CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ten incredibly long days after Amelia moved into a guest chamber – and several visits from her physician later – the dowager announced she would like to host an at-home reception. The only problem was that it would be at Emma’s home, not the dowager’s.
“Are you certain you are well enough to entertain?” Emma asked her. The unspoken question was, of course, that if the dowager felt well enough to entertain, wouldn’t she rather return home to do so? She had terrorized the servants, complained that the housekeeping was not as it should be and that the footmen walked too loudly, and she sent back dishes from every meal. Audsley had instructed his cook that anything sent back for whatever reason was to remain untouched for a quarter of an hour, then simply returned to the dowager to either be eaten or left on the plate. If the kitchen staff had not already been devoted to him, they would certainly be so after that.
Emma saw the dowager as infrequently as possible, since the woman’s temperament had not improved, even as her health had taken a turn for the better. Emma checked on her twice a day, listened to her complaints and tried to protect the staff as much as possible. This was made more difficult by Emma’s bouts of illness, as well as a certain wariness she felt around Audsley now that he’d made his feelings known about Lady Embry. He’d made no other demands, but Emma’s previous fears about his controlling nature had taken root and it was more difficult not to worry about the future.
After checking and re-checking the menu, the day for the at-home finally arrived and Emma braced herself for their expected guests. While it was Amelia’s event and she’d been well enough to pen notes to her friends asking them to come – again raising the question of when she would be hale enough to return home – it was being held at Emma’s house. She would bear at least some of the responsibility for its success. Amelia said it would be well-attended since she was a hostess few could refuse, but there was also the curiosity factor of ladies wishing to meet the new Countess of Audsley.
On the day of the event, Emma wore one of her new gowns and Gladys took extra time with her hair. As Emma looked in the mirror that morning, she knew she looked the part of a countess.
Now she would just have to act it.
“It is imperative that you act properly,” said the dowager, once she’d looked Emma up and down twice without finding anything to criticize her for – surely a first.
“I will do my best, my lady.”
Not looking all that reassured, Amelia entered the sitting room, which had been cleaned for three days straight until Emma had finally taken Mrs. Deakins by the hand and ordered her to go have tea. The room was perfectly in order and Emma felt confident that she could handle whatever came her way.
Her resolve was tested almost straightaway.
The first to arrive was Lady Porter, the former Gwendolyn Bossert. She looked to be in her early forties and had her daughter Priscilla in tow. Prior to their arrival, the dowager had said Lord and Lady Porter had hoped Priscilla might marry Audsley, so Emma should be prepared for some barbed comments to come her way.
Emma greeted both Lady Porter and Priscilla with a warm smile, determined to ease any awkwardness which might arise from dashed matrimonial hopes. That was met with a raised brow from the mother while the daughter simply glared with a furrowed one. Priscilla looked like she was barely out of the schoolroom and Emma couldn’t imagine Audsley with such a young wife. He needed someone who wouldn’t agree with everything he proposed and Emma had years of experience doing that very thing.
Lady Porter, who was married to what the dowager had described as a viscount who’d needed a wealthy wife, barely curtsied as she greeted Emma. “All of London was surprised by your hasty wedding,” she said, as she took a good long stare at Emma’s mid-section. Emma didn’t think her condition was already evident to outsiders, but Lady Porter obviously had her suspicions. “This is my daughter, the Honorable Priscilla Baines.”
The girl made a pretty curtsey, though she, too, took a long perusal of Emma’s mid-section. Emma knew the speculation would only worsen when she had the baby not quite nine months after marrying. Everyone would assume they’d had to wed. And even though that was more or less true, it did rankle a bit.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Porter, Miss Baines,” said Emma with a curtsey.
“I imagine you are greatly relieved to leave the country for town,” Lady Porter said to Emma.
“I quite like the country.”
“I detest the country,” said Priscilla. “There is no society to speak of and nothing to do. How ever did you entertain yourself?”
“I lived with my sister and three friends. We kept quite busy reading books and discussing them.”
“Books?” asked Lady Porter, as if Emma had confessed a fondness for spiders. “Why would you waste time on books? Were there no balls?”
“There was the occasional village assembly, but nothing approximating a ball.”
“I would certainly never be caught dead at a village assembly, I am sure,” said Priscilla.
“Nor would I,” said her mother. “But Lady Audsley must be quite fond of her village since she was married there. It took us all by surprise, I must say.”
“I was quite surprised to hear of it,” said Priscilla.
“Yes,” said her mother, nodding. “There were quite a few who speculated about the cause of the rush to the altar, but we didn’t, of course.”
The dowager pushed a plate into Lady Porter’s hand. “Why don’t you have a biscuit, Gwendolyn? There was no reason for the rush, other than a wish to not inconvenience others with a trip to the country, which I thought was quite thoughtful of Audsley. Emma was raised in that town and wished to be married in her local church.”
“Without her parents in attendance?” said Lady Porter. “But I suppose there was very little to be done about that, since they’ve been gone all these years. Where are they, again? It has been the cause of much speculation.”
“Goodness,” said Emma. “There seems to be a great deal of speculation in your circle, doesn’t there? My parents have a great love of travel and are exploring the Orient. It is, of course, far away, so it is only natural that the trip would last some time.” It had gone on much too long, but there was no way she would volunteer that information to this gossipy cat.
“I cannot imagine I would ever wish to travel to the Orient,” said Priscilla. “There would be too many foreigners about.”
“But you would be the foreigner,” said Emma.
“I could hardly be a foreigner. I am English.”
“But you would be an Englishwoman in the Orient.”
“And they would be fortunate to have me visit!” said Priscilla. “Though I should never go, of course. I can barely tolerate a trip to the continent.”
“Would you like more tea, Priscilla?” asked the dowager.
“It isn’t from China, is it?” asked Priscilla, looking like she might need to wash out her cup. “That would be entirely too foreign.”
“Yes, it would,” said her mother, putting her teacup on the table and moving it away from her with some haste. “I understand the Moores weren’t the only parents who missed the wedding. You weren’t there, either, were you, Amelia?”
The dowager turned to Lady Porter with the cold smile which made the servants quiver. “I was unavoidably detained on my travels. And weddings can be so tedious, which I’m sure you’ll learn, Gwendolyn, providing Priscilla ever marries, of course.”
Judging from Lady Porter’s frozen look of anger, the hit had been a direct one, though Emma never liked it when a young lady was made to feel inferior for not marrying.
“I most certainly will marry,” said Priscilla. “And this time, I’m determined to have a younger man than any I’ve considered up to this point. An old man in his thirties may be all right for some people.” Here, she nodded at Emma. “But I’d rather have one who is young enough to be a proper husband.”
“Priscilla!” said her mother. “Where did you learn about such things?”
“We young ladies confide in each other, Mama. Not to mention you can pick up ever so many things when you listen to maids.”
“I shall discharge any maid who speaks to you of such things!”
Priscilla shrugged. “Do as you wish. I’m certain new maids would be even more interesting.” She turned her attention back to Emma. “Where did you live in the country?”
“I formerly lived in a cottage in Tidworth, near Audsley Abbey.”
“I am quite certain I would never live in a cottage,” said Priscilla. “I’m not even certain an abbey would be quite the thing.”
“Most of them are quite drafty and dull,” said her mother, nodding. “Tidworth is not far from Amesbury, is it not?”
“It is but a few hours’ drive,” said Emma. “One of my closest friends lives there, Mrs. Jonathan Graves.”
“I wonder if she knows she has a scandalous neighbor,” said Lady Porter with the relish of someone about to deliver some juicy gossip. “James Emerson’s illegitimate daughter lives there with the – close your ears, Priscilla – bastard she married. He was once in a workhouse until he somehow ended up at Eton. Though why anyone would send someone of that lot to mingle with the sons of England’s noble houses, I have no idea. But Mark Jones and his half-breed wife Anna shouldn’t….”
“Excuse me,” said Emma, barely able to contain her anger. “I just realized you are speaking about two of my friends. Mr. and Mrs. Jones hosted the wedding breakfast for my friend Mrs. Graves, then were kind enough to allow my sister, our friends and I to stay at their house. They are two kind, good-hearted friends and I cannot allow you to speak ill of them.”
“You are defending an American savage and her bastard husband?”
“I am certain Emma doesn’t mean to defend them,” said the dowager.
“I very much mean to do so. I am proud to call them friends. I also believe the Emerson family is very proud of them and the school they recently established.”
“Oh, yes, I heard about that school,” said Priscilla. “It’s for orphans and – close your ears, Mama – bastards. Goodness knows what goes on behind closed doors there.”
“Teaching goes on there,” said Emma.
“Why would those sorts of people need to be taught?” asked Lady Porter. “You don’t need an education to be chimney sweeps and match girls, which is all that lot is good for. The only people who truly need an education are gentlemen of the ton.”
“Everyone can benefit from education,” said Emma, aware that the other ladies in the room who’d heretofore only been casually eavesdropping were now listening intently. “A reminder in manners would not go amiss, either. It is impolite to gossip, especially when one has been asked to stop.”
“But I am quite certain that if a brother of mine had produced a half-Indian daughter I would not be pleased he brought her to England!” said Priscilla.
“Do keep your voice down, dear,” said her mother. “Lady Audsley is right that the Emerson family does seem to be fond of the girl. They won’t like you disparaging her in public, no matter how much she deserves it.”
“What do I care about the Emersons?” asked Priscilla.
“More importantly, the Kellingtons don’t like it, either, given their friendship with the Emersons.”
That seemed to shut the girl up. Emma figured there must be an eligible Kellington to marry. She thought about passing on a warning to ensure he stayed clear of Priscilla. But she had a feeling the men in that family would have enough sense to do so.
“I am so sorry to interrupt,” said Lady Embry, as she approached them. “But I need Emma’s assistance. Would you mind if I took her away for a moment?”
“Please do so, Lady Embry,” said Amelia with an amount of relief which almost eclipsed Emma’s own.
Lady Embry’s interruption had come just in time since Emma wasn’t sure she’d be able to continue talking to the tiresome Lady Porter and her daughter without giving both a swift kick in the arse. Emma was also pleased to see her friend, even though she knew Audsley wouldn’t like it. But since Amelia had invited her, Emma figured that was a conversation to be had between mother and son.
Lady Embry took Emma’s arm in hers, then walked to the far side of the room, where they stood by the windows, looking out at the garden. “Thank you for saving me,” said Emma quietly. “Or, more to the point, thank you for saving Lady Porter and her daughter from having their hair yanked out by me.”
Penelope laughed. “It was my pleasure. Lady Porter has never moved past her resentment over losing the Duke of Lynwood to Rosalind. I understand it was a surprise at the time, since Rosalind’s family was deep in debt and Gwendolyn was quite well-dowered. Now, I believe she blames you for spiriting Audsley away from her daughter.”
“But I didn’t mean to do so. I’d never even heard of the girl until this afternoon.”
“Sometimes the love affairs which mean the most are the quietest.” Something passed behind Lady Embry’s eyes, but Emma didn’t quite know what it was. “Now, tell me what you think of your guests.”
“They’re not really my guests, since it is the dowager’s party. I’ve not had the chance to talk to many of them since I spent so much time with Lady Porter and Priscilla. But I’m glad that you have come.” Emma knew Audsley wouldn’t like it, but if he wouldn’t explain his actions, she wouldn’t let herself be dictated by them. “How do you know my husband’s family?”
“All families of the ton know each other to a certain extent. My father was a dear friend of the late earl’s and you could say Audsley and I grew up together.”
That made it all the more unusual that Audsley had such antipathy to this woman. “Did you ever have any sort of falling out?”
Lady Embry smiled. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Ahh! There is Lady Gallagher. I simply must introduce you.”
The next two hours went by in a whirl as Lady Embry escorted Emma through a maze of introductions, easing her way into the ton. After an inauspicious start, Emma ended the day with a feeling of accomplishment, though she was very tired. After saying farewell to her guests, with a special word of thanks to Lady Embry, Emma slowly dragged herself upstairs and fell into bed.
* * *
Audsley knocked on the door to the sitting room his mother had been using, then entered. He’d come home in the late evening, deftly avoiding the gathering his mother had hosted. He had worried about Emma the entire time but knew he’d be doing her no favors by hovering around her at the event. If Emma were to take, she had to be seen as having her husband’s confidence.
After checking on his wife and finding her sound asleep, Audsley had sought out Deakins for a report on the event. He didn’t need to hear much to make a beeline for his mother’s quarters.
“I did not bid you enter,” said his mother without looking up from her embroidery. She was seated in a chair near the fire, though the evening was fairly warm.
“What are you about, Mama?”
“I do not know what you mean.”
“But I believe you do. Why did you invite Lady Embry to your at-home?”
“She is one of the premiere hostesses of the ton and our families have always been close. In addition, Emma likes her company. I am told they got along well when Lady Embry helped choose her wardrobe, just as they did today.”
Audsley wasn’t pleased that Emma had disregarded his wishes regarding Lady Embry, but he wasn’t about to tell his mother that. “It is time you left this house for your own. If you were well enough to host an event, you are well enough to return home where you have an entire staff to look after your needs.”
“I used to be the mistress of this house! I cannot believe you are casting me out of it.”
“My wife is now the mistress of this house and it is not like I am shipping you to the stews. I am simply returning you to your Mayfair mansion. Tomorrow would be a good day for it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must see to Emma.”
* * *
Emma stirred to find Audsley getting into bed, then spooning her next to him. When her husband had not been home in time for supper, Emma had eaten in their suite, then retired early. She pressed into her husband. “I missed you, today,” she said sleepily.
“And I missed you,” he said, settling in behind her and pulling her close. “I am told the at-home went well.”
“It did,” said Emma, putting her hands over his.
“I am sorry I wasn’t home earlier, but I ran into two colleagues at White’s who are crucial to my work. I’m afraid they needed almost a bottle of brandy to be convinced.”
“Were you successful?”
“Yes, I was.”
“That’s good.” Now that Emma felt her husband’s warmth, she could sleep again.
“I am very proud of you, Emma,” said Audsley, as he gently kissed the back of her head. “Now go to sleep.”