Joan Wolf - His Lordship's Desire

Mrs. Sherwood’s pretty face became suddenly somber. “Perhaps he thinks he owes you something, darling,” she said. “And perhaps he does.”

Diana’s eyes flashed and color stained the porcelain skin over her cheekbones. “If I was starving, I wouldn’t take a scrap of bread from Alex,” she declared.

Mrs. Sherwood came over to sit next to her daughter on the bed. “Don’t be foolish, darling. This come-out is a godsend for you. Particularly since you turned down all the nice men who offered for you at home.”

Diana scowled. “I didn’t love any of them, Mama.”

“Diana…” Mrs. Sherwood put her hand up and turned her daughter’s face toward her. “I hope you are not still setting your heart on Alex.”

Diana pulled her face away and jumped up from the bed. She whirled to face her mother. “Didn’t you just hear me, Mama? I wouldn’t take Alex if he were the last man left alive on this earth. Believe me, I have no desire to become the Countess of Standish.”

“I am glad to hear that,” Mrs. Sherwood said quietly. “But if he is financing our trip to London, then it behooves us both to be nice to him. I want you to make a good marriage, darling. I don’t want you to have to spend your life hanging on the sleeve of a generous relative. I want to see you with your husband and children at your side. I don’t want you to be alone in life. I want you to be happy.”

“Oh Mama.” Diana came back to the bed and hugged her mother, pressing her cheek against her mother’s hair. “You have had so little in your life. Papa left us when I was so young—why you have practically been a widow for all your life.”

Mrs. Sherwood’s arms came up to hold Diana. “He had no choice, darling. He had to go where he could get advancement. We had no money beyond his officer’s salary.”

The two women stayed like that for a few moments, and then Diana stepped back. Diana said, “And now we have no money beyond his pension.”

Mrs. Sherwood looked up at her daughter. “You have been given a wonderful opportunity to make a good match, darling. Don’t alienate Alex and throw it away. Please.”

Diana drew a deep breath. “All right, Mama. I promise I will be nice to Alex.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Diana sat on the bed, staring into space long after her mother had left the room.

It had been late in the afternoon when the Standish party arrived, and after dinner everyone stayed at home except Alex. “Papa was a member of Brooks, and I thought I’d have a look in and see what I have to do to establish my credentials,” he said. Brooks was the club most often patronized by the aristocrats of the Whig party, and the Standishes had always been Whigs.

Lady Standish frowned. “A great deal of gambling goes on at Brooks,” she warned her son. “Several men have lost their entire fortunes at play there.”

He smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Mama. I am not stupid enough to do that.”

“I know you aren’t, Alex. But be careful, please.”

Alex knew that his grandfather had almost beggared his family with gambling and consequently Lady Standish had a deep-rooted fear of gaming of any kind.

“I’ll be careful,” he promised. “And my presence will spread the word that you ladies are in town. You want invitations, don’t you?”

Lady Standish agreed that they did, and Alex went off.

Diana was so excited to be in London that she didn’t expect to sleep well, but she went right off. When she woke the sun was shining in her window. A young maid came in with a cup of hot chocolate for her to drink while she was getting dressed.

“Thank you,” Diana said. The girl reminded her of a kitten, her brow was wide and her face tapered to a small, pointed chin. “What is your name?”

“Nancy, miss,” the young girl replied.

“It is nice to meet you, Nancy,” Diana said. “Are you one of the new hires?”

“Yes, miss. I’m just come to Lunnon from Derbyshire.”

“This must be a big change for you. I know it’s a big change for me to come from the country to the city.”

“That it is, miss,” the girl agreed.

“Well, I wish you good fortune in your new life,” Diana said.

“Thank you, miss.” The maid gave a big smile, which showed pretty white teeth.

She left and Diana got on with the business of dressing for the day.

The Standish women spent the entire day shopping. Diana had a wonderful time. She was fitted for morning dresses, driving dresses, a riding habit and evening gowns. Lady Standish ordered her a new pelisse, as the weather was still chilly in April. Sally got a similar wardrobe, and they both picked out dresses to be altered by the afternoon, so they could go driving in the park.

Diana had a moment of unease when she realized the amount of Alex’s money that Lady Standish had just spent on her, but she pushed the thought aside firmly. I am going to have fun, she told herself. I’m not going to spoil things for myself by worrying about Alex’s money. So when the time came to dress for their ride in the park, her spirits were high and her thoughts were eager.

Hyde Park was the place to be at about five o’clock in the afternoon during the Season. Most of the ton regularly turned out in their best riding and driving gear and took the path along the Serpentine to see and to be seen. Alex had volunteered to drive Diana and Sally and they both proudly wore the dresses they had purchased that morning. Diana’s was rust-colored, with a short cape and buttons all down the front. Over her coppery curls she wore a small brown hat, which tilted to one side, almost over her eye and on her feet she wore low leather boots. When her cousin knocked at her door to see if she was ready, Sally was a vision in blue, with a matching bonnet tied under her chin.

The girls complimented each other and together went downstairs to meet Alex. He was wearing a caped driving coat that made his shoulders look very wide. Diana noticed that his hair had been cut. His neck looked tanned and strong.

He glanced from his sister to Diana and said, “You ladies look beautiful.”

He was speaking to them both, but looking at her. Diana said a little self-consciously, “It must be our new clothes.”

“They are very becoming,” he said.

For the briefest of moments their eyes met and held, then Diana looked away. “Is the carriage ready?” she asked.

“Yes, it is right outside,” Alex responded and they all turned toward the front door. The park was filled with fashionable carriages and well-turned-out men and women on horseback. The horses were sleek and shiny and all of the carriages sparkled with cleanliness. Everyone was dressed in the height of elegance: the men wore immaculate buff breeches and polished riding boots with black or brown riding or driving coats; the women’s outfits were more varied: from curricle dresses and pelisses, to the kind of full-skirted riding habits that Lady Standish had ordered for Diana and Sally earlier that day.

It was an incomparably rich-looking scene, very different from the one in Berkshire that Diana was accustomed to. Certainly none of her suitors from home could match the immaculate and fashionable gentlemen who were gathered in the park today.

She glanced at Alex out of the corner of her eye. He was the handsomest man she had seen so far.

He fits in here, she thought. And so does Sally. But me? I’m not in the same class with these people.

A feeling of unease swept through her as she looked at the brilliant scene around her. Had she done the right thing in coming to London? At home everyone knew her situation and was comfortable with it. But what would all of these elegant people think if they knew that her bedroom was the size of a closet and that if it wasn’t for the generosity of her mother’s cousin they probably wouldn’t have meat on their table more than once a week.