As Ernestine had said, “Even if she doesn’t approve of Hadley’s scheme, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t known about it all along and is simply turning a blind eye.” The normally mild companion had set her chin and stated, “In my book, that makes her equally culpable.”
No one had argued.
However, when Carlisle and Aurelia were shown into the Albury House drawing room at the not-quite-fashionable hour of seven o’clock, the others all greeted them with easy smiles and outward good humor.
Hadley arrived on their heels, decked out in clothes that were the height of current fashion; both Frederick and Ryder recognized his coat as hailing from the latest premier gentleman’s outfitters and whispered as much in their respective wife’s ear.
If Hadley saw anything odd in being invited to be part of such a select company, he gave no sign—and Stacie artfully thanked him for helping to balance the numbers about her table, intimating as she did that, given the subject they hoped to discuss after dinner, she’d been limited to inviting only family, and her only unwed brother, Godfrey, had been out of town.
While in the drawing room prior to dinner, the dowager, Mary, and Ernestine were delegated to do their best to calm Aurelia and, if such a thing were possible, to make her feel welcome enough to relax her usual poker-rigid demeanor. Meanwhile, Stacie and Emily joined Frederick and Ryder in chatting with Carlisle and Hadley about inconsequential subjects.
When Hadley could contain his curiosity no longer and inquired, in an airy way, as to the family business that had brought them there, earning a disapproving frown from Carlisle, Frederick smiled and, at his most enigmatic, stated, “I rather think the change I wish to discuss after dinner will please everyone here.”
It would have been atrocious manners to insist on hearing further details then and there. Stymied, yet intrigued, Hadley resisted the urge and continued to play the charming and innocuous rakehell, a role he’d obviously spent some time rehearsing; Stacie considered he’d improved since the first time she’d met him.
Just before Fortingale was due to appear and announce that dinner was served, Stacie slipped from Frederick’s side and glided across to join the ladies. It seemed they’d expended a significant effort and had achieved a notable result; Stacie saw Aurelia attempt a small smile in response to one of Mary’s more outrageous tales about her children.
In discussing Aurelia and her possible involvement, all the ladies had agreed that her stiff behavior might well be the outcome of nervousness and tension occasioned by her overactive fear of scandal—but whether that nervousness and tension was due to concern over how she herself and Carlisle presented themselves to the ton or concern arising from her knowledge of Hadley’s scheme, there was really no way to tell.
After Stacie had chatted with the group for several minutes, Mary rose and drew her aside. Lowering her voice, Mary murmured, “I do believe Aurelia’s starting to thaw. I wouldn’t say she’s relaxed, but she’s more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her. I think it’s the smaller number of people—I’ve only previously met her at balls and the like, and she’s always struck me as someone who’s smiling with her back teeth clenched tight.”
Stacie thought back to the earlier occasions on which she’d met Aurelia. “Previously, the smallest gathering I’ve seen her at was the dinner Frederick’s mother hosted before our wedding, and there were many more people here that night—lots more of Frederick’s more distant family and connections.”
Mary nodded. “I wouldn’t say she’s absolved of guilt yet, but I would have to admit the possibility exists that her stiff attitude to you and, indeed, all of us might have nothing whatsoever to do with her harboring a dislike sufficient to make her a party to Hadley’s scheme.”
Stacie nodded, then observed, “If she doesn’t know anything of Hadley’s scheme…” She met Mary’s eyes.
Compassion swam in Mary’s gaze, and she dipped her head. “Indeed. If so, we’ll need to stand ready to support her, because if she doesn’t know of it, given her obsession with avoiding scandal, she’s in for a truly horrible shock.”
Fortingale appeared in the doorway and announced that dinner was served.
Claiming Ryder’s arm, Stacie led the company into the formal dining room, while Frederick escorted Mary, Carlisle gave the dowager his arm, and Hadley gallantly escorted Aurelia, leaving Ernestine and Emily to bring up the rear.
The seating had been carefully arranged, and Emily had set out beautifully lettered cards. Necessarily, Ryder and Mary took the places on Stacie’s and Frederick’s right, respectively, but rather than Carlisle being on Stacie’s left, as he should have been, they’d placed Hadley there, with Carlisle on Frederick’s left.
As they all took their seats, Stacie said to Hadley, “I’m sure you won’t mind being in Carlisle’s place—Frederick wished to sound him out over this latest idea of his.”
Hadley’s eyes lit. “I see. And what is Frederick’s latest idea?”
Stacie smiled fondly up the table at her husband, who had already engaged Carlisle in what, from that distance, appeared to be a serious conversation. “I wouldn’t want to steal his thunder, but…”
When she didn’t immediately go on, Hadley prompted, “Yes?”
Stacie flung him a conspiratorial look. “Suffice it to say that it’s very possible there’ll be a change in Carlisle’s status soon.”
Hadley blinked. “Indeed?”
Fortingale interrupted with the first course, and Stacie turned to Ryder. Hadley had to wait for some considerable time before he managed to extract himself from Ernestine’s and Emily’s steady stream of comments and, again, snag Stacie’s attention.
This time, with an attempt to make the inquiry jovial, he asked, “And how do you feel about your husband’s latest notion?”
“Well,” Stacie said, “quite obviously, Frederick’s interest in music is longstanding, and combined with my interest in supporting worthy local musicians, his idea seems a natural evolution.”
Ryder duly chimed in with a tale of a noble acquaintance who had established an arrangement with his heir—a cousin—to take
over his estate in order to enable the titled gentleman to go exploring in Egypt. “He managed it so that his heir effectively inherited the estate, yet he kept the title, which was important as that allowed him to trade on it in getting foreign rulers’ permission to dig in their lands.”
Stacie watched Hadley’s eyes grow rounder and rounder as Ryder continued to embroider his entirely fictitious tale.