A Lady Never Tells(59)
At first Mary and her sisters wandered through the store, almost stunned by the wealth of fabrics—elegant silks and satins, plain flannels and wools, linens, velvets, brocades, dimities, muslins—but Charlotte soon called them back and they settled down to the task at hand. Soon they were choosing cloth after cloth from a dizzying array.
When, after a time, Mary glanced over at the stack of fabrics that had been measured and cut and set aside for them, she was astonished at its size. “Oh my, we have purchased too much, surely.”
“Nonsense,” Charlotte assured her. “We have just begun. There are four of you, after all, and you need … well, everything.”
“The earl has been most generous to us. But … are you sure he will not mind?”
Vivian, on the other side of Charlotte, let out a little hoot of laughter. “Stewkesbury? He’ll scarcely notice it’s gone. He inherited a fortune from Lord Reginald, and everyone knows he’s done nothing but increase it. He doesn’t gamble; he doesn’t throw it away on horses and carriages and clothes; he rarely even sets up expensive chères-amies —” She stopped abruptly and cast a guilty look at Lily and Camellia, who were regarding her with great interest. “That is to say, the man lives a remarkably plain life for one in his position.”
“Are you talking about mistresses?” Camellia asked, looking astonished.
“I’m sorry,” Vivian said quickly. “I spoke out of turn. I had forgotten, you see, that you are only girls—oh dear.”
“I wouldn’t have thought of him having a mistress,” Camellia went on. “I can hardly imagine him taking off his neckcloth.”
Her words surprised a giggle out of Charlotte, who clapped a hand to her mouth, and Vivian began to laugh. “I feared I had been too blunt.”
“Camellia …” Rose gave her sister an admonitory look. “That’s exactly why he’s making us have a chaperone who’s also a governess.”#p#分页标题#e#
“No, really?” Vivian asked.
Mary sighed. “Yes. He says we aren’t ready for polite society. I fear he’s right.”
“I find you perfectly delightful,” Vivian responded. “However, ’tis probably true that you need to curb your tongues around many of the ton. Still, a governess—I’m not sure that is exactly the sort of chaperone you need.” She shrugged. “Of course, if Oliver’s made up his mind, there’s no changing it. He always was an excessively stubborn man, even back when I used to visit Charlotte at Willowmere.”
“You and Cousin Charlotte have been friends a long time?” Rose asked.
“Longer than either of us care to recall, I imagine.” Lady Vivian cast a droll look at her friend. “Lord Humphrey—my father’s younger brother—lives at Halstead House, not far from Willowmere, and I used to visit him and my aunt in the summers when I was a girl. My mother died when I was born, and I had only brothers, so Papa thought it good for me to have my aunt’s influence. I loved Halstead House. And since Charlotte and her mother were often at Willowmere after the Season ended, I had a bosom friend there as well, which was even more wonderful.” She smiled at the Bascombes. “You have no idea what it’s like, growing up with all brothers. I envy you; I always wanted a sister so.”
Mary could not imagine growing up without her sisters—and without a mother as well. “I’m very sorry,” she said impulsively, reaching out to lay a hand upon the other woman’s arm. “It must have been very hard for you.”
Surprise tinged Vivian’s face. Then she smiled dazzlingly. “How kind of you.” She squeezed Mary’s hand, then turned toward her friend. “You know, Charlotte, I believe I shall visit my uncle again now that the Season is winding down. Perhaps you and I could drive up there, say, after Lady Cudlington’s ball? It would give us all a chance to visit—and to discuss our plans for next Season.”
Charlotte agreed, smiling. Later, when Lady Vivian had wandered off to examine a bolt of dark maroon brocade, Charlotte told the girls, “You have won Lady Vivian over.”
“She is very nice,” Rose said. “’Tis easy to like her.”
“Yes, but it’s hard for most to see past the fact that she is a duke’s daughter. There are a few whom she has known for years and years to whom she is close. But most people are interested in her more for her position or wealth than for Vivian herself. It’s a pleasant surprise to her not to be treated like a Carlyle. It’s even rarer for someone to understand that her life has not been perfect.”