Chapter Nine
Rowena awaited her cousin’s carriage to convey her to Lord and Lady Pebble’s house party.
She thought back over the list of guests who would be coming and hoped she might enjoy their company.
She had been thrilled when Lady Pebble agreed to invite not only Miss Tweedham but also Lady Sarah.
The viscountess had thought with Lady Sarah’s large dowry that she would be a good candidate for their guest list. Her friend yearned to wed.
Rowena suspected this house party might be the final chance Lady Sarah would have to meet a gentleman in this type of atmosphere and have a chance to find a husband.
While as much a bluestocking as Rowena, Miss Tweedham also longed for a husband and children.
She hoped her friend might be a suitable match for her cousin Ollie or one of the other two gentlemen who were from the nearby neighborhood.
Selfishly, she hoped that would happen so they could remain in close proximity to one another and continue their friendship for decades to come.
The other two ladies who would be attending were not known to her.
One was Miss Lawson, who was the daughter of one of Lord Pebble’s cousins.
Supposedly, she was an extremely shy young lady, and Lady Pebble hoped Miss Lawson would thrive in a more intimate setting.
The final lady on the guest list was Lady Jewell, a young woman of two and twenty, who had recently returned from India.
Her parents still remained there, where her father was some type of government official.
Lady Jewell’s aunt, a Miss Bailey, had traveled to India in order to chaperone her niece’s sea voyage back to England.
Lady Pebble was friends with Miss Bailey and thought her house party an ideal setting for Lady Jewell to take in the company of some of the members of Polite Society.
Of the five ladies attending, Lady Jewell’s aunt would be the only chaperone present.
Lady Sarah, whose parents often neglected her, said that Lord and Lady Pebble would be chaperone enough for their spinster daughter.
Miss Tweedham’s mother, whom Rowena knew fairly well, said that she would trust in Lord and Lady Pebble, too, since they had plans to visit friends during the house party and would be unable to change them in order to chaperone their daughter.
Naturally, the viscount and his wife would be chaperone enough for Miss Lawson since they were her family.
Rowena herself did not need a chaperone.
In her mind, she was already high on the shelf and only attended the house party to pacify Lady Pebble as well as being able to spend time with her good friends.
She had high hopes for Ollie finding a bride while at Pebblestone. Rowena believed her cousin would greatly appeal to the women in attendance. Ollie was jovial and kind and the most decent man she knew. More importantly, her cousin was actively looking for his viscountess now.
The other gentleman she was acquainted with was Lord Clay.
Rowena had encountered Lord Clay at a few events and even partnered with him at a card party during her come-out Season.
Though she was a bit concerned that he liked cards a little too much, he was still most amiable.
The other three gentlemen were unknown to her.
Lady Pebble had insisted that Baron Howell be included.
Though he was one of their neighbors, Rowena had never met him since she had grown up in town.
Lady Pebble shared that Baron Howell had wed three years ago and then lost his wife in childbirth.
He was now father to a two-year-old daughter, and the viscountess thought it high time Lord Howell wed again, not only to give his daughter a mother but to provide the baron with more children.
Lord Cramer was another name unfamiliar to her. Lady Pebble said his father had been a distant cousin of hers. The cousin had passed a little over a year ago. Lord Cramer now held the title, and Lady Pebble said he was a serious man in need of a wife.
The last gentleman on the guest list was an unusual choice on Lady Pebble’s part.
He was a Mr. Tompkins, who served as a tutor at Oxford.
Lady Pebble confided that Mr. Tompkins’ father, the Earl of Roland, was in poor health and that it was only a matter of time before Mr. Tompkins found himself claiming the title.
Since he had not mixed in Polite Society yet, Lady Pebble felt it her duty to help bring Mr. Tompkins into the fold of the ton.
The house party would prove to be the perfect way to do so.
Thinking over the gentlemen in attendance, Rowena had high hopes for her friends’ chances of finding someone who might interest them.
She recalled hearing that house parties were notorious for quick betrothals, and she could understand why.
During the Season, there were so many people present at events, and it was not uncommon for a girl to dance with a gentleman only a handful of times and meet him in passing at other events before he offered for her.
A house party, on the other hand, allowed a limited number of men and women to be brought together.
Conversation would flow, and Lady Pebble shared that the stiff rules of Polite Society were somewhat relaxed in the country.
She understood that was the viscountess’ way of telling her it would be acceptable for couples to go off and be with one another without a chaperone lurking about.
Though Rowena herself was not looking for a husband, she was eager to have the company of others over the next week.
She did enjoy her life since her father’s passing, but there had been several occasions when loneliness had overcome her.
After this house party, she vowed to get out more in the community.
She could volunteer at the Mossleigh parish church.
Even call upon others and invite them to call upon her.
While her books meant everything to her, she realized she needed the presence of others every now and then so that she would not succumb to loneliness.
She saw Ollie’s carriage approaching and rose from her chair, donning her spectacles.
Though she no longer dressed as to be so off-putting to gentlemen, it seemed appropriate to wear her spectacles again.
She had sent a trunk to Pebblestone yesterday, filled with clothes.
Not that she would be staying at the estate, but Lady Pebble had explained that Rowena must change clothes several times a day.
She had asked for her trunk to be placed in Miss Tweedham’s bedchamber, which would be larger than most of the other guests, and she would share it with her friend when she needed to change her gown for tea or dinner.
As for what other activities she might partake in that required a change of gown, Rowena hadn’t a clue.
Lady Pebble had worked long hours on a list of activities for her guests to participate in, but the viscountess did not share them with Rowena, telling her that she was a guest and did not need to take part in the planning of the house party itself.
Opening the door to her cottage, she went out to meet the carriage. Ollie bounded from it, giving her a ready smile.
“Are you ready for our adventure, Cousin?” he asked, his eyes sparkling.
“I suppose so. It will be pleasant to meet new acquaintances.”
He handed her up and joined her inside the carriage, saying, “I haven’t a clue what people might do at a house party. Actually, I have no idea how to behave around other members of Polite Society.”
“I know you have devoted years of your life to the stewardship of Stanfield, and Papa appreciated your efforts so much, Ollie. It is time for you to make your presence known in Polite Society, though. I think this house party will be the perfect way to introduce yourself. Frankly, I find the Season a bit overwhelming, with so many others present at events.”
“I am hoping to find my wife amongst the ladies invited to Pebblestone,” he confided. “The thought of entering a ballroom with hundreds of people and not knowing but a handful of them terrifies me. Do you know any of the guests who are coming, Rowena?”
“Two are actually good friends of mine,” she revealed. “Miss Tweedham and Lady Sarah. I can vouch for both their good character. The others are not known to me. Miss Lawson is the daughter of Lord Pebble’s cousin, while Lady Jewell has just returned from years abroad in India.”
“Might I count on you to give me advice once I have met the four of them? I sometimes become a bit tongue-tied around other ladies. Not that I have had much opportunity to be around them.”
“I am happy to talk with you anytime, Ollie. I will give you my impressions of the other two ladies, but in the end, you are the one who will spend the rest of your life with your viscountess. My first suggestion to you would be to find someone you have something in common with. Build a friendship upon that commonality.”
He grinned. “See? You are already giving me excellent advice.”
They arrived at Pebblestone, and she saw Ollie’s was not the only carriage in front of the house. She spied Lord and Lady Pebble talking with two gentlemen. Miss Tweedham and Lady Sarah were also amongst their number.
Ollie handed her down, and Rowena saw servants bustling about, carrying in luggage. Miss Tweedham saw her and smiled widely, giving a wave.
“Come and greet our host and hostess, Ollie. We can also meet some of the guests at the same time. The two ladies are my friends I spoke of.”
They joined the circle, and Rowena introduced Ollie to both Lady Sarah and Miss Tweedham.
In return, they met Baron Howell and Mr. Tompkins.
From looks alone, she found both gentlemen to have a pleasant countenance and hoped they were in attendance not just to socialize but actually look for a bride.