Chapter Two
Lady Tia Worthington was happier than she had been in many months.
At this point last year, she and her twin sister were about to make their come-outs into Polite Society, something they had both looked forward to for their entire lives.
Unfortunately, her father had collapsed and died suddenly on the eve of the Season.
Mama had whisked them away from town so that they might do their mourning in the country at Millvale.
She had not spent a single moment mourning the loss of the duke.
Her father had been a cold, distant man, ignoring his four children for the most part.
Especially his daughters. The only one who had gained even a modicum of attention was her brother Val, who had succeeded his father as Duke of Millbrooke.
Val had recently become a father for the first time at the beginning of March.
He would bring his wife Eden and little William to town next week so they might attend the Season.
Tia adored her new sister-in-law, a former governess, and William was fast stealing her heart.
She was eager to go this afternoon to take tea with her older sister Ariadne, who had wed Julian, Marquess of Aldridge, during her first Season. They had a daughter called Penelope, and Tia could not wait to see her young niece, who had recently begun to walk.
More importantly, she would finally get to see Lia today.
Her twin had always been her closest friend, almost an extension of Tia herself.
Lia had met Viscount Cressley while they had been visiting their aunt Agnes at Traywick Manor in the Lake District last autumn.
Lia had fallen in love with Viscount Cressley, a neighbor, but they had left Traywick Manor and returned to Kent without anything resolved between the couple.
Lo and behold, Rupert had shown up at Millvale with a special license and drafts of marriage settlements, along with his heartfelt declaration of love.
He and Lia had wed in the village church at the beginning of December.
They had stayed through Christmastime and then returned to Cumberland.
Tia had exchanged a few letters with Lia, but it was not the same as talking in person.
That was why she was so ready to see her twin this afternoon when they met for tea at Ariadne’s.
Her older sister had come up with what most of the ton would consider a most peculiar notion—bringing your children to town for the Season.
Ariadne had talked to several of the ten cousins in their extended family, while Tia and Lia had spoken to the others.
All ten had agreed with Ariadne and would bring their own children to town each year.
That way, not only could parents spend more time with their offspring, but the new set of cousins would also be able to grow up in one another’s company and form strong bonds of friendship.
The only cousins who currently had children were Ariadne, Val, and Lucy.
Lucy had given birth to her daughter Elizabeth a month ago.
She and Judson, the Marquess of Huntsberry, had written and said they would come to the Season next year.
For now, they wanted to have more time at home with their newborn.
Tia suspected Val would have done the same if it had not been for her making her come-out.
Her brother was very protective of all his sisters, and he had told Tia he wanted to be present this Season for her.
Dru, Lucy’s sister and the Countess of Martindale, was increasing.
She and her husband Perry had decided to skip this Season altogether.
Dru had written of how large she had grown and how travel was difficult for her.
She promised her cousins she would come to next Season, though, and show off her new babe, which would arrive this coming July.
Two of the remaining cousins, Verina and Justina, were too young to make their come-outs, so they would not be in town with Aunt Agnes.
Tray, their older brother, was finishing up at university, and he had shared that he would not come to town until next spring.
The last of the cousins, Con, would be at tea today.
Tia was very fond of Con and looked upon him as another brother.
Tia breakfasted in her bedchamber, since it was also her mother’s habit to do so.
Once Val and Eden arrived in town, however, she would take the meal downstairs with them.
She went and practiced the pianoforte for an hour after she ate, something Lia excelled at.
Tia could play adequately. She might have even been better at the instrument if she weren’t so lackadaisical when it came to practicing.
She liked hearing music when others played, but she had to concentrate too much on her fingering patterns when she played herself, which took the joy out of music for her.
Mama had encouraged her to practice, though, simply because she would be expected to entertain when they had guests.
She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of others, so she had practiced the same three selections multiple times over the past month and would feel comfortable playing any of these compositions for guests.
She returned to her bedchamber, which seemed so empty without Lia sharing with her these days, and retrieved her bonnet and reticule.
Tying the bonnet beneath her chin, she went downstairs and found Mama already waiting for her in the foyer.
They had an appointment with Madame Laurent this morning.
Even though Tia had an entire wardrobe made up for her last Season, gowns which she had yet to wear, Mama thought she needed at least a few new ballgowns for this Season.
It didn’t take long to reach the modiste’s dress shop, and they entered, finding only one other client seated. Tia thought the older woman striking in appearance. She had abundant black hair, which was graying at the temples, as well as very unusual gray eyes.
One of Madame’s assistants appeared and greeted them. “Good morning, Your Grace, Lady Tia. If you would like to come to the back, my lady, I will help you in your fitting today. Madame is already there with Lady Merriman’s daughter.”
She followed the assistant and caught sight of the other young lady being fitted for gowns.
It was obvious she was the daughter of the woman seated in the shop because they favored one another so much.
The girl had the same raven hair and gray eyes.
Where the mother had an air of sadness about her, though, this girl looked extremely lively.
“I am Lady Delilah Drake,” the young lady said. “Please tell me that you, too, are making your come-out this Season. Are you as terrified as I am?”
Tia couldn’t help but laugh, already liking this young lady. “I am Lady Tia Worthington, and I, too, will be making my debut into Polite Society. It is so very nice to meet you, Lady Delilah.”
“I have tried to be friendly to a few other girls I have come across during my dress fittings,” Lady Delilah confided.
“They did not wish to be friends at all.” Leaning closer, she confided, “In fact, one of them boldly told me that she would not be making friends with anyone making her come-out because she considered all those girls to be her competitors. She told me that she planned to land a duke, and nothing would stand in her way in doing so.”
Tia had not considered others in her come-out class as a threat and said, “Well, I am not looking for a husband this Season. What I am looking for is to make friends—and enjoy the many social affairs.”
Lady Deliliah’s eyes widened in surprise. “You are not looking to be wed?” Then she smiled. “Why, I find that quite refreshing.”
As the assistant helped Tia from her gown, she said, “Eventually, I do wish to wed. I have three siblings, and all of them are very happily married. Surprisingly, they all made love matches.”
The other girl gasped. “I have never considered love as a factor in taking a husband. Why, I did not know those in the ton ever considered wedding for love.” She shook her head. “My own parents certainly were not in love.”
They continued gossiping as they tried on various gowns, and Tia found herself taken with Lady Delilah’s outspokenness.
“Do you have any siblings?” she asked.
Her new friend’s face softened. “I have an older brother. He has always taken such good care of me. He is the Earl of Merriman. My father passed two years ago. He was bedridden the two years before that. He suffered a horrible attack of apoplexy and never left his bed after it.”
Tia nodded sympathetically. “My own father, the Duke of Millbrooke, also was struck by apoplexy last spring. We lost him that same day. It is why my come-out was delayed a year, due to being in mourning.”
“Do you think we can become friends, Lady Tia?” Lady Delilah asked earnestly. “Having never had a sister, I have been looking forward to my debut for years now. Yes, I do hope to find a husband, but I also wish to form some lasting friendships.”
“I do not look upon you as competition in the least bit,” she declared. “I am most happy to be your friend, my lady.”
The other girl smiled sweetly. “Then you simply must call me Dilly. Mama demands that I introduce myself to others as Delilah, but my brother has always called me Dilly. He could not say Delilah when I was born. He began calling me Dilly and still does to this day. I actually prefer it. Dilly sounds much more friendly and fun than Delilah, in my opinion. To me, Delilah sounds haughty and judgmental. I promise you that I am neither.”
“Then Lady Dilly it shall be,” Tia declared.
“Oh, we are going to have such fun together this Season,” her new friend said.
She hoped that would be the case. Tia had anticipated sharing everything with Lia. With her sister now a matron, things would be different. It would be lovely to have Dilly as a friend and confidante.