Chapter 13
“Wherein our heroine meets the countess and finds an ally.”
It occurred to Georgiana, in the light of these forbidding words, that she still didn’t know the outcome of his meeting with Lord Falmouth.
“As I see it, we have two choices,” her uncle explained with rushed words. “The first is to do as your uncle wishes and marry Rufford.” He grinned, looking over the top of his spectacles at her. “I feel we are of a like mind on this particular subject.”
“Indeed, we are, sir,” she replied, smiling in return, though her nerves were once more all of a jitter.
“Then that leaves us but one course of action. We must face the scandal head on and in such a way that it dies away, and no one has any further interest in speaking of it.”
Georgiana felt her heart plummet and her stomach appeared to somersault, accompanied with a quite nauseating wave of heat that washed over her. “Oh dear,” she murmured.
“Now then, love. You won’t be alone in this by any means and that was why I contacted the earl.
You see the man owes me a debt after his fool physician nearly killed him last year.
A wound got infected and he was running a fever.
If he hadn’t called me in for a second opinion, it could have been quite nasty indeed.
Anyway, he told me he was in my debt and if I ever needed anything .
.. Well I do need something, and I didn’t hesitate to tell him so. ”
“Uncle!” Georgiana exclaimed in growing horror. “Whatever have you asked him for?”
She watched as he sat back in his chair and stroked his thick white sideburns with the back of one hand.
“Now don’t panic, child. The whole idea is that you must avoid any scandal attaching to you. You must act with the utmost propriety and good sense, of which I have no doubt at all you will be able to do quite admirably.”
For a moment Georgiana’s mind flitted back to an afternoon with Beau and the way she had cried out when his hand slid under the skirts of her dress. Her cheeks flamed but her uncle just chuckled, thankfully perfectly ignorant of the path her thoughts had taken.
“So, I believe you know that the earl has recently married. In fact, I met his wife this afternoon and a more delightful creature you never did meet. I think you’ll be enchanted by her.
She’s very young, mind, but nonetheless as a married woman she can bring you out in society and indeed she has very graciously agreed to do just that.
And damn me, but with the Earl of Falmouth giving his name to your cause, you just let the bloody baron do his worst!
We’ll face them all down, Georgiana, and come out of this the winners. You mark my words!”
This impassioned speech did much to restore Georgiana’s spirits, though she felt very close to fainting once more when her uncle gave her the quite stunning information that he believed she was worth close to fifty thousand pounds.
The staggering amount of money made her head spin and her uncle’s next words, about bewaring fortune hunters for they’d be on her like bees on honey, quite went over her head. The rejuvenating effect of this plan on Aunt Jane, though, was something close to miraculous.
She was swept away to Truro where several new gowns were purchased so she wouldn’t be put to the blush when she was presented to the countess the next day.
“But, Aunt Jane,” she whispered, out of hearing of the shopkeeper. “I don’t inherit until I’m twenty-one. That’s a year and a half away. How on earth ...?”
“Hush, love!” her aunt scolded her, pausing a moment to throw a smile at the shop keeper who had glanced in their direction. “Lord Falmouth has advanced you a sum to cover all of your expenses, which of course you will repay him when you come into your inheritance.”
Georgiana looked at her aunt, quite aghast.
“B--but he’s never set eyes on me, I mean ... how ... why?” she stammered, becoming so flustered that her aunt held her vinaigrette close under her nose until Georgiana squealed with disgust. It did, however, bring her back to earth.
“That will be quite enough fretting, Georgiana,” her aunt said, with quite astonishing severity from one who was usually so mild.
“It just so happens that the earl holds the baron in as much contempt as you would wish and is more than happy to help you thwart his plans.” She lowered her voice a little more, whispering to Georgiana.
“According to Joseph he has some other, private reasons for his involvement he didn’t wish to discuss but suffice to say your success would please him very much.
Now your uncle and the earl have arranged it all for you and all you need do is enjoy the nicer parts of it, like the shopping and making new friends with ladies like the countess. ”
Her aunt came closer and touched her face with empathy.
“Of course, facing the haut ton is going to wear on your nerves I know, child. But there is nothing like being properly attired to be able to stare down those who would say wicked things about you, take it from me!”
Seeing as her aunt must have run the gauntlet of just such kinds of ill-natured gossip when her family disowned her, Georgiana could readily believe the truth of it.
Either way, there was little she could do.
Everything was apparently arranged to everyone’s satisfaction.
All she had to do was play her part, do and say nothing scandalous, and hopefully her mother’s infamy would not continue to taint her own future.
***
Both her aunt and uncle were right about one thing. The Countess of Falmouth was an absolute darling.
Setting foot inside the vast doors of Tregothnan was by far the most terrifying thing Georgiana had ever done. She was greeted by an elderly butler of such grave dignity she might have been of a mind to turn around and flee had it not been for Aunt Jane’s iron grip on her arm.
They were led into a lavish drawing room, painted in the palest duck egg blue and with massive gilt-framed pictures lining the panelled walls. It was exquisitely furnished, and in every direction her eyes alighted on some beautiful piece to delight the eye.
Nothing in the room, however, could compare to the vision that rose to greet them.
With the widest, bluest eyes Georgiana had ever seen, surrounded by an artless arrangement of guinea gold curls - that she could well believe had taken hours to achieve - the countess rushed over to greet them.
She wore a dress of amber silk with a rich lace trim around the bust and was quite the most dazzling creature.
Holding her hands outstretched she drew Georgiana to her and kissed both of her cheeks.
“Oh, Miss Bomford,” she said, with a pretty French accent that Georgiana thought utterly charming. “I am so ‘appy you are coming to London with us. I ‘ave the most wonderful things planned for us both. Oh, where are my manners, do please sit down and I will ring for some tea.”
The niceties of any afternoon call were observed as the three ladies exchanged pleasantries. But then, to Georgiana’s amusement, the countess changed the subject.
“Well, now all the pretty nothings are done, we can talk properly, hein?” She said, giving an irrepressible grin, mischief glittering in those lovely blue eyes.
It gave Georgiana no problem at all to imagine how this engaging creature had brought a confirmed bachelor and notorious rake like the earl to propose to her. She strongly doubted he’d had any choice, for surely no one could resist a smile like that.
“I want you to know that I do not care this much,” the countess said, snapping her pretty fingers, much to the shock of Aunt Jane, “for what anyone says about your mama. And you just see if they dare in front of Alex, ha!” She winked at Georgiana and then glanced at Aunt Jane with an apologetic expression.
“Oh dear, I ‘ave shocked you, yes? Aunt Seymour will scold me, and I ‘ave been trying very hard to be a good English lady.”
“What the devil would you want to do a thing like that for?” said a cultured male voice from the corner of the room.
“Oh, Alex!”
Céleste, as the countess had insisted they call her, leapt to her feet as her husband strode into the room. For a moment Georgiana was struck with a dreadful case of jealousy as she saw the way the two of them looked at each other, as if neither her nor Aunt Jane even existed.
The earl looked down at her with obvious adoration before planting a light kiss on her mouth to the delighted amusement of Aunt Jane.
In that moment Georgiana found her longing for Beau a physical thing, a weight that hung about her heart and never allowed her to fully enjoy anything that might pass.
If only she could be with him in such an easy, open manner.
The countess returned to her guests looking a little flushed and obviously believing Aunt Jane would be shocked by such behaviour. But her aunt, being so happily married herself, was only too pleased to see two people so well matched.
Once the formalities were over, Georgiana allowed herself to look the earl over while he spoke to Aunt Jane.
He was a tall and forbidding looking man, broad and well made, with thick black hair and a stern, uncompromising face.
There was a cruel edge to his mouth that made her believe he was not someone of whom you should make an enemy.
But every trace of that harsh cynicism vanished whenever he laid his eyes on his lovely wife.
“Well then, Miss Bomford,” he said at last, turning his attention to her. “I understand we are to have the pleasure of escorting you to London with us to make your come out?”
“Yes, my lord,” she said, smiling at him with real gratitude. “And I can only imagine that my uncle must have done you the greatest of favours, for I am well aware of the singular honour you do me in the circumstances, and I will be forever in your debt.”
“Circumstances be dam ... dashed,” he amended at a nudge from the countess.
“Baron Dalton is ...” He glanced at his wife who was biting her lip in amusement.
“Well,” he said with a sigh. “I suppose I shouldn’t disparage your uncle in front of you but safe to say I don’t like the man, and his treatment of you is beyond anything.
It would give me the greatest satisfaction to thwart any plans he may have and so I tell you, you owe me nothing.
I shall enjoy putting his nose out of joint beyond anything. ”
Aunt Jane nodded and looked at him with great satisfaction. “I know I shouldn’t say it, the baron being my brother and all, but you need have no compunction about cutting up his character before us. After the way he treated us ...”
At this point her voice broke and she was forced to hunt for her handkerchief and press it to her lips while Georgiana searched through her reticule for her aunt’s vinaigrette. This had the effect of unsettling the earl to the point that he made his excuses.
“I shall look forward to seeing you in London, Miss Bomford,” he said before he took his leave of them.
“I confess I am relieved that the countess will have someone young and amusing to bear her company in case she tires of her ancient husband.” This was said with a very grave face, forcing his wife to exclaim,
“Bah! What a rapper! Indeed, Alex, you are looking for me to compliment you, and now I shan’t, so run along and leave us ladies to talk in peace.”
The earl looked at her in amusement, one eyebrow raised. “I shall do just that, but I will also be speaking to my cousin Aubrey, as I have no doubt that is where you learned such a vulgar expression. Good day, ladies.”
Once divested of her husband, the countess turned to Georgiana and grasped her hands.
“Indeed, I am so looking forward to this season. The last season I was there ...” She paused and looked a little uncomfortable before smiling and carrying on.
“Well, it was my first and it all went in rather a blur.
I think I will enjoy it much more this year, especially now I ‘ave a friend to accompany me.”
Georgiana, tried to smile in return and then imagined the scorn of the ton when they discovered she was the daughter of the scandalous Lady Dalton.
Apparently aware of her train of thought, the countess gave her hands a squeeze. “I know what it is to face scandal,” she said in a whisper. “Alex is the dearest man but ... well, I am sure you are aware of his reputation?”
Georgiana opened and closed her mouth, glancing to her aunt for help as she didn’t really know how to reply to that question, but Céleste just laughed.
“Oh, don’t worry, I know all of it, and most of it is quite true, after all,” she added with an irrepressible chortle of delight that made Georgiana chuckle in reply.
“In fact, we are having to apply to his Aunt Seymour to try to get you vouchers for Almack’s because poor Alex is banned!
Can you imagine? Not that he cares a rush of course, but we will need to go for your sake, and I admit I should love to see the marriage mart at first hand. ”
This last put Georgiana quite at ease and she felt sure that in the countess ... Céleste, she had found a friend with whom she could face the trial before her - if not with equanimity, then at least with courage.