Chapter 16
“There is no need to argue, my dears, for you will both be sitting opposite the Duke, will you not?” Ariadne was putting on her finest motherly tone as she tried to pour oil on the troubled waters of the ever-deteriorating relationship between Patience and Georgiana Belville.
“Yes, we will both be opposite him, Ariadne, but only one of us will be directly opposite him,” Patience said sharply. “And it ought to be me. Really, that I am forced to compete against my younger sister is ridiculous. It is for the older sister to find a husband first, is it not?”
“But not when that husband is a Duke,” Georgiana complained. “I should have an equal chance to marry him Patience because it is unlikely that a Duke will come our way again. It is not fair to disqualify me simply because of my age.”
“Neither one of you is disqualified, and neither one of you has preferred treatment.” Ella could hear the exasperation creeping into her mother’s tone although it was fair to say that neither one of the Belville girls would have noticed.
Ella smiled to herself, knowing how hard Ariadne would be working to keep a civil tongue. After all, if it had been Ella herself who was behaving so badly, Ariadne would have already walked away. Of course, Ella would never have behaved in such a way, and perhaps it was fitting that Ariadne finally realised what an easy time she had been given by a daughter who had been raised very well by the finest of fathers.
For some time, Ella had been saddened by the kindness her mother seemed to lavish upon her two stepsisters, young women who clearly did not deserve such efforts. But now that she had come to realise that her mother was doing so under duress, she had found herself amused instead. Amused by the idea that her mother’s determined quest for status and money did at least come with some discomfort.
Ariadne was not a motherly person by nature, and she no doubt longed for the day that either or both of the Earl’s daughters were married and far, far away from Dandridge Hall. And if she was honest, Ella had that much in common with her mother at least.
Whilst Patience and Georgiana had never seemed close in the time that Ella had known them, their rivalry in respect of the Duke of Hillington had shown them as the bitterest enemies imaginable.
The only time the two young women seemed to come together was in their disdain for Ella herself. Whenever she entered a room, they always paused just long enough to both turn and look at her, studying what she was wearing quite openly and making obvious eye contact with one another afterwards.
In the beginning, Ella had found it most disconcerting and had felt a little humiliated by it. But now it was no more than further evidence of the worst case of ill-breeding she had ever witnessed and, rather than humiliating her, every episode seemed to highlight her own quiet superiority.
It was not something that Ella was ordinarily given to, but in her current harsh circumstances, she would take whatever advantage she could get.
“You see, Ariadne agrees with me,” Georgiana said, interpreting her stepmother’s words to her own ends. “I must be given a chance with the Duke.”
“Ariadne said that we must both be given the chance, Georgiana.” Patience was growing furious. “Not just you.”
“I did not say that it ought just to be me, I said that I ought to be given a chance too.” Georgiana was playing with words in a way which she clearly thought clever.
“I think it would be better for the both of you if you could find yourselves on some better terms with one another before the Duke arrives,” Ariadne said gently. “Because he is a very intelligent man, and I have no doubt that if there is any tension between the two of you, he will sense it. And, after all, we would not want him to be put off the both of you all together, would we?”
“No, we would not,” Patience said, still aggressively. “So, you must stop it now, Georgiana. I do not want your poor behaviour causing tensions that would turn the Duke away from me.”
“And why is it my poor behaviour?” Georgiana said, turning to look at her sister so fast that her golden ringlets seemed to fly around her face.
At that moment, Ella caught her mother’s eye. Ariadne looked as if she had been set adrift on a raft without an oar, leaving her floating this way and that on the current of her stepdaughters’ seemingly endless spite.
Incredibly, Ariadne seemed to look at Ella beseechingly as if asking for her help in the whole thing.
Ella could hardly believe it; the only member of the household who was ordinarily not allowed to sit down with the rest to eat was going to be asked to superintend an argument between two of England’s most spoiled young women.
Ella, of course, had no intention of trying to help her mother calm her stepsisters. Instead, she smiled absently before rising from her seat and crossing the drawing room to peer out into the dark evening.
“Well now, what a treat you both look,” Ronald Belville said as he strode confidently into the drawing room. “The extra time you have spent today in getting yourselves ready has certainly paid off.”
Ella did not turn around, keeping her eyes fixed on the window. She could see little of the dark world outside but found that she had a perfect view of the rest of the family in the reflection in the glass.
She could see Ronald as he circled his daughters, taking in every inch of their appearance. No wonder the young ladies thought that that was an appropriate way to regard another human being. When he had finished his circling, he stood before them and nodded appreciatively.
“Yes, you have done very well. The Duke of Hillington would be a fool not to make one or other of you his bride.”
“Thank you, Papa,” Georgiana said with an uncharacteristic display of good manners.
“Yes, thank you, Papa,” Patience parroted. “I have worked very hard today to look my prettiest.”
“And so have I,” Georgiana said with less grace.
Ella looked at her own reflection in the black window and rolled her eyes. She could hardly begin to imagine why it was the Duke of Hillington was to return to Dandridge Hall.
He was a quiet man and, in all other respects, appeared to be a man of good sense. But surely his only reason for accepting a further invite to Dandridge was to spend more time in the company of the two young ladies who were so forcefully being offered up as brides.
She could not help wondering which of the Belville girls the Duke was particularly interested in. Neither one of them had much to recommend them, regarding personality at any rate. And, although both girls were always extraordinarily well turned out, their features were just a little too prominent for them to be considered beautiful.
Their lips were very full, of course, and quite alluring, but when they smiled, it was apparent that their mouths were extremely wide; wide in a garish way which Ella thought suited their personalities perfectly.
As she began to wonder what other young ladies the Duke might be considering, she realised that it was a train of thought she did not particularly enjoy. He was a nice man, and she did not want to see him deceived and steered by the Earl and Henry Mercer, and yet she knew it was a little more than that.
On the occasions when she had been in his company, Ella had come to like him. He was handsome, certainly, but he was attractive to her in all senses. She knew she would never forget the fun and the thrill of the conversation they had enjoyed at the masquerade ball.
Ella had been able to be herself entirely and enjoy it, in stark contrast to the further meetings she had shared with the man. In those, she had needed to conform to social normality, giving little away of her own awful circumstances even when he had asked, purely because discretion and pretence were so deeply ingrained.
And even he had been different without his mask, although it was true to say he was somewhat more forthright than she was. But still, he had shown restraint in his conversation. If only they could have worn their masks forever.
Still, however different they were with one another in the world of reality, the Duke of Hillington had shown her extraordinary kindness. As Violet had put it, he had stopped his carriage when others would have turned a blind eye. Perhaps it was his kindness that was leading her to have a greater feeling for him than the simple idea that a good man should not be deceived.
Ella had stood in the window for so long she was still there when the Duke’s carriage finally arrived. As always, a great flurry of agitated activity consumed the room behind her as all present perceived his arrival. But Ella remained just a few moments longer, keen to see him step down from his carriage and walk towards the house.
When he did step down from his carriage, Ella felt her stomach tighten. She could easily make out his handsome dark features in the moonlight and could see that he was as immaculately dressed as ever.
In black breeches and tailcoat with a cream waistcoat, the Duke of Hillington was ideally dressed for dinner. As she idly wondered whether Patience and Georgiana would be able to take their minds off their own competition for long enough to notice that a real man who had put in great effort was sharing their dinner table, the Duke suddenly turned, and she realised immediately that he was looking at her through the window.
Ella was frozen to the spot for a moment, not wanting to dart away from the window, but not wanting to remain there and stare back at him either. And then, quite incredibly, he nodded at her. She wanted to nod back but knew she could not do so without drawing attention to herself from the rest of the family.
She was sure that his nod contained more than a simple greeting because there was something curiously reassuring about it. It was as if he was trying to tell her something; perhaps merely that he would not give her away for having seen her at bridge.
Or perhaps it was acknowledgment of her own struggle, or the little of it that she had admitted to him.
Or maybe it was plainly the fancy of a young woman looking out upon a handsome man and wishing that she was the reason he had come to dinner, not her stepsisters.
“Come away from the window, Ella,” the Earl said sharply, “and take your seat.”
Without a word, Ella crossed the room and sat in the armchair that was, as always, just a little removed from the rest.
“And please remember that the only reason you are invited to take dinner with us this evening is that the Duke would undoubtedly expect the entire family to be at the table,” the Earl said with an air of agitation. “But you will do your best to stay quiet and, if the Duke does ask anything of you, you will answer him as succinctly as you can. I will not have you pushing yourself forward again.”
Again, Ella did not speak. She was too tired of the unreasonable natures of all around her that she could not argue anymore. In fact, she knew that there would be little point in it for there was not a single person in the room who would actually listen.
When the Duke first came into the drawing room, the greetings were, as always, stomach clenching and embarrassing. The Earl overdid it as always, taking every opportunity to show his daughters in what he thought the very best light. If only he could see that he was going too far and making fools of them all.
“And good evening, Miss Winfield. How very nice to see you again.” As he spoke, the Duke held her gaze and seemed genuinely pleased to see her.
However, Ella had the feeling that their greeting might seem all too familiar, might even give them away as having met each other again since his last visit to Dandridge Hall. As ridiculous as her little fear seemed, Ella knew that her stepfather was extraordinarily vigilant, even paranoid when it came to such things.
“Good evening, Your Grace,” she said simply and then cast her eyes away, hoping that he would follow her lead and make no more conversation with her.
From the moment they all sat down to dinner, it was clear that the Earl and Countess of Dandridge had once again overdone things. There was an eye-watering amount of food, and the staff seemed to be working in a constant relay to remove half-full plates only to replace them with fresh dishes of other fine foods.
“I must say, you have gone to a good deal of effort,” the Duke said as he eyed the ever-increasing menu.
“I like to live well, Your Grace, and I am always keen that my guests enjoy themselves,” the Earl said pompously, clearly trying to give the impression that the family enjoyed such fair at every sitting.
“That is very kind of you, Dandridge, for I must say that I do not live this well at home.” The Duke laughed, and the rest of the table followed suit, sycophantically laughing along with him.
Ella was the only one who remained silent, realizing immediately that the Duke was laughing at them, not with them.
What on earth was he doing there?
“Have you been much in society of late, Your Grace?” The Earl seemed to be commandeering much of the conversation, as was his custom.
“Not a great deal, it must be said,” he answered, and Ella relaxed.
For an awful moment, she thought he might absentmindedly announce to the entire table that he had enjoyed an afternoon of bridge in the home of Lady Brightwell. A simple blunder such as that would be enough to give her away entirely to all present.
When she dared to look up from her meal, Ella could see that the Duke was looking at her, and he gave her the faintest of smiles. She smiled back, hoping against all hope that nobody else at the table witnessed the silent exchange.
“And do you have anything of note to look forward to, Your Grace? I cannot think a man of your standing is short on invitations.” It suddenly became clear to Ella that her stepfather was searching for information.
No doubt he was trying to discover if the Duke had any such similar engagements in the county, whether he was to sit down to dinner with any other forceful fathers and their dreadfully ambitious daughters.
“Nothing until next week, Dandridge,” the Duke said, and Ella thought she detected a slight smirk play across his lips. “I have an evening soirée to attend on the other side of the county,” he went on tantalizingly.
“Indeed?” The Earl stopped eating and raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, I am out again for dinner, and I have been promised a very fine evening indeed.” He smiled. “Which makes me a very fortunate man, for I have enjoyed a good many fine evenings of late.”
Ella had to look down at her plate to hide her smile. Had the Duke realised that the Earl was hunting for information on the competition? Was he really toying with the man, as a cat plays with a mouse?
“But I do hope that you are having a very fine evening this evening, Your Grace,” Georgiana butted in clumsily. “ That is what matters most to me.”
“And it matters to me too,” Patience interrupted pettishly.
“A very fine evening indeed, ladies,” the Duke said and reached for his wine. “I can hardly think of a time when I have been more entertained than I am at present.” Once again, he looked at Ella and smiled.
It was a mercifully brief look and the smile, she felt sure, was a secret one full of ridicule for everybody else at the table. Again, she returned his smile hurriedly before looking back down at her plate.
Was he silently communicating his displeasure at the Bellville family to her? Was he really connecting with her in such a way? Could it be that he did not have a liking for either one of her stepsisters at all?
“Who will you be dining with next week, Your Grace?” Georgiana’s manners were clearly not going to improve over the course of one dinner.
Ella saw her mother almost swallow her fork in horror, although the Earl did not seem bothered by his daughter’s inquisitiveness in the slightest.
“Georgiana,” Ariadne said gently when it seemed the Earl would say nothing at all.
“I am to dine with the Earl of Mortcombe and his family,” the Duke said quickly before even more embarrassment was heaped upon those with the capacity to feel it.
The Earl looked suddenly furious, although Ella could not tell if it was because of his wife’s quiet chastisement of one of his daughters, or if it was on account of the family with whom the Duke was due to dine.
Whatever the cause, Ella felt distinctly uneasy and decided to keep her eyes down for the rest of the meal. She would not foolishly risk any further amused eye contact with the handsome Duke, however much pleasure it gave her.
Instead, she would stay quiet and wait patiently for the dreadful evening to be over with.