Catherine Tinley - Waltzing With The Earl

The seating arrangements had been carefully worked out. Henrietta was seated between Lord Shalford and Mr Foxley while, opposite, the Captain had Faith on one hand and Charlotte on the other.

‘It is important that you have the chance to talk to them during dinner, girls,’ Mrs Buxted had pronounced. ‘Faith, I have been focusing on Henrietta and the Earl, but I have noticed you are not trying hard enough to fix the Captain. You are a pretty girl, though not as beautiful as Henrietta, and with a little effort I am sure you can secure him. I will be most displeased if I see you sitting silently.’

‘Yes, Mama,’ Faith had replied, trembling and twisting her handkerchief between her hands.

Conscious of her mother’s instructions, Faith was now making careful conversation with the Captain, who was seated on Charlotte’s left. Mr Buxted, on Charlotte’s right, was focused on his turbot and partridges.

‘Delightful! Wonderful seasoning!’ he muttered to himself, immersed in the enjoyment of his dinner.

This gave Charlotte the opportunity to observe her fellow diners. The Captain seemed relaxed and comfortable, but he was not having much success in drawing Faith out. She answered his queries politely enough, but there was no animation. If the Captain was bored, he hid it well. Faith, anxious to avoid her mother’s displeasure, was tongue-tied, so the conversation remained stilted. It was difficult to watch.

Mr Foxley, who was opposite Charlotte, was also suffering from a lack of conversation. He had the felicity of being seated between Mr Buxted and Henrietta, neither of whom were offering him attention. He ate sparingly and, though he tried to disguise it, his focus kept being drawn to Faith and Captain Fanton.

Mrs Buxted was smiling approvingly as her two daughters held the attention of the Fantons. Charlotte shamelessly listened in on each exchange. Nothing of note was being discussed. Nothing interesting, nothing meaningful. Nothing.

She had sat through enough society dinners to know this was usual—even commonplace. Even by those standards, however, the lack of insight and intelligence being displayed by the two Buxted ladies was positively shocking. Perhaps, she thought, girls in England were brought up to be so sheltered and protected it meant they had no opinions to offer—at least in public.

The Captain seemed perfectly comfortable to continue to extract some little conversation from the shy Faith—currently on the topic of how best to get through a long coach journey. On the far side of the table Henrietta was prosing on about correct behaviour for young ladies, and how grateful she was to have a dear mother who had taught her exactly how to go on.

The Earl’s eyes were positively glazing over, Charlotte thought, trying to hide her amusement. Her eyes danced with mischief—just as he looked up and caught her gaze. Although discovered, she would not hide, and instead continued to twinkle at him impishly. Surprisingly, he responded with an unthinking, companionable smile of his own before checking himself.

Too late! Henrietta had caught the spontaneous interaction between them. Her eyes blazed.

‘For an English upbringing,’ she said loudly, drawing all eyes to her, ‘is infinitely better than a savage youth spent among soldiers and foreigners. Don’t you agree, Lord Shalford?’

Chapter Five

Sudden silence surrounded the table as the shock of Henrietta’s rude comment was felt. It was clearly directed at Charlotte, though it was not obvious to the other diners what had triggered the attack. The Earl looked confused, as if wondering what was going on between the cousins.

Charlotte, despite what she knew of Henrietta’s spoiled behaviour, was stunned—and surprised that her cousin had exposed herself so blatantly. The exchange between herself and the Earl had been a spontaneous, meaningless moment—nothing to threaten Henrietta’s position as the Earl’s target of interest.

Henrietta was so self-involved—and yet so uncertain of herself. She thought nothing of behaving in an aggressive, unladylike and hurtful fashion. Charlotte, whose own anger had now been roused, was sorely tempted to retort in like manner, but she could not. To respond—even to speak directly across the table—would be ill-mannered and would simply confirm Henrietta’s accusations.

As the tension increased Charlotte clenched her cutlery tightly and then, deliberately dropping her gaze, carefully cut a piece of turbot and brought it to her mouth.

As she chewed slowly, tasting nothing, she heard Lord Shalford’s response.

‘I think,’ he said smoothly, ‘that it rather depends. I have no doubt there are many people abroad and in England who show a lack of refinement—just as there are many who will have been brought up well.’

Henrietta subsided, with a confused expression and bright red angry spots on her cheeks.

Oh, bravo! thought Charlotte. He speaks so subtly she is not even sure of his meaning.

The Earl rose a little in her estimation. She raised her eyes to his briefly, trying to communicate her gratitude. He met her gaze, his eyes softening.

Captain Fanton, turning away from Faith, claimed Charlotte’s attention. ‘I must tell you, Miss Wyncroft, I enjoyed our canter through the park.’

Charlotte smiled gratefully. ‘As did I. We will ride again on Tuesday?’ Thankfully, her voice was steady, even if her hands—hidden now on her lap—were not.

‘Yes, indeed. I will look forward to it!’

Across the table, the Earl once again engaged Henrietta in conversation and the tension slowly eased.

* * *

After dinner, thankfully, there was no time for the ladies to retire to the drawing room, for the carriages were ready. When they rose from the table, as the servants swooped in to clear the remains of the meal and help the Buxted ladies with their boots, gloves and cloaks, Lord Shalford made a point of speaking with Charlotte.

‘I do hope,’ he said quietly, ‘you were not distressed by the conversation earlier.’

About to deny it, she caught the quiet sincerity in his grey eyes and relented. It was good of him to be concerned about her. There was no trace of arrogance about him now.

‘I thank you for coming to my rescue. The worst of it is she is right! I wished for nothing more than to give her pepper—even at the dinner table. My temper is not easily aroused in the normal run of things. I have learned I am truly an ill-bred hoyden at times.’

He shook his head. ‘I think not. I admit I was a little surprised by your cousin’s comment.’

Charlotte did not wish him to think ill of Henrietta. ‘She was upset...perhaps thinking we were making fun of her. Her reaction was understandable in the circumstances.’

‘You are too considerate, I think.’

‘My cousin is young, and not long out. She can be over-sensitive.’

‘Now you sound like an elderly matron. Yet you cannot be more than nineteen!’

‘I lack only a few weeks until my twenty-first birthday.’

‘Then you and Miss Buxted are of an age, for she tells me she will be twenty-one on the first of August.’

‘I am a little older than her. That is why my father thought we should be such friends. Unfortunately...’ She stopped.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘So you and Miss Buxted are not close, then?’

‘Well...we are very different people.’

He considered this. ‘Yes,’ he said slowly. ‘I think you are.’

For some reason, this made him frown.

Belatedly, she realised the impropriety of speaking to him so frankly. ‘Henrietta has many admirable qualities, and I know I can be extremely irritating.’ She laughed lightly. ‘Papa allows me no self-delusions. My upbringing and experiences have been so different from Henrietta’s it is hardly surprising we do not always see eye to eye.’