Page 11 of Dropping the Ball

“We’d best see what this is all about,” Alden said, stepping to the side and offering Lady Bernadette his hand.

“You wish me to come with you?” Lady Bernadette asked in surprise.

“I don’t see why not,” Alden said. “I will tell Lady Gladys about the ball, and you can relate the details in far greater depth than I ever could. Women adore that sort of thing, particularly when in conversation with other women.”

“Yes, I suppose,” Lady Bernadette said, allowing Alden to help her rise.

In truth, Alden didn’t relish the idea of being alone with Lady Gladys. He may have only called on her a few times since returning to Wessex, but she had attempted to call on him far more frequently than he cared for.

The first of those visits had been amiable enough, though that had been in the days when his specimens were kept in aquariums and cages in various places inside the house, before the terrarium had been built. Lady Gladys had expressed her distaste for reptiles, however, and Alden’s once-rosy impression of the woman had begun to change.

And then came the whispers from the servants that Lady Gladys had squandered the money Edward had left her. Alden might have been eccentric, but he was not a fool. He knew that the fortune his parents had left him was his greatest attribute in the eyes of many fortune-hunting females, and he did not like it.

Come to think of it, he would probably do well to tell Lady Bernadette that the women he wished to invite to his ball and the one he would marry must not be the sort who only wanted him for what his fortune could purchase for her. Although, to be honest, it would be nearly impossible to find a woman who was not moved by guineas at all.

Lady Gladys was waiting in the parlor, just as Smythe had informed him. She’d chosen a seat near the window and was perched as beautifully as any of the parrots who made the terrarium their home. She wore a gown of deep lavender that not only indicated her partial mourning, but that set off the alabaster glow of her skin perfectly. The bodice of her gown wascut low, and she did not wear a fichu, even though it was the middle of the morning. Her bodice was cinched tightly under her breasts, making them seem even more ample than they already were.

The somewhat dark and sultry smile she wore disappeared as Alden entered the parlor with Lady Bernadette by his side, which Alden noted carefully.

“Lady Gladys. What a pleasure to see you,” he greeted her, stepping ahead of Lady Bernadette and reaching for Lady Gladys’s hand.

Lady Gladys slipped her gloved hand softly into his, then squeezed tightly, like she’d caught him in her trap, as Alden lifted it to kiss her knuckles. “Lord Alden,” she said with lightness that was as sharp as glass. “It has been too long.”

“It has,” Alden agreed. He let go of her hand and stepped back so that she would be forced to let go as well. “Allow me to introduce you to Lady Bernadette Attleborough of East Anglia,” he said, gesturing toward Lady Bernadette.

“My lady,” Bernadette smiled and curtsied to Lady Gladys, as if she were someone grand who commanded respect.

Lady Gladys was the sort who commanded respect, but she could only have been ten years older than Lady Bernadette, if that. She had a sort of gravity to her carriage, however, and Lady Bernadette appeared to be many years younger than she actually was.

And, of course, like all territorial birds, Lady Gladys likely saw Lady Bernadette as a rival for her territory. Which was fascinating, if Alden were honest.

“How do you do?” Lady Gladys greeted Lady Bernadette with a regal nod. “Lady Bernadette Attleborough,” she said. “I believe I have heard your name mentioned before.”

“I’m certain you have,” Alden said, gesturing for Lady Bernadette to sit as he took a seat himself. “Lady Bernadetteis one of Britannia’s foremost organizers of parties and social events.”

“So I have heard,” Lady Gladys said, her smile wolfish as she studied Lady Bernadette. “In fact, I believe I have attended an event you orchestrated, Lady Bernadette.”

“Have you?” Lady Bernadette asked, looking curious, but slightly anxious as well.

“Yes,” Lady Gladys said, tilting her chin up. “It was a coming out ball for the Duke of Hamilton’s daughter, held at their London townhouse.”

“Yes, I remember the event,” Lady Bernadette said with a smile. She scooted slightly forward in her seat and opened her mouth, as if she would continue to converse and befriend Lady Gladys.

“I did not enjoy myself,” Lady Gladys cut her off before she could make a sound. Lady Bernadette snapped her mouth into a tight line. “The refreshments were bland at best. The orchestra was third-rate. And for the eldest daughter of a duke, I found the array of guests to be lacking.”

Awkward silence filled the parlor in the wake of Lady Gladys’s statement. Alden glanced nervously between the two women. Lady Gladys wore a sly smile, as if she’d won some sort of contest. Lady Bernadette’s jaw was clenched, but she smiled tightly nonetheless.

“I am very sorry you did not enjoy yourself, Lady Gladys,” Lady Bernadette said at last. “Fortunately, it may relieve you to know that Her Grace, the Duchess of Hamilton, was thoroughly pleased with the event and provided me with a handsome addition to the stipend I was to receive.”

“I find it vulgar for a woman to be paid for her services,” Lady Gladys said, as sharp-tongued as ever. “Do you not feel as if it says far too much about a woman’s character if she is paidfor work, Lord Alden?” she asked, turning to Alden with one eyebrow arched.

“I–” Alden had no idea how to respond. He was astounded that Lady Gladys would make such a statement when she had only just been introduced to Lady Bernadette.

Instead of addressing the harsh comment or answering Lady Gladys’s question, he cleared his throat, then said, “I have asked Lady Bernadette not only to plan and execute a ball for me, but after it was determined that the guestrooms and other parts of the house are sorely in need of updating, I have asked for her help in seeing to those improvements as well.”

Lady Gladys’s eyes turned downright steely. “You should have asked me, dear Alden,” she said, leaning her elbow on the arm of the chair closest to him and resting her chin against her hand in a perfect pose of coquettishness. “If the past had been rewritten, it would have been my duty to see to the improvement of this house as a matter of course.”

She glanced back at Lady Bernadette with a tight smile.

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