Chapter Eight #2
‘You look the most beautiful I have ever seen you appear, miss,’ her lady’s maid said when they both took in her image in the full-length mirror.
And in all honesty Wilhelmina was inclined to agree.
Her own taste was far more eclectic and out of step with the modern style.
This gown, hairstyle and jewellery fitted in exactly, right down to the pale kid leather slippers on her feet.
She looked perfect. Money helped. Under the chandeliers her diamond necklace would sparkle and the material in both her gown and hat was of the finest Belgium lace.
Like the knights of old bedecked in their armour she was ready to do battle, though the small niggle of why worried her.
Phillip Moreland was not one to be trifled with and yet he was the first man she had ever felt drawn towards.
This feeling was inexplicable and foolish, given his reaction to their kiss, but it was none the less the truth.
Taking in a breath, she made herself smile.
When she arrived at the Kellands’ town house she saw the Earl exiting his carriage right behind her, surprise in his eyes as he took in her appearance, a message of appreciation darkening the blue.
His own clothing was of an understated finery, a black jacket and trousers of thin wool and a white shirt with a necktie that was neither foppish nor insubstantial.
The wounds on his face were remarkably recovered in the five days since she had seen him, the stitches removed from his cheek and his eyes much less swollen.
In his hand he held out a small bouquet of flowers, the fat, creamy buds nestled within the shiny green of a few leaves.
‘The perfume you use is made up of gardenias and I thought you would enjoy these.’
‘Thank you.’ Such a genuine gift almost put the stamp of authenticity on their outing and she had to remind herself tonight this was just a ploy and a way to beat the Ton at their own game while simultaneously protecting the ancient title of Elmsworth.
Tucking the floral tribute into the top fold of her small bag, she allowed him to lead her inside.
Like a fairy tale.
Like Cinderella finally going to her ball.
Except she did not wear glass slippers and her Prince Charming wanted very little to do with her.
Phillip understood the Ton as Wilhelmina did not.
He knew of Society members’ propensity to cut each other down in order to elevate themselves and he knew that his past arrogance would also count against him.
On the surface there would be politeness but underneath a darker tone would linger.
He hoped Wilhelmina might understand the reality of things, too.
She was beautiful, and that was a point in their favour. She was also very clever, which might not be so helpful, for the kingpins of Society had no wish to bow down to the intelligence of a woman who had neither elevated lineage nor family history on her side.
Mrs St Claire was a jigsaw puzzle and a far more formidable opponent than anybody here may have yet realised.
It would be an interesting night ahead but she was right in her summation of his want to quit Society on his own terms, and although he had no love for the theatrics of the Ton he did not wish to be shoved off without choice either.
He liked the way she laid her hand on his arm as if she needed to be ready.
‘This won’t be easy.’ He said this softly.
‘Oh, I think we have both been through far worse.’
Joseph Kelland was the first to meet them. ‘Elmsworth,’ he said with an inflection of question. ‘It seems you have been in the wars in more ways than one.’ His glance then rested on Wilhelmina. ‘Mrs St Claire.’
‘Your house looks very beautiful tonight, my lord.’
A sincere compliment which made Kelland smile as he brought his wife forward. ‘Mrs St Claire was just saying how lovely the house appeared, my dear, and as it is mostly your doing I thought you should be the one to hear it first.’
‘You are more than kind.’
As she went on to describe to Wilhelmina the details of getting everything ready Joseph Kelland pulled him aside.
‘I did not think you would make an appearance tonight, Elmsworth. There are whispers all over Society about your poor behaviour and those of good sense and conservative values are not pleased.’
‘Which is why I am here to state my side of things.’
‘Indeed, and you are right to come and stand your ground but I am warning you because some might not be eager to listen.’
‘I shall be careful. I hope my presence here will not cause problems for you.’
‘Oh, do not worry on my account. Society is boring me to death of late so at least this evening might be a more interesting one than most.’
They’d moved away from the reception line into the body of the main room now and Phillip could hear whispers around them, Oliver’s name mentioned more than once. That was the incident he could not refute and he wouldn’t either, for the shame of his actions still hung in every part of him.
Catching Wilhelmina’s anxiety, he tried to alleviate it.
‘We shall slay them one by one. Just wait and see.’
‘Like dragons?’
They both smiled as a Society doyen glided over looking a little like one.
‘You have been in the wars, Elmsworth. It is the talk of the town.’
‘Leaving White’s early in the evening is a dangerous past-time these days, Lady Kensington.’
‘I do believe you are right. I have said to my husband there should be more constabulary on the streets but the city is too poor to afford them.’ She turned then to Wilhelmina.
‘You are looking remarkably well tonight, Mrs St Claire. A lack of feathers and your hair down suits you. Have you changed your lady’s maid?’
A backhanded compliment delivered with perfect timing, Phillip thought, and saw a spark of irritation in Wilhelmina’s eyes.
When the woman’s husband and sister-in-law also joined them the conversation included the mention of Oliver’s name and he knew what was coming next.
‘Have you seen your brother since you have returned?’ Lord Kensington asked this.
‘I have. His estate lies only thirty minutes from my own.’
‘A cordial visit, then? We had heard things have been more than difficult between you. I hope you left your hand-piece at home this time.’
The gloves were off, just as he’d known they would be. Kensington was not a man to beat around the bush.
‘I think family matters are better left discussed by the family. My brother would probably feel the same.’
Wilhelmina now joined the conversation. ‘I know Esther and Oliver were hoping you might return last Christmas, Lord Elmsworth. I heard that they were most disappointed when you did not arrive.’
‘Well, I am back now and I hope this year we might celebrate the season together.’
‘It’s such a lovely time, isn’t it? I remember as a child in Winchester my father would find pine boughs and bring them inside, and the smell was so memorable.
We would scour the woods around the town to find the greenest, freshest specimen and he would make sure I knew all the names of the insects we found on the branches. ’
Phillip wondered at her great stream of words but he knew what she was doing; shifting attention and calming the waters. Lord Holland and his wife ambled over next, even as Kensington continued his criticism.
‘Your father would be turning in his grave at the way you are behaving, Elmsworth. If the mores of Society are not upheld in the best way possible the whole thing will collapse, you do realise that?’
‘Oh, indeed I do, but I doubt the footpads outside of White’s have heard that message.’
‘You were at White’s before you were attacked?’ Lord Alfred Holland asked this.
‘I was. The barkeep had warned me before I left of recent worrying incidents but I had no idea how brazen an attack might be.’
‘Then I am glad to hear you fought them off. Perhaps a turn at a London boxing studio might not go amiss?’
‘I will keep that in mind.’
Others listening in began to look less alarmed and angry and Phillip was grateful knowing that it only took a few moments for gossip to circulate in a Society ballroom. Already he could see a change in the mood.
When Ben and Sarah Harcourt and the Duggans joined them it all became easier again, being a group of people who buffered them, in a sense, from the others. Could it really be this simple? Taking a sip of wine, Phillip smiled at Lady Duggan standing nearby.
‘When my niece had problems after the dissolution of her first engagement it was your brother who stepped in and rescued her, Lord Elmsworth.’ Her words were quiet.
‘Everyone needs a saviour now and then. Even you, I suspect. As Esther is my treasured niece, I consider you as part of my family and I was most pleased to see you at our masquerade ball the other week. You came as Hades, did you not?’
‘The Lord of the Underworld seemed an appropriate disguise, Lady Duggan. My father’s ceramic mask obviously did not fool you.’
‘You have the old Earl’s height and your mother’s beauty. It was easy for me to see the man beneath.’
Astonished, Phillip kept silent. He could not remember that about his mother but this small truth was welcomed.
‘Oliver has it, too. The same fineness. Miranda was a friend of mine at school and she would have been proud of you both had she been here today.’
He bit down on a reply, given all that had happened between him and his mother, but Lady Duggan was not yet finished.
‘Second chances are not for the faint of heart, though I have always been of the mind everyone deserves to fashion their own course in life.’
Willa had said as much to him. And Gretel on her deathbed had made him promise that he would go home to England and be happy. Could such a choice be possible? Even with his questionable reputation he felt hopeful, an emotion so unfamiliar it stunned him.
‘Thank you, Lady Duggan.’
‘You are welcome.’
Wilhelmina was next to him now. She had been prickly with him all evening but at least she had stuck to her word and helped him navigate the rumours.