Chapter Eighteen
A riadne hugged Lia goodbye. “I am so glad you agreed to come to town with Tia. It has been wonderful having you here.”
Tears misted her sister’s eyes. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Lia paused, her eyes searching Ariadne’s face. “I hope you will find your perfect match and that you enjoy every minute of the Season.”
“Val will help me find the right gentleman,” she said, with more confidence than she felt.
Tia came and threw her arms around Ariadne. “Thank you for everything. It was wonderful being in town and seeing you in all your splendor. I hope you will wed the most handsome man this Season and have many babes so Lia and I can spoil them.”
She took the twins’ hands in hers. “If I do wed, I would like for the two of you to come and spend Christmas with me and my new husband.”
While Tia squealed her approval, Lia said, “That would be wonderful, Ariadne. We definitely would accept your invitation. As long as your husband would not mind. You will need to defer to him and his wishes.”
“I will not wed a man who would begrudge me a visit from my beloved sisters,” she said lightly. Kissing each of them again, she said, “Write to me. Give me all the news from home.”
“We will,” Tia promised, allowing Val to assist her into the carriage before he handed Lia up.
Both girls waved to them as the carriage set out and then turned from the square. Ariadne embraced her brother.
“Thank you again for persuading Mama to allow the twins to come. I enjoyed their company immensely and only wish Mama would have allowed them to remain in town longer.”
She hesitated a moment. They had not been alone with one another this past week, but she wanted to talk to him about Mama and Papa.
As Val started inside, she tugged on his arm. “Walk about the square with me a few minutes,” she urged.
They fell into step together. “What is it?” he asked. “You must have something to ask or confide. Have you grown fond of anyone in particular?”
“No, it is not that. Did you know... Mama ensnared Papa into marrying her?”
He startled. “What?”
Ariadne related the story Mama had shared with her.
“I have never heard any of this,” her brother admitted.
“Neither had I.”
“Why on earth would Mama share this with you?” he pondered. “It should have a been a secret she took to her grave with her.”
Biting her lip, she revealed, “Because she thought it might be something I could do to Lord Aldridge.”
“What?” her brother exclaimed.
“Despite my telling her that the marquess and I are not interested in a match between the two of us, Mama still believes wedding Lord Aldridge would be a good match for me. Naturally, I told her I would refuse to participate in such a scheme.”
He began strolling again, saying, “I would not see either you or Julian unhappy. I am sorry the two of you could not come to an agreement, though. He is still spending his time with the wallflowers, and they are thrilled about it.”
“Is there any particular girl he has called upon more than once?” she asked, knowing she should not seem so interested in the marquess’ actions. “After all, he is your friend and if he weds, you will be seeing his wife, too, when you socialize.”
“Julian has been tight-lipped,” Val revealed. “I have not pressed him about if he is wooing any particular young lady.”
She sighed. “I just wanted you to be aware of what Mama had told me so that you could help me prevent any entrapment of Lord Aldridge from occurring.”
He nodded. “It is good you shared this with me, Sis. Con and I have also warned Julian not to be alone with any lady. He understands the reasoning behind it. I do know he will be at the card party tonight at Lord and Lady Atterby’s home.”
Ariadne did not like hearing that. It had been easier to avoid the marquess at balls. He had not appeared at last night’s musicale. She had seen him at a garden party two days ago, but only from the far side. They had never drawn close enough to even greet one another.
Tonight would be different. The possibility they might end up at the same table—even be thrown together as partners—was something she could not escape.
“You are escorting me tonight?” she asked, trying to keep the worry from her voice.
“I plan to do so. Mama and Papa are going to the theater with Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Arthur, so it will just be the two of us going to Lord and Lady Atterby’s party.”
“Aunt Agnes asked me to call upon her,” Ariadne said. “I have not had a chance to do so yet. Might you walk with me to her house this morning? You could always have Tally come and act as my chaperone when I return home.”
“Yes, I am happy to do so.”
They returned inside so she could claim her reticule and bonnet. She told her maid where she would be and asked for Tally to come to Aunt Agnes’ in an hour to see her home.
“We may talk longer, but you can wait in the kitchen and have a cup of tea until I am ready to leave.”
“Happy to do so, my lady,” Tally replied.
Val and she walked the few blocks to their aunt’s, and her brother even came in for a few minutes before begging off for another engagement.
After he left, Aunt Agnes said, “I am so happy you made the time to visit with me, Ariadne. I only wish Verina and Justina were here with us.”
“Would you ever consider bringing them to town with you?” she asked.
“No. They are settled into a nice routine in the country with their governess. I would hate to disrupt that. Once Verina is set to make her come-out in four years, though, I will certainly bring Justina with us. She would be lonely in the country without her sister. Her governess can always give her a few lessons.”
“Why do you come to the Season each year, Aunt Agnes?” she asked, curious about her aunt’s motives. “Are you searching for another husband and simply have not found one to your liking?”
Her aunt’s laughter filled the room. “Oh, heaven’s no, Ariadne. I adored Traywick. We were a love match from the beginning. The moment our gazes met, I knew he was the only one for me. He told me later he felt the same.”
“That sounds quite romantic, Aunt,” she said, a bit envious.
“Oh, your Uncle George was quite so.”
A dreamy look crossed Aunt Agnes’ face, and Ariadne could see she was lost in her memories. She sat silently, waiting. Then Aunt Agnes seemed to realize she had company and blushed.
“I hope you will find a love match yourself. It is what I wish for my three children.”
“I doubt that I will, Aunt Agnes.”
“Why?”
Suddenly, tears filled her eyes, and then Ariadne was sobbing. Her aunt came and placed an arm about her. “Cry it out, dear.”
She did cry for several minutes before getting hold of herself. “I apologize for my outburst. Mama would be horrified that I displayed such poor manners.”
“You have no need to apologize for feeling what you do. Has a young man broken your heart, my dear?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “And no one else seems to draw my eye.”
“Tell me about him. This gentleman. And why he hurt you so.”
She took her time, leaving out Julian’s origins, but telling her aunt how much she liked the marquess and how they had kissed.
“I never knew a man’s kiss before. After sharing many with Lord Aldridge, I do not wish to know another one. But he has told me he has no interest in pursuing me. I cannot understand why he is willing to ignore the attraction between us.”
“You think Val warned him off too sternly?” her aunt ventured.
“No. I sense there is more to it than that. He is distantly polite when I see him, but he does not seek me out. He has yet to sign my dance card. I do know he is interested in finding a wife this Season. He is eager for children and wishes to provide an heir. The previous marquess wed thrice and had no children to show for his marriages, so wedding quickly and getting an heir is very important to him.”
She kept quiet about the fact that Julian was truly the son and rightful heir, though an unacknowledged one.
“Do you think you could be happy with another man as your husband?” Aunt Agnes asked.
“I... I am not certain. I suppose I shall have to try. Papa wishes me to become betrothed by summer’s end. And Mama?” Ariadne shuddered. “She suggested creating a... situation with Lord Aldridge.”
Aunt Agnes’ brows shot up. “You mean she wishes for you to force the marquess’ hand into wedding you.”
“Yes,” she said dully. “I am ashamed to even admit this to you.”
“Well, she did it herself. It does not surprise me Alice would think to try it again with you.”
Ariadne gasped. “You know about Mama and Papa?”
Aunt Agnes chuckled. “I am four years your mother’s junior. Our mothers were close friends, however.”
She thought back to what Mama had shared. “It was your mother who was with my grandmama when they discovered Mama and Papa alone together,” she surmised.
“Yes. I overheard them plotting it together and was horrified by such a scheme. Your father had been courting your mother, but another pretty girl turned his head. She and your mother were the two beauties of their come-out group and bitter rivals. They both wanted to land a duke as their husband. Your papa must have had at least some feelings for your mother because he was caught kissing her.”
“And Papa was honorable enough to wed Mama.”
“He did. Later, Alice befriended me when I had my own come-out because our mothers were friends. She can be a bit overbearing, but she has always been nice enough to me. I did not want to do what she had resorted to, however. Thank goodness Traywick and I were a love match. And ironically enough, he was a cousin to your papa, and so that is how you and I came to be related.”
“I told Mama in no uncertain terms that I would not connive to wed Lord Aldridge. I have plenty of callers who wish to woo me as it is.”
Aunt Agnes looked at her sadly. “But none of them appeal to you as much as your marquess does?”
“No,” she said flatly. “I have lost my appetite for the Season and its social swirl. Yet Papa expects me to wed. Val and Con are carefully reviewing my suitors. I suppose I will take their recommendation. Several of the eligible gentlemen courting me are quite nice. I never expected a love match, so I suppose I will have to make my mind up to be happy with one of them.”
Pity filled her aunt’s eyes. “I hope your Lord Aldridge will open his eyes and see what he is missing.”
“I fear that will never be the case. He is a determined man. He will not change his mind. I worry because we are both to attend a card party this evening. It will be impossible to avoid him at such a small event.”
“Be open to whatever happens,” Aunt Agnes said. “And feel free to confide in me anytime.”
She hugged her aunt. “Thank you. I could not burden Lia and Tia with this. They left only this morning for Millvale. And Val is good friends with Lord Aldridge. I cannot come between them.”
Aunt Agnes patted her hand. “Come to me whenever you wish, Ariadne. I am happy to help in any way I can.”
They talked another half-hour about upcoming events. Aunt Agnes revealed that she was a bit lonely in the country and enjoyed coming to town each Season in order to see her friends.
“You will be the same one day. You will visit with family and friends during the Season. It will be a time of year you will come to love.”
“I hope so, because right now, I am not fond of it one bit!”
They laughed and embraced before she took her leave. The butler sent for Tally, and they walked the few blocks home.
Ariadne decided she was tired of moping around. Lord Aldridge had made it clear they were not meant for one another. It was time she got down to the business of deciding her own future.
And that meant becoming an active participant in deciding whom to wed once the Season came to a conclusion.