Before setting off her aunt had lectured her. “You must try harder to engage in conversation when gentlemen approach. When Sir Thomas Cleverly paid you special attention at the Pump Room you barely acknowledged his presence.”
Miriam had protested. “I thought he was a friend of yours, Aunt Beatrice, and so I did not want to intrude on your conversation.”
“Did I not tell you that he was a widower with a good fortune? He could be persuaded that it is time to take a new wife if you made some effort.”
Miriam was shocked. “Aunt Beatrice, he is at least forty years old with children nearly as old as I am. I cannot believe that you even considered that I may find him acceptable as a suitor. Besides, I have long resigned myself to the fact that I will in all likelihood remain single.”
Miriam knew she had been unfair to her aunt, who was obviously doing her best to introduce her to as many single men as possible, and so softened her response by adding, “I am sorry, Aunt Beatrice. I did not realize you saw him as a potential suitor and I know that you are trying your best on my behalf. I will try harder in future, but please do not be upset if you fail in your task to find me a husband.”
At Miriam's request they arrived early at the Assembly Rooms for the Dress Ball. This was not because of any eagerness to attend on her part but because she preferred not to have too many people watching her as she limped her way from the carriage into the ballroom. An advantage of being early was that they could select chairs that gave them a good view of the whole room. Miriam was happy with this as she enjoyed watching people participating in the entertainment.
They had not been seated for long when Miriam spied Sir Thomas coming into the room and heading straight for them. His jacket strained across his wide girth and his face was glowing red with the exertion of the short walk.
“Good evening, ladies. I hope I find you both in good health?”
Aunt Beatrice was delighted. “Yes, yes, I am in tolerable health and as you can see Miriam is positively blooming.”
Miriam wished her aunt was less obvious with her comments but was polite in her response. “Thank you, Sir Thomas, you do indeed find me well.”
Aunt Beatrice proceeded to regale Sir Thomas on a number of topics ranging from the weather to the society in Bath. Throughout this she repeatedly alluded to Miriam's many virtues, be they true or imagined. Miriam merely smiled politely and Sir Thomas commented on how refreshing he found her demure manner.
“I agree,” said her aunt. “So many young ladies these days are too forward in their approaches to gentlemen and one cannot believe that a true gentleman would find this becoming.”
Sir Thomas agreed with her wholeheartedly. Aunt Beatrice gave him permission to call on them and instructed Miriam to give him a calling card.
When he left them Aunt Beatrice admonished, “I think you have made a good impression there Miriam, but you must put yourself out more to make conversation.”
“I had little opportunity as you were so engrossed in talking to him,” replied Miriam. She softened this reproach with a smile.
By then Miriam had a headache. The realization had come to her that her aunt intended to marry her off to the first man who showed the slightest interest. Unfortunately, she thought wryly, because of her deformity, this was unlikely to be anyone she would find in any way desirable. So when Mrs. Bright had introduced her son and his friend to her, she was not really in the mood to encourage her aunt's over-enthusiastic welcome. These two good-looking gentlemen could undoubtedly have their pick of any young lady in the room, so in her opinion, her aunt was wasting her time on them. She had been quite amused when they asked her to reserve a danceâthey obviously were new to Bath. The taller gentleman had looked so surprised at her declining his offer she assumed this had never happened to him before. Rather spitefully she had chosen not to inform him of why she did not dance.
Miriam's evening was lightened by a couple of her friends from Derbyshire who were in Bath for the season and came to gossip with her when they were between dances. As the evening wore on she became hotter and hotter and eventually suggested to her aunt that they should make their way to the tea room for a drink. They found comfortable seats in a quiet corner and settled there to cool down.
“I think I saw Sir Thomas coming into the tea room, so perhaps he will fetch us drinks.” Her aunt had waved her fan in the air in an attempt to attract his attention. Miriam inwardly cringed.
Sir Thomas had been at the far side of the room when he eventually noticed them and began to make his way over, stopping to talk to others on the way. Before he could reach them, and quite unexpectedly, Lord Chantry approached and offered to bring her and her aunt drinks; Aunt Beatrice accepted as did Miriam. Not only was she quite thirsty but she did not relish the thought of another spell in Sir Thomas's company and she was therefore grateful to him.
When Lord Chantry had returned to them with their drinks, an uncomfortable conversation ensued. He apologized for having asked her to dance, saying he was unaware that she was a cripple. This had surprised Miriam as no one had ever called her a cripple to her face before; most people skirted around the subject, referring to her “condition” or “delicate health,” both of which she considered nonsense, for in her own mind she always thought of herself as “crippled” or “lame.”
Miriam had assured him that he had not given any offence and saw the relief on his face as, duty done, he quickly excused himself and moved away. Later, when she and her aunt returned to the ballroom, she did find herself occasionally looking for Lord Chantry. She observed that he danced with great skill and obvious enjoyment. She admitted to herself that she was slightly envious of the young ladies he partnered. Miriam did not often give in to hopeless thoughts, but it did cross her mind that she would probably have enjoyed dancing with Lord Chantry had she been able to.
Miriam and her aunt left the Dress Ball quite early and they were both tired by the time they arrived home. On the journey Aunt Beatrice had only one topic of conversation and that was the suitability of Sir Thomas as a husband.
“What did you think of Lord Chantry?” Miriam asked.
“Oh, he is undoubtedly a good catch for some young lady and he will have plenty to choose from. Did you see how they were all trying to attract his attention? I shall be the envy of all my friends when I tell them how he fetched us a drink.” Aunt Beatrice was smiling broadly, anticipating the pleasure she would have imparting this information to her friends. Miriam, suddenly deflated, just wanted to go to bed.
The afternoon following the Dress Ball brought four visitors to Royal Crescent to see Miriam and her aunt.
Miriam was reading and her aunt was working on a piece of embroidery in the drawing room when Sir Thomas Cleverly and his daughter were announced.
Sir Thomas introduced his daughter. “Mrs. Knightly, Miss Knightly, this is my eldest daughter, Miss Jane Cleverly.”
Jane, a tall, willowy young lady, made a small curtsy to each of them. “I am so pleased to make your acquaintance,” she said, smiling.
“She is such a good girl,” Sir Thomas said, “that I do not know how I would manage without her. Since the death of her dear mother, she has taken it upon herself to manage the house and keep things running smoothly.”
“May I ask how old Miss Cleverly is?” Aunt Beatrice enquired. “She appears very young for such a task.”
“She has just turned eighteen. I know it will not be long before I lose her to some handsome young man and she will be running her own household, but I try not to dwell on that thought.” Sir Thomas chuckled.
“Well, we are delighted to see you, Sir Thomas. Miriam and I were just talking about how we enjoyed the time we spent in your company at the Dress Ball yesterday evening.”
Aunt Beatrice indicated for them to be seated. “May I offer you some refreshment? I will ring for tea.”
Jane, looking very elegant in a fashionable day dress, sat straight-backed on her chair and reminded her father why they had called.
“Ah, yes,” he said. “We have come to ask you both if you would like to join us on Friday. We have secured a box at the Theatre Royal to see the opera. It is Mozart's
Cosi Fan Tutte
and we would be delighted if you could join our party. Miss Knightly would provide some younger company for my Jane and I would delight in seeing you both.” He addressed the latter part of his sentiment directly to Miriam.
Miriam smiled politely while feeling uncomfortable at receiving such attention. Aunt Beatrice answered for both of them. “We have nothing of note in our diary for Friday and we would be pleased to join you.”
Miriam had read reviews of this opera but had not yet seen it performed and so she looked forward to the evening. She knew that her aunt would see this as affirmation of Sir Thomas's interest in her and so she must take care that she did not encourage him.
Talk turned to more general topics, and having finished his tea and eaten a number of cakes, Sir Thomas and Miss Jane Cleverly stood up to take their leave, promising to send a carriage to take them to the theatre on Friday evening.
No sooner had Sir Thomas and his daughter left when the butler announced that Mrs. Fairchild had arrived to see Mrs. Knightly. Aunt Beatrice was expecting her friend and after exchanging greetings Miriam found she was not needed to join in the conversation. Her aunt and Mrs. Fairchild, who had known each other since childhood, had much in common. Miriam moved to sit in the window seat to continue reading her book.
The final visitor they had that afternoon was, however, quite unexpected. Miriam was still seated in the window when she saw Mrs. Bright and her maid walking along Royal Crescent and up to their front door. She apprised her aunt of this and so they were both quite prepared when the butler asked if they were free to see Mrs. Bright. They said they were, but neither of them could think what the purpose of this visit might be.
After introductions were made and the usual pleasantries exchanged, Mrs. Bright accepted a cup of tea and settled to tell them the purpose of her visit.
“I hope that you and Miss Knightly will be available to attend a small social gathering I am holding next Wednesday. The evening has been planned for some weeks, but since then my son has arrived in Bath and I am hoping to gather some younger company for him or I fear he will be dreadfully bored. I know that you and Miss Knightly have arrived in Bath quite recently and so I'm hoping you may be available that evening. I do understand it is short notice and trust I do not offend you by the lateness of my invitation.”
Aunt Beatrice did have the grace to confer with Miriam prior to accepting this invitation, unlike the way she had jumped to accept Sir Thomas's invitation.
“I do not think Miriam and I have any prior engagement that evening and we would be glad to accept. It will make a pleasant change from all the formal entertainments we expect to attend.”
“Mr. Bright and I are, like you, renting a house on Royal Crescent. We are at number four, so you will not have far to travel. Now I have spoken to you, I will of course send you a formal invitation. I shall now wish you both good day as I have one or two more people to call upon this afternoon.” Mrs. Bright bustled out of the room, leaving Miriam and her aunt to discuss this latest invitation.
“Of course,” Aunt Beatrice said, her mind already churning with the possibilities, “it sounds as if there will not be many young people there. As I know one cannot expect any of the men to pay court to you, I hope you will not be bored. However, Robert Bright is an unattached young man and may have similar friends. One never knows. No reason to give up hope. And it can only do us well if Lord Chantry is there, too. I understand he is staying with the Bright family.”
At the mention of the earl's name, an image of the tall, imposing man rose in Miriam's mind, accompanied by a little pang of longing. What did it matter if he were there? She was hardly in the running for his affections. Miriam only hoped that Sir Thomas's name would not be on the guest list.
“I think it will make a nice change, Aunt Beatrice, and it will give you an opportunity to further your acquaintance with Mrs. Bright.”
Miriam returned to the window seat with the intention of continuing to read her book, but found she was instead looking down Royal Crescent to try to locate number four. As she did, she saw Robert Bright and Lord Chantry leave the front door of the very house and set off towards the town.
My word they're handsome gentlemen,
she thought. House number four, however, was at the opposite end of Royal Crescent and Miriam worried about how she would get there; it was too far for her to walk but not far enough to use the carriage. She mentioned this to her aunt.
“One of the maids will have to push you in the bath chair and I will walk alongside,” was her aunt's solution.
“Oh, no. I would not like that in the least! Everyone would gawk at me. We must think of another alternative!” Miriam cried, although try as she might she could not at the moment see a way around this.
Friday arrived soon enough, and Miriam and her aunt were dressed and waiting when the carriage Sir Thomas had sent arrived to take them to the Theatre Royal. Sir Thomas was at the door to greet them and took one of them on each arm to ascend the stairs to his box. He was sensitive to Miriam's disability and took the steps slowly, for which she was grateful. She even managed to control the urge she felt to recoil from his touch.
When they arrived in the box they were introduced to the other occupants, a Mr. and Mrs. Welholme and their daughter, who were friends of Sir Thomas's. Miss Jane Cleverly was already seated and acknowledged their arrival, but seemed more intent on talking to her friend, Sarah Welholme.
Miriam enjoyed the first act of the opera. The costumes were stunning and the soprano had a beautiful voice. She found the performance mesmerizing, and truly sympathized with the characters of the sisters in their quest for love. It seemed no time at all until the curtain went down for the first intermission. Miriam mentioned to her aunt that she would like to visit the ladies' cloakroom. Miss Cleverly, who overheard this, offered to take Miriam's arm and accompany her and see her safely back. She smiled engagingly. “Come, Miriam, this will give us the opportunity to get to know each other better.”
Miriam was thinking how kind it was of Miss Cleverly to accompany her when Miss Cleverly's first words to her when they left the box made her realize that she was very much mistaken.
“I am pleased to get the opportunity to speak to you in private.” Miss Cleverly kept her voice low so as not to be overheard. “I must tell you that my brothers and sisters and I do not approve or agree with my father in his quest to remarry. We are especially not pleased with the interest he is showing you.”
Miriam opened her mouth to respond, but Miss Cleverly continued, giving her no opportunity. “I must inform you now that should he propose marriage and you accept, we would do all we could to make your life disagreeable. If he has to remarry, we would prefer it be to an older lady who would not be likely to produce any children to have a share of the family inheritance.”
Miriam was taken aback but did observe that all the time Jane was speaking to her she was smiling sweetly. Anyone watching would think they were conversing on a pleasant topic. She played along with this and smiled brightly while replying truthfully, “I have no understanding with your father and I am not doing anything to promote his attentions. I feel it would be much more appropriate for you to have this conversation with your father and not with me.” In her mind she added,
And please, God, he agrees with you
.
They continued to the ladies' cloakroom in silence, and there they separated to find their maids. When, after a short time, Miriam returned to the entrance of the cloakroom, she could not see Jane anywhere. She waited until she heard the bell summoning people back to their seats and realized that Jane must have returned without waiting for her. She looked around to see if there was anyone of her acquaintance who could assist her to return to her seat, but she did not recognize anyone.
Never mind,
she thought.
I will take it slowly and get back on my own.
Thus resolved, Miriam started to walk and was progressing well until she reached the stairs. She rested for a short time at the bottom of the stairs before starting her ascent. She felt a little nervous because people all around her were hurrying to get back to their seats before the start of the second act. She managed the first step without problem, but just as she stepped onto the second, someone inadvertently brushed against her, causing her to lose her balance and begin to fall backward.
To her surprise her fall was halted before she hit the floor by two large hands that encircled her waist and steadied her back into a standing position. She turned her head to see who had rescued her and found herself looking up into the face of Lord Chantry, who still held her in his arms. She could feel her face reddening with embarrassment at the same time her heart pounded in her ears. She could feel the heat of his hands through her gown and her body felt scorched where he touched her.
“Th-thank you,” she stuttered. “I appear to have lost my balance.” For goodness' sake, talk about stating the obvious. He would think her a simpleton.
The earl did not release her. “I am glad I was here to catch you. If you take my arm, I will see that you get back to your seat without further mishap.”
“Oh, please do not trouble yourself,” Miriam implored. “I make very slow progress and I fear you would miss the start of Act Two.”
He shrugged. “'Tis no trouble. I do not think I will suffer too greatly if I miss the start of the next act.” Vincent frowned. Did she not consider the insult to him, as a gentleman, should she refuse his assistance? He purposely steered her upward.
Miriam was about to protest further but took one look at his face, which was set in a stubborn manner, and placed her hand on his arm.
“I am sure you cannot mean that!” exclaimed Miriam. “The opera is enthralling and the characters interesting. The sisters are played so well and the singing is beautiful.”
“In general, I do enjoy the opera. However, I think the first act of this opera may have more appeal to ladies than gentlemen.” A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
Miriam found herself entranced by his mouth. What would it feel like, she wondered, to run her fingers over those well-defined lips? Would they be soft? Firm? Cool or warm to the touch?
Miriam caught herself with difficulty. What in heaven's name was wrong with her? She brought her mind back to their conversation. Smiling up at him, she agreed that he might well be right, and they both laughed.
“Do you visit the opera house frequently?” asked Vincent, wanting to find out a little more about her.
“There is a beautiful opera house in Buxton, close to where I live, that I attend, but this opera has not been played there as yet. Have you seen V
enus and Adonis
? I think it my favourite!” Miriam was finding Vincent very easy to talk to.
“I have seen more than one production of that opera. I enjoy it all the more for its being in English,” was Vincent's honest observation.
In what seemed to be very little time they reached the top of the stairs. By now Miriam found she was having to lean quite heavily on the earl, but this did not seem to bother him in the slightest. In fact, he had shown great consideration; he had not rushed her and had allowed her to set the speed of their ascent. Miriam realized that the second act had indeed already started.
“Please do go ahead,” she implored him. “You have already missed the beginning of Act Two.”
“It is you I feel will suffer for having missed it more than I, so please think no more of it,” Vincent assured her, knowing this to be the truth. “Do you want me to take you into your box or will you manage from here?” He had quite enjoyed her company and would have been happy to prolong the encounter.
“I can manage well and thank you again for your assistance.” She removed her hand from his arm and gave a small curtsy. He bowed in return before they moved apart.
She slipped back into the box and resumed her seat beside her aunt. At first she found she could not settle in to watch the opera because she was remembering how it had felt to have strong arms catch her when she had fallen. Did it feel good because it was Lord Chantry, or was it because she had never before been assisted in such a manner by a handsome gentleman or indeed any man other than her father? She chided herself as she remembered how she had prattled on about the opera even when he seemed to have made it clear he had very little interest in it. She knew her behaviour did not show the best of manners but had been unable to curb her enthusiasm. She smiled as she recalled how they had laughed together at the thought of this opera being more suited to ladies.
Eventually the music and acting reclaimed her attention and she was again mesmerized by the performance. At the next break she did not leave the box but allowed Sir Thomas to fetch her a cold drink. Miss Jane Cleverly apologized for having left her at the cloakroom and innocently said she had assumed that Miriam was already returned to the box and it was not until she herself arrived that she realized this was not the case.
Aunt Beatrice explained, “I was going to fetch you, but Miss Cleverly assured me that there were many people you knew who could assist you.”
Miriam looked at Miss Cleverly. They both knew this was not the case, but neither said anything.
“At least you did return safely and did not miss too much of the performance,” commented her aunt.
“I was fortunate to have Lord Chantry to assist me with the stairs.” Miriam had not intended to tell anyone that she had needed assistance, but she correctly anticipated that Jane Cleverly, as a debutante, would not be so pleased with herself when she knew this. She was right.
“I do not believe you,” Jane hissed under her breath.
“I assure you it was so,” Miriam calmly responded.
“That was very kind of him,” said Aunt Beatrice and explained to Jane, “We have only recently been introduced to him through the son of an acquaintance of mine.”
Sir Thomas, on hearing Lord Chantry's name mentioned, joined in the conversation. “My dear Jane thinks well of Lord Chantry. I believe she has had the pleasure of dancing with him on a few occasions.”
“Indeed!” Jane replied, smiling at Miriam. “In fact, I find him most charming and handsome. I danced two dances with him at the Assembly Rooms last week and have spoken with him on several occasions. His friend Mr. Bright I find tolerable, but he does not have the nobility of Lord Chantry.”
Conversation drew to a close as the last act began. At the end of the opera Sir Thomas and his party remained in their box until the crush to leave the theatre had died down. He then escorted Miriam and her aunt to his carriage, which took them home. Aunt Beatrice was tired and said little on the way home, leaving Miriam to think back over the wonderful evening. She had really enjoyed the opera, but was confused about the way her body had responded to Lord Chantry's touch. She had never had feelings like that before and so had nothing to compare them to. At last she determined to put this out of her mind because the chance of anything similar happening to her in the future was remote.