Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Lady Trueman’s garden party, everyone knew, was held for her niece, Miss Emily Fernshaw. Having already successfully married off her own two daughters, Lady Trueman took it upon herself to find her late sister’s daughter a suitable husband.
And so, every eligible gentleman was invited to attend.
“I am surprised that Lady Trueman invited us,” Helena whispered as they walked towards Chastity, each carrying a glass of punch in their hands.
“And why should she not?” Matteo asked. “You are neighbors and in good terms, are you not?”
“Well, yes, but I know for a fact as well that she is trying to marry off her niece, Miss Fernshaw. Therefore, in the eyes of mamas—or in this case, aunt— every marriageable lady is a rival.”
“Surely you exaggerate.”
“This is the way of the marriage mart, Matteo.”
The look of comical fear on his face had Helena laughing.
“I think it is precisely because we are neighbors that we were invited. It would have been extremely rude had she not sent us an invitation.”
Matteo shook his head.
“What do you think our world would be like had everyone just said exactly what they thought?” He gestured at the various ladies and gentlemen they passed. “If we all just acted as we wished, so much time would be saved.”
If we all just acted as we wished. Helena sighed inwardly.
“What a world that would indeed be.” She smiled indulgently. “But, alas, I fear our society is not prepared for that just as yet.”
“But would you like that freedom, Helena?”
Freedom.
Helena was not sure if Matteo’s question was headed towards something, but she found that she was afraid to answer it. She was thinking of a way to evade answering when a real reason presented itself.
“Who is that gentleman that Chastity is speaking to?”
They had left her sister in the quiet company of Lord Algate a few moments ago to get some refreshments. Now, as they headed back to her, they found that another gentleman had joined their party.
“Ah. Lord Clifton, Baron Mayford. He is recently returned from the colonies.” Matteo said, looking at the gentleman.
“Lord Algate seems to have introduced them. What do you know of him, Matteo?
“Not very much, I am afraid. Only that he has recently joined London society. He returned from the West Indies about three months ago, I believe. Before he came to London, he spent a month in his country estate. He was nominated by his childhood friend, Lord Harris, for membership in my club, and so I know a little of him. Voting is set for a fortnight from tomorrow. I have never met the man personally; we have never been introduced.”
Helena studied him as they approached the group.
From his appearance, he presented the typical male member of the nobility.
He was dressed in the latest fashion; his bearing was that of a gentleman’s.
His complexion was tanner than the average Englishman due to, Helena assumed, his time in the West Indies.
And he was handsome; this she noticed as he turned to face her and Matteo.
“Helena, Your Grace.” Chasity smiled at their return.
The two gentlemen beside her bowed.
“A new acquaintance, Lady Chastity?”
“Oh, yes. Lord Algate introduced us,” Chastity said. “Helena, Your Grace, this is Lord Clifton, Baron Mayford. Lord Clifton, my sister, Lady Helena Ayles, and her betrothed, His Grace, the Duke of Valen.”
“At your service, my lady.” Lord Clifton bowed again. Then, turning to Matteo, he continued. “Your Grace, if I am fortunate, we shall be members of the same club very soon.”
“I wish you the best in the voting.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
They stood talking about London life for a few more minutes until Lady Chapman called out to Helena and Chastity. Happy to see her, the sisters together with Matteo excused themselves from the other two gentlemen and went to join their mother’s friend.
“You are both looking lovely, my dears.” Lady Chapman said, then, beaming at Helena, she continued. “Helena, your betrothal took us all quite by surprise!”
“Yes, well, it was quite sudden to be sure, my lady,” Helena said demurely.
“And you have been very sly, the pair of you, have you not, Your Grace?” Lady Chapman addressed Matteo, chuckling. “I can only imagine that you have had your eye on Helena for a while now?”
Helena fought a blush.
Matteo bowed.
“She has been constantly on my mind as of late, my lady. I can only be relieved that she accepted my proposal.”
“I shall take the liberty to say that many young ladies and their mamas now suffer from disappointed hopes, since seeing you in attendance at my last ball had they realized that you were prospecting for a wife.” Lady Chapman waved her hand as if to dismiss them.
“But theirs was a short-lived hope, for not too long after that, word of your betrothal spread through London like wildfire.”
Helena watched Matteo for his reaction. He smiled, nodded, and took her hand.
“It was not my intention to disappoint anyone, my lady, but I must act with my own wishes in mind.”
“Yes, of course, Your Grace. And may I congratulate you on a fine choice—”
She was briefly interrupted by a friend who was calling her over.
“Ah, I apologize, but my attentions are needed elsewhere. I shall leave you, young people, for now.” Then to Helena, she added with a wink, “Well, perhaps this was why you refused to dance with Mr. Addison, you did have your reasons after all!”
Chastity looked at Helena, confused.
“But I thought you still disliked His Grace during Lady Chapman’s ball? You were very rude to him when he asked me to dance.”
“Chastity.” Helena ground out her name.
“Oh!” Chastity’s cheeks turned pink. “I apologize, Your Grace.”
“Do not worry yourself about it, Lady Chastity.” Matteo smiled. “Your sister did, indeed, still dislike me then. It was after that when she realized that I do have some pardonable traits too.”
“And what did you like about Helena, Your Grace?” Chastity asked.
Helena felt Matteo squeeze her hand. She had almost forgotten that he still held it in his. Hoping and praying that he did not launch into his silliness, she squeezed his hand back as a warning.
“Her seriousness.” He said with a simple smile.
“Indeed?” Chastity looked unconvinced, but she nodded all the same.
Matteo smiled again, a small, earnest smile that he rarely employed and therefore had a greater impact on its recipient.
“Helena takes life by the hand and leads it to where she wants it to go. She has an intensity that makes you see that everything must have a purpose, a meaning behind every happening.”
When he looked at Helena and held her gaze, she felt her knees weaken.
Perhaps it was his green eyes, made more arresting by the sincerity on his handsome face.
Or perhaps it was the words that he had just spoken, words that she had never expected to be used in describing her.
Well, she had, indeed, been called serious before, but never to this effect.
He somehow made serious sound beautiful, meaningful.
She felt her heart burrow in her chest.
“Oh,” Chastity said softly. “That is quite beautiful.”
She inclined her head and smiled at her older sister.
Gossip, as all gossip went, spread fast during Lady Trueman’s garden party.
Much like Matteo and Helena’s arrival at the Wakefield Musicale, the fact that they arrived together was noted by all.
But the difference between the musicale and this event was that the garden party had significantly more attendees.
Where the Wakefield Musical only had the family’s members and their friends, Lady Trueman had more than a hundred guests.
And so, as Matteo and Helena had anticipated, news of their engagement was now widely known.
“So, it is true!” As the first of many gentlemen intercepted them when they made their way to their host. “You really have decided to be shackled.”
“A good afternoon to you as well, Townsend.”
“I beg your pardon,” the gentleman said somewhat sheepishly to Helena and Chastity. “In my shock, I have forgotten my manners. Valen, if you would introduce me to your lovely companions, I would be very much obliged.”
Matteo smiled indulgently.
“Of course, my friend.”
He introduced the gentleman as Lord Stuart, Baron Townsend, a friend from his club and from Oxford.
Although he and Lord Townsend went back as far as their university years, Matteo and he had never developed a deeper friendship.
But as they often mingled in the same circles, they had remained friendly with each other.
“I am in awe of you, Lady Helena, for taming my friend. Indeed, I had expected him to evade matrimony altogether, especially as he was the only one left in our circle who had remained unmarried.”
“You make me sound so very uncivilized, Townsend,” Matteo said, chuckling. “Of course, matrimony was on my mind. I was just biding my time.”
“Waiting for the right lady to come along, I see.” Lord Stuart smiled at Helena.
“Of course,” Matteo answered, he looked at Helena with a twinkle in his eye. “When I found her, I had to do all that was in my power for her to say yes to me.”
“I thank you for your compliment, my lord,” Helena smiled back at him with a similar twinkle in her eye. “But I assure you that you could have done all that was in your power, still that would not have guaranteed a yes.”
“Oh?” Lord Stuart asked, intrigued. “Then what was it that made you accept His Grace?”
“Why, his agreement to my request of decorating our sitting room yellow, of course.” Helena smiled at the bewildered looking Lord Stuart, “I never thought I would find a gentleman who loved the color yellow.”
“Ah. Of course.”
The laughter that Helena and Matteo let out as soon as Lord Stuart left them had Chastity watching them with an amused smile.
Indeed, Matteo had heard her exuberant list for the perfect husband the afternoon that he had come across them at Hyde Park. Funnily enough, in his mind, he had checked to see if he could comply with her requirements.
And then, without meaning to, Matteo had envisioned himself in a sitting room painted yellow and decorated with yellow ornaments and furniture.
“Did you really agree to that absurd request, Your Grace?” Chastity asked as she stifled a giggle. “For indeed, I cannot imagine you having tea in a yellow sitting room!”
Many a time that afternoon did he steer Helena and Chastity away from the company of certain gentlemen. From rakes, fortune hunters, and the occasional outright bore, to be precise. On the second time that he had, Helena looked abruptly at him, finally understanding what he had been doing.
After that, they had inadvertently developed a system. First, altogether avoid the introduction of the said gentlemen to Chastity. Second, if an introduction could not be helped, make the encounter as brief as possible. All of this, Matteo and Helena communicated through mere looks and gestures.
“Helena, would you mind if I join the next game of croquet with some friends?”
Chastity, who had just returned to their group from talking to her friends, excitedly informed her sister of their plans.
“They needed one more to complete the players.”
“Of course, Chastity,” Helena gestured for her to go. “Go and join your friends.”
Matteo and Helena, who, for the first time that afternoon, were left alone, sat together on one of the numerous blankets set under the blooming magnolia trees.
Tea and sandwiches were served. From across them, the game of croquet was preparing to begin.
On the other side of the gardens, cheers from a game of lawn bowling could be heard.
“I must thank you, Helena.”
“For what, Matteo?”
“Have you noticed any young ladies or their mamas hovering about me recently?”
Helena grinned.
“Ah. Your plan is working beautifully for you then.”
“Indeed, peace and quiet during a social event.” Matteo shook his head. “I had not thought that at all possible!”
They looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
“Have you heard from Dahlia or Peter yet?” Matteo asked softly.
“I have not,” Helena replied just as softly. “And you?”
“No word yet, but I am to meet Peter at our club tonight. Perhaps he will give me an earful then.”
“We have yet to discuss what we shall be telling our friends about our arrangement,” Helena said.
She watched him consider his answer. For her part, Helena found that she was not yet ready to tell Dahlia and Celine the truth.
“I think we should, for now, be consistent with what we have been telling everyone.” He scratched his chin. “Although I do not think that Peter will be content with our story, he will not be surprised by our engagement.”
“What do you mean? Why would he not be surprised?”
Again, he seemed to choose his words before answering. After a few moments, he looked her in the eye and answered as plainly as he could.
“Peter had noticed that I had an interest in you, even back during our time together at Icedale Castle.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Helena thought she heard him wrong.
Matteo tapped her chin gently with his finger and smiled.
“Come now, Helena.” He said, still smiling at her. “You cannot pretend not to have noticed how I never ceased to tail you then.”
Helena was speechless. Her mind went back to that winter. Matteo ceaselessly in his teasing—although back then she had also wondered if he was mocking her. Matteo being everywhere that she was—was she not then justified in thinking that he had been following her the past few days?
“What is this? A Helena with nothing to say? Impossible!” Matteo said with a teasing grin.
A strange feeling swept over Helena. Could he be telling the truth? Matteo had an interest in her? Matteo, the seasoned rake, found her interesting.
Helena felt like she was in a dream. If it was a good dream or a bad dream, she could not quite decide.
But she would admit to knowing one thing, and it was that when Matteo Castor gave his word, he kept it.