The Truth about the Earl (Whispers of the Ton #1)

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

T he moment Lord Huntsford walked into the room, James held up one hand, silencing him in an instant.

“Before you say anything, yes, I have heard the news. I have even gone so far as to read it.”

“Most extraordinary!”

James shook his head. “It is nonsense, of course.”

Lord Huntsford began to walk up and down the room, his eyes gleaming. “Is that so? How can you be so certain?”

James set back his quill and sanded the note. “Because I am well aware of the lady’s character. This is, no doubt, some ridiculous lie that has been spread in the hope of smearing her reputation.”

Lord Huntsford tilted his head. “And why would anyone do such a thing?”

“Well, the women of this ton are often very protective of their status and standing in society and mayhap one or two of them feel that Lady Essington is….pushing them aside somehow.” He had thought of this in the time before Lord Huntsford’s arrival when he had first learned of what had been said of Lady Essington. His first reaction had been one of horror, only to allow himself some time to consider not only what had been written but the lady herself. Now, he had come up with what he considered to be a very reasonable explanation as to why someone might have written such an untruth about her.

The frown on Lord Huntington’s face told him he did not outright agree. “You believe that the debutantes are jealous of the widowed Lady Essington?”

“In case you have not noticed, she is remarkably pretty and has gained the interest of many a gentleman.”

“I am well aware of that fact, but that would not make the young ladies of London envious of her, for there are some remarkably pretty creatures amongst them at present.”

James shrugged. “That is true. But all the same, I would not be surprised if some of the young ladies did not like the fact that a widowed, independent young lady was garnering more interest from gentlemen of the ton than they.”

Lord Huntsford’s brows lifted. “You mean to say that those who might soon be drawing close to spinsterhood could seek to damage her reputation, in the hope that they might be more in favor?”

“Precisely.”

“So, you do not believe a word of it.”

“Certainly, I do not. Besides which, this ‘Mrs. Fullerton’ wrote only that it was someone who looked like Lady Essington. Which, in truth, surprised me somewhat given that you assured me she only ever wrote the truth in all of her articles. This postscript did not seem to fit with such a particular determination.”

“On that, I shall agree with you.” Lord Huntsford grimaced and shook his head. “There is no easy explanation for her change in tone, I grant you. I do hope that she will not say such things again unless it can be proven to be true.”

James shook his head. This was yet another reason he disliked the society pages. The articles contained within were not worth his reading. Yes, they could be of aid to some, but this recent piece about Lady Essington had proven to him that they were not worth his conjecture or his time. “I must hope that Lady Essington does not shrink away from society because of what has been written about her.”

“We shall have to wait and see, I suppose.” Lord Huntsford cast a sharp eye toward James. “Are you quite ready? You do not appear to be.”

“In that regard, you are certainly mistaken!” Pulling the white cover from the neck of the shirt carefully, he flung it down onto the desk table as he rose to his feet. It had protected his crisp white shirt from any flying drops of ink that might have danced away from his quill. “I shall need my cravat and then will be quite ready.”

Lord Huntsford groaned and threw back his head, making James grin. “Come now, it shall not take me long.”

“You forget that I am far too aware of your penchant for fine cravats and the intricacy with which they must be folded,” Lord Huntsford muttered, as James rang the bell for his valet. “I shall depart in my carriage in ten minutes, and if you are not ready, then you will have to take your own!”

“Then I shall make certain to be ready,” James answered, grinning across at his friend. “Have no fear, we shall not be tardy for Lord Edgell’s dinner! I will make sure of it.”

“Good evening, Lady Edgell. Thank you for your kind invitation.”

James bowed low over the lady’s hand, knowing that it was important that he show genuine appreciation for the invitation. The Marquess of Edgell and his wife did not often host dinner parties and to be invited to one spoke of a great distinction that James was grateful for.

“You are most welcome, Lord Huntsford. I am glad you could join us.”

The greetings at an end, James moved away from Lord and Lady Edgell and walked further into the drawing room, Lord Huntsford behind him finishing his greetings to their hosts. Smiling to himself, James took in the other guests – only for a young lady to turn and look directly at him.

Lady Maude.

How strange it was that his heart did not lift suddenly with delight. When he had returned to London for the start of the Season, he had done nothing but think of her, becoming all the more desperate to push himself to the fore so that she might notice him. Now, however, he no longer felt that way. There was no eagerness for her company, no happiness that she was now smiling at him. Instead, James began to hope for some sort of distraction so that he would not have to linger long in conversation with her.

After how she treated Lady Essington, I find that my heart has changed toward her.

“Lady Maude is clearly eager for your company.”

“And yet, I am not eager for hers.” James turned his gaze to Lord Huntsford and saw his friend’s eyes widen in evident surprise. “You need not look so surprised. I have taken what you said into consideration.”

Lord Huntsford frowned. “You mean to ignore her?”

“No, that is not what I mean. You stated that I saw only her beauty rather than her flaws and you were quite correct. That is precisely what I have been doing. However, I am no longer of that mind and am grateful to you for your words of wisdom.”

The small lift of Lord Huntsford’s eyebrow as well as the gentle narrowing of his eyes told James that he did not believe that he was being entirely genuine.

“I am quite serious, I assure you!” James grinned as Lord Huntsford shrugged. “There was an incident at the most recent ball where I was both astonished at Lady Maude’s lack of consideration and then frustrated with my actions thereafter. Thankfully, it was put to rights but it certainly made me all too aware of my own…foolishness.”

“I am a little surprised, I confess it, but I am relieved that you are no longer in pursuit of the lady. I do not think her character would suit you in any way whatsoever.”

James laughed somewhat ruefully. “I quite agree,” he stated, as Lord Huntsford’s eyebrows rose all the more. “However, I –”

The dinner gong sounded and James smiled, somewhat relieved that he would not have to speak to Lady Maude before dinner.

“I shall leave the remainder of our conversation until another time, Huntsford. Only to say that you shall not find me eager to speak to Lady Maude for any great length of time this evening. I am quite content to remain at a distance!”

This is not what I anticipated.

Clearing his throat, James sat down, aware that every muscle in his body was tense. The fact that he had been seated next to Lady Maude had brought a wide, mirthful grin to Lord Huntsford’s face, whilst James himself felt deeply frustrated. It seemed as though fate wished to push them together, even though he had already decided he did not want to be in company with her.

“Good evening, Lady Maude.”

Her blue eyes were gentle as she smiled at him. “Good evening, Lord Yardley. How wonderful that we are seated together this evening!”

It was not something James could agree with and thus, he chose only to remain silent, giving her a brief smile. Thankfully, their host began to address all of his guests together, stating that he hoped they would all enjoy the evening and how glad he was to be in such good company. Then the first course of soup was served and James joined the other guests in making murmurs of delight over just how delicious the food was.

“Lord Yardley, what make you of the London Season thus far?”

James turned his head to his other side, speaking now to Lady Humphries. She was an older lady whose daughter was seated opposite her. With small, narrowed eyes that flashed brilliantly, James found her earnest expression a little unsettling, fearful that she would somehow be able to see everything he was thinking. “Thus far, I have found it most enjoyable,” he replied with as warm a smile as he could manage. “There has been dancing, good conversation, and many new acquaintances – I do not think that I could ask for anything more!”

Lady Humphries nodded but did not smile. “I have, myself, been a little disappointed, I confess. My daughter was much inclined toward the company of Lord Jennings and indeed, both my husband and I thought him a good match for her, only until we read what was in the society pages! I could hardly believe the words written there about him and prayed earnestly that it would not be true.”

“But alas, it was as it was said,” James murmured, sympathetically. “I do hope your daughter is not too disappointed.”

“She is not, much to my relief,” came the reply. “It has, I think, shown her that there is a good deal of merit to considering one’s acquaintances and connections very carefully indeed.”

“That is wise, certainly.” He took in a long breath and smiled. “Now, shall we –”

“You will be disappointed, then to hear of Lady Essington’s current predicament, then?”

Lady Maude’s cool voice reached James’ ears and a cold stream of water ran down James’ spine. He turned to her, one eyebrow lifting gently. “Lady Maude, good evening. Lady Humphries and I were just now talking about Lord Jennings, rather than anyone else.” He turned away, meaning to end the conversation there but Lady Maude was not yet finished.

“But you have just now stated that it is wise to be careful of one’s acquaintances and connections. Given what we have learned about Lady Essington, it would seem fair, therefore, that we judge our connection with her most carefully.”

Lady Humphries coughed quietly, her eyes darting toward Lady Maude but then fixing themselves to James’. “I believe in Lady Essington’s case, however, there has been nothing proven. Her name is only vaguely attached to the circumstance.”

“Indeed, I quite agree,” James replied warmly, making Lady Humphries smile lightly. “I am a little surprised that Mrs. Fullerton has written a piece about the lady where nothing can be proven and, indeed, that the person she is writing about has only a vague similarity to Lady Essington. It could be a good many people and it must be very distressing indeed for Lady Essington to be singled out in such a way.”

“She has my sympathy,” Lady Humphries added but as James glanced toward Lady Maude, he saw she had already returned to finishing her plate of soup, seemingly disinterested in the rest of the conversation. His gut twisted. Lady Maude was not the lovely creature he had once thought her to be. She seemed to delight in the stories of others and their difficulties and had no thought as to how they might feel at any given moment, given their difficult circumstance. She was just as beautiful as ever and James was certain that, should he look deeply into her eyes, he would find his breath hitching, but there was no desire for him to do any such thing, not any longer.

And it may be that Lady Essington has a bigger part to play in my change of heart than I first realized.

A small smile crept toward the corners of his mouth as he thought of Lady Essington and the astonishment in her expression when he had come to seek her out rather than continue with Lady Maude. She had feared herself so small in his eyes that she would be quickly forgotten, whilst James was beginning to realize that quite the opposite was true.

“I do wonder who that gentleman was, however.”

Setting his spoon in his bowl at the correct angle, James settled his hands onto his lap so that the footmen would know he was finished with his first course. “I do not know what you mean, Lady Maude.” He did not want to engage her but could not simply leave the remark hanging in the air between them.

“Whether it was Lady Essington or not, I do wonder which gentleman it was that the lady called upon so very late – or so very early, depending on how one looks at things.”

A ripple of unease ran over James’ frame and his jaw tightened. “I think that a very small matter, Lady Maude.”

“But if we knew the gentleman involved, then we might have an inkling as to whether or not it was Lady Essington there that day.”

James bristled, his jaw jutting forward. “I do not think there is any need to do any such investigation, Lady Maude.” His voice was low, his words clipped. “I do not believe that it was Lady Essington present. I find it very strange indeed that Mrs. Fullerton, whoever she or he may be, chose to write something so very inappropriate, knowing the damage it would do to the lady’s reputation when, according to Lord Huntsford, she has always been very careful to write nothing but the truth in previous articles.”

“Then you do not have the smallest curiosity? The tiniest doubt?”

When James looked into her eyes, he saw the glint in her eye and felt his stomach twist. She had been, in his eyes, so very beautiful whereas now, he saw her as she truly was – cruel, manipulative, and seeking only flattery and adulation from those around her. “I have no doubts whatsoever, Lady Maude.” His voice was firm, his jaw tight. “And I am certain that Lady Essington is naught but a highly regarded lady who deserves our respect and consideration given all that she has endured.”

“Endured?” There was a hint of laughter in Lady Maude’s voice. “What has she endured?”

James shook his head to himself before turning his attention back to the lady. “Lady Essington is a widow. To lose one’s spouse must be very difficult indeed.”

Lady Maude’s lips bunched but her eyes then turned to Lady Humphries, evidently seeing something there that encouraged her thereafter to remain silent. Turning her head away, she returned her attention to the gentleman on her other side and began a conversation there, leaving James to his thoughts. A little surprised at the tension that still flooded him, James did not speak to Lady Humphries nor any other for some time. Instead, he ate silently and did not catch the eye of anyone, finding himself deeply frustrated and upset at how Lady Maude had spoken. Her obvious eagerness to think poorly of Lady Essington and, indeed, to find some sort of humor in it was deeply sorrowing and James felt his heart turn away from the lady completely.

And instead, turn all the more toward Lady Essington herself.