“But a Carlyle!”
Charlotte pulled a face at him. “There has never been even a whiff of scandal associated with Vivian. And she can scarcely be blamed for the scandals that past generations of Carlyles got into. Those are all long forgotten, anyway.”
“I remember them.”
“I mean, by people besides you. Vivian does exactly as she pleases, but she cannot be accused of immorality. And she is the daughter of a duke.”
“Just a moment,” Mary interrupted. “Don’t we have anything to say about this?”
Charlotte turned toward Mary. “You will love Vivian. No need to worry over that. And I suspect that she will like you just as much as I do. Viv and I have been friends for years. Perhaps when the Season is over, I can persuade her to come to Willowmere to see you. She could visit her uncle.”
Charlotte stopped as soon as she uttered these words and cast a quick, almost guilty look toward Sir Royce. Mary’s eyes went to him, but she could see no change in his expression; indeed, his face was blank. However, she could feel a rise of tension around the room. Oliver and Fitz glanced at Royce, then at each other.
Charlotte rattled on, a little breathlessly, to Mary and her sisters, “Vivian’s uncle, the duke’s younger brother, lives near Willowmere, you see, and, uh …” She looked almost beseechingly at the earl.
Quickly, he put in, “Certainly. Consult Lady Vivian, if you wish.”
Mary could not help but wonder what had just happened beneath the surface of the conversation, but Charlotte was already plowing ahead.
“Good,” she said, beaming. “That’s all settled. Then all that’s left is the matter of clothing.”
The earl let out a small groan. “Of course. I knew it would come down to that.”
“Well, of course you did,” Charlotte agreed. “It’s quite obvious. They cannot be seen in public in these garments.”
Mary looked down at her dress. Their clothes were a trifle dated and had been worn for some time, but she had never guessed that their frocks were so unpresentable as everyone here seemed to think.
Charlotte turned to the girls in great good cheer. “Your come-outs will require whole new wardrobes, of course, but for now, we must come up with a few new things for everyday wear. I know! I’ll see if Vivian would like to accompany us on a little shopping expedition. We can go to Grafton House and purchase some fabrics. I know a seamstress who can whip up some dresses for you. The finished frocks can be shipped to you at Willowmere. And, of course, we must visit the milliner’s. I am sure you must need new bonnets—and gloves. Oh, and slippers!” She smiled broadly. “This is going to be such fun.”
Somewhat stunned by this flow of words, Mary said nothing, visions of rolls of fabric—dainty dimities and elegant silks and sprigged muslins—filling her head. She cast a sideways glance at her sisters. Rose looked happier than she had in days, and Lily was positively aglow. Even Camellia was smiling.
“We can go tomorrow afternoon—no, wait, I must call on Ludley’s deaf old grandmother tomorrow afternoon. It’s a great trial, for she cannot hear a word one says, so that one has to shout. And she takes snuff—can you imagine! She’s an utter throwback, of course—she still wears panniers and face paint and a moth-eaten old wig. But she’s the power in his family, and poor Ludley lives in absolute fear of her.”
“You might mention that Ludley is your husband,” Royce put in in an amused tone. “I believe you have quite befuddled your audience.” He nodded toward the Bascombes, who were gazing at her in confusion.#p#分页标题#e#
Mary glanced at him, almost smiling; but one look at his handsome face reminded her all over again of how painful it had been last night to hear him discount her. Her features froze before they could reach a smile, and she turned back to Charlotte. She could feel Royce’s eyes upon her, but she steadfastly ignored him.
“I’m sorry! Sometimes I am such a rattle. Well, the dowager baroness is neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that we cannot go shopping until the day after tomorrow. But that will give me time to invite Vivian along, so it turns out just as well, doesn’t it?”
As Charlotte continued to discuss the arrangements for the shopping expedition, Mary’s thoughts turned inexorably to the depleted state of her purse upstairs. The thought of new and fashionable frocks was a powerful lure, but she felt sure that Charlotte was unaware that her cousins’ resources were far more limited than her own. Much as Mary hated to put a damper on Charlotte’s enthusiasm, it would be even worse to have to admit their inability to buy a new wardrobe later.