Chapter Eight
A half hour later, Kitty alighted from a hackney, handed her card to a footman, and was immediately ushered into the drawing room.
Lady Sampson stood at her arrival, but it was her two guests that drew Kitty’s attention.
What were Lady Diana and Arabella doing in London?
Both were still dressed in traveling clothes, as if they had only just arrived.
Kitty had expected her conversation with Lady Sampson to focus on the Linfields—one in particular. But she would never have come if she’d known she had to face them. For now, it was just the women, but she had no doubt that Arabella’s husband and brother-in-law had traveled with them.
“We were about to have tea; please join us.” Lady Sampson’s voice sounded both genuine and welcoming, giving Kitty the courage to cross the carpet and take a seat.
Just as Kitty suspected, there were six teacups on the tray in front of Lady Sampson.
Before she could ask any questions, the rest of the party stepped into the room.
Though the Linfield twins were wearing very similar traveling clothes, she felt confident she could tell them apart.
After all, Mr. Timothy smiled at his wife, while Oliver Linfield appeared as if he were about to cast up his accounts. Kitty could relate.
After everyone had exchanged polite greetings, their hostess began preparing tea and handing out plates of scones.
She went along as if this were a perfectly ordinary gathering.
Mr. Timothy commented on the state of the road, while his mother complimented the baroness on her tea presentation.
Kitty did her best to play along with the facade of normalcy, but inside she wished to lash out and demand to know why she’d been summoned.
After a painfully long time, which was likely only a handful of minutes, Lady Sampson began the discussion in earnest. “Miss Childs, why don’t you tell us why your mother believes you have an understanding with Oliver?”
Kitty let out a slow breath in a vain attempt to calm her nerves.
Now that the question had been posed, she almost wished to go back to discussing the roads.
As she set her cup on the table, she considered her words.
Kitty did not believe for a moment that the baroness would allow anyone to treat a guest unkindly in her drawing room.
But the situation could hardly be more tense.
“Mrs. Brewton, a guest at the picnic at Aston Lodge, is an acquaintance of my mother.” The rest of the party sat in rapt attention as she spoke.
“She witnessed the disagreement between myself and Mr. Linfield and misinterpreted the event as romantic.” Kitty forced herself to continue.
“She then wrote to my mother to inform her.”
Everyone merely nodded, as though not surprised by her explanation. It was Arabella who asked the next question, her voice kind. “When did you first learn of the misunderstanding?”
“When I arrived home on Saturday last, my mother immediately asked when Mr. Linfield would be arriving.” Kitty glanced at the stoic gentleman before continuing. “I’ve never been so confused in my life. Once I’d sorted out her meaning, I corrected her at once.”
Lady Diana set her own cup on her saucer. “And yet she still spread the story?”
“From what I’ve gathered,” Lady Sampson addressed her friend, “Mrs. Childs began telling people of the understanding before her daughter arrived in London.”
Kitty looked down at her hands, unable to meet the eyes of anyone in the room. “I’m afraid Lady Sampson is correct.”
“At which point did I become a cad who used you ill?” Oliver Linfield spoke for the first time since their stilted greeting. Clearly, the Linfields had been brought up to date on the most recent gossip.
“Around Tuesday?” Kitty admitted, still focused on her clenched hands. “My mother refuses to believe me that nothing of note occurred, and has since determined to disparage you.” She lifted her chin just enough to meet his eyes. “I am so sorry. I never intended anything like this to happen.”
He held her gaze for a long moment before turning towards the women and nodding. What was that about?
“Now that we have established the source of the rumors, it is time to discuss what we are going to do about them,” Lady Sampson addressed the room.
“Is there anything we can do?” Kitty asked in confusion.
She’d assumed she would just have to ride them out.
Possibly until she came into her inheritance in five years.
Then a horrible thought struck, and she turned to face Oliver Linfield, whose face had somehow taken on an even more serious quality.
“I will not marry you just to save our reputations.”
“I would never suggest it,” Oliver replied in a frank manner. Though there was something about his eyes that suggested hurt. Interesting.
Lady Diana cleared her throat. “Marriage is not currently under discussion, but would you consider a courtship?”
“Why?” was all Kitty could think to ask.
The idea had clearly been discussed before her arrival, because it was Arabella who explained, “With your mother as the source of the rumors, no one will believe they were made up out of whole cloth.”
Kitty nodded in agreement. She had the same fear. Lady Sampson spoke next. “But if you and Oliver are seen courting in a completely unremarkable manner, we may be able to convince society that your mother was simply being optimistic.”
There was logic to their scheme, odd as it sounded. “And then? Most people assume courtship leads to marriage.” She knew it was not always the case, but an expectation would be set.
“When our courtship inevitably fails, our reputations will be bruised, but not destroyed,” Oliver provided.
“Courtship,” Kitty mumbled half to herself as she looked around the room.
Was that really their best option? She knew Lady Sampson had her best interests at heart, and she suspected Arabella did as well.
Lady Diana was likely trying to save her son’s skin, but it did not automatically follow that she wanted to hurt Kitty in the process.
There was only one person whose motives were truly in question.
She turned to Oliver Linfield. “And what do you think of this plan?”
“I trust that Lady Sampson and my mother know what they are about,” he replied. “I am willing if you are. But I do not wish you to feel forced.”
Kitty picked up her teacup and took a long sip as she considered her options.
Going back into hiding would be the most logical.
But there was no hope for an ending with such a plan.
There was always the chance Oliver Linfield was manipulating her for a chance at her dowry.
But even if he was, he could not force her to the altar.
As ridiculous as it sounded, a public courtship was likely her best option.
Even if it failed spectacularly, which it might, they would not be much worse off for it.
“If everyone is in agreement, we should begin planning this ‘courtship.’”
They spent the next half hour discussing all of their options for public outings.
Every plan was carefully designed to paint a picture of a perfectly unremarkable courtship.
The Linfields were even staying with Lady Fulbourn, a fact none of them appeared delighted with, because staying with family would be less cause for whispers than staying anywhere else.
“We should get Miss Childs home before her mother arrives to find her missing,” Lady Sampson suggested after the plans were settled. “And the rest of you had best get to Fulbourn House before the countess takes umbrage at how long you were in London before gracing her doorstep.”
The mention of her mother brought to mind a question Kitty hadn’t considered since arriving to find the Linfields. “Where exactly is my mother?”
Lady Sampson chuckled softly. “At a charity meeting hosted by my dear friend Elizabeth, the Dowager Marchioness of Boxwood. I believe they are discussing the needs of war widows and orphans.”
Oliver drummed his fingers on his knee as he sat in his aunt’s garden, waiting for the arrival of the final two guests.
Lady Fulbourn had invited Mrs. and Miss Childs for an afternoon tea.
This would be his fourth time seeing the pair in five days.
He’d arrived Sunday morning to escort them to church, much to Mrs. Childs’ delight.
The woman was almost giddy as she declared that she knew he would come up to scratch.
The next day they’d driven through Hyde Park, where Mrs. Childs prattled the entire time, not allowing anyone else a word.
The woman seemed determined to keep Oliver and Miss Childs in her sight.
Not out of motherly concern for her daughter, but because she wished always to be the center of attention.
The only highlight of their outings had been when Tim and Arabella joined them to go shopping on Bond Street. Apparently, no one had thought to warn Mrs. Childs that the brothers were twins. The look on the woman’s face when Tim arrived arm-in-arm with his wife had been priceless.
With each day socializing with Miss Childs and her mother, Oliver became more tempted to retrieve his horse from his uncle’s mews and ride straight back to Hampshire.
They might succeed at quieting the whispers, but at the cost of his sanity.
Not only was Mrs. Childs’ company difficult to bear, her daughter had yet to let her flawless society mask slip. Much to his disappointment.