Page 28 of The Duke of Kisses
“Oh, like any other ball,” Sarah said. “Jane and I amused ourselves trying to discern which gentlemen were wearing padding. There seemed an excessive amount of abnormally thick calves.”
Jane’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “Excessive.”
Fanny grinned. “I’m sorry I missed that. Leah was having trouble with her tooth coming in, and Ivy didn’t want to leave her.” Fanny didn’t blame her, though she’d been disappointed to miss the ball. The ball? She didn’t give two figs about the ball. She’d missed seeing David. “Was the Earl of St. Ives there?” She tried to sound casual in front of Jane, who wasn’t aware of the near courtship between them. Was it nearly courtship? Or did kissing make it an actual courtship?
“Yes, he was there,” Jane said. “I didn’t see him dance. He was with an older woman and a gentleman.”
Sarah glanced toward Fanny. “Anthony said that was his mother and uncle. They’d just arrived in town the day before.”
The day before? That was when Fanny had seen him, and he hadn’t mentioned it. Perhaps they’d arrived while he was here. And perhaps they were why he hadn’t shown up at the park the following day. After missing him at both the park and the ball, Fanny had hoped to see him at church yesterday. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been there either.
“Do you have a special interest in the earl?” Jane asked, smoothing a hand over the back of her upswept blonde hair.
Fanny darted a look toward Sarah to see if she should say anything, but Sarah only offered the barest shrug, which said,I have no idea.
Thankfully, she was saved from having to answer by the arrival of Nora and Lady Satterfield. They were accompanied by another pair of ladies who appeared to be mother and daughter. Fanny greeted them as they entered the drawing room, and Ivy joined her.
Lady Satterfield smiled warmly. “Thank you so much for your kind invitation. I’m delighted to be a part of such a wonderful endeavor. As I mentioned I would do, I brought some other interested parties, and I do believe Mrs. Greville will also be joining us. And perhaps a few others. I hope you don’t mind that I shared the meeting with so many.”
“Of course not,” Fanny said. “The more hands we have, the faster this will come to fruition.” She looked toward the women who’d accompanied the countess.
“I am remiss,” Lady Satterfield said. Her gaze went deferentially to Ivy. “Duchess, allow me to present Mrs. Yardley Stoke and her daughter, Miss Arabella Stoke.” She turned to the Stokes. “This is the Duchess of Clare and her sister, Miss Fanny Snowden.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Fanny said. “I’m so glad you came today.”
“We are always eager to help those in need,” Mrs. Stoke said.
They moved aside as others began to arrive, and Fanny spent the next several minutes welcoming everyone. Just as they were about to begin, the tap of a walking cane hitting the floor at intervals brought a smile to Ivy’s face. Fanny knew it would be her former employer.
The Viscountess Dunn walked in, surprisingly spry for a woman nearing seventy. She was petite but possessed a personality twice her size. Her sharp brown eyes assessed the room before landing on Ivy. She smiled widely. “Duchess.”
Ivy went and embraced her in a hug. “It’s so lovely to see you. How was your trip?”
Lady Dunn had been in Cornwall enjoying fairer climes for the past several months. “Pleasantly boring. I am glad to be back. I won’t go for so long again. As it was, I cut my time short by a fortnight. I was delighted to hear of this meeting from Lady Satterfield.”
The aforementioned countess came forward to greet her. “I didn’t think you’d come—you only arrived yesterday.”
Lady Dunn lifted her cane. “Bah. I wouldn’t miss a thing hosted by my dear Ivy, or her sister.” She sent a warm smile to Fanny. They’d met last summer when Lady Dunn had paid a visit to Stour’s Edge to meet Leah. “But I am a tad late, and I don’t wish to delay your business. Let us get on with it!”
As Ivy guided the viscountess toward a seat, Fanny overheard Lady Dunn say, “I am not surprised Clare has filled you with child again. You brought that man’s life to a careening halt. Please give him my love.”
Ivy laughed softly. “Of course I will. He’ll be sorry he missed you.”
Taking her place in front of the assembled guests, Fanny suddenly felt a bit nervous. What if no one wanted to support her idea? For some reason, she was afraid that a workhouse would be less appealing than a hospital or foundling home.
“Thank you all for coming today,” she said loudly. “As you know, my sister and I are devoted to the support and care of those in our society who are less fortunate.”
As Fanny spoke the words, her skin prickled with unease. Looking around the opulent drawing room, she saw a collection of women who wore rich fabrics and were adorned with beautiful and, in many cases, unnecessary accessories. A selection of tea and cakes was laid out on a table that bore silver and crystal. It was all so…expensive. While Fanny hadn’t been poor, she’d come from a much different background, as had Ivy. One in which they had chores to complete and learned to sew for utilitarian purposes, not just to embroider. She exchanged a look with Ivy, who gave her a tiny, encouraging nod.
Fanny continued, “There are many places where someone may seek care or shelter, and in some cases support to help them provide for themselves. I would like to launch an endeavor that will provide care and shelter, but also hope for the future. How many of you have visited a workhouse?”
Several of the attendees lifted their hands or nodded.
“Then you know that those in the workhouse perform a service in exchange for their food and shelter. I would like to found a different sort of workhouse, one that will train the inmates in a field in which they could then find employment. We would train them to be governesses or teachers, cooks or maids, seamstresses or weavers.”
“How can we be sure they would find employment?” Nora asked.
“That’s one thing the staff will need to be able to do—help these souls find a permanent position. My hope is that our involvement will support that effort.”
