Scandalous Miss Brightwells [Book 1-4]

“He’s the reason I’m so concerned about Katherine as I hinted in my letter.” Fanny looked sadly at her friend. “Katherine’s name has been linked with Lord Derry in a?

??romantic sense, though she strenuously insists that the rumours are unfounded and there’s been no wrongdoing on her part.” She sighed. “Poor Katherine seems to have lurched from one disaster to another ever since that ill-advised marriage of hers.” She glanced at Antoinette, who had the grace to look slightly chastened, for Fanny still found it hard to forgive her sister for aiding and abetting Katherine’s youthful infatuation before she’d properly come to know the man.

Antoinette looked past Fanny’s censorious look and said, “At least Katherine has darling Diana to dote on. She’s such a comfort and so grown up for her six years. So, regardless of the gossip that Katherine and Lord Derry were carrying on a clandestine romance while Lord Marples still lived”

“Antoinette, how dare you!” Fanny exclaimed.

Antoinette shrugged. “I’m not saying it’s true. I’m just saying what everyone else is saying, whether or not they believe it, and that is that Lord Derry provided Katherine with the kind of comfort her husband certainly did not when he was losing a king’s ransom at the gaming tables and consorting with a line-up of unsuitable women. But, as always, the woman is blamed.”

The sound of a door banging and loud, masculine footsteps had them all turning as George, flinging himself through the door, said, “Oh, Mama, you really are too much!”

“And you, Young George, have no right to speak to your mother so rudely,” Antoinette rebuked her tall, bulky son who was now striding towards the sideboard. “Use your manners. You’ve not seen Mrs Patmore for more than a year, and I don’t believe you’ve called on Jack, either, when you were once such firm friends.”

“Indeed I have, Mama. Mrs Patmore.” He bowed, rising with a satisfied smile. “I met Jack and his intended at the theatre last night and might I say how charming I found Miss Worthington. The pair of them were simply smelling of April and May, as they say.”

Eliza settled back in her chair, a look of contentment overlaying her previous concern. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that he’s found himself the perfect wife. Jack always had such impossibly high standards. I think he was seeking a goddess of purity.”

She realised her error when Antoinette giggled, adding hastily, “That’s not that I don’t think Miss Worthington a creature who clearly combines purity in addition to the natural traits of liveliness that his original angel might have lacked.” Her smile broadened as she took in Fanny’s quirked mouth. “I’m very well satisfied,” she finished.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” said Fanny. “Now we just have to find someone who’ll make Katherine happy. When the time is right,” she added with an arch look. “She has at least another four months to wait before she can decently wed.” Remembering George was in their midst and perhaps such free talk was unwise, she glanced up at him. While she’d never much cared for her sister’s son, he didn’t seem vengeful and malicious in the same way as his supposed uncle, George Bramley. He and Katherine and Jack had played together as children—not always harmoniously, but well enough. And George had developed a real fondness for Katherine in adulthood which was comforting, even if Katherine didn’t return his feelings. At least she had someone looking to her interests.

George, intercepting her look, nodded. “Don’t worry, Aunt; I’ll watch over Katherine.”

And despite his oily face and resemblance to the man who had sired him, that odious George Bramley whom Fanny knew would love any opportunity to bring her—and her daughter—down, she felt she had no choice but to believe him. George, she decided as she looked at him again, was harmless. As the future Earl of Quamby, he had no concerns when it came to money. His position and comfort were uncontested, and he would find any number of women only too delighted to fulfil the position of the future Duchess of Quamby.

Having George’s patronage, Fanny decided, could only be in Katherine’s best interests now that Katherine was a widow again and in need of a man to smooth the way for her, given the latest scandal with Lord Derry.

Chapter 18

Jack had been in England a week, and he was uncomfortably aware of the fact he still hadn’t called on Katherine at home. Each time he declared to Odette that it was his duty to his old friend to find out how she did and nominated a time or date, Odette would remind him of some competing social event to which they’d been invited, half of which he was sure she’d just fabricated.

But Odette was so vibrant and full of loving energy, and he certainly didn’t want to disappoint her again; not when he’d been back in the country such a short time. Women’s tears were not something he was used to, so he’d not known what to do when, two days earlier, Odette had stared at him as if he’d announced he was going to Outer Mongolia when, in fact, he’d simply told her he intended going to Boodles where he proposed to be a member with the sponsorship of Lord Dingley. First her lip had trembled, then she’d covered her face with her hands and sunk onto the sofa, choking on sobs as she’d declared that such talk signalled the beginning of the end; that Jack obviously intended to no sooner wed her than he’d be off drinking and gaming with the men, and she’d be abandoned to while away her evenings alone when she’d only just got her darling Jack back.

This evening was surprised, however, when Odette reminded him they’d been invited to call in on Ladies Fenton and Quamby. Disappointed, he countered that they’d be abed at such a late hour.

“No, they won’t. They’ll be in the midst of Lady Quamby’s birthday feast.”

“I can’t call uninvited if there’s a family celebration,” Jack told her.

“We were invited, don’t you remember?” Odette put her hand on his wrist and said sweetly, “Only, we already had tickets to the opera tonight.”

Jack was absolutely certain he’d not have turned down an opportunity to attend a Quamby family event which would include Katherine, who was not seen much in society, but he said nothing. Even if he had already secured tickets to the opera. Perhaps he’d simply not been attending properly to Odette’s chatter. She chattered a lot about social events, and he’d found it was easier to allow her to direct their social activities when she had so much to organise in the lead-up to their wedding. His mother had advised him that Odette was quite capable of making the right decisions as to who they should or shouldn’t ‘know’.

Jack was pleased at how much his mother approved of his new wife-to-be. It certainly made life more harmonious, and it was in his nature to desire harmony first, which inevitably led to domestic comfort in all spheres.

As he looked down at her glossy russet hair decorated with pearls, then was met by her limpid loving gaze as they waited on the doorstep to be admitted to Lord Quamby’s, he made a point of reminding himself that she was indeed the perfect wife.

Two steps behind was Odette’s spinster cousin, who, in her early thirties, could have been an elder sister and who was quite happy to stand in as chaperone when Odette’s aunt was disinclined. As the cousin allowed them great licence, which included kisses and cuddles, Jack knew he really was very fortunate when it came to his future. He’d been regaled many a horror story of men finding themselves saddled with harpies or frigid misses no sooner than the knot was tied. After so many years of being alone, Jack knew when to count his blessings.

“Jack! What an unexpected pleasure!” Lady Fenton and her sister greeted him in the drawing room as they were clearly enjoying the aftermath of a small party.

All the men were there: the old earl, deep in conversation with a handsome young man, deeply tanned and clearly not from England, joined by Lord Fenton. Young George was instantly at his side, offering him and Odette refreshment, with Lord Derry in his wake.

Jack had heard from Odette who’d heard it from others that Lord Derry was simply waiting for Katherine to have been widowed a sufficiently decent time before he became her new husband. And Katherine, who was obviously as headstrong as ever if she’d been prepared to defy society by appearing at a ball in widow’s weeds, clearly held a candle to the tall, handsome viscount. Just as she had to Freddy Marwick…and to Jack before him.

Nevertheless, Jack would have liked to hear her thoughts on marriage, directly. He could envisage her characteristically pert and humorous response to any question that suggested her behaviour was less than exemplary.

So he was disappointed to hear that Katherine had already turned in for the night.