Chapter 17 #2
"I cannot ask him for more," she murmured quietly. Her reflection looked back at her in the glass. "But that does not mean I may not wish for it."
The following morning, Charlotte called for tea, just as Helena had invited her to do in place of their usual walk through the park.
In her note, Helena had explained her concerns regarding Lord Ravenscroft and Georgiana, and Charlotte had replied at once that she would gladly assist in discouraging the attachment.
The four ladies gathered in the morning parlor, where refreshments had already been laid out and the tea service awaited them.
Earlier, Helena had spoken privately with Beatrice, who readily agreed that Charlotte's influence might persuade Georgiana to view the baron with greater caution.
Oliver had been sent to the park with his tutor for the morning, ensuring the ladies could speak without interruption.
They took their seats, Georgiana entirely unaware of the purpose behind Charlotte's visit. Helena had wondered how best to begin, but she soon realized Charlotte had already decided upon her own approach.
Once greetings had been exchanged and conversation had turned to the ordinary subjects expected of polite company, Charlotte addressed Helena with an air of confidence.
"My dear Helena, I cannot tell you what a relief it has been to know your engagement to Lord Ravenscroft never came to pass.
" She turned at once toward Beatrice and Georgiana.
"You must forgive me, ladies. I know I speak rather boldly, but as Helena's sisters-in-law, I imagine you share my concern for her happiness. "
Helena blinked. Charlotte had not come merely to offer advice. She had arrived with a plan. "Indeed?" Helena asked, careful to hide her surprise. "And why do you say so? Apart, of course, from the fact that I have gained the most wonderful family."
She smiled warmly toward Beatrice and Georgiana before discreetly watching the younger sister's reaction.
"Quite apart from that," Charlotte replied with a smile. "I have begun to think Lord Ravenscroft's standing in society may not remain what it once was. He has spent years cultivating a most respectable reputation, yet I cannot help wondering how much longer it can withstand closer scrutiny."
"Whatever can you mean?" Georgiana asked, the composure in her expression doing little to conceal the note of indignation in her voice. "He is one of the most respectable gentlemen I know."
"Oh, my dear," Charlotte replied kindly, "he certainly presents himself as such.
He deceived poor Helena for the better part of a year.
" She lifted her teacup before continuing.
"You have lived a sheltered life, Miss Wycliffe, under the loving care of your parents, and now your brother and sister.
You have not yet encountered quite as many disappointments as some of us. "
Georgiana watched her with growing curiosity.
"When I made my second Season,” Charlotte continued, “there was a viscount whose father was a duke. He possessed every advantage a gentleman could wish for; rank, fortune, handsome features, and charming manners. Before long, he won the affection of a wealthy young lady and married her."
Charlotte paused to take a sip of tea. "It was only afterward that society discovered he had squandered his own fortune and persuaded those managing his wife's settlement to release considerable sums, which he proceeded to lose through gambling."
Georgiana's eyes widened. "Surely that cannot have ended well."
"It did not. He promised to reform once his father passed and he inherited the dukedom. For a short while he appeared determined to do so. He made the necessary efforts to change and everyone believed the worst had passed." She shook her head. "It had not."
"What became of them?" Georgiana asked.
"I cannot claim to know every detail," Charlotte admitted. "Only, that within little more than a year he had exhausted his inheritance as well. His creditors returned, his friends disappeared, and he withdrew with his wife to the country. The last I heard, they had dismissed nearly every servant."
"Entirely?" Georgiana asked in horror.
Charlotte nodded. "It is even said she prepares their meals herself."
"She cooks?" Georgiana stared in disbelief.
"She does indeed."
"How dreadful." Georgiana shook her head.
"It is a miserable existence," Charlotte replied. "All because she mistook charm for character." She regarded Georgiana with quiet sympathy. "I cannot help wondering whether Lord Ravenscroft is fashioned from much the same cloth."
Helena lowered her eyes for a moment before speaking. "I believe I am inclined to agree with Charlotte; he deceived me completely."
The room fell silent.
"I believed everything he told me. Even when I saw something that ought to have made me question him, I persuaded myself there must be another explanation.
I remember Mama and I returning from the modiste one afternoon when I caught sight of him in the park with another lady.
She stood too near him, her hand resting upon his chest. I told myself I had misunderstood what I had seen. " She smiled sadly.
"The following evening, in his study, I found a letter addressed to 'My Dearest.' I believed, for one wonderful moment, that it had been written to me. Instead, I discovered it belonged to another of the ladies whose affections he had been cultivating."
"Your husband would never behave so," Charlotte said.
"No," Beatrice agreed softly. "And my James, Lord Monfort, never would have either.
" Affection lit her face, touched by sorrow that time had never entirely erased.
"He was an honorable man. Whatever faults he possessed, deceit was never among them.
I only hope Oliver inherits that part of his father's character. "
Georgiana turned toward her. "How did you know he was the right gentleman to marry?"
Beatrice smiled. "Because I could not imagine my future without him.
" She reached across the seat and took Georgiana's hand.
"He made me wish to become a better version of myself.
I never questioned his honor, and I never doubted that every choice he made was guided by what he believed was best for us both.
Loving him seemed the most natural thing in the world.
Refusing him would have meant turning away from every happiness I hoped my life might hold. "
"A true love match," Helena said softly. "Few are fortunate enough to find such happiness. Though you lost him far too soon, there is something deeply precious in having known a love like yours."
Beatrice smiled, "I would endure the grief of losing him a hundred times over rather than never have known him at all." She looked back at Georgiana. "And if I am honest, I almost envy you."
"Pardon?"
"You still have all of that before you,” Beatrice explained.
“It may not happen this Season, nor even the next, but I have every confidence that one day you will meet the gentleman whose surname you will wear with pride.
A man you would have wished Papa to know.
A man whose character will matter far more than his title. "
Georgiana lowered her gaze to the tea in her cup. She stirred it absently, though the sugar had long since dissolved.