A Lady's Guide to Courtship

XIX. Bertram

Dearest William,

I do believe in love and childish fairy tales as what you would call them. I find them enchanting!

Perhaps it is because I have witnessed them come to life too many times to believe them to be true.

Mayhap, if you experience it, or merely witness it happen to those you hold dear, you will see the truth in my words.

Your friend,

Lady Weis

*****

Ysabella departed for Bertram with Lady Hayward, accompanied by two of the latter's trusted footmen.

Lady Alice had graciously given her consent. Emma, on the one hand, did not go out to bid Ysabella farewell. As a matter of fact, Ysabella had not seen Emma as much as she would have wanted to since their fight.

"Fix what you must, dear," Lady Alice had whispered when she gave her a kiss. And by the look her mother gave Ysabella before she left, she knew the woman was aware of the tension between her daughters.

She and Lady Hayward left a quiet, normal Wickhurst.

The Town Herald had been quiet that day. Mayhap her letters were still safe somewhere.

Or so she hoped.

*****

"I was afraid you are still angry over the lake incident," Aurora's gentle voice said from across the table. "You are over it, yes?" When Wakefield continued with his food without an answer, Aurora sighed. "You never came for a visit after that. And when you did after the opera, you were thinking far away that it seemed as though you are not here. If I honestly have to say, you have been quite different since the Theobald party. I wonder why. But I could not blame you, really, for everything seemed to have drastically changed after that. There is the matter about Lady Weis and worse, Ysabella started to pursue you further, even outside the usual gatherings of balls and parties. She came to the lake, she went out in the middle of the night to find you—"

Wakefield threw Aurora a look of warning.

Aurora sighed. "The lake incident was my fault. And I believe Ysabella did not deliberately provoke Adam Nimrod, William." She grabbed her glass of wine and took a small sip. As she set it back on the table, she said, "Although the incident with Adam does show that Ysabella is a child still. She does not have the experience to handle men."

"And you do, do you not?" he nearly snapped.

Aurora smiled. "Of course. You know that very well." She gave a wave of her hand. "It just bothers me that Ysabella's tiring obsession over you is not doing her any good. If you must know, she is being mocked by her friends. We were in the park the other day and they laughed at her expense in front of her. Poor girl, really."

Wakefield had the urge to ask who these friends were but stopped himself.

"And there is her avid desire to be Lady Weis. We all know Lady Weis is somewhere in hiding, yet she—"

"I do not wish to talk about this now," he said through gritted teeth.

"I am merely trying to say that I might consider finding a different circle. Ysabella would cause my reputation more damage should she continue to act like a stupid fool. I hate it when she does so and most especially when she insists she is Lady Weis."

"Remember, Aurora, that she is your friend," he pointed out, jaw clenched. "I would hate to risk everything simply because I warned her about you, one I am very much inclined to do at the moment. Tread well when you speak about anyone."