Page 24 of Tempting the Earl
She was most pleased to see she was the best-dressed lady present and threw a triumphant glance at herself in the mirror over the mantle. Lord Philip caught the look and wondered at it fleetingly as he stepped forward to bow gallantly over her gloved hand. Maude preened as he complimented her and they stood in conversation for a moment.
Lady Eastwick and her son and daughter had arrived late in the afternoon, and most of the assembled guests had not yet greeted them. Introductions were made all around. The young Lord Eastwick was another quiet, handsome young gentleman who seemed as if he would fit in well with the already gathered young men, while his sister seemed to be a more serious young woman than the Wadell ladies, despite being of an age with them. Lady Arabella was quietly pretty. Her brown hair, green eyes, and tidy figure were not enough to turn many heads until she really smiled and her whole appearance brightened. Their mother, Lady Eastwick was an attractive middle-aged widow with an approachable personality but a deplorably shrill voice. Fortunately, she didn’t have too much to say, but when she did speak, everyone could not help but take note. Emily was disappointed to discover this, as she was to be her dinner partner on one side. Mr. Dale was on her other side, but Emily knew she could not spend the entire meal in conversation with him, as it would cause unwarranted speculation among the others.
Also joining the company was a lively young couple, Lord and Lady Thorpe. They had been married only a few years and had two young children. This was Lady Thorpe's first time being away from her children and she had very conflicted feelings about the matter. While she knew it was considered unfashionable to be so involved in her children's lives she truly loved and missed them. On the other hand, it had been a couple of years since she had been involved in the social whirl and she found she missed it, so she was excited that she and her husband had been included in the party invitations. The Thorpes had each brought a sibling. Lady Thorpe had brought her twin brother, Lord John Brooke; and Lord Thorpe had his younger sister, Miss Alicia Thorpe, accompanying him.
Emily was pleased to make the acquaintance of all the new arrivals. They seemed to be a pleasant group who would be easy to accommodate and entertain. Miss Thorpe had made her debut at the same time as Lady Maude and seemed immune to her tactics. She quickly made friends with the younger girls present and was able to deftly deflect some of Maude's malicious darts. Emily was surprised to note there already seemed to be an understanding between Lady Arabella and Lord Brooke. It would be entertaining to watch the courtship progressing over the next few days.
The noise levels had greatly increased with the addition of so many members to the group and it took some effort for Parks, the butler, to get everyone's attention before leading them in to the dining room for the start of the meal.
As they sat down to another one of Cook’s masterpieces, Emily could feel Lady Eastwick’s sharpened gaze fixed upon her face. “Have we met before, my dear Miss Spencer?” she asked kindly in her rasping voice.
“I do not think I have ever had the pleasure of making your acquaintance,” answered Emily politely.
“I am so sure I’ve seen your face before. You seem so familiar to me. Perhaps it is a family resemblance. Would we have met your parents or another relative?” Lady Eastwick persisted, drawing the attention of the nearby diners.
Emily felt trapped and knew her cheeks were heating as the focus turned upon her. Lord Philip was seated diagonally from her, and their eyes met as Emily glanced around wondering urgently what to say to the inquisitive woman. He flicked one eyelid at her almost imperceptibly just before he knocked over his glass of wine. He grabbed the delicate glass before too much was spilled and stood while one of the footmen quickly mopped up the mess. The incident was quickly over, but it had done the trick, the subject changed and the focus was removed from Emily and the tricky subject of her parentage.
Lady Clara sat at the head of the table and felt a sense of satisfaction as she witnessed the entire scene and then saw Philip again meet Emily’s eye and they shared a small private smile before turning to the guests at their sides to continue conversing. Lady Clara was not the only one who witnessed the understanding look. Lady Maude saw it and simmered.
Emily then turned and asked Mr. Dale how his visit in London had gone. He regaled her with some humorous tales from court, leaving out any mention of their fruitless travels in search of the marchioness, not wanting to place a damper on the evening. The rest of the evening progressed without incident.
Further down the table, Ann's artless chatter was entertaining Lord Eastwick, and Lord Sutherland was becoming more enthralled with Jane. Julia was enjoying the company of her new acquaintance, Lord Garfield. Lady Maude was not so satisfied with her dinner companions. On one side of her was Lord Marsden, who was trying to interest her in a conversation about the morning's hunt, but to no avail, and on her other side was Lord Fitzgerald, who really only wanted to talk about various games of chance. Philip was disappointed to see she was so obviously bored, he had thought her such an easy going girl who would be able to entertain anyone. He resolved to broaden his understanding of her before pursuing the courtship any further. Thus resolved, he continued his conversation with Miss Thorpe, who was on one side of him during the meal.
When the ladies left the gentlemen to their port and collected in the drawing room to prepare some musical entertainment, Lady Maude’s claws were again unsheathed. She was disgruntled about her boring supper conversations and felt a need to take it out on someone. It was an anecdotal fact that the Waddell ladies were not the most accomplished musicians in the bunch.
Lady Maude began her attack, “It is well known that you cannot be expected to find an appropriate husband if you can’t play well. How can you be a good hostess if you cannot entertain your guests? I can play three different instruments perfectly and have been told that I sing like an angel. Miss Jane, why don’t you and your sister play for us when the gentlemen join us?”
Jane blushed scarlet. “Oh no, Lady Maude, I have heard that you play beautifully, would you please give us the pleasure of hearing for ourselves?”
The rest of the ladies, most of whom had not heard the beginning of the exchange, added their voices to the request for Lady Maude to play. She accepted with seeming reluctance and rifled through the music sheets to select what she would play. She was just warming up when the gentlemen entered the room. As soon as they were settled she launched into a beautiful rendition of Chopin’s symphony. There was enthusiastic applause when she concluded. She stood, made a graceful curtsy, then turned to Misses Jane and Ann. “Why don’t one of you go next? We would love to hear you play something,” she pronounced in cloyingly innocent tones.
Ann looked like she wanted to burst into tears, and Jane was once more blushing deep scarlet at the thought of disgracing herself in front of the company. Emily had been one of the few to witness the earlier exchange and knew what was going on. She took a hand, earning herself an icy glare from Lady Maude. “I have heard that the two of you sing a beautiful duet. Why don’t I accompany you on the pianoforte while you sing for us? Maybe if you sing something familiar, we can all join in. That will be fun for everyone, don’t you think?”
The two young ladies agreed enthusiastically and smiled at Emily in gratitude as she took Maude’s place. “Thank you for such a wonderful idea, Lady Maude.” Emily couldn’t keep herself from goading the girl, earning herself a fierce glare. It took all her control not to laugh with glee as she saw that Philip had noticed the exchange and was watching them with a puzzled look. She tossed him a smile before conferring with the two girls. They selected a lively tune, and the girls proved that the rumour was true. While they could barely play a note, they sang beautifully, almost like the angels Lady Maude had claimed to imitate.
Soon others joined in and all had a good time. Lady Arabella and Miss Thorpe also took turns practicing their skills at the keyboard, while Lady Thorpe sang a hauntingly beautiful aria much to everyone's delight.
After that one song Emily had played with Jane and Ann, she had not returned to the pianoforte. She had quietly mingled with the guests ensuring everyone's comfort. Philip couldn't help but notice how indispensable Emily had become to his mother. He admired her gentle dignity as she made sure each guest had just what he or she needed.
As the evening progressed Emily could feel Lady Eastwick’s eyes following her. Whenever their eyes met, Emily tried to smile at the woman, but it was becoming a strain on her nerves. Philip again noticed the stress she was under and as everyone was saying their good nights and heading off to bed when the evening drew to a close, he asked Emily to meet him in the library if she had a moment.
Emily waited until everyone had disappeared up the stairs before she knocked softly on the library door. Philip opened it himself and stepped back to allow her to enter. He stood very near after he closed the door, watching her closely. Emily became a little nervous from the scrutiny. “You wanted to see me, my lord?” she questioned.
“Yes, Emily,” he answered her softly. “I can see the others are speculating about you and it is obviously bothering you. Why do you keep your background such a mystery? It doesn’t really matter where you come from. Whatever has happened to you in the past is done and gone." As he spoke he remained near her, and Emily could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he continued in low tones. "You are safe now here with my mother and me. Do you need our help in some way? You know we would give it to you. My mother is ever so fond of you, as am I.”
Emily felt tears welling up in her eyes at his kindness. She could not answer his questions, but she was deeply touched by his concern. She was determined to be strong and look after herself, but his kindness tempted her to lay her burdens at his feet and accept some assistance for a while. She resisted, but she nonetheless felt herself fall a little bit more in love with him and was powerless to stop it. When he saw her tears, Philip was moved. He reached out and stroked her cheek.
“Aw, Emily, don’t cry, please. I hate tears. I will do anything, please don’t cry.” He leaned over her upturned face and gently pressed his lips to hers. As kisses went it was almost chaste, but Philip was powerfully attracted to Emily, and she had never been kissed before. They both reacted strongly, pulling away from one another. Philip was at a loss for words, it was so out of character for him to dally with a servant. Emily blinked at him with wide eyes and then swept him a deep curtsy, distancing herself from him emotionally, reminding them both visibly of the obvious gulf between them.
“Thank you for offering to help me, my lord. I realize you caused the distraction at dinner with your wine to get Lady Eastwick to stop questioning me. It was very gallant of you. But I will be fine. I have my own reasons to hold on to my secrets, and I appreciate your respecting that. Everyone will be leaving soon and things will get back to normal. And thank you for trying to comfort me; I think I am just overwrought from being so busy and having a lack of sleep. For that reason, I ought to be in bed right now, so, good night, my lord.” Emily again swept a deep curtsy before stepping to the door.
“Emily, wait.” Philip tried to detain her, but then didn’t seem to have anything else to say. Emily turned enquiring eyes upon him, but when he hesitated to say more, she again said goodnight and quietly left the room with her head held at a dignified angle.
Philip remained behind as she closed the door with a quiet but final-sounding click. He stood staring at the thick door with his fists clenched as feelings of impotence flowed through him.Why can’t I feel this attraction for Lady Maude?he questioned himself in bewilderment.She was born for the role of countess.But the thought of her now turned him cold, while all that he felt for his mother's companion ranged from warm to white hot. He shook his head to rid himself of his conflicting emotions as he walked over to the decanter to wash them away.
Emily was relieved to gain her chamber without encountering anyone along the way. She sat at the dressing table deep in thought as she took down and brushed out her hair. She knew now that she loved the earl deeply. Unfortunately, according to his mother, he still professed a desire to marry Lady Maude, while she herself was still living a servant's life. And despite her growing feelings for him, she did not fully trust him. She knew she could not trust everything Edwin had told her, but he had struck fear deep into her heart, and she knew the only one she could truly rely on was herself. Once she had a plan, maybe then she could trust Philip. It pained her to know he could kiss her so sweetly without truly having any deep feelings for her.
It was in a very troubled state of mind that Emily slipped into slumber. Her dreams were clouded by images of Lady Eastwick’s piercing eyes following her while she watched Lord Philip kissing Lady Maude. Emily awoke the next morning feeling slightly depressed and subdued and not at all rested. She picked her most cheerful gown of buttercup yellow to brighten herself up before going to Lady Clara’s chamber.
