“Was that the Duke of Rowland I saw?” Miss Hendrickson said with her eyes narrowed on Lady Louisa.
Lady Louisa had barely said goodbye to the gentleman and walked in the door before her cousin pounced on her. Lady Louisa suspected from her entrance into the foyer that she had come from the drawing room. It had a rather large window that opened to the front garden and with that a perfect view of the road and any who might ride on it.
“Why yes, it was,” Lady Louisa said calmly as she ignored her cousin’s dagger stare. “He was on his way home from the market and came upon Bess and me. He was most gracious to offer us a ride home.”
Lady Louisa delicately removed her walking gloves and bonnet and gave them - along with her basket - to the waiting Bess.
“Well, what did he say? Did he speak of me?” Miss Hendrickson said with her hands on her narrow hips.
“We spoke about many things,” Lady Louisa answered, not wanting to specifically say how the Duke had detested the idea of ladies flocking around him in hopes to snag a marriage contract.
“Don’t be so forthcoming all at once,” Miss Hendrickson said with a flick of her chestnut hair before turning and entering the drawing room.
Lady Louisa had rather hoped to retire upstairs and freshen up some after the day's events. She knew dinner would be served soon and was so used to the custom of dressing for it. It was more than habit that caused her to want to retreat to her room.
She was still in her walking dress, and rather unclean from the day's journey. She could only imagine the state of her chignon as she could already see the small grey-blond ringlets that had once encircled her face now just lying long and limp along either side of her cheeks.
“Louisa,” her aunt called from the drawing room. “Louisa. Come here right now!”
Lady Louisa did her best to ignore her aunt's tone or the way she called her so informally when Louisa was technically her superior.
“Yes, Aunt Sarah,” Lady Louisa said, making a point with her own informality.
“Lady Hendrickson if you please,” her aunt said hurriedly as she waved her fan before her. “Elisabeth tells me it was the Duke that gave you a ride home.”
“Yes,” Lady Louisa said.
Most times, Lady Louisa could have been said to have ample amounts of kindness and charity toward others, no matter their own manner of treatment to her. At this particular moment, that was not the case. Lady Louisa was tired, hungry, and worn from the day's journey.
Lady Louisa took a seat in an embroidered high-backed chair seeing that she would not get the luxury of retiring to her room before dinner. She looked around the room, waiting for what was to come.
All three ladies seemed to be seated comfortably in the drawing room and, from the state of disheveled ribbons, tea dishes, and books, Lady Louisa didn’t expect they had left since she saw them this morning.
Lady Henderson was still garbed all in black, though Lady Louisa noticed it was the new dress she had just carted from town. Unlike most in mourning who wore simple black frocks, Lady Henderson had chosen a current style cut with a high empire waist, capped sleeves and a black lace trim around the edges that matched the one on her black sheen morning cap.
Both Miss Elisabeth and Miss Mary were also wearing their new dresses. Lady Louisa knew these very well as she was the one to hem the bottoms over the last week. She had a terrible time with Miss Elisabeth who had opted for a dress with a pleated back to her skirt. Though they were both cotton dresses used for morning and day wear, as was their mother’s, both were done with intricate detail.
Miss Elisabeth had chosen a garment in the most exquisite cream with cornflower blue stripes running down the length of it. It did wonders to accentuate her long, perfectly shaped form and make her brown curls and cream skin beam against the lightness of the color.
Miss Mary, on the other hand, chose a lemon-yellow dress with a simple large pink silken ribbon at her waist. Unlike her sister, who sought contrasting colors, Miss Mary’s dress color perfectly complimented her warm skin and hair.
Lady Louisa looked down at her hands folded in her own walking dress. Though it wasn't thread bare and not too terribly stained at the hem, it was still plain, with a matching Spencer jacket in the color of a hen’s rustic feathers.
Suddenly, seeming completely outshined by every other member of this room, Lady Louisa lost all nerve to speak boldly to her aunt.
Lady Hendrickson seemed to see the defeat for her satisfaction reflected in her blue eyes. She held her chin up high and snapped her fan promptly shut.
“Well then, out with it. We must know every word spoken between you and the Duke. I don’t want him surprising us with some conversation you had on our part or worse words you may have offended him with.”
“I am quite able to hold a civilized conversation,” Lady Louisa said reassuringly.
When she saw that this was not satisfying enough, she did her best to retell the short ride home in the Duke’s presence. She made sure to skim over any information her aunt and cousins might not be particularly happy to hear.
“So the Duke is feeling the pressure of making a match,” Lady Hendrickson said to her daughters when the narration was over.
“That means there are several other ladies already making their move. No doubt you have higher precedence over any commoner in the area,” she said waving away the idea like it was an irritating insect. “However, several lesser peerages may find a reason to settle in nearby residences for the opportunity to secure his hand.”
She looked between her two daughters who were both listening intently. Lady Louisa suspected that such educational lessons from their mother were a frequent occurrence.
“What do you propose we do, Mother?” Miss Hendrickson said, sitting at the edge of her seat.
She was far beyond ready to do anything that her mother might deem necessary to attain the goal set before her. Lady Louisa saw her hungry eyes and thought that setting up such a man with her cousin might not entirely be in his interest. Had she just not just promised the Duke to do what was possible to help him separate the wheat from the chaff?
She honestly felt no loyalty to an aunt who had continually showed her contempt during her presence, but she did have a responsibility to her mother. The Dowager Countess was desperate for some kind of reconciliation with her sister. Her mother knew it would very likely not happen at her hand but at Lady Louisa’s. For the second time that day, she felt racked with turmoil.
“Well it is good that he came here on his own accord the other day,” Lady Hendrickson said with a wink and a knowing wag of her fingers. “We have made connections to those close to him, this Colonel Jasper.”
Lady Hendrickson stood and paced the room while she thought the matter over.
“I am told he lives with a single uncle as well. I believe it was his father’s younger brother.”
“Yes,” Lady Louisa chimed in. “His Grace told me how his uncle raised him after his parents’ untimely death.”
All parties in the room seemed to ignore her helpful comment except for Miss Mary, who gave her a sideways glance and a half smile. Any interaction between the two of them at this time was wholly disregarded as the other two were bent on their scheming.
“It wouldn’t be unwise to continue to cultivate this friendship with this Colonel and the uncle,” Lady Hendrickson said as her mind was made up, though she waved off their names as if they mattered little.
“There is the public ball tomorrow,” Miss Elisabeth chimed in.
She had sat bolt upright in the excitement of the idea, but then quickly looked over at Lady Louisa as if she had not meant to speak of such things in her presence. Contrary to what Miss Elisabeth thought, Lady Louisa was aware of the event.
At least every person who came to the market stall that day had spoken excitedly of it. Lady Louisa had been a bit surprised not to hear of it from her own aunt and relations.
Certainly, social events were not as common as they were in her hometown, and each one would be a wonderful opportunity. Lady Louisa had finally surmised that perhaps her aunt was refusing the attendance of such gay events on account of her mourning.
“Naturally, the Duke would not attend such an event,” Lady Hendrickson spoke as she put the plan together. “But no doubt at least the Colonel will. It would be a ripe opportunity to suggest a more intimate setting in which we may get Elisabeth closer to the Duke’s acquaintance.”
“I would be more than happy to suggest a family dinner with the Colonel, and of course the rest of his party, should we find ourselves on the dance floor together tomorrow evening,” Miss Elisabeth said with all the charm of a snake.
The only thing that Lady Louisa detested more than the prideful air of her cousin’s speech was the sorrowful effect it had on Miss Mary. Miss Elisabeth undoubtedly expected to be the belle of the ball and able to get any gentleman to agree to any suggestion she made.
Why she had fixed her eyes on the man with whom Miss Mary had shared a most wonderful afternoon, was beyond Lady Louisa’s comprehension. But then she didn’t have a sister of her own and perhaps it was the natural course of sibling rivalry.
“Splendid!” Lady Hendrickson said with a clap of her lace-gloved hands.
“You will encourage the Colonel to join us for a family meal. Oh, let us make it a picnic. They are quite fashionable these days."
"Then," Lady Hendrickson continued, "they will have no choice but to section off the whole of a day to our family. The Duke will scarcely forget my daughters after a whole afternoon in your presence,” she said looking first at Elisabeth, then at Mary.
“Oh, I do hope you won't be so sullen, Mary. You always look like you are about to cry out of those doe eyes. Do try and appear happy,” her mother scolded her.
Lady Louisa looked over at Miss Mary, who did look like she was about to cry. Lady Louisa wasn’t sure if it was just her delicate nature or the fact that her sister had just announced to set herself on Colonel Jasper.
“We will need new dresses for the event,” Lady Hendrickson announced with a nod of her head.
“But surely that won't be possible by tomorrow night,” Lady Louisa said aloud.
Her aunt’s eyes fell on her as if she had altogether forgotten her niece was still present in the room.
“For the picnic of course,” Lady Hendrickson responded as if Lady Louisa’s misunderstanding was just ridiculous. “Blue for you, of course, Elisabeth. It is a most becoming color on you,” Lady Hendrickson began to list off more to herself.
“And I suppose Mary shall get one in rose, perhaps that will bring some cheer to your face. I will get one too,” she looked down at her newly made black gown. “Such a shame to still have to wear such a color.”
Lady Louisa was utterly shocked at her words. Surely whether there was affection in the marriage or not, to speak so disrespectfully of one’s mourning was more than Lady Louisa had ever heard.
“We must plan our outfits for tomorrow’s ball as well. I had not put much time into it,” Miss Elisabeth said, standing up. “Now that there is a purpose for it, other than the enjoyment of the dance, I will need to search my belongings for a proper outfit.”
It was decided that, for that night, supper would be brought up to Lady Hendrickson’s room as each girl went about finding the proper gown to wear for the event. Lady Louisa couldn’t have been more irritated at the lack of a meal for the evening after such an arduous day. Not to mention the fact that she had yet to actually be invited to attend the public event with the other ladies of the house.
None the less, Lady Louisa also went upstairs, following behind her aunt and cousin. She was promptly put to work hemming, pinning, and adding suggested alterations to various dresses indicated by Lady Hendrickson or Miss Elisabeth.
Lady Louisa regularly told herself that she had done such sewing many times before in the cause of charities for those less fortunate. Though it was a bit degrading to be asked to be a seamstress for her relations, she did the task without complaint, hoping it would attest her good character and kindness of heart.