Page 3 of The Missing Book
“Oh?” Lady Rosalyn did not smile. “What do you mean?”
With her smile fading, Amelia recalled the conversation she had shared with her father a little before they made their way to London. “My father has said that I am the daughter of a Marquess and must, therefore, marry above my station.”
“He wants you to marry a Duke?” The exclamation from Lady Rosalyn made Amelia hush her quickly, her face burning though Lady Rosalyn quickly apologized.
“Yes, that is so. A Marquess would also be suitable, apparently.” A knot tightened in her stomach as she recalled the force with which she had been spoken to. “My father made it clear that he did not think for a moment that gentlemen with these titles would be in the least bit contented to have a bluestocking for a wife. My mother, thankfully, joined us and made it clear thathehad wed a bluestocking and therefore, had no right to say such things. However, my father has not changed his opinion on that. We have only been here a month or so and he has repeatedly told me to remain silent in conversation, to say very little when spoken to and to hide the fact I am a bluestocking for as long as I can.”
“Though you have not done so.”
This made Amelia smile. “No, I have not,” she answered, with a chuckle. “Joining the bluestocking book club is not exactly hiding, is it?” The bluestocking book club was something she and her other friends had formed only a few weeks ago, and, thus far, Amelia had found it very enjoyable – mainly due tothe fact they had solved two strange mysteries for two different gentlemen! It had helped her to use her mind and what she had already learned in a new way, working alongside her friends to come to a conclusion.
“No, it is not,” Lady Rosalyn answered, though she did not smile. “I do hope that you are quite all right, however. It must be difficult for you to struggle so with all that is said to you from your father and your brother.”
Acknowledging this with a nod, Amelia did not say anything more, stopping only to reach for a glass of champagne. Her mother was not present in London, having chosen to go to see her eldest daughter in her confinement. She had reassured Amelia repeatedly that all would be well, that she did not need to make a match this Season, and to ignore all that was said to her from both her father and her brother and her regular letters were an encouragement also. That being said, Amelia did miss her presence. Her father was becoming a little overbearing in his demands for her to hide the truth of herself from any prospective gentlemen and even her brother was beginning to do the same.
But I shall not,Amelia told herself, firmly.I am a bluestocking and I shall not pretend otherwise.
“Good evening, Lady Amelia, Lady Rosalyn!” A gentleman that Amelia recognized from a previous introduction bowed his head and then gestured to the gentleman standing beside him. “Let me introduce you to Lord Trafalgar.”
Amelia smiled. “But of course, Lord Gifford.” She turned her attention to the gentleman in question, taking in his fair hair, his green eyes, and the small but firm smile on his lips. Her stomach dipped, thinking him handsome but at the same time, a little uncertain of the way that he seemed to look down at them both. Was there a touch of arrogance there?
“The Marquess of Trafalgar,” Lord Gifford said, gesturing to the other gentleman. “Might I introduce Lady Amelia, daughterto the Marquess of Shrewsbury? And this is Lady Rosalyn, her brother is Lord Fairchild.”
“A pleasure to be introduced to you both,” Lord Trafalgar said, bowing low. “Lord Fairchild, did you say?”
Lady Rosalyn nodded. “Yes, that is so.”
“And you are being courted by Lord Waverley?”
“Yes, though he is not present this evening.”
Amelia caught the glance that Lady Rosalyn sent in her direction, finding herself a little confused as to why Lord Trafalgar was asking such questions.
“Strange.” Lord Trafalgar sniffed and pulled his gaze away as if he had seen something distasteful. “I would have thought a gentleman of Lord Waverley’s standing would have chosen better than a bluestocking.”
The shock of what the gentleman had said hit Amelia so hard, that she took a step back, her glass of champagne sloshing gently in the glass. The very next moment, she was breathing hard, anger spiking up through her as she regained her composure, her free hand curling into a tight fist in order to contain herself as best she could. Lord Gifford was standing next to Lord Trafalgar with his mouth opening and closing like a fish, clearly at a loss as to what to say while Lord Trafalgar himself was standing there with a prideful look on his face, his arms folded across his chest now as he looked down disdainfully at Lady Rosalyn.
Amelia looked at her friend, feeling the seconds pass as long as minutes as she tried to keep a hold of herself. One look at Lady Rosalyn’s face, however, and she could not contain her upset any longer. Lady Rosalyn was white, her eyes rounded but with gentle tears filling them, clearly deeply upset over the insult that had been given her.
“If Lord Waverley were present, I think he would call you out for such a remark,” she hissed, taking a step closer to LordTrafalgar whose only response was to let the corner of his mouth flick upwards into a sneer. “How dare you say such a thing to the lady?”
“Lord Waverley would be foolish indeed to call me out over abluestocking,” Lord Trafalgar answered, his voice loud enough now that more than a few of the other guests began to pay attention while, at the very same time, pretending they did not. “Did he not see the many other eligible young ladies present? The ones who are all that society requires of them and nothing more?” He snorted, his sneer growing. “I should be ashamed to have a bluestocking on my arm.”
“It is just as well, then, that Lord Waverley has a much finer character than you,” Amelia answered, making the sneer crash down from Lord Trafalgar’s face. “He sees the value in a person instead of judging them only by what society expects.”
“Then he is a fool.”
Amelia’s voice grew louder, filled with what felt very much like a righteous ire on behalf of not only her friend but also Lord Waverley. “I confess, I am surprised to see a gentleman so refined speaking with such callousness and judgementalism. Mayhap if you were a little more refined, you might be able to speak with more consideration and understanding.” Hearing one or two murmurs from behind her, Amelia continued on, heedless to whoever else was listening. “Lady Rosalyn is a bluestocking, yes, just as I am. We are eager to learn new things, and never happier when we have a book in our hands. You judge us based on what we have come to love? You think to call Lord Waverley a fool because he has fallen in love with Lady Rosalyn? It is not we bluestocking who are a blight upon society, as you have suggested, Lord Trafalgar. It is gentleman such as you, who see nothing aside from their own standards and judgments and think themselves higher than everyone else. I do hope that Lord Waverley calls you out when he hears what you have saidof him and what you have said of Lady Rosalyn, for if I were a gentleman, I would do that very thing myself. Shame on you, Lord Trafalgar, for speaking so cruelly and harshly to a lady you do not know! Shame on you for your harsh judgments – judgments that are neither wanted nor needed – and for your arrogance which, at this moment, is so clearly on display.”
Breathing hard, she glared at Lord Trafalgar, who narrowed his eyes at her a fraction. He opened his mouth to say something, only for another voice to break through the quiet of the room.
“What has been said of theMarquessof Waverley?”
Amelia let out a slow breath of relief, recognizing Lord Albury’s voice.
“You are passing judgment on bluestockings, then?” Lord Albury continued, as the murmurs behind Amelia began to increase. “You dare to call another gentleman a fool? Then I wonder what you would have to say to me also, Lord Trafalgar, since I am soon to marry a bluestocking?” The gentleman came to stand directly beside Amelia, near enough toe-to-toe with Lord Trafalgar. His presence beside Amelia was a comfort, though she did wish that it had not been required, having hoped that her remarks alone would have made Lord Trafalgar step back.
“I – ” Lord Trafalgar deflated just a little, glancing to Amelia and then back to Lord Albury.
