Gareth was surprised to have Anthony call at such an early hour. One look at his face told him all was not well.
Briefly, Anthony told him about the unsavory character who had surprised him at his house.
“Are you sure he is telling the truth?” Gareth asked.
“As sure as one can be in such cases.”
“What do you plan on doing? This can become a scandal.”
“A scandal will affect my sister's chances. She is making her come out next year.”
“You can't leave the child there.”
“I know that. I shall visit the home this afternoon and speak to Annie.”
“Annie?”
“The child. She is five, a year younger than Mary Jane.”
“Do you want me to accompany you?” Gareth asked even though he had already made plans with Lady Daventon to visit Kew Gardens. Anthony looked shattered and in need of support.
“I have to do this alone. I will meet the child and speak to the woman running the home. I have to find a way of taking care of the child without any gossip. I'm thankful my mother isn't in London. But then, if there is scandal, it will find its way into Harrogate society soon enough.”
***
Mrs. Forsyth received Anthony with cool courtesy. After hearing him out she asked, “Your Grace, what are your intentions regarding the child?”
“I will take Annie and see to it that she is brought up well. But I need a little time to make the arrangements. Is there someone who will take her in for a few days, until I see my way clearly? I will recompense, of course.”
Mrs. Forsyth pursed her lips. “She is well enough here. Much better than she has ever been in her young life.”
“May I speak to her?”
“I cannot stop you, your Grace. But I must say it will be ill-advised. Sometimes good intentions have to be set aside for practical considerations. Annie is a sensitive child. It will be better if you speak to her after you decide her future.”
“May I at least see her?”
Mrs. Forsyth took him to a window opening into the walled garden. Annie was sitting by herself, apart from the other children. She was looking at the pictures in a book. Anthony spotted her immediately. She took after the Wimberleys and looked like his sister had as a child. He felt tears prick his eyes at how thin she was. He wanted to snatch her up and take her away with him. But there were others he had to think about. His mother, especially. She would be devastated.
“When Annie was brought to us, she was like a tortoise hiding in a shell. The ordeal of watching her mother die a slow painful death had proved too much for her. Fortunately, one of our volunteers has taken an interest in her. She visits her often, bringing toys and books.”
Anthony came out of the house and hailed a hack. As he was getting into it, a dark carriage came to a stop and a young woman alighted out of it. He couldn't see her face. She wore a nondescript pelisse and a cap. As she hurried to the small entrance at the side, he was reminded of Lady Laura.
He shook his head. Lady Laura was often intruding into his thoughts. He had to stop thinking about her. He had a big responsibility now. What was he to do about Annie?
***
“It sounds intriguing,” Laura said as their carriage entered the road lined with grand equipages. Lady Norwich was having a musicale. She would be playing the harp to accompany an Italian singer.
Lady Norwich was known for two things: her amiable nature and her hobbies. Every now and then she would develop a new interest. She would hire masters to teach her and hustle up a party of friends to exhibit her newly found talent. This year she had taken to playing the harp. Her good nature, a rare commodity in the ton, and her supremely talented French cook ensured that her invitations were seldom turned down.
Lady Maria laughed. “One Season she invited us to have a look at her sculptures. There were three of them, and were made from clay.”
“Were they good?”
“They were misshapen lumps. We stood around them with solemn faces. Some offered suggestions, even praise until Lady Norwich said it was no use, she would never be able to sculpt even if it was to make a likeness of her dear departed husband, so it was better we stopped looking at the lumps. They might give us indigestion and we might blame it on her cook, and that would be most unfair.”
Lady Norwich met them at the entrance, beaming at each arrival. “I'm so excited! I believe I have finally found something I like. My mother played the harp. My music teacher tried to make me play but I was forever escaping into the garden! Perhaps not forever because many of those lessons came back to me when I took it up again.”
Lady Maria stopped to speak to a friend. Laura made her way to the row of chairs facing the clearing with the raised platform. For a moment she debated whether she should choose a seat to the back of the room. If Lady Norwich saw her sitting at the back with all the empty rows in front of her, she would feel bad. She slipped into the second row.
Many of the guests had arrived but instead of sitting down, they stood in clusters. The buzz of conversation filled the room. Laura realized they were all partaking of the latest morsel of scandal.
“Lady Laura! I was right in cautioning you!” Lady Goodall said before plonking down on the chair beside her.
“When you made your come out, I warned you about Wimberley. Lady Selena guessed he had no intention to wed and kept her distance. I fear you weren't so circumspect. You persisted in making yourself conspicuous by hanging on to him. Flighty Fanny is in town and she has Wimberley firmly in her coil! You must be careful of your reputation. It takes so little to ruin a good name. Now if your own Mama would have a care, I wouldn't have to tell you any of this.”
Laura held on to her temper but only with difficulty.
“Remember, he has no plans to wed.”
“Who has no plans to wed?” Lady Maria asked, coming over on seeing Lady Goodall with Laura.
“Lord Wimberley is much taken with Flighty Fanny.”
“You mean Lady Mannering?”
Lady Goodall sniffed, her nostrils pinched in her scrawny face. “You may call her what you will but my dear, a leopard doesn't change its spots! She has a past. My cousin comes from those parts. I remember every word of what she told me about Fanny.”
Lady Maria smiled sweetly. “Of course you do, Lady Goodall. What would happen to us if you didn't have such a good memory?”
The sarcasm was lost on Lady Goodall. She preened and sailed away.
“What was she telling you?” Lady Maria asked.
“That...that Anthony...I mean his Grace ...”
Lady Maria squeezed Laura's hand. “You don't have to say anything. Lady Goodall and her niece were at the theatre. I saw them looking at you and his Grace. They think the duke has transferred his attentions to you. Lady Goodall was trying to keep you away from him.”
“Why?”
“She thinks if you don't encourage him, Lady Selena will have a chance. In truth, Lady Selena has no hopes in that direction. She is building a castle on the basis of a few dances, some of them engineered by her and her aunt.”
Laura felt her heart lighten. There was nothing between Anthony and Lady Mannering. “Did Lady Goodall start the rumor about his Grace?” she asked.
“His Grace has been seeing Lady Mannering. I met him when he called on her. He was leaving when I arrived. There was nothing clandestine about it. I think Lady Goodall would have heard of his visit. She manages to know about everything. ‘Pon rep, the woman has spies in every street.”
Laura was not interested in Lady Goodall. She wanted to know about the rumor. “If there is nothing clandestine about the visit, why is everyone speaking ill of Lady Mannering?”
“That is the way of the ton, my dear. I hope Fanny does not leave London. Not that I would blame her. She was made the object of vicious rumors in her first Season.”
“Do you know Lady Mannering well? Do you think his Grace will offer for her?” Laura asked.
“Gareth has been telling me about his efforts at finding a mother for his daughter. That is why he has been seeking out older women. I know Fanny. She will make a wonderful mother to his daughter. But I'm not sure she is looking to wed again. Her visit to London during the Season is a coincidence. She has told me she does not want to attend any social events. If she was looking for a husband, she would not cloister herself with her cousin.”
There was no time for more questions. Lady Norwich had taken her place behind the harp. The Italian singer was also ready. She was a middle-aged woman with a homely face. Lady Norwich first played solo and later accompanied the singer. She gave a credible performance. The singer was also good.
In all, it was a pleasant performance and did not intrude upon Laura's thoughts. She went over Lady Goodall’s words, that Lady Mannering had Anthony in her coils, and he would not wed. Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she worked out the implication. She vaguely knew that gentlemen entered into liaisons with women. Her visit to the foundling home had brought her face to face with the result of such connections.
But Lady Mannering was Maria's friend and she spoke highly of her. And she held Anthony in high regard. Lady Goodall was mistaken. Anthony must have plans of marrying Lady Mannering. She was a widow and it was perfectly respectable for him to call on her.
No! Her heart protested. He mustn't! He's mine!
“What's the matter?” Lady Maria asked. “You look dazed.”
Laura gave a feeble smile. She felt stunned, as if hit by a brick on the head though she had never been hit by a brick on the head.
Her resolve to turn her heart away from Anthony was a farce, a pretense. She didn’t mean it at all! She could not stop loving him. She had always known it. His fleeting touch during their dance had disturbed her. Waltzing in his arms had made her feel complete. The mere thought of him marrying Lady Mannering had seared her heart with pain.
She would not deny the truth. At least not to herself. She wanted to be Anthony’s wife. To be by his side for the rest of her days.
One turbaned matron, tightly laced in an obnoxious gown, tottered over to them. Speaking in hushed tones, she said, “Lady Maria! Have you heard of Lady Mannering’s scandalous conduct? She has trapped Wimberley and is carrying on with him shamelessly. Lady Goodall feels it keenly. She had hoped Lady Selena would bring him up to scratch.”
Without waiting for an answer, the woman minced away, swaying on flimsy shoes. Lady Maria's eyes flashed. “How dare they spread such canards!”
“You don't think there's any truth in them?” Laura asked timidly.
“Fanny will never consent to anything dishonorable. If there is anything at all, it will be his Grace trying to win her hand in marriage!”
That did not help Laura in the least.