Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, Ava decided to have breakfast brought up to her in her bedchamber. The last thing she wanted to do was be the cause of another fight between Brad and Stephen. Maybe without her in the room, they would get through a meal without arguing.
Besides, this gave her time to think over what she would say to Opal when she paid her a visit. She wasn’t in the habit of asking for things, and it was going to be difficult to come to Opal in hopes that Opal would do her a favor. It wasn’t that she thought Opal would say no. Opal was the nicest person she’d ever come across. It was just hard to admit Ava couldn’t do this on her own. By doing this, she was admitting that she was incapable of winning her husband’s affections without someone else’s assistance.
Ava ended up spending all morning in her bedchamber. By the time she had figured out the words she wanted to say when she made her petition to Opal, the butler informed her that she had a visitor in the drawing room.
“It’s Miss Wilmington,” the butler told her.
Miss Wilmington? Where had she heard that name before? She knew she’d heard it recently.
“Tell her I’ll be right down,” Ava replied.
The only way she was going to remember the lady was if she went down and saw her. But before she could do that, she needed to get dressed. Since she hadn’t left her bedchamber all morning, she hadn’t bothered getting out of her nightclothes. Not wishing to keep her visitor waiting too long, she decided to dress herself. When she was done styling her hair, she rushed down to the drawing room.
As soon as she saw the lady, she remembered her. Of course! Miss Wilmington was the nice person who had helped her and Opal pick out the gown yesterday.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” Ava said as she hurried over to her.
Unfortunately, the edge of her gown caught onto a nail that was poking out from a small table as she passed it. She jerked back, and a part of the fabric ripped.
“Oh dear!” Sure her face was red from embarrassment, Ava turned her attention to the table and tried to get her gown free from the nail without doing further damage to it. “I’m so sorry.”
Miss Wilmington got up from the settee and helped her to remove the gown safely from the nail. She clucked her tongue and examined the nail. “This wasn’t your fault. This is the fault of whoever made the table. A craftsman should know better than to sell an inferior object to someone, especially when that someone is as wealthy as your husband. Your husband could warn others not to buy his furniture. Such a thing would hurt his business.”
“No, it wasn’t the craftsman’s fault. This kind of thing happens to me from time to time. When I’m not careful, I bump into things.”
“You mustn’t pay the craftsman such a compliment. Whether or not you bumped into it, that nail should not be sticking out like that. But,” she smiled at Ava, “I didn’t come here to talk about furniture. I wanted to know if you wore that beautiful gown at dinner.”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
Miss Wilmington gestured for Ava to sit with her on the settee. “Do you mind telling me how it looked on you?”
Ava settled beside her, surprised when Miss Wilmington poured tea into a cup for her. She was sure that she was supposed to do that for Miss Wilmington since she was the guest. Maybe Miss Wilmington did it because she was being nice.
Ava thanked Miss Wilmington as she accepted the cup. “The gown was just as lovely as you and my friend said it would be.”
Miss Wilmington’s smile widened in pleasure. “I thought it would be. I have an eye for fashion. It’s a gift. I can take one look at a lady and know what would look best on her. It’s a shame I didn’t get to see you in it.”
Since Miss Wilmington picked up her own cup of tea, Ava took a sip from her cup. When she swallowed the warm liquid, she asked, “Would you like to see me in it? I can put it on.”
With a chuckle, she shook her head. “No. That won’t be necessary. I already know that it looked wonderful on you. I was just curious about what your husband thought when he saw you in it.”
“Oh, well…” Ava wasn’t sure how to answer this particular question. She really didn’t feel like talking about the argument Brad had with his brother.
“I think I already know.”
“You do?” Ava hoped Miss Wilmington didn’t know. If she did, then she would also guess that Brad wasn’t all that interested in her, and that would be far more humiliating than getting her gown caught on a nail in front of someone she hardly even knew.
“He loved it.”
Ava relaxed. Good. She thought Brad was thrilled with the whole thing, and since she thought that, Ava saw no reason to let her think otherwise, even if it was technically a lie. Lying was wrong, but sometimes it was a lot better than the truth. If word got out that Brad didn’t want to be with her, she would die of embarrassment. This was going to be one secret she was going to take to her grave.
“I just wish I had been here to see his face when he saw you in it,” Miss Wilmington added.
How Ava wished that had been the case. But the only person who had been thrilled was Stephen, and she hadn’t been trying to impress him.
Miss Wilmington took a sip of tea then set her cup back down on the tray. “I have a confession to make. Coming over to ask about the gown was just a formality. There’s something else I came to discuss.”
Since Miss Wilmington was still smiling at her, Ava figured the topic on her mind wasn’t unpleasant. “What is it?”
“I was talking with a dear friend after we met yesterday, and I told her about you. She would like to meet you. And possibly, if things go well, you might be invited into her group. It’s a very exclusive group. Only the best ladies in London get to join. This would be a great honor for you, and I suspect that your husband would be delighted as well. Have you heard of the Ladies of Grace?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it.” Granted, it wasn’t a lot, but she had heard it mentioned in passing. “I heard it’s a very difficult group to join.”
“Oh, it is. We don’t just accept anyone. Only the best of the best join our group.”
Feeling out of her element, Ava set her cup on the tray and folded her hands in her lap so that Miss Wilmington wouldn’t notice that her hands were slightly shaking. “You must have me confused with someone else. I’m really not suited for a group of such high esteem.” Asking Opal to introduce her to some of Lady Steinbeck’s friends was difficult enough as it was, and Lady Steinbeck didn’t have the kind of influence the ladies in Ladies of Grace did.
“Don’t be silly,” Miss Wilmington said. “You’re married to Lord Youngtown, and being married to the right gentleman avails a lady very much.”
Ava shifted uncomfortably on the settee. “Didn’t you read the Tittletattle?”
“No one in the group concerns themselves with idle gossip. We’re above that.”
“Well, you might as well know that the marriage between Lord Youngtown and I isn’t what you seem to think it is. We were both,” for lack of a better word, Ava chose to say, “tricked into a scandal. Though the scandal was exaggerated, it wasn’t in our favor.”
“You were tricked?”
Ava nodded. “There was a certain person who thought it would be amusing if Lord Youngtown and I married.” Even if she didn’t care much for what Stephen had done, she couldn’t bring herself to come out and reveal his identity.
Miss Wilmington waved her argument aside. “No one believes Lord Youngtown is capable of a scandal. We’re familiar with him. He is honorable in all things. And as you said, you were tricked into it. That means it wasn’t your fault.”
“Do you mean it? People really don’t believe the scandal as the Tittletattle reported it?”
“The Tittletattle is for idle minds. You mustn’t concern yourself with such nonsense. Now, let’s put all that aside because it has nothing to do with your membership into the group.” She clasped her hands in excitement, her eyes twinkling. “Membership into the group is something that can benefit both you and us. I won’t lie. Your marriage to Lord Youngtown is the reason you are desirable. We could use more ladies who are married to gentlemen who have managed their money as well as your husband has. But you and your husband have something to gain, too. You will become one of the most envied ladies in London. People will look at you with admiration and respect. As for your husband, a whole new world will open up for him. Those of us in the group are related to gentlemen who also do very well financially. They have business contacts that other gentlemen in London don’t.”
The last part of Miss Wilmington’s argument caught Ava’s attention. “My husband would benefit from this?”
“Oh yes. For example, Lady Eloise’s father is notorious for his shrewd business dealings. And my father fairs just as well because he often goes to her father’s dinner parties.” She patted Ava’s arm. “Imagine if your husband could go to a dinner party with my father and Lady Eloise’s father. Not only would they get along very well, but it would be very profitable for your husband. That friend of yours I met yesterday is Lord Steinbeck’s sister. Lord Steinbeck is an important gentleman, but even he can’t secure an invitation to the exclusive dinner parties that Lady Eloise’s father hosts.”
“Lord Steinbeck can’t get an invitation to her father’s dinner parties?”
Miss Wilmington shook her head. “No, he can’t. And it’s not for lack of trying. Lady Steinbeck had asked us if she could join our group because of the connections we have, but Lady Eloise wouldn’t have it. She just isn’t the right fit for our group. You, however, are. That’s why this is a great honor for you. If you don’t want to join for the benefits you receive, I urge you to think of the benefits your husband would gain.”
Ava bit her lower lip. Stephen had told her that if she could befriend ladies who had influential male relatives, it might be the very thing she needed to get Brad’s attention. If someone as influential as Lady Steinbeck couldn’t get into such an exclusive group, then Ava would be foolish to turn down this opportunity.
Ava smiled at Miss Wilmington. “I’d love to join your group.”
“You’re not officially in the group yet. You have to meet Lady Eloise at one of our meetings first. It’s just a formality. Since I approve of you, you’re as good as in the group, but the rules say you must attend the meeting so Lady Eloise can meet you for herself. As fortune would have it, there is such a meeting taking place tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock. Can you make it to the Duke of Silverton’s residence by then? The duke is Lady Eloise’s father.”
Ava nodded. “I can do that.”
“Wonderful!” Miss Wilmington rose to her feet, and Ava hurried to follow suit. Miss Wilmington turned as if to leave, but then stopped and faced Ava. “There’s one small thing I forgot to mention. Would you be willing to buy another new gown? Since this is an elite group, all the ladies are required to look their very best.”
“I can wear the gown that I wore last evening. It’s the best thing I have in my armoire.”
“I know it’s a lovely gown, and I know that you looked beautiful in it. But it has to be a brand new gown.” She gave Ava an apologetic smile. “I didn’t make the rules. Lady Eloise did. And since she’s the leader of the group…” She shrugged. “I have to do what she wants.”
“I understand,” Ava replied. “Just how many of these meetings do you have?”
“Only one a month.”
That was twelve times a year. Which meant Ava would have to buy an expensive gown twelve times a year. She didn’t know if she really wanted to do that.
“I promise you that the cost is worth it,” Miss Wilmington said. “Think of this as an investment. Your husband will earn much more than what you’ll spend when he attends the Duke of Silverton’s dinner parties. And, since you can negotiate a good deal with dress shop owners, you really won’t be losing that much money.”
That was true. Also, Ava could only purchase gowns that she could get at a discount. Then Brad would make up for the cost, plus more when he made better business dealings. So really, he wouldn’t be losing any money. The gowns, as Miss Wilmington had pointed out, would be an investment.
“I’ll buy a new gown today,” Ava said.
Miss Wilmington let out an excited squeal and gave her a hug. “You won’t be sorry. When you see how well your husband is doing, you’ll be glad you did this. And, of course, you’ll be surrounded by a new group of friends.” She winked and then headed out of the drawing room.
Ava glanced over at the clock. If she was going to get a new gown and be back in enough time for dinner, she was going to need to head to the market at once. She went over to the cord on the wall to summon the butler so she could tell him to let the coachman know she needed a ride.