Page 14 of The Ungainly Wallflower
“Miss Fairley!” Frederick called, making her look at him again. “Might you pause for a moment?”
She did come to a stop, though she glanced at her father and mother who had also stopped to converse with a new acquaintance, their elder daughter standing with them.
“You wish to speak with me?”
Frederick nodded.
“Yes, of course. I have a gentleman I wish to introduce you to.”
At this, Miss Fairley’s eyes flared, and she took a small step back.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Lord Pleasance,” Frederick said quickly, understanding her confusion. “I believe you are to go to dinner with him this evening? He told me that he is not yet acquainted with you, and I wanted very much to make the introduction before the evening came.”
Miss Fairley blinked rapidly. Her face went very white indeed.
“Dinner,” she said, eventually, her voice cracking. “This evening. Yes, of course.” Her smile did not quite reach her eyes and she turned to Lord Pleasance who was smiling warmly. “Yes, Lord Pleasance. How very good to make your acquaintance.”
“The pleasure is mine.” Lord Pleasance bowed low, doffing his hat. “I must apologize for not pursuing an introduction to you when I first met your parents and your sister. No doubt you would have been dancing at the time, though had I known of your presence, I would have lingered there until your return.”
A spot of red came into each of Miss Fairley’s cheeks as she looked away, her smile still present but rather faint.
“How very kind,” she murmured, neither agreeing, nor disagreeing, with Lord Pleasance’s statement.
“You shall have to wait until this evening to be introduced to my wife, unfortunately,” Lord Pleasance continued, making Miss Fairley look back at him quickly. “She decided to remain at home this afternoon so she might prepare a little more.”
Frederick cleared his throat and Miss Fairley looked at him.
“I shall also be there this evening.” When Miss Fairley’s eyes flickered, he gestured to Lord Pleasance. “For dinner, I mean.”
“Oh.” Miss Fairley nodded but then pulled her gaze from Frederick and back to Lord Pleasance. “I shall know someone there then, at least.”
“Yes, you shall!” Lord Pleasance exclaimed, sounding quite delighted that he had now been able to make an introduction to the lady. “I think that it shall be a very enjoyable evening, Miss Fairley. I am very glad indeed to be introduced to you at last.”
Before Frederick could say more, he caught Lord and Lady Follet turning back towards their daughter. There was mounting surprise on the face of the lady, but Frederick decided that he would take his leave before he was given an introduction to Lord and Lady Follet. At the present moment, he was not particularly enamored of either of them, even though they were not yet introduced. To his mind, they had deliberately left out their younger daughter from the introductions to Lord Pleasance, and that was, Frederick was sure, painful to Miss Fairley – and it was not something which he thought well of either. “I shall leave you now,” he said, inclining his head towards Miss Fairley and then to Lord Pleasance. “Until this evening.”
“Until this evening,” Lord Pleasance replied, though Miss Fairley said nothing.
Instead, her eyes held his for a long moment until Frederick turned away, making him wonder at all that was going on in her mind. Taking in a deep breath, he released it slowly, set his shoulders, and continued to walk across the park.
Ithadbeen good for him to come out to the fashionable hour this evening, he considered, for it had aided Miss Fairley and that was something he had been glad to do. All the same, Frederick found himself wondering if he would have an opportunity to speak to her this evening and, if that opportunity came, exactly what it was that she would say.
Chapter Seven
“Lord Pleasance, good afternoon!”
Emma watched as her mother bobbed a quick curtsey, all too aware of how Lady Follet’s eyes darted towards her and then away again. Clearly, she was rather confused about why Emma had been speaking to this gentleman, though Emma herself was rather upset at hearing about a dinner invitation that she had no knowledge of. From what Lord Pleasance had said, it seemed as though her mother and father had decided to keep this from her, had chosen only to introduce Martha to him, rather than making any effort to include her also. Thus far, she did not know of any dinner invitation. Was that something her parents had kept hidden from her? Did onlytheywish to attend… but if that was the case, did they expect her simply to remain at home without question or concern?
“Good afternoon, Lady Follet, Lord Follet.” Lord Pleasance inclined his head, then gestured to Emma. “I was just now speaking to your younger daughter! I did not know that you were blessed with two daughters, and I am dreadfully sorry that we were not introduced when we first met.”
Lady Follet looked at Emma, and then back to Lord Pleasance, and Emma could almost see the way the thoughts were whirling around and around in her mind. No doubt she was wondering whether or not Lord Pleasance was being entirely truthful in terms of his apology, or wondering why they had thought not to introduce her to him.
“There is nothing for you to apologize for, Lord Pleasance!” she said, after a pause of a few moments. “It could not be helped. At the time, my younger daughter was not able to be with us.”
“I quite understand,” Lord Pleasance replied, smiling. “My wife will be very glad to make her acquaintance also this evening. I look forward to seeing all of you again, there. Good afternoon!”
With that, he touched his hat and then turned on his heel, moving away from them quickly and leaving Emma and her parents alone together.
