to drink, and thankfully, I saw Juliet arriving with Jeremy Beaumont and Mr. Shelley. After greeting the hosts, she and Mr. Shelley came straight to me.
We were all smiles as Juliet and I embraced. I nearly cried, so grateful that she was happy to see me.
“I have missed you so much,” she gushed. “I think they just announced the first dance. Jeremy,” she said, turning around to speak to her brother, “dance with Amelia so she can be beside me.”
That was how I ended up dancing with Jeremy Beaumont the first dance, as we lined up beside Juliet and Mr. Shelley.
My stomach did a strange flip as I gazed across at him.
Had he grown even more attractive, or was it only my imagination?
His hair fell in such an attractive wave across his forehead.
And his eyes were so perfect. One eyebrow was slightly higher than the other, which, when he was smiling, made him look mischievous, and when he was not smiling, made him look grumpy.
At the moment he was neither smiling nor grumpy but looking at me as if he wanted to ask me something important. Then the music began, and he held out his hand.
I should have felt flattered that the man my aunt had told me was the most sought-after gentleman of the Season was dancing the first dance with me, but now that I knew him, he was not the “catch of the Season,” he was Jeremy Beaumont, the gentleman who would dance with me simply because his sister asked him to.
“How was your visit to your sister?” I asked during a slow part of the dance.
“We had a good visit. She and the new baby are well.”
A few moments later he said, “Things have been dull since we returned to London.”
“Dull? With Juliet around?”
“She talks nonstop about you.”
I could hardly stifle my laughter. “Yes, that must be tedious indeed, a dull subject to be sure.”
“That is not what I meant. You are deliberately misconstruing my words.”
“Well, what did you mean, then?”
“I mean that Juliet and I missed having you to talk to, and it was tedious . . . I am sure you know what I mean. Men do not care to talk of muslin and lace and ribbons.” He gave me a rare smile.
“Juliet says that because you are no longer with her, she has no one to talk to when she retires for the evening, and Mrs. Wilson retires early. She says she is forced to plague me with her feminine conversation.”
I was pleasantly surprised that he was speaking in this way with me, though I wasn’t exactly sure why.
More importantly, I liked thinking that Juliet needed me, which, I suddenly realized, was a large part of the pain of missing home. My family often needed me, daily. And the past week I had missed feeling as if Juliet needed me.
When the dance was over, Jeremy Beaumont walked me back to Mrs. Kendall.
“Good evening, Miss Moore.” Jeremy bowed to me, then turned to go—and nearly bumped into Mr. Harper.
Both gentlemen halted and stared, but neither of them said anything as Jeremy walked away.
After initial greetings, I asked Mr. Harper, “Are you and Mr. Beaumont not acquainted?”
“We are, a little,” he said, suddenly not looking me in the eye.
“Then why did you not greet each other?”
“Did we not? I thought we did.”
“No, you did not.”
Mr. Harper shook his head. “He has something against me, perhaps.”
“What does he have against you?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Mr. Harper was beginning to look agitated as he nervously brushed at his sleeve. “People who listen to idle gossip may hear a great many things. Come, we have missed the beginning of the dance. Allow me to get you some lemonade.”
“Thank you.”
He hurried away, and I began to wonder what was amiss. It did not seem in Jeremy Beaumont’s nature to invent a reason to dislike someone, nor did it seem likely that he would listen to idle gossip. However, he’d told me himself that there was a rumor about Mr. Harper.
When Mr. Harper returned with two cups, he was smiling. “Here you are, my lady,” he said with exaggerated ceremony. Then he gave one cup to Mrs. Kendall.
“Mr. Harper you are so thoughtful,” Mrs. Kendall said. “Kind and thoughtful. Isn’t he kind and thoughtful, Amelia?”
“He is.”
“I see my uncle over there,” Mr. Harper said. “Allow me to go and greet him, but I shall return before the next dance—that is, if you will do me the honor of saving it for me.”
“Of course.”
I watched him go and speak with a middle-aged man and was able to see a bit of resemblance between them.
As the dance was ending, he hurried over to me. “Let us get a good place on the dance floor,” he said, “but if it is all right, I would very much like to introduce you to my uncle and aunt before the evening is over.”
“Of course. I would like that.”
The dance was a lively one, preventing us from talking, but I was busy thinking, especially after he asked if he could introduce me to his uncle and aunt.
I had felt so bereft when Lord Gotthurst stopped calling on me. But I was very happy that Mr. Shelley remained very attentive to Juliet. I wanted all good things for her, and Mr. Shelley seemed capable of making her happy and being a good husband.
I did worry that, after spending an entire Season in London, I’d be forced to go home without a marriage proposal. I might never get another chance at getting married, as I very seldom met an eligible gentleman at home. Our society was much less varied and abundant than here in London.
Could I be content to remain unmarried, to never have a husband or children or a home of my own? But whether or not I could be content wasn’t the most important question, since the worst thing would be that I would have squandered the chance to make the best match I could, for my siblings’ sakes.
And if Mr. Harper had no grave character flaws that I could discover, he would be a very good match for me. He was rich and handsome, or he would be rich, when he inherited his father’s fortune. He was just the sort of match my mother and aunt had been hoping for me to make.
When the dance ended, he escorted me to my aunt’s side, saying, “Miss Moore, have I told you how refreshing it is to know someone like you?”
“I believe you have said that once.”
“It is true. You are so lovely, and your manners are so open and just what pleases me.”
“And you have very pleasing manners, Mr. Harper.”
“I wish that you might call me by my given name, Colin.”
He said the words too quietly for anyone except me to hear, but I still felt a jolt, as one might feel when someone says something completely unexpected.
“That would not be proper,” I said, just as softly.
“I thought you would say that, Miss Moore. You are just as you should be, in every way.”