Toast of the Season

❀ Chapter 33 ❀

The carriage arrives at Edmund's townhome. The butler lets me in and shows me to the parlor. "Lord Westworth is in a meeting, but will join you shortly. His mother is also preparing for the outing." I sit down for a moment but then notice some paintings along one wall that are rather nice. Some are portraits of Edmund and James when they were young.

While I am looking at the pictures I hear Fred as he enters the foyer. His growly voice is always unmistakeable. He converses a minute with the butler then tells someone, "Edmund is just finishing, but will be out soon. He will be glad to see you are back. It has been years since the three of us have been together." I wonder if I should go say 'hello' but then I think they will likely come into the parlor to wait for Edmund.

I do not recognize the voice of the man with Fred, "I cannot believe he is getting married. Didn't we use to say that he would be the last of us to marry? He was always so opposed to it. Did he ever even look at a girl?" They both laugh.

I feel a little guilt at eaves dropping for a second time today, but I am merely standing in the parlor looking at pictures on the wall. I am not sneaking around.

Fred chuckles, "It has been a bit strange to see him take an interest in someone. William teases him endlessly about it. Did you hear how they met? It is quite an amazing beginning."

"No, I have just come off the boat from my travels yesterday. You'll need to fill me in on all the goings on."

"Well, you remember the rumor about him dancing with the most popular girl at Almack's?"

"Ah, yes, I knew about that before I even left. Some first dance nonsense."

"Yes, well Edmund was boasting that he could pick any girl, no matter how undesirable she was and if he danced with her at Almack's, then London society would embrace her. So we made a little wager on it. The bet was that if I picked the girl he couldn't make her the toast of the season." Fred is laughing now and my heart is sinking at the realization they are talking about me. 

Perhaps I should stop listening. I take several steps away but even from the far side of the room I cannot escape his words. "You should have seen her, she came tumbling down the stairs, landing at our feet. Her hair was a bird's nest atop her head, glasses on the end of her nose, and she was wearing the most hideous yellow dress." My chest is filled with dread as my heart starts to race. "It turns out that she has no money, no connections, no one would have looked at her twice. I was so confident that Edmund couldn't make anything of her." My hand comes to my stomach to hear myself described in such a way. I think I may be sick. I start looking around the room for a vessel that could be of service.

His friend laughs, obviously finding me a good joke. "She sounds absolutely dreadful. I'm surprised Edmund didn't pay up right then."

I hear them both laughing and I fall to sitting on the settee. I am starting to feel dizzy, "You should have seen him on the dance floor. He was fixing her hair, taking her glasses, fixing her dress, pinching her cheeks, madly doing anything he could to make her somewhat presentable." My eyes squeeze shut with the memory of it. I remember him telling me to look gentlemen in the eye and smile. Now I know he wanted me to distract the men from my hair and dress and... and I was just chatting with him on the dance floor, thanking him for choosing me. And he was dancing with me only to fulfill some bet, thinking I was the ugliest girl there, trying to make me look more appropriate. My tears have now started.

"Oh, what I would give to have seen that! It had to be better than the theater, watching him scramble to make her into something."

Fred voice quiets just a bit, "Well, we shouldn't be too unkind. There is a maid who does her hair now and her clothes have improved remarkably. She turned out much better than I expected. And she is a sweet girl."