Chapter Twenty
Ava didn’t know what to do with her time, so she decided to get dressed in the gown she was going to wear for the social engagement that afternoon with Ladies of Grace. Then she decided to visit her aunt, brother, and sister. Her aunt was listening to Timothy and Dinah as they played on the piano in the drawing room. As soon as they saw her, her aunt and sister ran over to her.
Her aunt gave her a big hug and said, “My, my, you look beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking as lovely as you do now.”
“I don’t, either,” Dinah agreed. “It must be the gown. Was it expensive?”
Her aunt jabbed Dinah playfully on the arm. “It’s not the gown that’s making your sister prettier than she’s ever been. I think it’s love.” With a grin, she asked, “Are things going well between you and Lord Youngtown?”
Ava was sure her face turned a bright shade of red. “Things are going very well.”
Much better than Ava had thought possible on their wedding day. Thankfully, her fears had been for nothing. After last night and this morning, she had a reason to hope that Brad would someday love her. And as long as she had that possibility to look forward to, she was very happy.
“I thought so,” her aunt said with a chuckle. “You have the look of love on your face.”
Dinah smiled wistfully. “I hope that one day I should have such a look on my face. It would be nice to have a love match.”
Timothy let out a groan. “Are we going to spend the entire afternoon talking about love? If so, then I need to leave the room.”
Laughing, Ava assured him, “No, we’re not going to spend the entire afternoon talking about love. Besides, I have to be somewhere at two. I only came by for a little while.”
“Oh?” Her aunt took her by the hand and led her to the settee then sat beside her. Dinah sat in the chair next to Timothy. “Where are you going?” her aunt asked. “Is your husband taking you somewhere?”
Ava shook her head. “Not at two. He might take me out later today, but at two I have a social engagement to attend.”
“Will you be visiting Opal?” her aunt asked.
“Not this time.” Ava waited until the butler set down the tea in front of her to continue. “I’ve been invited to attend a social engagement with Ladies of Grace.”
“Ladies of Grace?” Her aunt put her fingers to her lips. “The group sounds familiar.”
The butler left, and Ava poured tea into the cups. “That’s probably because the group is influential in London. Miss Wilmington is a part of it. The Duke of Silverton’s daughter, Lady Eloise, is a part of it, too.”
Her aunt accepted the cup that Ava handed to her, a worried frown on her face. “The Duke of Silverton’s daughter?”
Ava nodded and got up to give her brother and sister their own cups. When she returned to her seat, she said, “Yes. I think establishing a relationship with Lady Eloise’s group could mean good things for Brad. I heard the duke is very good at investments, and he’s selective with the company he keeps. Being a member of Ladies of Grace would give Brad an advantage that he wouldn’t have otherwise. That is, of course, if I’m allowed into the group. Just because I will be meeting with them today, nothing is guaranteed.”
“Are you doing this to make new friends for yourself?”
Ava took a sip of her tea as she thought over her aunt’s question. It was funny that she hadn’t considered what she could personally get from the group. Miss Wilmington had been nice to her. She thought they might get along well enough. She was sure the other ladies in the group were just as kind. If she gave the matter serious thought, though, she didn’t think it would matter if she joined the group or not. Not for her own sake, anyway.
“No, not really,” Ava replied. “I have Opal, and she’s worth a hundred friends. I’m doing this mostly for Brad. I think it would make him happy if I was in the group. He could mingle with the Duke of Silverton and the gentlemen associated with him.”
Her aunt gave her an understanding smile. “You always were one to think of other people. You remind me of your mother that way. Your reason for doing this is good. However, I have heard of the duke’s daughter, and I would advise you to reconsider going to this social engagement today.”
“Why? What is the duke’s daughter like?” Timothy asked before Ava had a chance to.
“Yes, what awful things has she done?” Dinah piped up in interest.
All of them looked at their aunt expectantly, something that seemed to make their aunt uneasy, for she said, “I’m not sure if I should discuss this when children are in the room.”
“Ah, tell us,” Timothy urged. “We’ll be old enough to marry soon enough. Besides, how will we ever know who to trust if you don’t tell us about the duke’s daughter?”
Their aunt groaned. “Timothy, sometimes you’re much too intelligent for your own good. I think you could argue your way out of anything.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “All right, I’ll tell you, but I’m not going to say the worst of it. I just want you to know,” she gave Ava a pointed look, “that his daughter is much worse than what I am saying.” Despite the disappointment on Timothy’s face, she continued, “Lady Eloise is selfish, conceited, and cruel.”
Timothy’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Why? What has she done?”
“Don’t concern yourself with what she’s done. Just know that what I have said about her is an accurate representation of who she really is. You don’t need to engage with people like her. You’d be better off getting rid of your right toe.”
“What about the other people in her group?” Ava asked. “Are they as bad as she is?”
“I don’t know,” her aunt replied. “You mentioned one of them. Miss Wilmington was the name, correct?”
Ava nodded.
“I don’t recall hearing anything about her. Who else is in the group?”
“I don’t know. I’ll find out today if I go to the social engagement. Miss Wilmington seemed nice enough when we talked. I am assuming that not everyone in the group is like Lady Eloise.”
Her aunt shrugged and sipped more tea. “You’re a married lady now. You’re old enough to make your own decisions. It’s not my place to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. If you are sure this is the best course, you should pursue it. You might be right; Brad might benefit very well from your association with the group. In London, knowing the right people avails a person very much.”
Ava bit her lower lip. She sensed that her aunt would never go to the social engagement if she had been the one who had been invited. Ava traced the edge of her cup with her thumb. She hadn’t expected to find herself at a crossroad when she came here today.
That morning when she left her townhouse, she’d been certain about what to do. Now, she wasn’t sure what to make of her aunt’s warning. If she went, then it could mean good things for Brad. But if she didn’t, would Miss Wilmington and the others in the group be upset with her? Would they take it as a rejection of them? It wasn’t like she had time to convince them that she had taken ill. Also, plenty of people had seen her coming to her aunt’s townhouse.
She might not know much about Lady Eloise and the Ladies of Grace, but she knew they held a prominent place in London. They weren’t to be taken lightly. London was such a small place. The littlest thing someone did had an impact on the people around them, especially when they upset people that were important in the Ton.
“I think I have to go,” Ava said.
“I understand,” her aunt replied.
Ava studied her, noting the tenderness in the lady’s gaze. Perhaps her aunt did understand. Her aunt, after all, had been a married lady herself. Undoubtedly, she had done things for her husband that weren’t all that pleasant. She probably associated with some ladies she didn’t like for his sake.
“This is boring,” Timothy spoke up as he put his empty cup on the tray. “Can’t we do something more interesting? Why don’t we play a game?”
Dinah straightened up in her chair. “I’d love a game of charades. We haven’t played that one in a long time.”
“A game of charades might be nice,” their aunt said. “What do you think, Ava?”
A game of charades would be nice. It would help take Ava’s mind off of the social engagement she had to go to in two and a half hours. “Yes, I’d like to play.”
Her brother stood up in excitement. “I’ll go first.”
Taking her mind off of everything her aunt had just told her, Ava focused on her brother.
***
“What do you mean I have to pay you ten shillings if I want to talk to my brother?” Brad asked Lord Manning.
The two gentlemen stood in the drawing room, and as soon as Brad had introduced himself, Lord Manning had made the demand – the ridiculous demand – that Brad had to pay him if he wanted to talk to Stephen.
“You misunderstood,” Lord Manning said as he placed his hands behind his back. “I meant that you have to pay me ten shillings if you want him back. If it’s simply a matter of talking to him, you could do that without paying anything. He’s been in the guest bedchamber ever since I brought him here. I assure you that I have made sure he has plenty to eat and drink. I have been a gracious host, all things considered. He had the audacity to spend the night with my mistress. I take a gentleman’s honor seriously, and your brother, I’m sorry to say, has no honor.”
“Mrs. Strong is just what you said she is: a mistress. It’s not like she is your wife. I’m not saying that what my brother did was right. It wasn’t. But I think asking ten shillings so I can rescue him from this townhouse is absurd.”
“Ten shillings is how much I lost. I had paid Mrs. Strong in advance, and I paid her very well. When I arrived at her townhouse this morning, fully expecting her to be ready to do her duty, I found her with your brother. Your brother didn’t even have the sense to apologize, and he wasn’t interested in providing the proper restitution for stealing her from me. I had every right to be upset.”
“I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be upset,” Brad assured him. “My brother does many things to upset many people, myself included. I just think the way you’re handling this is absurd.”
Lord Manning shook his head. “You wouldn’t think that if you had lost your money. Not only did Mrs. Strong end her relationship with me, but she wouldn’t return the ten shillings I gave her last week. She claims that after people find out what happened, she won’t be able to secure a lover for quite a while.” He shot Brad a pointed look. “She should’ve thought of that before she took your brother to her bed.”
“I’m not going to argue with you about that. You’re right. Both Mrs. Strong and my brother were wrong. I just don’t see what this has to do with me paying you anything. From what I heard, my brother earned a significant amount of money last night in a gambling hell. Can’t you get the money from him?”
“I tried that, but as it turns out, your brother gave her all the money he had. So as you can see, I’m at a loss. Ten shillings is a lot of money to lose. If I can’t get it from him, how am I supposed to get it back?”
Brad let out a long sigh. Stephen wasn’t worth it. Stephen just wasn’t worth the hassle he kept putting him through. Brad had tried everything he could think of to make his brother behave more responsibly. He should’ve known that when he gave Stephen money last night, it was only going to lead to trouble.
That was all Stephen ever did. Lead Brad to more and more trouble. If Brad were to bail him out, Stephen wouldn’t learn his lesson. He would only keep doing the same thing.
“You can keep my brother,” Brad decided then left Lord Manning’s townhouse.