The Husband Season. Mary Nichols
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the old lady said, as they turned out of the gate to go home. ‘Everyone knows you are in town now, and if they do not they very soon will.’
* * *
Mark arrived at six that evening to dine with them as promised. He was in a cheerful mood and listened attentively to Lady Cartrose’s recital of their afternoon. ‘There is to be a subscription ball to honour the new princess,’ she told him. ‘You have no objection to Sophie attending with Mr and Mrs Malthouse and their daughter, Cassandra, have you? They are very respectable people, well up in the ton. I know she should not be attending balls before her come-out, but this is not a formal ball and it is in a good cause.’
‘My lady, I can have no say in the matter, I am merely a bystander. It is for you and Sophie’s brother to say what she may and may not do.’
Lady Cartrose turned to Teddy. ‘Edward, what do you think? Shall you allow it?’
‘Don’t see why not,’ he said lazily. ‘What’s it all about, this ball?’
He had not been attending the conversation, and her ladyship was obliged to repeat what she had said to Mark. ‘It will be a very select dancing party,’ she explained. ‘The tickets are five guineas.’
‘Five guineas! Whoever heard of having to pay for an invitation to a dance? Sounds rummy to me.’
‘It is to raise money to buy the new royal baby a present,’ Sophie explained.
‘What does she want a present for? She’ll not be short of the dibs.’
‘Oh, Teddy, don’t be difficult,’ Sophie said. ‘I want to go. After all, it is why I came to London.’
‘To go to subscription dances?’
‘You know what I mean. You’re not going to deny me, are you?’
‘No, sis, we’ll go to your dance and I’ll buy the tickets. Will that satisfy you?’
The look that Mark shot her brother might have puzzled her if she had noticed it, but as she was turning a beaming smile on her sibling, she did not see it. ‘Oh, you are the best of brothers. Thank you. Thank you.’
‘Talking of raising money,’ Mark said, ‘I have been busy today finalising the arrangements for a concert to raise funds for the Hadlea Home extension. I hope you will all attend. It is to be at Wyndham House next Saturday. I have hired some excellent musicians.’
‘Do we have to pay to come to that, too?’ Teddy asked with a grin.
‘Donations are voluntary, of course,’ Mark said. ‘But since you seem to be in funds, I hope to see a contribution from you.’
This remark was so pointed, Sophie looked from one to the other. ‘What is going on?’
‘Nothing,’ Teddy said. ‘I do not always have pockets to let, you know.’
‘I know that,’ she said. ‘I believe Papa gave you some money to top up my pin money should I need it.’
‘Quite right,’ he said, visibly relieved.
* * *
After they finished their meal, the two men did not linger long in the dining room, but joined Sophie and her aunt in the drawing room for tea, where the conversation centred around who might be present at the Rowlands’ dance. Mark pointed out that perhaps the elite might not wish to attend an event in which anyone could be present, but he supposed the high price of the tickets would keep out the riff-raff. He hoped the princess’s parents appreciated what was being done for their offspring.
‘How far down the line is she?’ Sophie asked.
‘Well, there’s the Prince Regent, then his brothers, all six of them,’ Mark said. ‘The new princess is presently the only legitimate child of any of them, but who is to say that won’t change, especially if the prince manages to divorce his wife and produce another child of his own.’
‘Who would want to marry him?’ Sophie said, with a shudder.
‘Almost anyone, I should think,’ Teddy said. ‘To be Queen of England must surely be a great lure.’
‘Well, I shouldn’t be lured by it.’
‘You are hardly likely to be given the opportunity,’ Teddy said. ‘You will have to satisfy yourself with a lesser title or perhaps none at all.’
‘It is not the title I’m concerned with, but the man.’
‘Well said, Sophie.’ Mark laughed. ‘Now I must take my leave. I have a cousin staying with me at Wyndham House and I have been shamefully neglecting him.’ He rose, bowed to Lady Cartrose and thanked her for her hospitality, kissed Sophie’s hand and was gone. This seemed to be the signal for Lady Cartrose to retire and left brother and sister to amuse themselves.
‘Which cousin can Mark mean?’ Sophie asked. ‘I collect there were several at his father’s funeral and at the wedding. I do not recall their names.’
‘No doubt we will find out when we go to the concert.’
‘Teddy,’ she said, ‘am I to rely on a concert that will be boring and attended by old people and dull married couples for some excitement?’
‘There is the Rowlands’ dance.’
‘But that’s a whole week away.’
‘What do you want me to do about it? I cannot conjure up excitement for you.’
‘You can take me riding. I do miss my daily rides in Hadlea. We could go to Hyde Park. That is where everyone goes, is it not?’
‘And what do we do for mounts?’
‘You can hire them. Jane made me a splendid habit in forest-green grosgrain taffeta and I can’t show it off if you will not take me riding, can I? You cannot expect Aunt Emmeline to do so.’
He laughed. ‘No, it would break the poor beast’s back, even supposing she could be got up on it.’
‘Then you will? Tomorrow morning early. You haven’t anything more pressing to do, have you?’
‘Oh, very well. But I had better go now and see about mounts, otherwise the good ones will be gone and we will be left with the rejects.’ He rose to leave her. ‘Don’t wait up for me.’
Left alone, she picked up her aunt’s latest library book, but it was not one that interested her and she decided to go early to bed so as to be up betimes the following morning.
* * *
Bessie had been unable to see anything improper about Sophie going riding with her brother and so she woke her early as instructed, bringing her breakfast on a tray. Afterwards she helped her into the riding habit. It had a very full skirt and a fitted jacket in military style with epaulettes and frogging. A white silk shirt, frilled at the neck and the wrist, and a black beaver with a curled brim and a tiny veil completed the ensemble. ‘There, Miss Sophie, you look a picture,’ she said. ‘But I hope you will ride sedately and not attempt to gallop.’
‘Oh, no, Bessie. I want to be seen at my best and that won’t happen if I dash off at a gallop, will it?’
She sat to put on her boots, then picked up her crop and went downstairs, expecting her brother to be already there. But he was not. Vexed with him, she sent a servant to wake him.
* * *
He came down half an hour later, dressed for riding.
‘Teddy, you are too bad. I have been waiting this age and you not even out of your bed.’
He yawned. ‘Sorry, sis, overslept.’
‘Why? What time did you go to bed?’
‘I disremember. Some time after midnight.’
‘Well,