Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Monday afternoon, Marie clasped her gloved hands in her lap and scanned the people around her. She felt foolish for sitting on the bench at Hyde Park for an entire hour. She should have brought a book with her. At least then she would be giving everyone the impression she had come here to read.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t thought that far ahead.
She’d just put on a shawl to ward off the chill in the air and headed outside.
Miss Parson had offered to join her. She probably should have said yes.
The only reason she’d declined the offer was that she didn’t want to make the poor woman sit with her for such a long period of time.
The last time she’d seen Edward, he had come through here.
She had no way of knowing if he would pass this way again, especially not on a specific day at a specific time.
She was only guessing he might come through here this afternoon.
He hadn’t been at the ball the other evening.
She had gone through the entire room looking for him.
She’d even asked a few people if they had seen him.
That hadn’t been easy given all the dances the Duke of Carlisle had arranged for her.
Diane and Maxine had been in attendance.
While she’d been polite to them—and they’d been equally polite back to her, something had shifted between them.
She no longer felt the need to impress them, and she realized they had nothing but contempt for her.
She couldn’t remember why she’d held ladies like them in such esteem in the past. The truth of the matter was, they were superficial.
They were just like the Duke of Carlisle, and she was better off without people like that in her life.
She shifted on the bench and scanned the path where people were heading in her direction.
Edward wasn’t anywhere. She released her breath.
This was a waste of time. Not to mention pathetic.
Who else would sit in a park this long? Despite everything Tove had done to make her appealing to others, she felt a part of her old self slipping back into her.
Maybe, at her core, she was a wallflower.
Before she could dwell on that realization too much, she stood up and headed back to the townhouses.
She wondered if people in this life lived at the same residences they had in her other life?
She had no idea where Diane or Maxine lived in her other life.
She did recall, however, her father taking her by Edward’s townhouse on their way to the ball the evening when she met him.
Her father had wanted her to see her new home.
She noted the street names as she proceeded into the part of London where people lived.
She paused for a moment when she came to an intersection.
She and her father had stopped here to wait for a couple of other carriages to pass.
Then the driver had gone to the left. She crossed the street then made the correct turn.
Her steps slowed as she came upon the townhouse her father had pointed out to her.
Fortunately, there was a bench not too far from the residence, but she couldn’t just sit here and stare at the place.
She could get away with scanning people in a park, but people would ask her if she needed something if she did that here.
She found a coin in her drawstring purse and paid a lad for a paper.
Then she settled on the bench. There. This was better.
No one would think anything of a lady reading a paper on a nice, sunny autumn day.
She turned slightly toward the townhouse then pretended to read the paper.
She got to the second page when someone called out her name. Her heart leapt in excitement until she realized the voice had not come from a gentleman. Pushing aside her disappointment, she directed her attention to the person who was heading over to her.
She blinked in surprise. It was Brooke.
“I’m glad to see you,” Brooke said as she joined her on the bench.
“It’s nice to see you, too,” Marie replied and folded the paper.
“I heard you’ll be at Lord Monheim’s dinner party this Wednesday.”
Marie nodded. “Yes. Will you be there?”
“I will. I was uncertain about accepting the invitation until I read that you’re one of the people who’ll be in attendance.
” She let out a nervous giggle. “I’m still uncertain.
Just less so now. My parents are adamant that I attend more social engagements.
They’re worried I’ll end up a lonely spinster. ”
Marie hadn’t realized someone else experienced the same fear she’d harbored in her other life. “I understand the feeling.”
“Oh, there’s no way you could understand it. Everyone wants to be in your company. Ladies enjoy talking to you. Gentlemen want to dance with you.” In a low voice, she added, “I hear that Lord Monheim is very much in love with you.”
“Who told you this?”
“No one. Not directly. I overheard people talking about his affections for you at the ball.” Her face grew pink.
“It wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop, I assure you.
Sometimes when you’re sitting in a crowded room, people come near you, and some speak loudly.
” She shrugged. “Still, it’s nice to know, isn’t it?
Lord Monheim is one of the most attractive bachelors in London.
You have caught his interest. That’s something to be excited about. ”
Yes, it was. Or, at least it should be. If people were gossiping about Lord Monheim’s love for her, then it probably meant a proposal was imminent. The only thing holding him back would be the Duke of Carlisle’s permission for the union.
Brooke, unaware of Marie’s discomfort, continued, “Word is that you have a couple of other suitors who are smitten with you as well. I hate to add this part, but there are a couple of bets going on within a few circles over which suitor you’ll marry.
” She gave a slight wince. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.
If people were betting on me, I wouldn’t want to know about it. ”
Marie wasn’t surprised to learn about the bets.
How often had she overheard people making their own little wagers over which lady would marry which gentleman?
She’d not only overheard it, but she would place a bet herself.
Not with any of the others, of course. She had only done it in her mind.
Then she would wait and see if she’d been correct.
Too often, however, she had been wrong. She had no discernment when it came to romance.
“Do you think less of me?” Brooke asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.
“No,” Marie assured her. “I’ve had my share of listening to others. I’m in no position to pass judgement.”
Brooke didn’t hide her relief. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I don’t seek out gossip. It’s not like I sneak up on people and listen to them. They happen to come right by my chair. It’s like they don’t even notice I’m there.”
“I know how that is. You mustn’t worry.”
Brooke let out a sigh of relief. “I have to say that this conversation has been good for me. I rarely know what to say to others, and when I dare to speak, I get the impression that people think I’m dull-witted.
That’s why I feel so awkward. You have made me feel comfortable. Thank you, Lady Marie.”
“We all have our awkward moments.”
“Certainly not you.”
“Yes, I’ve had them, too.”
“But you have such a grace about you,” Brooke protested.
Did she? Had her experience in this life given her a confidence she hadn’t had before? Perhaps it had. When one was invited to social activities all the time, it was easier to feel comfortable with others.
Marie took another look at Edward’s townhouse. Since she didn’t see him, she decided to pay closer attention to the lady sitting next to her.
Was it possible that Tove had created Brooke only for this life?
Brooke reminded her so much of the way she used to be—before Tove had made it so that everyone was enchanted by her.
Was Brooke a mirror in which Marie was expected to compare herself?
Perhaps Tove wasn’t just giving her an opportunity to secure a love match.
Maybe Marie was also getting a chance to choose which version of herself she wanted to be.
Of course, there was another possibility that could very well be at play.
Ever since Marie had taken on this new life, she hadn’t seen Tove anywhere.
Certainly, Tove would want to check on her progress at some point.
Tove promised to come to her and let her choose between this current life and her other one.
To do that, she had to engage with Marie somehow.
Marie had assumed the lady would just pop out of nowhere like she had before, but what if Tove’s methods were going to be subtle this time?
Brooke could very well be Tove in disguise.
That would explain their easy friendship and the fact that Marie couldn’t remember any gentleman who went by the name Mr. McCord.
Should Marie come out and ask if Brooke was Tove?
Would Tove permit the question? Or was Marie supposed to believe Brooke was a real person from her other life who had been merged into this one?
If Marie exposed her, would that ruin this experiment?
She still wanted to have a chance to speak with Edward, to make sure he was the one for her.
It was best she keep quiet. Just in case.
“Is that Mr. Glover?” Brooke asked, her gaze going down the street.
Marie turned in time to see Edward walking down the sidewalk. He was heading in the direction of his townhouse. Brooke must be Tove. She just had to be! What other person would point out the gentleman Marie had been betrothed to in her other life?
Marie jumped up from the bench without thinking. The level of excitement she experienced surprised her. She hadn’t realized just how much she wanted to see him.