Chapter 14 #2
There was little to be done, so I stepped out of the bed and tried to eat the breakfast Gallagher had brought in for me.
My thoughts returned to the night before, as Alec and I had toured the beautiful mansion.
Despite being the heir to the Hill fortune and living in one of the most extravagant homes on Fifth Avenue, his eyes still lit with wonder as we explored 7 Buckingham Gate.
There were dozens and dozens of rooms, with a library, conservatory, and several drawing rooms. Domed ceilings, rich walnut paneling, marble floors, and gold gilding made the home impressive.
I had been tired but didn’t want to go to sleep, knowing what I would face today.
After I was done eating breakfast, Gallagher helped me into a cream-colored morning dress.
It had a bustle and a jacket, which fit snugly, but comfortably.
Aunt Maude had allowed me to have a little more say in the clothing we had chosen in Paris, for which I’d been thankful.
I loved to watch the process of creating such intricate designs, thinking of the piecework I’d done in our apartment on Mulberry Street.
I didn’t miss the work, but I did miss sewing.
And every once in a while, my thoughts slipped back to that long-ago dream of living in a quiet house in the country as a seamstress.
How different my life had gone. Perhaps I would still get that quiet house in the country, if Aunt Maude’s wishes came true, though I doubted it would be a small cottage by a stream.
And it wouldn’t be beyond the Mississippi.
Had I known I could dream bigger, I might have thought about a place in the English countryside.
Had God known my future? Was this an even bigger answer to my whispered prayers?
I wasn’t sure, but it was something to ponder.
“I’d like to wear the locket again today,” I said to Gallagher as she finished my hair.
“Locket?”
“The one I was wearing yesterday.” How could she forget when she was the one who had clasped it for me?
She stared at me through the mirror, her face a mask of confusion. “I forgot you were wearing it yesterday. I don’t have it.”
I turned, about to tell her that she had removed it from around my neck the night before, but I suddenly realized that she hadn’t. I hadn’t been wearing it last night when I undressed, and I was so unfamiliar with wearing it, I had forgotten.
My hand went up to my neck, as if I expected it to still be there. “What happened to it?”
“Did it fall off at some point yesterday? I don’t recall you wearing it when you came in to prepare for bed.”
Panic seized me as I stood and scanned the room. “The last time I recall touching it was at Victoria Station. Once we arrived here, I don’t remember thinking about it again until now.”
Had I lost it at the station?
“It was old,” Gallagher said with a frown. “Perhaps the clasp broke and it slipped off.”
“No.” I shook my head and went to the bed, pulling back the covers.
“It wouldn’t be there,” Gallagher said. “I don’t remember you wearing it when you came into the room last night.”
“I need to find the locket. It’s the only link—” I almost said it was the only link to my parents, but despite Gallagher probably knowing the truth about me, she and I had never talked about my origins.
A knock at the door summoned Gallagher and she spoke to a maid.
“Lady Mandeville is here,” she said to me. “The maid will take you to the north parlor to meet with her.”
“I cannot meet with her until I find my locket.” I lifted the pillow off the bed to look beneath.
“I’ll search for it,” Gallagher said as she took the pillow from me. “If it’s in this house, I will find it.”
Fear nipped at my heart as I thought about the locket being lost at Victoria Station. If it had fallen off there, I would probably never see it again. “I pray it is here.”
Gallagher nodded as I moved around her to follow the maid.
I scanned for the locket as we traversed through hallways, down two sets of stairs, and to the front of the house. Had Alec seen the locket? If he remembered seeing me wear it here in this house, last night, then my heart would at least be put to rest until we found it.
“Is Mr. Paxton-Hill at home?” I asked the maid right before she opened the drawing room door.
“I believe he’s receiving Lady Mandeville, miss,” the maid said with a nod.
Relief washed through me, though it was no guarantee. Alec might not have any recollection of seeing the locket.
I stepped into the room and found Aunt Maude and Alec speaking to a beautiful woman who looked to be in her early thirties. Her blond hair was twisted into an attractive updo, and her blue day gown was impeccable. If she was struggling financially, her appearance did not suggest it.
“There you are, Clara,” Aunt Maude said with a pleasant smile as she lifted her hand to summon me over to the small group. “I’d like you to meet Lady Mandeville.”
I stopped before Lady Mandeville and offered a practiced curtsey.
“Lady Mandeville, this is my niece, Miss Clara Day Hill. Clara, this is the Viscountess Mandeville.”
“How do you do?” I asked her.
“How do you do?” Her voice had a cultured Southern drawl. “Your beauty precedes you, Miss Hill. Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt is a dear childhood friend, and she wrote to me about you. She said you are breathtaking, and I quite agree.”
I wondered what else Mrs. Vanderbilt had told her old friend. Had she mentioned George? Did Mrs. Vanderbilt even know that George had been courting me? It would surprise me if she didn’t.
“Thank you,” I said to Lady Mandeville.
“Shall we have a seat?” Aunt Maude asked. “We have a lot to discuss.”
I glanced at Alec as the ladies began to move to the sofas in front of the fireplace. “I’m missing my locket,” I said to him quietly as I touched my chest where it had been lying yesterday. “Have you seen it?”
He frowned and shook his head.
“Do you remember—”
“Clara?” Aunt Maude interrupted me. “Please join us. Alec, this concerns you, as well.”
Alec stiffened. “I had hoped to get some work done this morning.”
“I’d like for you to hear our plans, so you know what to expect.”
Lady Mandeville lowered her eyes, as if she was embarrassed that Aunt Maude was speaking so freely about what we were about to do.
“I hope you don’t mind, Lady Mandeville,” Aunt Maude said in her no-nonsense way. “We’ve corresponded for months and there is no use pretending that you’ve come for a social call. This is a business transaction, and I believe Alec should be present for the discussion.”
Lady Mandeville cleared her throat. “People are usually more discreet about my services.”
“We will be the height of discretion beyond this room,” Aunt Maude said, lifting her chin just slightly. “But this is the command center, and I want all of us on the same page, so to speak.”
“However you’d like to proceed, I am at your service, Mrs. Hill.” Though Lady Mandeville spoke the words, I could tell it rankled her. She might be desperate for money, but she didn’t want to admit it.
Alec slowly joined us, sitting on a chair near the sofas while I sat next to Aunt Maude.
Everything about his mannerisms and countenance told me this was the last place he wanted to be, but Aunt Maude would demand that he stay if he tried to leave again, and we’d both learned it didn’t pay to fight her.
“I’ve ordered tea,” Aunt Maude said, “but I think we can do away with the small talk as we wait for it. Please let me know what you have planned for Clara.”
Lady Mandeville glanced at each of us before she said, “Queen Victoria only hosts four drawing room presentations a year. Two before Easter and two after Easter. If anyone wants to enter high society in London, and a debutante wants invitations to aristocratic events, they must first be received by the queen. We’ve already missed the first two drawing room presentations, but the third one has been announced, and I secured a place for Miss Clara to be presented to Her Majesty. ”
Aunt Maude straightened her back and offered a pleased smile.
“The only problem is that the presentation will be in four short days.”
My heartrate escalated. I’d thought I’d have more time to prepare.
“Do not fear,” Lady Mandeville said. “From the moment you entered this room, I saw your natural elegance. I will spend the next few days instructing you on what to do during the presentation, but it won’t be too difficult, and it will accelerate your entrance into society. Do you have a gown to wear?”
“Yes,” Aunt Maude said, even though Lady Mandeville had addressed me. “We had it sewn for her in Paris.”
“Wonderful. Now”—Lady Mandeville glanced at me again, clearly uncomfortable speaking so openly—“I have made a list of eligible bachelors who are in need of an heiress. But I just heard the most marvelous news yesterday.”
Alec repositioned himself in his chair but did not speak.
I tried not to look at him, afraid I would give away my true feelings in front of Lady Mandeville.
“Ames Welby, the 7th Duke of Severton, has just arrived in London.” Lady Mandeville’s eyes widened with excitement.
“He is a confirmed bachelor, or so we thought, and lives a very secluded life at Pickering Castle near Ravenscar on the coastal moors. I’ve heard rumors that he has finally decided to take a wife and he’s in need of a wealthy one. ”
Ames Welby, the 7th Duke of Severton. As the name solidified in my mind, I had a strange, unsettling feeling come over me. This was the man. The one I would marry. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I just knew.
I glanced at Alec, but he stared down at his hands clasped on his lap.
“Not much is known about his family,” Lady Mandeville warned, “but if it’s a duchy you’re after, then I believe we should move with all haste. I have heard that there are several other heiresses in town for the season and they’ll all have their sights on the duke.”
“Of course.” Aunt Maude leaned forward with anticipation. “Whatever you think best.”
No doubt she was thinking about Louise Garfield.
“I will secure an introduction to the Duke of Severton immediately,” Lady Mandeville said, “and then I will make sure we are at all the right events where he will be invited, and I will introduce His Grace to Miss Hill as soon as possible.” She paused and studied Aunt Maude.
“There is one way I can guarantee Miss Hill is welcomed into society here, and that she is placed in front of all the right people.”
“Yes?” Aunt Maude lifted one brow.
“I can arrange a dinner party, here, with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.”
Aunt Maude’s eyebrows shot up.
“The prince is a good friend of mine,” Lady Mandeville said as she examined her gloved hand.
“And he is always eager to meet the newest and prettiest American heiresses.” She glanced at me and then returned her gaze to Aunt Maude.
“However, if we’re being candid, I would require an additional . . . inducement to see that it is done.”
Alec’s head finally came up as he looked at Aunt Maude. This was already costing so much money. Could they afford even more?
“Whatever the cost,” Aunt Maude said, her face a mask of indifference. “I believe we can come to a sensible agreement.”
Alec’s gaze slipped to mine, but he, like Aunt Maude, kept his emotions closely guarded.