Chapter 17 A Second Season
A SECOND SEASON
Once the season began, there were events to attend nearly every day, sometimes two, even! Lilly, Glenda, and Lady Eleanor attended garden parties, musicales, and picnics and often went on shopping expeditions with Penelope, Caroline, and Natalie. (No more Miss or Mrs. or Lady this or that).
And of course, they attended balls. And the same as before, Aunt Eleanor managed to receive invitations to every single one—those that mattered anyhow.
Each week, she and Lilly carefully considered which events would be the best to attend and which should absolutely not be attended.
Lilly found that she could exist quite nicely in London without seeing Michael for days at a time.
She did find herself, however, spending a great deal of time with his fiancée.
A fiancée, she might add, who rarely mentioned him, and quite easily dismissed him from her life in favor of spiriting about with her more youthful friends.
Natalie loved to shop and had made it her mission to persuade Lilly to shed many of her old and less than fashionable gowns.
Unable to resist Natalie’s tenacity, Lilly allowed herself to purchase a few evening dresses which enhanced her figure and coloring.
Insisting it was completely acceptable for a widow, the modiste presented gowns which were inevitably cut low in the bodice and made up of reds and golds.
Lilly would protest, but Natalie had a knack for persuading Lilly that she absolutely must purchase this very one.
“Besides,” Natalie would say, “it is your duty to allow all of us debutantes to live vicariously through you. After I am married, I shall wear nothing but the boldest of colors! I’ll never wear anything pink again! ”
Lilly loved the idea of Michael’s perfect duchess decked out in bright red and a daringly low bodice.
Having previously only worn her older clothing, Lilly chose the Mathison gala to debut the first of her new dresses.
It was a deep gold color. “Just like your eyes,” Natalie had said.
It was designed to be worn without a corset or petticoats.
Aunt Eleanor simply loved it and declared she wished she had worn something just like it when she had had the figure to carry it off.
The dress was enchanting! As though hibernating for a decade, the woman inside of Lilly blossomed upon donning it.
Being a widow held some tantalizing possibilities.
With little adornment, the dress draped Lilly in elegant sophistication.
She was her own person, not the property of any man, including a father or husband.
Lilly’s transformation did not go unnoticed.
Whereas before, curious eyes would notice, inspect, and then dismiss, they now noticed, inspected, and then inspected some more.
Lilly wished she had kept her shawl about her.
The attention, as exciting as it was, also proved a little frightening.
She had worn the dress because she liked it.
She hadn’t considered the fact that she would no longer blend in with the matrons and wallflowers.
She’d not considered that she might, in fact, attract masculine notice.
Upon finding a settee for Aunt Eleanor, Lilly took the space beside her.
She was a chaperone, after all—and a companion.
Nonetheless, she found she did attract the attention of a few rather handsome gentlemen. (Not all of them were, in truth, handsome.) But Lilly pleased herself by finding a positive attribute in each one of her partners.
Oh, but the heat!
As the night wore on, the room, as was usually the case, grew warm.
When a particularly lively country dance ended, Lilly and Penelope slipped into the ladies’ retiring room to cool their temples with some tepid water.
What with all the dancing and the candles, both admitted to feeling overheated.
They took their time on the sofas provided.
“He’s being a ninny,” Penelope stated as she removed her slippers to massage her toes.
Lilly pretended not to know who Penelope meant by “he” but glanced around to be certain they were alone, nonetheless.
“I mean, Lady Natalie is a darling, of course! But she is so young! And now that you no longer have a husband—”
“Don’t say it.” Lilly jumped to her feet.
Sometimes Penelope was far too outspoken.
Why, if anyone were to overhear—well, it didn’t even bear considering.
“Are you ready to return? My aunt will be wondering where I’ve run off to.
I am her companion and Glenda’s chaperone, after all.
” Lilly took her responsibilities seriously.
Penelope narrowed her eyes. “Very well.” Resigned, she replaced her shoe and rose as well. “But in my opinion, both of you are being foolish. True love doesn’t come along very often, and to allow it to pass you both by a second time is a travesty. Just my opinion, mind you.”
Lilly shook her head but smiled. In spite of Penelope’s outspokenness, it was difficult to be angry with her. “In this case, I’d appreciate you keeping your opinion to yourself.”
Lilly had done well in not dwelling on Michael’s presence. She did not need her friend reminding her. She smoothed her gown as they re-entered the ballroom and went their separate ways. Penelope returned to her mother, and Lilly, as always, found her aunt’s side.
“Didn’t know where you had gotten off to,” Aunt Eleanor admonished her teasingly. “Wondered if you’d run away with one of these young bucks sniffing after you.” Her aunt’s laughter cut off abruptly. Lilly was surprised then to see the older woman’s eyes narrow.
“Lady Sheffield, you must present me to your delightful niece. I have been unable to take my eyes off her all evening.” A man, well past his middle years, with gray hair but thick black eyebrows, appeared as though out of thin air.
Although he seemed somewhat familiar, Lilly could not place where she had seen him.
Most likely at one of the seemingly endless events they’d been attending.
The same people tended to appear over and over again at most of the ton’s affairs.
Snatching her hand and raising it to his pouting lips, he bowed formally.
Her aunt was no more impressed than she. Sniffing into the air, Aunt Eleanor obviously did not approve of the man. But to deny him an introduction would be tantamount to giving him the cut.
“Lord Hawkborn, may I present to you my niece, Lady Beauchamp. Lilly, this is the Earl of Hawkborn.” Lilly winced as her aunt’s lip curled. She’d never seen her aunt be rude to anyone.
“Hawthorne. I am the Earl of Hawthorne,” the gentleman said through clenched teeth.
Then, in an effort to exert his manners in spite of the snub, he politely addressed Lilly.
“Lady Beauchamp, it is my greatest pleasure to meet you. I daresay, the supper dance is next. Would you do me the honor of standing up with me?”
Lilly happened to be free for this particular dance. She’d left it, purposely so, in order to remain with her aunt for the meal. But she could not decline without good reason. Ah, well. It was only one set.
“It would be my pleasure, Lord Hawthorne.” Turning to her aunt, she nodded and said, “Will you be dining with Lady Danbury, or would you like for me to find you in the supper room?”
Her aunt gave the earl a withering look. “Yes, come find me, dear.” She paused, as though she had something else to say on the matter, but then turned away and began gossiping with another of her ubiquitous very close friends.
Lilly took the earl’s arm and allowed him to lead her to the floor.
He was very tall and gangly and hadn’t yet begun to stoop with age.
But there was something odd about him. He carried an unnatural tension.
His arm felt thin and bony. She wondered if he wore padding in his shoulders.
The dance was, Lilly realized too late, a waltz.
As the earl placed his skeletal fingers at her waist, Lilly felt as though a spider had landed on her.
She resisted the impulse to shudder. His other bony hand clasped hers firmly, and the dance began.
The last year at Beauchamp Mansion had been spent preparing Glenda to enter society. One of the lessons scheduled daily had been dance. Lilly had attended every lesson faithfully along with Glenda. If necessary, Lilly could waltz on her hands—blindfolded.
The earl was not as diligent and seemed somewhat distracted by the steps.
“I must admit, my lord,” Lilly began, “I am surprised you would seek me out. I am a mere widow, a chaperone to my stepdaughter.”
The earl looked up at her with pale and watery blue eyes. Suddenly no longer distracted by the steps of the dance, all of his attention focused upon her.
Again, she forced herself not to shudder. There was something very…off…about this man.
“You mean your…niece?” he managed to say without stepping on her toes.
Thinking there was a chance that he was simply mistaken, Lilly spoke coolly. “No, my lord, my stepdaughter.” She would change the subject. “I understand your son, Lord Castleton, is in attendance tonight. It is always such a pleasure to have family nearby, wouldn’t you agree?” she asked innocently.
The earl’s face darkened. “Ah, yes…yes…He might be. I do not keep myself informed of his whereabouts.” He glanced down at his feet for a moment before changing the subject to her once again.
“No, I am not mistaken, my dear. I am referring to your niece, who also happens to be your stepdaughter.” Lilly glanced into his eyes and then away from them just as quickly.
It was Lilly who nearly missed a step this time, as she processed the fact that this man knew the truth of her marriage. “The distinction is of no importance.” Perhaps it was not. Oh, please, let it not be!