Anne Herries - Debutante in the Regency Ballroom

‘Yes, Mama, of course,’ Susannah said. She went at once and said everything that was proper, ignoring the smirk on Mary’s face. It was clear that the young lady was very pleased with her bargain—indeed, the marquis was wealthy and titled—but Susannah did not envy her one little bit. She would rather remain a spinster than marry the man Mary Hamilton had accepted.

After congratulating her, Susannah went back to the ballroom. She looked for Lord Pendleton, but could not see him. She ventured to the open door of the card room and glanced in, but he was not there. Obviously he had left at some time earlier and she had not seen him go. What must he think of her?

‘If you are looking for Pendleton, he is visiting his mistress,’ a harsh voice said behind her. She swung round to find herself looking at the Marquis of Northaven. ‘I heard him give the address to a cab driver as I got down from one myself.’ Northaven sneered. ‘I know the lady well. She is not particular in the company she keeps.’

Susannah bit her lip. She would not trust herself to answer such a remark, for it was said spitefully and not worthy of notice. ‘Excuse me, I must find my mama.’

She walked away from him, her heart racing. It was not her affair if Lord Pendleton had gone to visit his mistress. She regretted refusing him a dance when she might have given him a choice of two had she wished, but it would not have made any difference if he wished to spend the evening in the arms of his mistress. Susannah felt close to tears, because she had been foolish. She should have made sure of her facts before sending Harry Pendleton away. He must have thought her most rude, as she had been, a fact she now bitterly regretted.

Susannah did not see Harry the following day. He called while she was out walking with some friends and left her a posy of flowers. He renewed his promise to see her at her dance, but nothing more. She knew that she could not expect more. Indeed, she had not expected as much after her behaviour the previous evening. He must think her a flighty creature who changed her mind at the slightest whim.

She had, after some thought, decided to forget what the marquis had told her. She had no way of knowing that it was true—and even if it had been, Harry was a single man and entitled to visit any lady he chose.

Susannah knew that she cared for him more than was proper. He had not declared himself and she had no reason to expect it. However, if he should propose, she would make it clear that she would not wish him to visit other ladies if they married.

But she was foolish to consider it. Harry might not even be thinking of taking a wife. It was quite improper of her even to think such things! Yet she had begun to think of him as hers, and she could not help feeling jealous of the woman who had taken him from the ball.

It was a glorious day for her special dance. Susannah was allowed to sleep a little later than normal before Iris brought in her breakfast tray and a pile of notes and small gifts.

‘What are all these?’ Susannah asked, staring at them in surprise. ‘It isn’t my birthday for ages yet. I knew I might receive some flowers, but I didn’t expect anything more.’

‘Why don’t you open them?’ Iris asked. ‘See what you’ve got.’

Susannah picked up the first parcel and looked at the card. ‘This is from Mama—what can it be?’ She tore off the pretty wrapping and found a small velvet-covered box. Opening it, she discovered a pretty pearl-and-diamond clip for her hair. ‘Oh, that is lovely. It must have cost Mama some guineas to buy it for me.’

‘Well, it is a special day, miss,’ Iris said, smiling at her. ‘Go on, open the other two.’

Susannah knew her maid was excited and curious, so to oblige her she picked up the second parcel, which was from Amelia. Inside that she found a pair of pearl-and-diamond drop earrings, which she held up for Iris to admire. Picking up the third box, she looked for a card, but found none.

‘How odd,’ she remarked. ‘There is no card with this one. I cannot think who sent it.’

‘Perhaps it fell off,’ Iris suggested. ‘I’ll look for it when I go down, miss. Open it and see what’s inside.’

Susannah removed the wrappings and discovered a beautiful posy holder. It was fashioned of basketwork gold filigree, very delicate and pretty, and it had a large diamond set into the rim.

‘Oh, how charming,’ she said. ‘Do you see how it works, Iris? You can insert a small posy into this and wear it pinned to your gown if you wish.’

‘It is lovely,’ Iris said. ‘It isn’t just a trinket, miss; that’s a real diamond and a nice one. I expect your mama bought it for your dance.’

‘Yes, perhaps,’ Susannah agreed.

However, when she went to her mother’s room later to thank her for the clip and show her the other gifts, Mrs Hampton immediately asked who had sent the posy holder.

‘I thought it might have been you,’ Susannah said and looked thoughtful as she tried to imagine who else might have sent it. ‘There was no card. Iris thought it might have fallen off and she means to look for it. Amelia gave me the earrings. I do not think she would also have given me the posy holder, do you?’

‘I am very sure she did not, for we discussed what we should give you,’ Mrs Hampton replied with a little frown. ‘The trinket may have come from a secret admirer, Susannah. If there is no card, he may not have wished you to know he had sent it.’

‘Oh …’ Susannah felt a thrill of excitement as she looked at the posy holder. A secret admirer! ‘Do you think so, Mama? What should I do? I had thought I might use it to pin flowers at the waist of my gown, but now I am not certain …’

‘Well, I should do so if I were you,’ Mrs Hampton said. ‘It is a little difficult to be sure, for you would wish to thank whoever sent it—but if there is no card you cannot.’

‘Perhaps whoever sent it will mention it,’ Susannah replied. ‘Besides, I cannot return it if I do not know who sent it, can I?’

‘I imagine you may receive other gifts as the day goes on,’ Mrs Hampton said. ‘You will almost certainly have lots of flowers, though that holder is rather valuable and I would usually tell you to think carefully about accepting such a valuable thing.’

Susannah nodded—she knew that it was not usual for gentlemen to send such an item unless there was an understanding. She could not think of anyone who would send her such a thing secretly. Had a card accompanied it from—say, Lord Pendleton, she would have taken it as an indication of his intentions to speak. It really was such a pity that there was no card, though if Iris were right … A little shiver went down her spine. She had put the incident in the garden with the Marquis of Northaven from her mind, and he had not been invited to her dance. He would surely not have sent it? No, of course not!

She smiled as she pondered on the identity of her secret admirer, but after a moment or two an odd thought occurred to her. There really was no one other than Harry Pendleton that she wished to send her something like this beautiful trinket.

Now that was very strange, wasn’t it? Susannah wondered why he had become so firmly fixed in her thoughts as the only gentleman she really wanted to admire her. She wasn’t at all sure of his feelings. At times, she felt sure he would make her an offer before her Season was over, but at other times she thought that they were just very good friends. The uncertainty made her a little cautious, and yet she believed that if she were to encourage Lord Pendleton he might speak. She was beginning to think it might be pleasant to be married to a man she could really trust and like.

If Susannah were in doubt of the identity of the giver of the posy holder, Mrs Hampton was not. She felt quite sure that only one gentleman would have sent the holder and therefore she had no qualms about allowing Susannah to keep it. If it was discovered that it had come from a different source, it could be returned at a later date with a polite note explaining that the card had been missing.