Chapter Nine
As Hugo sat in the chair and allowed Alfie to shave him for the second time that day, the valet chastised him.
“Stop brooding, my lord.”
“I have every right to brood,” he snapped. “I have lost control of my household.”
It was true—and it frightened him. Control is what helped him get through each day.
He knew he was tightly wound, always having to watch every syllable which left his lips.
Control had meant that he had conquered his stammer.
Well, perhaps not conquered it, but he had it well in hand.
And now, at a critical point in his life, he was on the brink of spiraling downward.
All because of Lady Tia Worthington.
Dilly had ignored his request to stop seeing the chit.
Actually, he did not view it as a request. He had issued an order and expected his younger sister to obey him.
As the Earl of Merriman, he was head of his family and responsible for them.
He expected obedience. Yet not only had his sister disobeyed him, his mother had undermined his authority, as well.
Mama had come to him the day after their dinner at the Duke of Millbrooke’s, grumbling because Dilly had come complaining to her.
Mama had told him that he knew absolutely nothing of the Season.
That he might view himself as an expert on many things, but he would need to bow to her wishes and recommendations as far as whom Dilly might associate with.
When Hugo had explained that he did not believe Lady Tia was suitable company for his sister, Mama had laughed it off, telling him that Dilly’s friendship with a duke’s sister would elevate her into the upper echelons of Polite Society.
Mama let him know in no uncertain terms that she would also foster a friendship between the two girls, and she expected him to do the same.
Hugo had lost that battle decisively, and so he had kept to himself much of the past week. He had continued his long, solitary walks through Hyde Park, as well as spent hours in the music room at his pianoforte. Those two activities brought him comfort.
He had forced himself to go to White’s upon three different occasions.
He had found Matthew there on two of them and sat with his friend but had also spoken to other members present.
He did not share his current dilemma with Matthew, not wanting it to be revealed that he could not control the two women in his household.
While at White’s, he had spent time in the company of Lord Dyer and the Duke of Millbrooke.
Both men had been quite friendly, and Hugo could not understand why the duke’s sister was so venomous.
Then again, he had not been at his best when they had spoken to one another.
Would he wish to be judged by others on the basis of a few lines of conversation?
He had been judged his entire life for his stammer. Perhaps he had done Lady Tia a disservice. She had overheard him speaking rather harshly to Dilly and merely defended her friend. Then she had actually made an overture to him, but he had cut her to the quick with an ugly remark.
Hugo decided he must be a better man. He would seek out Lady Tia this evening and offer a profuse apology to her.
He had been in the wrong and needed to admit it.
Things were strained between them, so he did not know if she would even listen to him, much less accept his apology.
Still, he owed it to himself—and Dilly—to make the attempt.
Alfie finished shaving him and then helped Hugo dress in his evening black.
He would be wearing these fancy dress clothes on many occasions, beginning with tonight’s opening ball of the Season.
He knew Dilly was excited about it, but she had barely spoken to him during the past week.
When he had come across her in a room, she made an excuse to leave it.
At tea and meals, she never engaged him in conversation.
He hated the growing rift between them and would do anything to heal it, especially because Dilly might soon be leaving his household and going to one of her own.
From the very beginning, they had always been close, despite the five years’ difference in their ages.
It was hard to imagine not having easy access to his sister.
That led him to think of Lady Tia again.
He had learned at dinner the other night that she was a twin, and that sister was Viscountess Cressley.
Hugo wondered what it would be like to be a twin and suddenly no longer have accessibility to the person you had always been closest to. His sympathy grew for Lady Tia.
He only hoped she might forgive him. It would prove crucial in repairing his relationship with Dilly.
Alfie finished fussing over his cravat, and the valet left the bedchamber.
Hugo had asked for Alfie to come early so that he might do what he considered his prelude to being around others.
Just as when he practiced the pianoforte and played scales before launching into a composition, speaking was the same to him.
He sang two different songs, feeling the tension melt away, then he practiced several difficult phrases with consonants which gave him trouble.
After that, he repeated the word Delilah one hundred times, getting ninety-seven of them correct. When amongst the ton, he knew to address his sister as Delilah. He would also be mentioning her to others, and he prayed he would say her name correctly this evening.
So far, no one at White’s seemed to associate him with Hugo Drake, the undersized, stuttering boy who was picked upon. Even Matthew had begun referring to him as Merriman in front of others, and Hugo hoped no one would connect his past with his present.
He left his rooms, surprised to find Alfie coming toward him.
“Lady Merriman wishes to see you in her bedchamber, my lord,” the valet informed him.
“Very well.”
Hugo made his way along the corridor and tapped upon Mama’s door. She answered his knock herself and motioned for him to come inside.
“I know things are strained between you and your sister,” Mama began. “Perhaps this will make everything better.”
She handed him a small box, and he opened it, finding a pair of diamond earrings inside.
“These are not a part of the Drake family gems. They have been in my family for many years, handed down from mother to eldest daughter. My own mother made a present of them to me on the opening night of the Season when I made my debut. I wish you to give these to Delilah tonight before we leave.”
“No, Mama. I cannot. That would take away a moment reserved for you and her.”
“In due time, I will let her know she is to pass them down to her eldest daughter. For now, however, you must repair the hurt between the two of you. This would be a good way to do so, Merriman.”
She was right, but he hated taking away a special moment between mother and daughter because he had mucked up things with his sister. Still, the goal was to help Dilly find a suitable husband. Hugo would need to be on speaking terms with his sister for that to occur.
“Very well, I will see you downstairs,” he said, heading toward his sister’s bedchamber.
He did not even need to knock because her lady’s maid opened the door to leave just as he arrived. He entered and found Dilly sitting at her dressing stable, staring at her image in the glass. She saw him in the mirror and turned to face him.
“Why are you here?” she asked, her tone sharp and unforgiving.
He swallowed. “To tell you something—and give you something.”
Dilly rose and came to stand before him. “Are you going to apologize to me? To Lady Tia?” she asked angrily.
Solemnly, Hugo said, “Yes. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you, Dilly.”
She threw her arms about him, holding on tightly. “I have hated being estranged, Hugo.” Dilly released him. “You have been so unlike yourself.”
“I love you, Dilly Drake. I only want the best for you. If I have misjudged Lady Tia, I am man enough to admit it.”
Taking his hand, she kissed it. “Thank you. Thank you.” She kissed it again.
“Lady Tia is truly wonderful, Hugo. We have spent so much time together this past week, and it is as if I have a sister of my own now in my new friend. I appreciate you apologizing to me, but better yet, go through with what you have told me and apologize to her. She has done nothing wrong.”
“What has she told you? About me?”
Dilly frowned. “Nothing. It is odd that she does not wish to mention you to me at all. Believe me when I tell you that I have asked her why there seems to be such enmity between the two of you.”
It was a promising sign that Lady Tia had taken the high road and not revealed either of their conversations to Dilly. His sister might not be so forgiving if she had known how ungentlemanly he had behaved toward Lady Tia.
“I promise you that I will seek out Lady Tia this evening and offer her a sincere apology.”
She embraced him again, and Hugo believed all was well again between them.
“I told you I have something for you.” He held the box up, offering it to her. “Mama should be the one giving this to you, but she graciously allowed me to do so in her stead.”
Dilly looked to the box and back to him. “What is it?”
“Mama said it is something from her family. Passed down from each mother to her oldest daughter. She thought if I gave it to you, it might help restore goodwill between the two of us.”
Opening the box, Dilly gasped. “Diamond earrings! They are beautiful, Hugo.”
“Be sure you tell that to Mama and thank her properly. I feel I stole a precious moment between the two of you, being the one to present them to you.”
“To be honest, it means more coming from you than from her,” his sister admitted. “Oh, Hugo, I am so glad things are right between us again.”
“So am I, little sister. Put them on now.”
Dilly returned to her dressing table and sat, fastening the earrings to her earlobes. She admired herself in the mirror and then turned to face him.
“No gentleman will be able to resist you this evening,” he declared.
She grew serious, taking his hands in hers. “I know I embark upon a new chapter in my life tonight. While it excites me, I cannot help but feel a bit sad, Hugo. I will most likely leave this house at the end of the Season.”
“We will always be brother and sister,” he assured her. “And we will forever be friends. While I expect you to depend upon your new husband, know that you can always come to me if you need to talk over something.”
“When will you wed?” she asked.
“It is my duty to see you settled, Dilly. Only then will I consider taking a bride.”
“Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we both found someone this Season? Why, we could marry our betrotheds in a double ceremony.”
Laughing, he squeezed her hands before releasing them. “I do not picture that happening, little sister. Let us focus on you and your happiness in the weeks to come. We should not keep Mama waiting.”
He offered her his arm and escorted her downstairs. When they reached the foyer, Mama looked at him questioningly. Hugo nodded, letting her know all was well between him and Dilly.
His sister smiled. “Thank you for such a lovely gift, Mama. I absolutely love my new earrings. I shall wear them to every event I attend this Season. They will give me confidence.”
“I am happy to find that you like them, Delilah.”
They went out to the carriage, and Mama began peppering Dilly with last-minute reminders. His sister nodded, taking everything in. Hugo thought most of these unwritten rules of the ton completely nonsense. He listened as Dilly was told to dance with a gentleman only once on this first evening.
“But at subsequent balls, you may dance with a partner a second time if you wish to encourage him,” Mama said.
“A gentleman who asks a lady to dance twice is showing his interest in that particular girl. But never, ever dance with a man thrice. It will simply bring out the gossips in full force, and they will crucify you.”
Dilly was reminded not to overeat at the midnight buffet so that she would remain light on her feet as she danced.
She was told never to go to any room and be alone with a gentleman, else she would be compromised.
An exception would be to go out onto the terrace with a partner and stroll its length if a gentleman asked, simply because there would be other couples outside doing the same, so they would act as chaperones for each other.
Taking Mama’s hand, Dilly said, “I understand everything, Mama. Please do not worry about me. I am going to do my best tonight—and every night of the Season. Hugo will be looking after me, learning about each of the gentleman who shows an interest in me. He and the Duke of Millbrooke will share any knowledge they acquire about gentlemen, be it good or bad.”
Mama looked pleased. “Is that so, Merriman?”
“Yes, Mama. When Millbrooke and I met, it was suggested that since we both had sisters making their come-outs, we might pass along anything of note to one another. If a man is a rake, we will certainly keep him away from Dilly. And Lady Tia,” he added.
The carriage came to a halt, and Hugo glanced out the window, seeing the road clogged with carriages which had nowhere to go.
“Oh, this happens every opening night of the Season,” Mama lamented. “We shall have to walk the rest of the way.”
They disembarked from the carriage, Hugo escorting them another two blocks. They entered the home of Lord and Lady Parker and joined the receiving line. He skimmed the line, which snaked up the staircase. His eyes stopped when he found Lady Tia. Their gazes met, and his heart began beating faster.
“Excuse me,” he said. “I see someone I must speak to.”
“No, Merriman,” Mama said sharply. “You are not to leave the receiving line. Once we have been greeted by our hosts and enter the ballroom, you will stay with the two of us. You must meet every gentleman who will sign Delilah’s programme.
Only then will it be acceptable for you to move about the ballroom. ”
For Dilly’s sake, it was his responsibility to make a good impression on others. If etiquette prevented him from leaving the receiving line, he must accept this.
“Very well,” he said brusquely, allowing his gaze to meet Lady Tia’s again.
Hugo bowed his head in respect, and she tilted hers slightly in acknowledgement. That would have to do.
For now.