Toast of the Season

❖ Chapter 7 ❖

❖ Edmund ❖

I stand in the Tufton's foyer, admiring as the two ladies come down the stairs. Elizabeth looks the best I've ever seen her. With her hair done properly, and the terrible orange dress covered by the coat she looks almost presentable. Her pelisse is too large but she has tried to bunch the extra material around her waist with a sash. This confirms to me that she is wearing her cousin's clothing. I would have been surprised if both girls were so enamored with bright colors. Lizzy is also wearing a jaunty little hat that is quite becoming on her. Miss Tufton however, has selected a yellow large brimmed hat that I know will push feathers in my face for the whole ride as the seat on the phaeton is snug for three riders.

The butler opens the front door and we move down the steps to my matched grey Chapman horses attached to the phaeton. I love this carriage when I am in town because it requires no driver. I can easily move about London on my own as I do on horseback at Beaumont. I help the ladies into the carriage, then seat myself between them and take the reins. The three of us are quite smashed together, Miss Tufton takes up a bit more than her third of the seat and Lizzy takes a bit less. I am not complaining, mind you. My thigh is pressed against Elizabeth's and I quite enjoy the feeling of it.

"Ready ladies?" They both nod and we are off. I direct the horses to maneuver down the road, a few turns and we enter the refuge of Hyde Park. I take a deeper breath as we all enjoy being surrounded by trees which are becoming increasingly sparse in the city. The horses practically know where we are going and they head to the Serpentine river. We will drive along the soothing water until we reach the end of the park then over a bridge to drive along the other side of the river for our return.

I turn to Miss Tufton on my right. As I did in the parlor, I need to address her first so that she doesn't feel ignored. If I wait, I risk talking with Lizzy the whole time and quite forgetting Miss Tufton is even there. "Miss Tufton, I thought long and hard after our discussion last night and I am willing to help Miss Cavendish find a suitable husband, as it is such a dear wish of yours. Can I enlist your help in this task?"

Miss Tufton is blushing now. "Oh yes! I would love to work with you to find a husband for Beth. What a charming idea. We will likely have to be in close company to work out all the details, don't you think?"

No, I do not think that. "Excellent. I look forward to your insight."

The horses require very little guidance, so I loosely hold the reins in my right hand and turn to the green eyes on my left. With the background of the green trees and the rosy glow to her cheeks she is a positively breathtaking sight. "Shall we go over some of the prospective suitors on the list and see who interests you, Miss Cavendish?" She has a delightful curl hanging down, just in front of her ear and before I can think better of it, I capture it between my thumb and index finger. As I rub the silky lock between my fingers, my knuckles inadvertently graze over the soft skin of her neck. Her eyes flutter shut in the most mesmerizing manner and my breath catches at the ability to effect her in such a way. 

Her eyes come open again, "Yes, thank you, Lord Westworth." 

Reluctantly, I pull my fingers back from her hair, but as we are so wedged into the phaeton, I rest my arm on the seat behind Lizzy to get more comfortable. Miss Tufton's hat and feathers brush at the back of my head. "The first man I thought of was Lord Barkley because he was one of the men you danced with last evening and he looked quite enamored with you." Lizzy smiles at the compliment, she looks particularly lovely when she smiles. "He is the more, er, rotund, red headed gentleman you danced the allemande with. Lord Barkley owns a large estate to the far north. He is around five and forty years old, I believe. He was married previously but his wife died of an illness a few years back." Lizzy nods encouragingly, she doesn't even balk at his age. Now that I think on it, he is assuredly too old for her. She deserves someone more young and energetic.

She notices that I have paused to think. "And what makes you think Lord Barkley would be amenable to marrying me?"

Apart from the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off you all night? "Barkley's wife was a woman who was quite strong-willed, to put it mildly. She bred dogs. Irish Wolfhounds, I believe. He actually joined her in this interest and still breeds the dogs to this day, even though she is gone. I believe that after having one industrious wife, he would be open to another."

Lizzy's eyes crinkle at the sides with her big smile. "There is a certain amount of science in breeding. I have not studied it but dominant genes, bloodlines, and such. I wonder if I could assist in record keeping and documenting traits."

She really has the loveliest eyes. "He will be at the Saville card party tomorrow evening, do you know if you will attend?" The lost look on her face tells me this is not a question she can answer. I turn to my right only to get a feather in my eye. I lift the yellow hat a bit away from my face. 

Miss Tufton's red pelisse does not fully cover the bright yellow dress underneath and it makes for a disagreeable combination. Her smile is genuine as she tells me, "We are not regularly invited to the Savilles, my Lord."

"Well, in the off chance an invitation comes for the party, will you encourage your mother to accept, Miss Tufton?" I'm still holding up her hat.

She blushes a bit as if I am flirting with her or telling her I particularly want her there. Has she completely ignored the conversation I've been having with Lizzy? "Yes, of course, my Lord. I can assure you that if you can get us an invitation, we will be there." Well, Miss Tufton has her uses. She will get Lizzy to the Savilles which is what I was hoping. We are halfway through our ride as we head over the bridge.

I nod in response then turn my back on the feathers again. "Elizabeth, you may find that Lord Barkley is too old for you. I have younger men on the list as well." She frowns a bit as if confused why a forty five year old man would be too old for her. Her response makes me sigh. He is over twice her age! It may be acceptable in society but anyone looking at her vivacity would not want her paired with an old man. 

I need to move on from Barkley. "For instance, Mr. Wimple is a young man of good fortune that is currently in need of a wife. He is extremely shy so he has had difficulty finding a suitable partner. He has a rather overbearing mother who is putting a lot of pressure on him to marry and produce an heir. I believe he even has an interest in some of the sciences." Her eyes light up at the mention of this reminding me of sparkling emeralds. "I believe he does work in Astronomy." I almost chuckle when the light goes out of her eyes, obviously she is not an Astronomy enthusiast. "He will not be at the card party tomorrow, but he will be at the garden party at the Sanderson's estate on Friday afternoon." I turn to Miss Tufton, ready with my hand to defend myself against the hat. "I assume you are attending the garden party?"

"Oh, yes. Of course we will be there!" Miss Tufton looks as if she is pleasing me by answering in the affirmative. It is Lizzy I want there, she can come or go for all I care.

Looking back to Lizzy I see that she looks a bit nervous. "Is everything well, Miss Cavendish?"

She smiles at me, my favorite. "Yes, of course. Both of the men you have suggested sound like suitable candidates. I am just very hopeful that I can secure one of them. I will try my best."

I have been resisting the urge for so long that I finally give into it. I take her hand in mine. "Lizzy, do not worry yourself overmuch. Either gentleman would be very fortunate to get you as a wife. If they do not suit, I have several others on the list. We can discuss them at the card party if we are able to find a time to talk. Please concentrate your efforts to find someone who you think might be right for you. I do not think your circumstances are as dire as you believe them to be."

We are pulling up to their home now and she gives me a grateful smile. I'm feeling disappointed to be at the end of our drive. I wonder if I should have driven around the park one more time so we could have talked longer. Stepping out of the phaeton, I help Lizzy down then Miss Tufton. It has just occurred to me that I have been addressing Lizzy in a inappropriately casual manner. I hope Miss Tufton will not mention it. "Miss Tufton, I believe your familiar way of addressing Miss Cavendish as 'Beth' has effected me. We probably shouldn't mention it, don't you think?"

She smiles big as if I'm complimenting her, "I will not mention at all that what I say is having such an influence on you. It can be our little secret, Lord Westworth." I accompany them to the door and once they are inside I hop in my phaeton and head to the Savilles. I need to secure an invitation for the Tuftons.