“Yes, if you please, once Lord Hazelton has taken his leave,” she said loudly, turning back to Lord Hazelton and fixing a smile to her face that she knew did not reach her eyes. “I bid you good afternoon, Lord Hazelton.”
It was as if she had spoken into a long silence, for Lord Hazelton started violently and then looked at her in puzzlement. After a moment, his expression cleared and he began to stammer, stumbling towards the door as he went.
“I thank you, Lady Callander,” he said, bowing again, his features still etched with confusion. “I thank you for your time and your willingness to listen to me.”
Bridgette wanted to say that she had not been permitted anything other than to listen to him but wisely chose not to do so. “Good afternoon, Lord Hazelton,” she said again, eager for him to step out of the room so that she might take even just a few seconds to collect herself. After another moment, Lord Hazelton nodded, bowed yet again, shuffled his feet, muttered something to himself and then stepped out into the hallway.
Bridgette let out a long sigh, falling back into her chair and closing her eyes. No doubt the butler would be at the door in a moment with Lord Hessington ready to launch into another banal conversation which she would have to endure. Whatever had Lord Hazelton been speaking of? Why had his description of her late husband been so very different to her own? She simply could not make sense of it, frowning hard to herself as she tried to understand what he had meant. Lord Hazelton had seemed to be very certain that the man he had been describing had been Lord Callander, whereas she knew for certain that it could not be. Even though his description of the fellow had been incorrect, she knew for certain that to describe him as ‘jovial’ and ‘good humored’ was almost laughable! The late Lord Callander had been never been cruel to her but certainly had never been in a good humor. He had been dull and dispirited, and even though she had never quite understood his urgency when it had come to marrying her, Bridgette was quite certain she knew the gentleman she had married.
Lord Hazelton had simply confused him with someone else, she decided, sitting up a little straighter and forcing herself to smile as the door opened and the butler came in. There was no need to think of it any longer, it had merely been an error on his part. And what did it matter now? Her husband was long in his grave and she now entirely free of him.
In fact, she decided, rising to curtsy towards Lord Hessington, she did not even want to think of Lord Callander again. Her life was her own, her choices hers to make and nothing was going to take any of her newfound happiness away.
Chapter Two
Studying his cards carefully, Sebastian, the Earl of Millerton, picked up one from the pile in the middle and then looked at his cards anew. It was a very basic game but one that he very much enjoyed, for it took both skill and luck to win.
“You are taking much too long, Millerton,” one of the other gentlemen complained. “Do hurry up.”
Sebastian chuckled, the chose another card from his hand and set it down in the middle. A murmur ran around the group of men seated at the table but Sebastian did not make any comment nor allow any expression to come across his face. All that he required was to keep his nerve, hide his hand and pray that the rest of the cards would treat him well.
“So,” said Lord Chesterfield, who had only just played his hand. “You are back for another Season, it seems.”
Sebastian shrugged. “What else is there to do but come to London?” he asked, as Lord Chesterfield laughed softly. “To remain at the estate would make me a very dull gentleman indeed.”
Lord Chesterfield lifted one eyebrow, giving Sebastian a knowing look. “You hope to find a wife this Season, mayhap?”
Trying not to feel the ripple of awkward tension that ran down his spine at such a remark, Sebastian tried to keep his face in a nonchalant expression. “I do not know,” he said, sounding rather bored. “There has never been anyone to catch my eye thus far, but you can never tell what will happen!”
“That is true enough,” Lord Chesterfield grinned, giving Sebastian a sly wink. “But I know you well enough to state that you will certainly need a wife soon, given that you must produce the heir.”
Again, Sebastian felt his skin prickle at such a remark but said nothing, letting out a small sigh as though he was wearying of such a conversation.
“You may pretend otherwise,” Lord Chesterfield continued, chuckling, “but do not think that you can hide such a truth from me.” His smile slipped and the light faded from his eyes. “You are not the only one who finds yourself in such a position.”
Sebastian looked at his friend in surprise. “But you have never once mentioned an eagerness to wed,” he said, taking the opportunity to mock Lord Chesterfield a little. “Do not tell me that you have to step away from the joyous pursuit of pleasures and excitement in order to properly focus on finding yourself a wife?” He grinned, knowing full well that Lord Chesterfield liked nothing more than to spend the majority of the Season going from one occasion to the next, reveling in all that came with being a part of the beau monde. In all the years he had been friends with Lord Chesterfield, Sebastian had never once seen him take even the slightest notice of any young lady in particular. Yes, he l
iked to flirt with them, to dance and laugh with them, and certainly appreciated when their attentions were fixed solely upon him, but he had never once taken any young lady courting! Were things truly about to change?
“In short,” Lord Chesterfield said, eyeing his cards as he considered what was now on the table before them, “my mother has returned to my estate instead of living at the Dower house, as she ought.”
Sebastian frowned. A lady of the house did not tend to remove to the Dower House until her eldest son was wed. Most likely, Lord Chesterfield had encouraged his mother to do so, simply because he did not want her company.
“And she will not return there until she finds that I am secured to a young lady of good breeding and an excellent fortune,” Lord Chesterfield continued, heavily. “Can you imagine it?”
Unable to keep the smirk from his face, Sebastian dropped his head, pretending to scrutinize his cards rather than to look at the gentleman. Lord Chesterfield sighed and then placed his card down on the table, meaning that it was now Sebastian’s turn.
“The old witch has me quite stuck,” Lord Chesterfield continued, muttering under his breath as Sebastian took his turn. “I do not know what I am to do!”
“I do not think I have ever seen you cowed before a woman,” Sebastian remarked, with a sly smile.
Lord Chesterfield let out an exasperated sigh. “It is only because her dear friend, the Dowager Netherdale, has been blessed with a grandchild of late,” he said, with a roll of his eyes. “And thus, my mother has decided that she would also like such a thing—not because she has any sort of affection for the idea, but rather so that her friend will not outdo her in some way.” Rolling his eyes, he waited for the gentleman next to him to play his hand, eyeing the cards on the table in an auspicious manner. “Therefore, if I am to rid her from my house, I must find a wife this Season.” He suddenly looked at Sebastian hopefully, his eyes flaring with a light that spoke of a new idea. “I say, could we not both assist each other in such a manner?”
All joviality left Sebastian at once as he looked at Lord Chesterfield. “Assist?” he repeated, as though such a word tasted quite bitter on his tongue. “You forget that I am not searching for a bride.”
Lord Chesterfield waved a hand. “Nonsense,” he stated, with a firm shake of his head. “Of course you are. You must. Now, even if you court the lady but decide that she is not the sort of creature for you, the task at hand remains the same. You shall assist me in securing a promising, pretty creature for my bride, and I shall do the same for you.”
“I have no need for your advice,” Sebastian replied quickly, only for Lord Chesterfield to wave a hand dismissively.