Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Usually, Marie spent her time at dinner parties eating while listening to others talk, but this evening, she was required to answer so many questions that she ended up dominating the conversation.
It all started with Lord Monheim asking her if she liked haddock and stew, two items that happened to be on the evening’s menu.
Then he asked her what other things she liked to eat.
After that, Lord Noel asked her what her favorite autumn treat was.
This led to Richard asking her what she liked most about autumn.
From there, Lord Monheim and Lord Noel asked her so many questions that she forgot to eat the food that was in front of her.
In fact, she was still hungry when the meal was over and the ladies went off to the drawing room while the gentlemen went to the library.
Thankfully, the maid brought in some little pastries for them to nibble on.
“I can’t believe how taken the gentlemen are with you,” Diane said with a shake of her head. “For the first time in my life, I’m a tad bit envious of another person.”
“The rest of us might as well not be here this evening with all the attention Marie’s getting.” Sharon, who was feeling much better now, laughed in a way that let Marie know she held no ill will toward her.
Marie relaxed, though she didn’t want to be the object of envy.
It was surprisingly discomforting. She certainly hadn’t intended to be the focus of attention all through the dinner.
This must be Tove’s work. She should have expected something like this.
Tove promised that she’d be highly esteemed in her new life, especially by gentlemen.
And the attention had been nice. The only gentleman who hadn’t asked her anything during the dinner was Edward. Was there a reason for that?
“You must tell us your secret,” Diane told Marie as she picked up one of the pastries. “How do you capture gentlemen’s attention so well?”
Marie thought over the question as she finished eating the pastry she’d been chewing. Finally, she had to offer the only answer she could since she dare not tell them she’d had help from someone in the future. No one would believe her. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Brooke, who had been quiet up to now, spoke up.
Marie’s gaze went to the lady, and she detected the hope that Marie could share some secret that all of them could benefit from. “I’m sorry,” Marie said, “but I don’t know. I speak, and the gentlemen seem to want to know more about me.”
Brooke didn’t hide her disappointment.
Marie felt a sense of camaraderie with Brooke.
She had never met the lady before, but she understood how Brooke was feeling.
Brooke wanted to fit in but didn’t. Had Tove brought Brooke to this dinner party to remind Marie of the way she was in her other life?
Perhaps this was Tove’s gentle reminder that Marie shouldn’t let all of this attention make her think more highly of herself than she ought.
It would be easy to forget the importance of genuine friendship and love when one was caught up in the admiration of others.
“Marie, I am going to figure out your secret and use it,” Diane said with a twinkle in her eye. “I don’t believe for a moment that you really don’t know.”
Sharon shook her head at her niece. “You already attract gentlemen, my dear. You currently have two pleading with your father to court you.”
Diane grimaced. “I’m not interested in them.”
Marie couldn’t fault her for not wanting a courtship with gentlemen she wasn’t interested in. “A love match is preferable.”
Diane snorted. “I don’t care if I have a love match.
Love doesn’t buy the things to wear, places to live, places to visit, luxuries to fill up a home, people to surround you and do your every bidding.
Those things only come with money.” She sighed.
“Of all the gentlemen here this evening, Lord Monheim has the most wealth, but it’s apparent he’s not going to ask my father’s permission to court me.
I think next time I look for a suitor, I can’t take you with me.
” She shot Marie a grin, but Marie wasn’t sure if it was friendly or not.
“Don’t be silly,” Marie replied after taking a moment to consider her words.
“Love is very important. You’ll spend the rest of your life with the gentleman you marry.
You’ll have his children. Don’t you want to look at your children and be satisfied that you created them with someone you loved?
Why, my father says that every time he looks at me, he thinks of my mother, and by the wistful tone in his voice, I can tell he loved her very much. ”
“I didn’t realize your father loved your mother,” Sharon interrupted. “They lived in separate townhouses and were only seen together when invited to a prominent social event.”
Marie had to hide her shock. That was how the father Tove gave her had been with his wife?
How different that was from her real father.
He had loved his wife. They had been very happy in the same townhouse.
She recalled how they would spend a lot of time together.
Things were never the same after her death.
While her father had continued on with his life, there was still a lingering sense of loss.
From time to time, he’d make a comment about how brief life was and how important it was to take advantage of its blessings.
Marie couldn’t think of a single instance when any of the blessings he mentioned involved money.
“Is it too soon to join you?” Richard called out from the doorway.
“It’s too soon for you to join us,” Diane teased, “but it’s not too soon for the others to do so.”
Richard made it a point to raise his eyes heavenward before he waved for the other gentlemen to enter the room with him. The ladies got up and moved to new chairs and settees so that the gentlemen who were their companions for the evening could sit next to them.
Marie pretended not to notice the way Lord Monheim’s arm brushed hers as he settled next to her. Had he done that on purpose? She glanced his way and saw him smile at her. Her face warmed. The touch had to have been intentional.
“Did you talk about anything interesting?” Richard asked as he leaned back in his chair.
“No,” Diane replied. “We were talking about you.”
Richard looked her way and let out a mock laugh. “I doubt you’d waste any time talking about me. You don’t find me entertaining enough.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Once in a while, you’ll do something that gives people a good laugh.” With an amused shrug, she picked up a cup of tea and sipped it.
Lord Noel glanced between the two. “I can’t tell if you two get along or not. Sometimes I think you’re joking, but at other times, there seems to be a hint of seriousness in what you say.”
“They do this all the time,” Sharon inserted for them. “They’ve known each other since before they could walk. I’m friends with their parents. For as long as I can remember, they’ve competed with one another.”
“How can they possibly compete?” Lord Noel asked them. “One is a lady, and the other is a gentleman.”
“Richard thinks he’s more intelligent and wittier than I am,” Diane said. “He’s wrong, of course, but there’s no convincing him otherwise.”
“The two detest each other,” Lord Monheim told Lord Noel.
“I wouldn’t say we detest each other,” Richard argued. “We just happen to know each other well enough to realize we would never make a good match.”
“Yes,” Diane inserted. “When you know how many faults someone has, it makes you want someone else.”
“Well said,” Richard agreed.
Sharon offered a chuckle. “They think of each other like brother and sister. As they say, ‘familiarity breeds contempt’.”
Was the tension between Richard and Diane something Tove had created? Marie pondered this question for several moments before concluding that their dislike of each other had nothing to do with Marie’s situation. This must be the way things truly were between them.
“I have an idea for a game,” Richard offered.
“Let’s create a story. I’ll start with a few sentences to open the story and then Brooke can continue with a few more sentences.
Then,” he gestured to Edward, “you will add a few more sentences based on what she said. And we’ll all go around until we’re back to me.
If there’s more to be added to the story, I’ll say more.
If the story is finished, we can start a new story or play another game. ”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Diane replied. “I think it would be more fun to put a blindfold on a lady and have a gentleman kiss her. Then she must guess who that gentleman is. Winner gets a treat.” She picked up a pastry before plopping it into her mouth.
Sharon shook her head. “That would be quite scandalous, Diane.”
“It would only be scandalous if someone here decides to tell others about it,” Diane pointed out.
“We’ll go with Richard’s game.” Sharon shot Diane a look that let her know she was not going to get her way.
Marie was surprised. With the way things had transpired in the carriage, she’d gotten the impression that Diane got away with whatever she wanted. Now she knew that Sharon allowed some liberties but not all of them.
“I’d rather play the story game,” Edward, who had been quiet for most of the night, said.
“Yes, I would, too,” Brooke added.
Marie saw Edward glance Brooke’s way. He gave her a smile to let her know he appreciated her agreement.
Marie felt a flicker of panic rise up within her.
She recalled how Edward had given her a smile similar to that in her other life.
It had been when their fathers had made their introductions.
She’d been so nervous at the time that she hadn’t realized how sincere that smile really was. He had been happy to meet her.
“Go on and begin the story,” Lord Noel urged Richard. “This sounds like an amusing way to pass the time.”