And, of course, Lady Callander, being one of Carolyn’s dearest friends, had come at once. Carolyn found her a most delightful young lady, and was often astonished by her sweet temper and her lack of anger over all that had occurred to her. Lady Callander had been wed within the first three months of being in London. Carolyn could remember it well. Lady Callander had been plain Miss Westerstone back then, daughter to a Viscount, but who had been snatched away by an Earl. They had been married within six weeks of the Earl of Callander setting eyes on her and Carolyn knew all too well that Bridgette had not had any sort of happiness or contentment in either her engagement or her marriage. But she had done as she had been expected to do, marrying well for the sake of her family and her future title.
Except, Lord Callander had died some time later. He had been a few years older than Bridgette, altho
ugh not overly old, but had been such a dispirited, foul-tempered man that he had always had the appearance of age. His heart had failed, the doctor had said, and Bridgette had been left a young widow, albeit it with a healthy sum that had been left for her by her late husband. Lord Callander, it seemed, had made arrangements for his wife without her knowledge of it. Carolyn had missed her friend last Season but was very glad to pick up their acquaintance again now.
“Your brother is also come to London?”
Carolyn nodded.
“And Lady Hamilton does not?”
Sighing inwardly but attempting to keep her expression plain, Carolyn shook her head. Lady Hamilton was a pale, thin little thing that did not seem to do very much indeed, for even the slightest exertion sent her to her bed for at least a week. “Lady Hamilton can become very tired,” she answered, carefully. “My brother thought it best to leave her at the estate.”
Lady Callander nodded, then shrugged. “I suppose if she does not wish to join society, then I cannot pretend I do not understand. The ton can be very cruel indeed at times and I would not wish to fall prey to their whispered gossip.”
Carolyn looked at her friend, wondering if Lady Callander feared what they might say should she begin courting again. “And are you yourself hoping to find another husband?” she asked, somewhat bluntly. “Or are you quite contented as you are at the present?”
Lady Callander blinked for a moment, looking a little surprised at the question, but eventually, she merely shrugged.
“Lord Callander was chosen for me by my parents, as you well know,” she said, her voice much softer than Carolyn’s. “But now that I am widowed, I have a freedom in living that I have never experienced before.” She blushed, looking away as though this was some sort of shame. “I find that I quite enjoy it, even though my father wants me to return to live under his roof.”
Carolyn smiled, feeling a sudden wrench in her heart as she considered what her friend had said and finding that she too longed for the same thing. “My mother has finally relented entirely and allowed me to dress and speak as I wish, without continually railing at me,” she said, quietly. “I understand a little of the freedom that you speak of, for I have been granted it and with it comes such a wonderful sense of hope that it is not something I ever wish to lose.”
Lady Callander smiled in understanding. “I will admit that I was surprised to see you in a red gown,” she remarked, a small gleam in her eye. “I did not think that your mother would have ever permitted you to wear such a thing!”
Carolyn laughed. “She can hardly fail to allow me to wear such things now, given that I have found more success this last week than ever before.” A small ball of nervousness settled in her stomach as she glanced at the clock. Lord Franks would arrive any moment now. “I thank you for helping me in this, Bridgette,” she finished, just as there came a scratch on the door. “And you must be quite sure to tell me the truth of what you think of him.”
Lady Callander nodded and smiled, rose to her feet and turned expectantly towards the door, just as the butler entered in order to announce the arrival of Lord Franks. Carolyn rose quickly, smoothing down the red satin of her gown and, as the butler held the door open for Lord Franks to enter, dropped into a near perfect curtsy.
Lord Franks bowed in return and, as she rose, Carolyn saw how his eyes lingered on her gown, although his gaze did not rove about her form in a displeasing way. Rather, he appeared to be taking in the color and cut of her gown, which brought a touch of heat to Carolyn’s cheeks.
“Good afternoon, Lord Franks,” she murmured, as his eyes quickly shot to hers. “Might I present my dear friend, Lady Callander?” The introductions were soon made and she invited Lord Franks to sit down, knowing that the tea trays would be brought in very soon.
“Is your brother at home?”
A little surprised at the question, Carolyn cleared her throat but shook her head. “No, he is not,” she said, as Lady Callander frowned. “Did you wish to speak to him?”
Lord Franks looked a trifle distracted, his lips pulling tight for a moment or two. “No,” he said, eventually. “No, I did not need to speak to him. I thank you.”
Carolyn opened her mouth to say something, only for Lord Franks to lean a little closer from his chair, looking at her with a slightly narrowed gaze.
“Do you know when he might return?”
“I—I do not,” she stammered, feeling more and more awkward. “I am sorry, I…” Closing her eyes, she gave herself a slight shake. “If you wished to speak to or call upon my brother, then you will have to arrange a time with him yourself.”
Lord Franks frowned, then looked away. “I do not need to see him. My apologies for any confusion.”
Carolyn did not know what to say in response to this, confused by Lord Franks’ manner and at his strange question regarding her brother. This was not at all how she had expected her first conversation with a gentleman caller to go. Looking at Lady Callander helplessly, she saw the lady watching Lord Franks with an almost wondrous expression on her face, her eyes wide with evident astonishment. Carolyn had no understanding as to why this could be, glancing towards Lord Franks and then back to her friend again.
“Ah, here are some refreshments,” she said with relief, as the maids brought in two trays—one with tea, cups and saucers and the other will all manner of cakes and other little delicacies. She took the task of pouring the tea with more seriousness than ever before, wanting to make a good impression on Lord Franks and aware that spilling the tea would be more than embarrassing. Glancing up at him, she saw that his gaze was fixed on a point on the wall behind her, his brows knotted in a frown and his lips pulled into a thin line. Carolyn felt herself somewhat displeased at this, wondering why Lord Franks was not behaving as a gentleman ought when he came to call upon a young lady. A wry smile touched her lips as she handed a cup and saucer to Lady Callander. If her mother had been present, then she would be more than a little upset if Carolyn spoke her mind, whereas perhaps that was precisely what Carolyn ought to do.
“Might I say, Lord Franks, that you appear somewhat distracted?”
She did not balk when his eyes shot to hers, nor when his frown deepened. Instead, she simply lifted one eyebrow and looked at him directly, not allowing him to escape her gaze. Had she not argued with her mother about behaving as she pleased? She would not do anything to bring shame onto her brother, her mother or even to herself, but, in her eyes, there was nothing wrong in speaking directly.
“What can you mean, Miss Hemmingway?”
An arched brow made him frown all the more but Carolyn did not turn away. “You have not asked me anything other than to question me about my brother,” she told him, seeing how he immediately looked away. “I thought you might ask how I fared today, or if I had been out earlier in the afternoon or some such pleasantries like that.”