Complications (2 page)

She ventured to say that she agreed with
his public views against slavery and he seemed delighted and spoke to her for
some while about his political beliefs and about the war against Napoleon. Lady
Treeton then led him away to make further introductions but Amelia could not
help but feel flattered at the meeting.

“His Royal Highness is usually not much of
a ladies’ man,” Mr Brightford commented, appearing from nowhere at her side,
“but you seem to have won him over.”

Although the words should have been a
compliment he said them in an insulting manner she took exception to. “Contrary
to your own endeavours, sir, I do my best to be likeable.”

She watched that barb sink in then turned
and sauntered away.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly
with plenty of dancing, yet even after the great victory of her meeting with His
Highness, Prince William, Amelia began to feel despondent when she had returned
home. As Walker helped her change out of her ball gown, she said, “Why has no
man asked me to marry him yet? What is wrong with them all?”

“You have put off a couple of gentlemen who
showed an interest in you last year,” her maid reminded her.

Amelia snorted at this. “They do not count.
They had little wealth, no ambition and were not even particularly interesting.
Even the Duke of Elborough would seem attractive compared to any of them.”

“Don’t even jest about such a thing, Miss
Amy. That man is a monster.”

Elborough was coarse, brutish and
unpleasing to the eye, but he was at least a Duke… No, even in a daydream he
was not someone she could consider but it was just wrong that Charlotte
Harrington was engaged. No, that was unfair. Lottie was pretty, demure and kind
as well as being the most loyal and constant of friends. She deserved the best
of husbands. It was just that Amelia should have been engaged first. With her
black hair and blue eyes, Amelia had always caught the attention of men and it
should have been easy to make one of them fall in love with her. Amelia had
planned her entire future - including how to find and captivate the right
gentleman - so how had Lottie, who planned nothing, fallen into such an
excellent match?

As Amelia settled down in her bed she told
herself that no one else in Edinburgh that evening had drawn the interest of a
prince. And it was just like Mr Brightford to try to ruin her moment of glory!

AMELIA AWOKE in a good mood then remembered that Lottie
was engaged while she herself was not and the day was ruined.

As Walker helped her dress she said,
“Perhaps I should do as Mama always tells me and try to be more demure.” It was
a depressing idea and something she did not think she would be good at, but the
situation was desperate. In the autumn her family would leave for their country
estate where she had known the people all her life and there was not an
acceptable, eligible gentleman among them. Besides, as much as she loved their
home, it had been built in the medieval era when apparently no one felt the
cold. The thought of returning endlessly to so freezing an establishment with
no prospect of a husband and no new clothes… it was not to be borne.

“Without wanting to disagree with Mrs
Daventry, no, lassie. If you pretend to be demure then you’ll attract men who
want a demure wife and they won’t be happy when they discover the deception. However,
if you show men your true nature then you’ll attract men who want an
intelligent, strong-willed wife and will love you as you should be loved.”

“That is wise, Walker,” Amelia said, happy
to accept that no change in her behaviour was necessary after all.

She walked downstairs to breakfast in
better spirits that were once again crushed by yet more talk of the engagement
and an admonishment by her mother. “Miss Harrington is a sweet child but, of
course, your father and I had hoped that you would be married first.”

Amelia forced a smile but was saved from
answering when her father looked up from his paper and said, “However, if a man
worthy enough to claim your hand has not yet made your acquaintance then we
would certainly not wish you to settle for any lesser creature.”

She laughed and leaned round the table to
kiss his cheek. “Oh, I would never do that.” She resumed her meal for a few
minutes then recalled a grievance: “How dare he call me a child.”

“Who said this?” Mrs Daventry asked.

“Mr Brightford, the loathsome man.”

Mr Daventry commented, “You did make a
somewhat impertinent remark to him first as I recall.”

“What manner of remark?” Mrs Daventry
demanded.

Amelia failed to mention that she had in
fact insulted Mr Brightford twice during the previous evening, only describing
what she had said on the earlier occasion, concluding, “It may have been a
trifle impertinent but it was entirely true. The man is unsociable, bad
tempered and tiresome.”

“He is also a highly respected gentleman,” Mrs
Daventry said, “and it is certainly not for a young unrelated girl like you to
speak to him in that fashion. You will not gain a husband through such sharp
comments.”

Amelia snorted. “I will certainly never
marry Mr Brightford.”

“But other gentlemen likely heard your
comments and you might gain a reputation for rudeness. In the future I suggest
you think carefully about what you wish to say and if it cannot be something
polite then remain silent. Also, young ladies do not snort.”

“Sorry, Mama.” Amelia feigned a meek
expression, inwardly blaming Mr Brightford entirely for the unpleasant
conversation.

* * *

Benjamin Harrington sought for something to
say to his future brother-in-law as they waited in the drawing room for Lottie
to change into a riding outfit. Mother had decreed the velvet curtains be
opened for the occasion, risking sunlight fading the colours of the fabrics for
the opportunity to show her future son-in-law their smartest room at its best. Benjamin
did not think Saverney had noticed; he seemed twitchy, presumably impatient to
see his fiancée. “Our family is very happy about the engagement.”

“So is my mother,” Saverney said quickly
then fell into silence, looking down to straighten the tailcoat of his elegant
outfit.

Benjamin was about to ask which horses
Saverney had brought to draw his phaeton then remembered that the man had no
knowledge of horses. After a casual acquaintanceship of several years, he had
still found nothing that they had in common. Saverney was uninterested in
horses, running an estate or prize-fighting; Saverney apparently liked balls,
gambling and took an interest in the latest fashions, all of which Benjamin
found rather boring. He was spared having to wrack his brain further by his
sister’s arrival, her smile to them both radiant.

“Forgive me for keeping you waiting, Mr
Saverney,” she said to her fiancé.

He had jumped to his feet and bowed to her.
“It is more than worth it to see you looking so lovely.”

She flushed and, although her carriage
dress was not the most up-to-date or stylish, and although she would never be Miss
Daventry’s equal for looks, her current joy gave her a true beauty.

The two of them took their leave of
Benjamin, who watched them go and wished the thought of a conventional future
could bring him such joy. Lottie was the kindest of sisters and it was good to
see her so happy. However, he would miss her when she left the family home. In
fact, the thought of being left alone with his parents was an unpleasant one.

He had once thought he had an affectionate
relationship with them, but since telling them the truth about his nature they
seldom spoke to him and made it clear that they still expected him to marry, no
matter how little he or presumably the woman involved could possibly want it. After
Lottie’s marriage perhaps they would see reason and he could go and live
quietly on their country estate. The more time he spent in the city the more a
reclusive life appealed to him; at least there he could throw himself into work
and forget about his attractions to men instead of being rebuffed and disliked
time after time.

Thoughts of the countryside reminded him of
a letter he wanted to write to the family’s estate manager about a tenant who
was having difficulties paying the rent. The woman was recently widowed,
husband and son both lost to consumption, so he had no intention of seeing her
and her remaining children starve. Hopefully the estate manager would not
mention the matter to Benjamin’s father who let him deal with tenant matters but
would not approve of losing any rent. Benjamin walked into the library and sat
down with quill, ink and parchment to compose the note. As he was finishing
this a maid announced Miss Daventry’s arrival.

He stood up as Amelia marched in and bowed
to her. She responded with a curtsy, although she rolled her eyes as she did so
then gave him an impish smile. He returned it, glad of the company of one of
the few people he could be entirely open with, and skipped any more formalities,
saying, “Lottie is not here at present. She is riding in the park with
Saverney.”

She paused with a frown, clearly having expected
to find Lottie at home, but what she said was, “You do not like Mr Saverney?”

His tone must have given him away - he did
not have a high opinion of the man but did not have anything against him, so he
could only shrug. He had not felt at first that Saverney returned Lottie’s
adoration, but the marriage proposal settled that. It would be pleasant to find
him less tedious, but perhaps that would change in time. “He does not have the
standing in society that my father might have wished for but he is wealthy and
comes from a good family. Anyway, Lottie loves him so I am happy for her that
he returns her feelings.”

Amelia put a gloved hand on his arm,
expression sympathetic, and he realised she was thinking of his own
difficulties. He felt a surge of fondness for her.

When Lottie had said she had told her best
friend about his romantic inclinations, Benjamin had been appalled. They had
known each other since infancy but, given the behaviour of the friends to whom
he had revealed the truth, he had expected Amelia to cut him out of her life. Instead,
while never directly mentioning the subject, she had shown a quiet support that
meant a lot to him, particularly when his own parents treated his nature as an
evil affliction that must be hidden at all costs.

If only there was a rule book to tell him
how to live his life. Surely he was not the only man in the world who felt
romantically for other men instead of women. Was he?

* * *

Amelia’s day was not improved by finding
Lottie away from home at a time they had agreed to meet and she had the
unpleasant feeling that Saverney would always be her friend’s priority from now
on and that Amelia would come a poor second. Her life was rapidly changing and
not in the pleasant way she had always envisaged.

She had her carriage take her home,
arriving just in time as her mother was about to leave for some charitable
meeting, resplendent in a blue and purple walking dress with an elaborate
feathered hat, and would need the carriage. Unfortunately, the family finances
were such that they only had one equipage. On impulse, and able to think of
nothing better to do, Amelia offered to accompany her mother.

“How kind of you,” Mrs Daventry said with a
sceptical glance.

The morning was in fact not as dull as she
would have expected and it was nice to spend some time with her mother. Amelia
had, of course, been raised by a nurse then a governess so she had generally
not seen her parents for more than several hours a week growing up. It was only
in the last year that she had begun to know them and that would likely change
when she married. So it was quite pleasant to spend some time with her mother
as an adult. Amelia made some suggestions at the meeting which were well
received by some of Edinburgh’s most influential ladies and she returned home
feeling virtuous and a little smug.

It was this mood which prompted her to
retire to her bedroom to work on an embroidered cushion cover which would be a
birthday present for her father. The work was more than a little tedious so,
after half an hour or so, she was happy to be interrupted by a quiet knock on
her door.

Lottie entered the room, a worried frown
marring her gentle expression. “Benjy said that you called to see me earlier -
I had entirely forgotten we had arranged it. Can you forgive me?”

Amelia smiled as she put down the
embroidery and rose to her feet. “Of course I can. It is of no consequence.”

They embraced and Lottie said, “It will
never happen again, I promise.”

“Then let us change the subject. How is Mr
Saverney today?”

Lottie beamed as they crossed the room to
sit on chairs beside the window. “He is wonderful, so kind and attentive. His
mother suggested that we have the wedding within the next three months, perhaps
as soon as next month. Is it not excellent that she and Mr Saverney feel the
same as I and do not want to wait?”

It seemed a little strange to Amelia but
she dismissed her surprise and said, “Then you will still have a spring
wedding. That could not be better.”

“Indeed. Mr Saverney suggested either
London or Paris for our honeymoon. What do you think?”

Amelia frowned, thinking of the changes
that the French Revolution had brought about, the deaths and those fleeing the
country, then the aftermath with everyone who had ever expressed a remotely
liberal view being charged with sedition and transported to Australia. “With
the war so bad, I would not have thought France was a safe place to visit just
now, but of course I am not an expert on the subject. I should think London
would be wonderful. It has the best modistes in the country and, of course, you
must buy a whole new wardrobe.”

“Even with a new wardrobe of clothes I
could never look as beautiful as you,” Lottie said in a comforting way and
Amelia realised her words must have sounded wistful.

She smiled brightly, putting the thought of
elegant afternoon outfits and stunning ball gowns from her mind. “Clearly Mr
Saverney thinks you more beautiful than anyone else.”

Lottie blushed and laughed. “Perhaps. It
still seems unbelievable that he can love me as much as I love him. I will try
so hard to be the best wife possible to him.”

“He is the one who is lucky and should
strive to deserve you, but as he regularly expresses his admiration for you he
seems to be aware of his good fortune, which is in his favour. Do you know when
you will visit his country estate or how much time he intends you to spend
there?”

“He did not mention it. I will ask.”

“You must not forget that once you are
married you will be mistress of the estate. You must not defer to Mrs Saverney.”

“But, Amelia, how can I not?” Lottie
exclaimed “She has been in control of both households all of her married life. It
would not be fair for me to start contradicting her orders.”

“That is what happens when women marry,
although I do understand your concern. Naturally you would not want to offend
her but you must not be too meek and let her make decisions about your life.” Mrs
Saverney was strong-willed and Lottie was just the opposite. It would be unfair
if Lottie were forced into constant obedience the way she always had been by
her parents. “If you make a stand at the outset it will be easier later.”

“I think she likes me…”

“… Of course she does!”

“… So I am sure we can arrange things to
satisfy us both.”