Page 55 of Deception and Desire
Aileen’s gaze had grown distant. “We used to set up a booth on Fair Friday and sell books the first few days. Then we’d join the exodus and head to the coast for a week. The business would all be closed here, ye ken.”
“How long does the fair last?” Fenella had never heard her mother mention it. Then again, her mother spoke little of her childhood, preferring to surround herself with English traditions.
“Up to two weeks. Ye willna recognize the Green. It will be full of makeshift stalls for vendors and stages for shows. But many Glaswegians leave the city by Monday as we did, and those in surrounding towns flock here. We often rented out our home to pay for our stay in another.”
“Did my mother enjoy it?” She found it difficult to picture Lady Franklin as a carefree girl playing on the beach.
“Oh, yes. Agnes was an excellent swimmer, though as she grew older, she preferred the dances to the beach,” recalled her grandmother. “She even had the same beau two summers in a row. Oh, how she was enamored with him.”
“What happened?”
“His father was a Scottish earl and we were… well, his family didna approve of our social status. Merchants, ye ken. She received a letter from the boy that August after we returned to Glasgow. He wrote of his betrothal to the daughter of an English viscount.” Aileen pursed her lips. “It was about that time Agnes made up her mind to settle for no less than a titledEnglishman. I think she had it in her head to marry well and rub his nose in it.”
“How old was she?”
“Fifteen when she met him, so sixteen the following summer. I’ll tell ye, she broke more than a few hearts.” Her grandmother sighed. “She was a fetching lass and could have had her pick from the lads around here.”
This explained Lady Franklin’s adamant desire to “become” English. To soothe her broken heart—and pride. Fenella experienced an unfamiliar empathy for her mother.
“I didn’t think the social circles held the same prejudices here as in London. Everyone has been so welcoming, and I don’t belong to a noble family.”
“Ah, my dear, that’s because I dinna move in those circles. We have our high society here too. It wouldna be much different from London if ye went to their functions.”
Didn’t she feel like a ninny. The people she’d met, had enjoyed such lively conversations with, had no reason to look down on her. They were all from the same merchant class. “Then why did my mother marry my father when he was also in trade?”
“That’s an amusing tale. I’m no’ surprised neither of yer parents have shared it.”
A giggle bubbled up Fenella’s throat. “Oh, you must tell.”
“Horace was arsy-yarsey over Agnes the moment he laid eyes on her. She toyed with him at first because she kent he was full in the pocket. But when she found out she would be calledLadyFranklin if they wed, her attitude changed.” Her grandmother shook her head. “Poor mon didna stand a chance once she put her mind to it.”
“So, Mother thought she’d married into nobility?”
Aileen nodded. “After the marriage, when the London ladies gave her thecut directas she called it, she realized her mistake. Yer father loved her, though, and wanted her happy. So, he expanded his business.”
Fenella gasped. “That’s why he began trading in hard-to-find items for thebeau monde!”
“Aye, his price for finding their every desire would include an invitation. Agnes was able to appear with theton, but still she’s never been accepted as one of them.”
“So, she’s determined to marry her daughters into those circles because she was jilted by an earl’s son at sixteen.” Fenella was flabbergasted. The fleeting pity vanished. Her mother was willing to sacrifice her own daughters for a childish revenge on some boy.
“Lass, I’ve no’ always liked my daughter, but I love her. And I ken she loves you and Evelina.” She reached over and squeezed Fenella’s hand. “There may be other reasons she wants to improve her social standing. Dinna be one to judge without learning the facts. Have ye ever asked her?”
“I don’t believe she pushed me into another season for some selfless motive.” Fenella shook her head. “My poor father, trapped in a loveless marriage.”
“Och, I dinna see yer father as a victim. He’s been happy married to Agnes. A daughter doesna ken what goes on behind her parents’ closed doors.”
She blushed and looked away from her grandmother. Would she know someday soon?
“Have ye spoken of yer family to Lachlan?”
“He knows of the sizeable dowry and Mother’s hope for one of us to marry a title.” Fenella’s toe dug into the dense carpet. “I told him what a dismal come-out I had, and if Evie marries well, I won’t have to return to London.”
“Ye’re no’ certain of that.” Aileen blew out a frustrated breath. “Does he ken how yer mother feels about her own kin?”
She shook her head.
“Lass, ye need to be honest with him. It doesna matter who Evie marries. Yer mother will be furious when ye’re courting a mon in trade—especially aScottishmerchant.”
