Al
l laughter ceased
. A
serious expr
ession spread over James’s face.
‘
Give it here,
’
he instructed
.
Snatching the envelope
from the tray, James
ripped it open
and proceeded to read the note
.
As he did so,
Eleanor
observed
all colour drain from his face
.
‘
Excuse me, Aunt
,
Lady Eleanor,
’
he said,
thrusting to his feet.
‘
But I have a matter of some import to attend to.
’
And with that
,
h
e
strode
out of the room lea
ving Eleanor with the
uneasy feeling that the note had had something to do with Felicity Carmichael and her threat.
E
leanor had never been to London before. In fact, apart from the odd hurried essential purchase, she had never really been shopping before. As their carriage rattled its way along the wide, cobbled streets, she wondered at all the traffic, the cacophony of sounds, the intermingling smells – some more pleasant than others - and the plethora of glass-fronted shops offering everything from pigs’ heads to exquisite jewels.
Never before had she seen so
many bu
ildings crammed into one space
. S
he gazed wide-eyed at the ancient magnificence of some juxtaposed with the fashionable modernity of others.
‘
Many years ago, w
e used to
take a house in Grosvenor Square for the Season
,
’
informe
d the
d
owager
,
‘
b
ut I am
too old for such upheaval now. Whitlock serves us well enough being
only a few miles from the centre
.
’
E
leanor nodded her agreement
.
Being a country girl, she didn’t think she could have stood it at all if she had been forced to stay in such a place for more than a few hours.
Winding its way into th
e centre, the coach passed a
dark-haired man on horseback who, from
the
rear, put Eleanor in mind of James. She had
admired his spirit that morning after yesterday’s confrontation with Felicity
. A
nd she had greatly appreciated him not divulging the real reason
Mickey Humphreys had turned up with the
rabbits
. Indeed
,
she would go as far as to say that she had
enjoyed
hi
s
company at
breakfast. She had never
seen him laugh before. It
had affected his features
very
pleasantly
indeed
.
The
d
owager
, it
soon became apparent
, was not only intent on buying Eleanor a new gown, but seemed set on replenishing her
entire
wardrobe.
T
hree ball gowns
were ordered
,
all a little too revealing
for
Eleanor’s taste
,
along with a selection of
day dresses
, evening dresses, hats, shoes,
bonnets
,
petticoats and boots. By the time they
arrived home, Eleanor was
exhausted.
Milly, on the other hand,
could scarce contain her
excitement as s
he rifled through the
packages, marvelling at the delights within.
‘
Ooh
, miss,
you’re going to look mighty fine when we get you in all of this. I can hardly wait for all t
hem new dresses to come. Y
ou’re go
ing to look better than a queen
.
’
Most of the dresses were to be made up and delivered later that week, but in her excitement, for dinner that evening, Milly forced Eleanor into the one new evening dress she had brought back with her. The garment was
of
dove-coloured silk, with a narrow skirt and a lace-trimmed bodice.
She also spent
a little longer
on her hair,
arranging
it
i
n a cluster of curls held in place with a new pearl clip.
At the end of the girl’s efforts
Eleanor admired her reflection in the mirror.
She looke
d - and she
felt
- v
ery nice indeed.
Eleanor’s
satisfied
op
inion of herself lasted
only
until she entered the saloon where they gathered before dinner.
‘
Ah, Eleanor,
’
said the
d
owager
,
seated in her usual
fireside
chair, cradling a
large
brandy
glass
.
‘
Allow me to introduce our new
guest, Lady Madeleine Bouvray,
from Hungary.
’
Lady Madeleine
rose
from her chair and turned to face Eleanor.
It was all Eleanor could do not to gasp at the woman’s perfection.
She was
a little
shorter than Eleanor with a slim figure
and ample bosom
. Her hair was
white-
blonde and dressed high on her head, accentuat
ing
sharp cheekbones, startling blue eyes and
a
perfect rosebud mouth. She was wearing a beautiful gown of rose
-
pink sarcanet, which
sat well with her
flawless
alabaster-like skin.
She was, thought Eleanor, the image of a f
ragile china doll.
The woman held out a tiny hand to her
.
‘
Delighted to meet you,
’
she purred
,
in an exotic foreign accent.
Accepting the
proffered hand,
Eleanor marvelled at its softness
.
In the presence of this perfec
t petite creature, she
suddenly
felt large
and gawky. She
attempted to
return the
woman’s greeting with
more e
nthusiasm than she was
feeling
. A
s Madeleine resumed her seat in the armchair opposite that of the
d
owager
, Eleanor made herself comfortable on the sofa between the two. She accepted a glass of orgeat from Stevens then, curious to find out more about her p
rospective new friend, she said,
‘
My g
odmother informs me that you wish to spend the S
eason in London, Lady Madeleine.
’
‘
Indeed, I do,
’
smiled Madeleine.
‘
A
nd I am extremely grateful to Lady Ormiston for allowing me the opportunity.
’
She inclined her head graciously to the dowager.
‘
I must confess, Madeleine,
’
announced the
d
owager
, studying the woman
through narrowed eyes,
‘
that I was surprised to hear from Lady Neilson. It is quite some years now since we were friends here in London. Her husba
nd was the Hungarian ambassador
you know
,
and they had to return to Hungary in
quite
a hurry if I recall. We corresponded for several years but then lost touch. How is the woman?
’
Lady Madeleine
’s perfect mouth stretched into a
beguiling smile.
‘
S
he is very well, ma’
am. And most keen that I pass
on her k
indest regards. She hopes you will write to her
soon.
’
‘
I sha
ll,
’
nodde
d the
d
owager
.
‘
In fact
, I sha
ll give the matter my most urgent attention.
’
‘
She speaks very highly of
you,
’
continued Lady Madeleine.
‘
In fact, she told me you were one of the most charming people she has ever had the good fortune to meet.
’
Eleanor
raised a dubious eyebrow
. The
d
owager
could be described as many things
but c
harming was
most certainly
n
ot amongst them.
‘
Did she indeed?
’
said
Lady Ormiston
, visibly puffing up at the compliment
.
‘
W
ell, we were good friends
; very good friends
. And I missed
the woman
greatly after she left
. I shall write to her this very evening.
’
‘I’m s
ure she will be delighted
,’ said the younger woman.
Eleanor took another sip of her orgeat.
‘
Well, Lady Madeleine,
I must congratulate you on your ex
cellent English. However
did you learn to speak it so well?
’
Lady Madeleine flashed
a grateful smile.
‘
You are too kind,
’
she replied graciously.
‘
My grandmother was English so she -
’
She br
oke off as the door was
thrust open
and in
march
ed James, looking decidedly melancholy.
‘
Ah,
’
beame
d
the
d
owager
, her features softening
, as usual,
at the sight of her adored nephew.
‘
Madeleine, this is my nephew, James Prestonville, Marquis of Rothwell.
’
Lady Madeleine’s eye
s lit up as James approached
her
. She rose from her chair.
‘
Delighted to make your acquaintance, my lord
’
she
purred,
dropping down into a deep curtsy, which permitted him
a first-class view of her
bosom.
Eleanor watched with interest, curious to observe the effect Lady Madeleine’s exquisite beauty would have
on a m
ember of the male species
. To her amazement
, though,
James
seemed hardly to notice the woman. He merely offered her a c
ursory bow before plumping down on the sofa next to Eleanor and staring into the crackling fire.
‘
Lady Madelein
e
has just arrived
from Hungary
this evening
, James,
’
inform
ed the
d
owager
,
glaring imploringly at her nephew
.
Correctly interpreting the glare
as an instruction to engag
e in conversation
, James
muttered
flatly,
‘
Oh, yes.
I
trust you had a good journey, ma’am?
’
Lady Madeleine resumed her seat and smoothed down her skirts.
‘
Thank you, sir, it was very good indeed,
’
she replied, tossing him a dazzling smile.