Chapter Nine
Piers was at a loss. He didn’t know what to say to Lady Stacey. When she had proposed the stroll through Hyde Park with her friends, he had jumped at the chance. It would be another way to prove to everyone he was betrothed. It also gave him a chance to talk to her before the dinner party tomorrow. Even if he hadn’t been sure what to say to her during the walk, he had been looking forward to her company.
But after her father found out about the dinner party, he said he could only allow Lady Stacey to go to the dinner party if he came along. Then things quickly turned sour. He didn’t know if Ethan’s father-in-law was as unbearable as the Duke of Cathorn, but he’d be surprised if he was.
For some of the walk, he and Lady Stacey didn’t speak. They were following the other couples. Lady Parris was walking with her daughter and the Duke of Ravenshire. Behind them were Miss Webb and Sir Tristan Blakemoor. And he and Lady Stacey were last. It was the ideal setup, really. It gave him ample opportunity to talk to her without interruptions. And yet, he didn’t know what to say.
Finally, it was Lady Stacey who broke the silence. “I’m sorry my father gave you such a difficult time.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he hurried to assure her. “You can’t control what your father does.”
“I know.” She lowered her voice. “But I worry he’ll make you decide not to go through with our plan.”
“What your father does, or doesn’t do, has no bearing on our agreement.”
Her expression relaxed, and it was then that he realized how much she’d been fretting over the possibility he would cancel their arrangement. The poor lady. She must be terrified of her father. All of her plans hinged on him helping her. There was no way he was going to allow her to stay in her father’s townhouse indefinitely. He was going to make sure she and her mother received safe passage to America if it was the last thing he did.
“I won’t go back on our deal,” he said, feeling the need to offer her further assurance. “I’m a gentleman of my word. When I promise something, I follow through with it.”
“Even though my father is unreasonable?”
He nodded. “Even when he’s unreasonable. I can understand why you want to go to America. I’ll do my part to help you get there.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Why don’t you call me Piers?”
“You want me to address you informally?”
He shrugged. “Well, since we are going to have banns read, it seems fitting, don’t you think?” When he caught the flicker of hesitation on her face, he added, “It’s all right if you call me Piers. If we were really getting married, you could freely address me by my Christian name.”
“I suppose you’re right. In that case, you can call me Stacey instead of Lady Stacey.”
Of all the people he’d met, he couldn’t think of one who worried so much over social propriety, but given how her father was, he couldn’t blame her for worrying over every little thing she should or shouldn’t do. He wished there was some tangible way he could put her mind at ease.
Up ahead of them, the other couples laughed, and Piers wished there was something—anything—he could say that would make Stacey laugh. But he wasn’t witty or entertaining. He didn’t have the same gift for being fascinating like other people did.
“I just realized I don’t know anything about your family,” Stacey said.
“There’s not much to tell. My parents are no longer alive. They were older than the average couple when I was born.”
“They were?”
“My father was forty-seven, and my mother forty-four. All through their marriage, they hadn’t had any children. They had given up even trying, and then I came along.”
“I bet your father was relieved, especially since you were a son.”
“My father was just glad I was a healthy baby. The doctor worried that since my mother had conceived so late in life that something might go wrong during the birth or that there might be something wrong with me.”
She nodded then asked, “Were your parents happy together?”
“Yes. They had a love match. They said my coming along only made a good thing better.”
She lowered her gaze and brushed something from her eye.
He frowned. Did something he said make her cry? “Are you all right?”
She brushed her eyes again but then offered him a nod. “I’m fine. The sun is bright. That’s all. It makes me tear up.”
He might have believed that if she wasn’t wearing a hat that protected her eyes from the sunlight. He wished he knew what it was he had just said that upset her. Something was responsible for the tears she had wiped away.
“Your parents were very fortunate. A love match is hard to come by,” she said.
He could see why she thought that. He had a nagging suspicion that her father didn’t love her mother. It would explain why her father didn’t ask her mother to be the chaperone. But perhaps, her mother was busy going from one social engagement to another with her friends. It would explain why he hadn’t had a chance to meet her.
“Will I get a chance to meet your mother?” he asked.
Stacey didn’t answer, and he glanced at her again. This time, she wasn’t trying to hide the tears in her eyes. This time, she let him see them.
Since they were still close enough to the other couples so that someone might overhear what they were saying, he intentionally slowed his steps. As he expected, she slowed to match his pace.
“What is it?” he asked. “Is there something wrong with your mother?”
“Lord Whitney, that is, Piers, you’ve become acquainted well enough with my father by now. You understand what a difficult gentleman he can be.”
“Yes.” When she gave him a meaningful look, his eyes widened. “Oh. He’s that way with your mother, too?”
She nodded. “I hate to even mention it because it’s painful to think about. You may not have realized this, but this ploy of being your betrothed is the very thing I need in order to get her away from him. I need that passage to America. Can’t you do what my father wants until this ruse is over?”
He paused. “Are you saying you want me to let your father be your chaperone at the dinner party tomorrow evening?” When she didn’t respond, he said, “I’ve read a lot of books, some of which were biographies based on prominent leaders in the past. What I’ve learned is that tyrants are never satisfied with just one thing. As soon as they get something they want, no matter how small, they want more. If I give in to your father’s wish on this matter, he will dictate more things. I have to establish appropriate limitations now when it’s the easiest time to do so.”
She stopped walking, and he turned to face her. It was hard to detect what she was feeling. She seemed conflicted between wanting to please him and wanting to please her father.
“This is a chance for you to do something for yourself,” he softly told her. “That’s why you agreed to help me. I will arrange for the first reading of the banns to be read this Sunday, and I will secure a passage for you and your mother to head to America before the week is up.”
“But I thought you already arranged for the reading of the banns.”
“I told your father that so he wouldn’t start looking for excuses to end the betrothal.”
“He’s wanted nothing else than for me to marry since my first Season. I’ll disgrace him if I’m a spinster.”
“I think he hates me so much he’d rather have you end up being a spinster.”
“You do?”
“He was expecting a son-in-law who would aspire to be like him.”
She cringed.
“That’s why I can’t let him come to the dinner party,” Piers said. “It’s important I say no.” Unless… Suddenly, a horrible thought came to him. “Will your father do physical harm to you if I don’t agree to let him come to the dinner party?”
She shook her head. “No. He’ll only complain about you.”
He relaxed. “Then this is the best course of action I can take regarding this situation.”
After a moment, she released her breath. “All right.”
“Stacey, I hope you know that I appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts with me. I want you to feel safe in telling me whatever is on your mind.”
“Lord Whitney and Lady Stacey,” Lady Parris called out to them.
The two looked over at the lady, who waved for them to join them. Not realizing the other couples had gotten so far ahead, Piers’ face warmed as he encouraged Stacey to walk with him so they could catch up to them.
“My apologies,” Piers told the others when they reached them. “I hadn’t realized we were lingering so far behind.”
Miss Webb smiled. “It’s sweet that you two get along so well that you forget about everyone else. You two looked as if you were in your own world.”
Piers decided not to comment. If she knew what his conversation with Stacey had been about, she wouldn’t think it was romantic.
“The match is a sensible one.” Miss Wilmington’s gaze went to Piers and Stacey. “You’re both quiet, and you’re both careful when you choose to speak. I don’t think Lady Stacey would be happy if she was with a gentleman who had to be the center of attention.”
“I agree,” Miss Webb said. “Some say we should look to marry someone like our fathers, but I don’t think that’s true for every lady.” She smiled at Piers and Stacey. “I think you two will be happy together.”
“Miss Webb has a way of knowing this about couples,” Miss Wilmington added as the group began walking again. “I don’t know how she does it.”
“It’s a gift,” Miss Webb said.
“Yes, and a remarkable one.” She laughed. “I thought Miss Bachman only shared a marriage of convenience with the Duke of Lambeth, but Miss Webb could tell the two were in love. Sure enough, the two are still in the same townhouse, and both look very happy whenever I see them.”
“Well, it’s obvious she married him in order to advance her position in Ladies of Grace, but it quickly turned into more.”
“And you knew that before anyone else did.”
Though Miss Webb offered a shy shrug, she smiled at the compliment. “Like I said, it’s a gift. I don’t know how I do it.”
“You should match couples if you’re that good,” Sir Tristan Blakemoor joined in. “The Duchess of Ashbourne and her friends have such a high demand for matching couples that they can barely handle everyone who comes their way.”
Miss Wilmington chuckled. “Miss Webb wouldn’t do such menial work. She has more important things to do with her time.”
Lady Parris nodded. “Our goal right now is to build up the reputation of Ladies of Grace to what it was before Lady Eloise ruined it. Miss Webb can’t do that if she’s matching couples up. That’s why we’re taking this stroll through this park today with you fine gentlemen.” She glanced at the gentlemen, her smile widening. “We want this group to be worthy of polite society.”
“We’ll do everything we can to help you ladies toward that goal,” the Duke of Ravenshire, who had been silent up to now, said.
Sir Tristan Blakemoor nodded his agreement, and the conversation turned to another topic.
Piers was sure the others were doing everything they could to bring Ladies of Grace to its former respectability, but that wasn’t the goal of either him or Stacey. Growing up, he never thought there would come a time when he would lie. His parents had instilled in him the value of honesty.
But honesty hadn’t gotten him anywhere. It hadn’t helped him fit in with other gentlemen, and it surely hadn’t made any of the ladies he’d talked to in the past interested in him. When he was honest, people found him boring. Well, maybe Stacey didn’t find him boring. She didn’t try to change the topic, find an excuse to leave, or struggle to stay awake. She was probably the only person in London who accepted him as he was. Which, he was sure, was due to the arrangement they’d made. He didn’t think she’d want to be around him otherwise.
“I have a splendid idea,” Lady Parris spoke up.
Directing his attention to her, he waited for her to continue.
“It’s been some time since Lord Parris and I hosted a ball,” she said. “I think we should host another one. Perhaps in a week. That will give everyone sufficient time to get the right clothes for the occasion. We’ll be sure to extend an invite to your aunt,” she told Sir Tristan Blakemoor. “It’s time that Ladies of Grace and Lady Cadwalader stopped their silly feud, don’t you think?”
Looking surprised, Sir Tristan Blakemoor said, “I wasn’t aware there was a feud between this group and my aunt.”
“There isn’t,” Miss Wilmington hurried to reply. “None of us present have any qualms with Lady Cadwalader. That was all Lady Eloise. But then, she had a problem with almost everyone.”
Stacey’s eyebrows raised, indicating this wasn’t entirely true, but Piers opted to keep the observation to himself. He had no idea what the dynamics were within this group, and really, he didn’t care.
Being here was only part of the charade he and Stacey had agreed to play. She would help him, and, in turn, he would help her. The good thing was that he was helping someone he liked. If he had to put on another ruse with any lady, she’d be his first choice. Thankfully, fate had brought them together at the right moment.
As Lady Parris and the others planned what they should do to make the ball a memorable evening, Piers and Stacey walked the rest of the way in silence. And for once, he didn’t mind the silence. It seemed like a comfortable one, and he chose to enjoy it.