Chapter Three #3
With two more women than men at the table, the seating arrangements were slightly unorthodox.
At least per London’s standards. Lady Sampson sat at the head of the table, with Lady Diana at her right.
While Kitty sat in the middle with Arabella Linfield on one side and her father, Mr. Bailey, on the other.
The arrangement suited Kitty just fine, as the vicar’s wife struck Kitty from the first as someone she would enjoy getting to know. Though quieter than her husband, she obviously possessed her own quick wit and sense of humor.
The position also allowed Kitty to watch Oliver Linfield out of the corner of her eye.
He sat on the other side of the table, with one sister on either side.
Both ladies appeared determined to engage him in conversation, while he responded as little as was polite.
She would have expected the man to at least be personable with his own family.
But he appeared more interested in the lamb and boiled potatoes on his plate.
After learning of the dinner party, Kitty had spent far more time than was probably healthy thinking about seeing Oliver Linfield again.
Would he smile and tease as he had during their first encounter?
Or would he put on an air of indifference as he had during their second?
And how would she react to his presence?
Knowing that her mother would be over the moon about his proximity in the neighborhood made Kitty want to hide behind a stone-faced mask.
Nothing good would come of courting the attention of a pockets-to-let nephew of an earl.
But then she would think back to their brief interaction in the entrance hall of Fulbourn House.
In the end, she determined to let his reaction be her guide.
His reaction had been less than flattering.
When Mr. Timothy had left the drawing room to greet his mother and brother, Kitty had wondered if he meant to warn them of her attendance that evening.
But he must have had another purpose, because Oliver Linfield had no idea Kitty was in Hampshire.
After walking two steps past her, he froze and turned back.
He had quickly schooled his expression, but not before she noted first shock, and then annoyance.
In a flash, her decision was made. Polite but disinterested would be the order of the day, for both of them.
“How do you find Hampshire, Miss Childs?” Mr. Bailey spoke for perhaps the third time all evening.
Kitty turned to the older gentleman on her right. “Very beautiful.”
“And where do you hail from?” He continued his polite questions.
“Lincolnshire,” Kitty replied, before adding, “But I have resided in London for the last several years.”
“London is filled with entertainments,” Mr. Bailey answered. Though his tone suggested no excitement at the idea.
Before Kitty could think of anything to add to the halting conversation, their hostess stood.
“Without a proper host, this part is difficult, but neither do I want to deprive the men of their Port and conversation.” Lady Sampson then turned towards Arabella’s father, the oldest gentleman in attendance by at least two decades.
“Mr. Bailey, I’ll leave it to you to decide when to come through. ”
The older man agreed, and Kitty soon found herself following the women into the drawing room. While they had dined, the room had been rearranged to accommodate several square card tables. “I thought some of you might be interested in playing whist,” Lady Sampson explained.
“As long as I don’t have to play against Tim and Arabella,” Mrs. Sarah Towne responded, eliciting laughter from the others.
Lady Diana must have recognized the confusion on Kitty’s face because she leaned in and explained softly, “My son and his wife have an uncanny knack for predicting each other’s actions during games. Some would say they read each other’s minds.”
“How long have they been married?” Kitty asked. She thought Lady Sampson had mentioned that it was recent, but they appeared to have a relationship of long standing.
“Less than a year,” Lady Diana replied. “But they’ve been courting since they were ten years old.”
Kitty soon found herself seated at the table with three other women. Mrs. Marianne Warner sat across from her as her partner, with Mrs. Arabella Linfield and Mrs. Sarah Towne as their opponents. The older women had chosen to sit on the sofa and converse.
Only two tricks into the game, the men stepped into the drawing room. Apparently none of them were interested in a long conversation about politics and horse racing. Or whatever the men spoke of when they separated after dinner.
“Shall we rearrange partners, or are you too far into the game?” the vicar asked as he approached the table.
Mrs. Towne stepped away from her chair. “We have only just started.” She then turned to her other brother, who was standing several steps behind his twin. “Oliver, why don’t you take my place? And Tim can partner Miss Childs.”
It seemed that the family was serious about keeping the vicar and his wife from playing together. But it also meant that Kitty now sat next to Oliver Linfield, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.