Page 6 of Murder at Madame Chambon's
Now she was in a different country in an unfamiliar environment, and she knew exactly what she wanted.Needed.
The right man.The right husband with, preferably, a title.
“Lord Dunstable, may I present to you Miss Evelina Tarot?”
Evelina inclined her head.She knew a great deal about Lord Dunstable, though she pretended otherwise.Lady Perry had told her he was the gentleman her mama and papa had identified as most suitable to her requirements.
“A pleasure, Miss Tarot.”
Evelina returned his smile.He was, she guessed, about ten years older.Handsome, sandy-haired, with a flourishing mustache and military bearing.His estate, in the west, boasted a rambling Queen Anne home, and a profitable tin mine, Lady Perry had told her; and the viscountcy was five generations old.
Yes, Evelina would love to dance.
She was a good dancer, too.
And Lord Dunstable was an adept conversationalist.As adept as he was on his feet.
They spoke of his large, comfortable home and his two younger sisters.His father was dead and his doting mother’s only wish was that he would marry well and bring his wife home to become mistress of the thousand acres of grazing land and manicured gardens that comprised the family estate.
Charmed by her.That’s what he said as he led her off the dance floor.
But there were others who wished to make her acquaintance.
Captain Blackheath, raven-haired with a devilish smile and a chipped tooth that curiously added to his reckless charm that was unaccountably attractive after Lord Dunstable’s restrained gentlemanliness.
Evelina enjoyed their energetic whirl and the wicked glint in his eye as he warned, “Don’t trust a charmer like dried-up old Dunstable when you’d be infinitely more entertained by a man who knows how to enjoy life, like me.”
But when she compared the two men in the uncomfortable intimacy of her carriage ride home with Lady Perry, the older woman gave a disdainful laugh and said, “Captain Blackheath has a crumbling pile in the desolate Norfolk marshes and needs a wife with a dowry like yours, Evelina.Lord Dunstable wants a consort to grace his beautiful Queen Anne estate in a county where the sun shines more than it does over the rest of the British Isles.”
So, there was every reason for Evelina to smile as she seated herself at her dressing table at the end of the evening while Kitty removed the pins from her hair and asked her about the ball.
“I met some very charming gentlemen, Kitty.Yes, one in particular.Is it too early to divulge his name?”She demurred a moment and then allowed unfettered license to her smile, for indeed, Evelina felt quite triumphant.“Lord Dunstable.”
Chapter3
The ball was declared a triumph.Evelina received more invitations.Her social calendar was full.
“And how shall I dress your hair today, miss?Are you going to see your gentleman?Lord Dunstable?”
“Please don’t call him ‘my gentleman’,” Evelina said.“It sounds… cheap.”
Kitty looked chastened.“Yes, Miss.”Then, undaunted.“Is it Lord Dunstable taking you to lunch, miss?”
Evelina closed her eyes.In fact, she felt the beginnings of a megrim and wasn’t sure if it was from last night’s revelry or due to her fears over what lay ahead.
“I’m meeting my mother, Kitty.”
“That’s nice, Miss.”
“I’m not so sure, Kitty.”
“And why is that, Miss?”
Evelina wasn’t sure it was wise to pursue this.She hadn’t been going to tell Kitty but now she was nervous and wanted someone to talk to.
“I haven’t seen my mother for nearly seven years.In fact, since the age of six, I’ve only seen her on three occasions.”
“And are you afraid that you will disappoint your mama or that she will disappoint you, miss?”
