First Season Read online

  As the night of the planned Vauxhall elopement approached, Hetty felt certain her increasing agitation would make her aunt suspicious. Although Sophie and Lord Courtney had convinced Hetty the elopement was the only way she would be able to marry Lord Courntey, Hetty still had doubts as to whether she should go through with it. Despite Sophie’s apparent goodwill, Hetty still distrusted her cousin and had not forgotten the incident of the red dress. Perhaps Sophie had motives other than helpfulness. Yet Sophie’s claims of having acted as she had because of jealousy that had vanished upon her own betrothal to Lord Lockwood had rung true.

  What to do? Strangely, she had been thinking less of Lord Courtney than of her mother and father and how disappointed in her they would be. And her only friend, Lady Emily, would also disapprove. Thoughts of Lady Emily brought thoughts of Lord Wakeford to her mind, and Hetty felt certain that if he knew of her plans, Lord Wakeford would not look at her with that familiar smile of amusement on his face, but with a frown of severe disapprobation. The thought was singularly upsetting, and Hetty found herself almost wishing that something would happen to prevent the elopement.

  But all too soon the night arrived and there had been no reprieve. Sophie had engineered the Vauxhall excursion well: Polly was able to deliver notes to Lord Courtney with no one the wiser; Lady Hardwick, who did not like the Gardens because too many commoners were to be seen there, was easily persuaded by her daughter that her chaperonage would not be necessary in a party to consist of Lord Lockwood, Miss Alcock and her brother, and Lord Rutherford; and the weather remained clear. Why was it, Hetty wondered, that when one did not wish anything to go wrong everything did, and when one wished something to go awry nothing did?

  Hetty was very quiet during the ride to the Gardens, but Sophie and Lord Lockwood paid no heed. Hetty wondered what Daisy would think when she did not return. Would the maid be blamed? Sophie had insisted that Daisy not be let into their plans, and Hetty was taking nothing with her but the clothes on her back. But still, Daisy would most likely feel responsible even if she were not blamed for her mistress’s elopement.

  “We have arrived at the Gardens, Hetty, stop woolgathering and get your wits about you,” Sophie’s impatient words interrupted Hetty’s thoughts.

  Hetty adjusted her wrap and descended from the carriage into the famed Gardens, but she was so distraught over the impending elopement that she did not appreciate the beauty of the Gardens in the least, although it was the first time she had seen them. Hetty walked unseeingly along the neat graveled walks lined by trees and high hedges, failing to notice the enticing grottoes, shining white statues, and tinkling cascades, her mind in turmoil.

  Lord Lockwood hired a supper box looking directly onto the Promenade, and when Mr. and Miss Alcock arrived he ordered the powdered beef and wine-laced custards for which the Gardens were famous. The rest of the party ate with relish as they watched the parade of people passing by, but Hetty could barely swallow a thing, so tight had her throat become with nervousness.

  Sophie, who was familiar with Vauxhall, had planned the details of the elopement carefully in order that no one’s suspicions should be raised and had rehearsed Hetty repeatedly. When the Master of the Box came to inform their party that the waterworks were about to begin, a servant came up with a message purportedly from Lady Emily Wakeford, requesting that Hetty join her party for the waterworks.

  Sophie encouraged Hetty to accept the bogus invitation, and Hetty agreed, excusing herself from the others and following the servant. The remainder of the party thought nothing of the incident, knowing that Lady Emily was indeed a friend of Miss Biddle’s. If Lady Emily had caught sight of Hetty in the Gardens, it was natural she would wish to speak with her friend.

  As Hetty followed the servant toward the entrance of the Gardens, her reluctance to go through with the elopement increased. The step was so final. Now that the moment was actually upon her, all her doubts coalesced into the realization that she simply could not do such a thing to her family. She would explain her change of heart to Lord Courtney and beg him to come up with a less drastic plan. Somehow she must make the viscount understand that she could not ruin her reputation and besmirch her family’s by an elopement.

  The servant had reached an entrance to the Gardens and as she passed through Hetty saw a waiting carriage with pulled blinds. The servant opened the carriage door for Hetty and waited for her to enter.

  Hetty put her foot on the bottom step, planning to get in and talk with Lord Courtney, when she was overcome by a premonition and pulled back, standing beside the carriage. Lord Courtney, seeing her hesitation, emerged from the carriage and put his hand on her back.

  “What is the problem, Hetty?” he asked. “Everything is set. We must go immediately so we shall have enough of a head start that no one will be able to overtake us.”

  Hetty wavered at the coaxing voice, but some inner strength kept her firm.

  “No, Lord Courtney, I cannot go through with it. It simply is not proper.”

  “Nonsense, you are only nervous. That is understandable,” Lord Courtney reassured her. He took Hetty by the arm and attempted to draw her toward the carriage steps.

  Hetty baulked at his insistence. “No, Lord Courtney. I have thought it over. Such an extreme solution to our circumstances is not necessary. My aunt cannot force me to marry Lord Satre, and I feel certain my father will allow us to marry once he meets you.”

  “We cannot be certain of that,” the viscount responded impatiently. “What we can be sure of is that your aunt will distort the truth because she wishes you to accept Lord Satre’s suit.” Again Lord Courtney took Hetty’s arm and tried to pull her up the carriage steps.

  “No!” Hetty cried, beginning to feel alarmed at the viscount’s insistence, and trying to pull out of his grasp. This was not the gentle and charming Lord Courtney she had known, but a frightening stranger.

  “Enough nonsense. We have no more time to waste,” Lord Courtney said, a menacing tone entering his voice. He signaled the servant who had led Hetty to the carriage and the servant grasped Hetty’s other arm. Together, they compelled Hetty toward the carriage and began to lift her forcibly up the steps.

  Jules looked around the ballroom with boredom, finding that even the wit of the Beau was palling. He began to wish he had gone with some other friends who had asked him to join a party to Vauxhall. He had refused the invitation and accompanied his sister to the ball, hoping to see Miss Biddle there, but she was nowhere in sight.

  “Wakeford, have you gone deaf?” the Beau inquired languidly. “You have become quite dull of late. If it were not for your impeccable taste in attire, I should refuse to be seen in your company.”

  “My thoughts were elsewhere,” Jules acknowledged.

  “In the country?” the Beau asked shrewdly. “It occurs to me that your abstraction dates from a certain evening that Miss H. B. danced three times with Lord S. However, I must agree with you that the evening is quite dull. I think I shall repair to White’s. Care to join me, Wakeford?”

  “No, if you will excuse me I believe I shall join some friends at Vauxhall,” Jules replied, and, taking his leave of the Beau, departed to find his host and make his departure.

  Knowing that he would be able to get a ride home with his friends, Jules left his carriage for his sister and mother and took a hackney to the Gardens. Jumping out at the entrance on the Vauxhall road, he was paying the driver when he heard raised voices, one of them a woman’s. Glancing in the direction the voices were coming from, he saw what appeared to be an altercation in progress. Thinking that the woman might be in need of assistance but wishing to be sure it was not just an argument between a gentleman and his light-o’-love, Jules approached the figures quietly, staying in the shadows. As he came closer, he realized with shock that the woman was Miss Biddle. As two men attempted to force her into a carriage with pulled blinds, Jules knew he must intervene.

  “I believe Miss Biddle does not desire to accompany you,�
� he said, stepping out of the shadows.

  “This is none of your affair, Wakeford,” snarled Lord Courtney, turning at the sound of Lord Wakeford’s voice but not releasing his hold on Hetty.

  “I am making it my affair, Courtney. It is always a gentleman’s affair when a lady is being forced to do something against her will,” Jules replied calmly, casually pulling his swordstick partway out.

  The servant let go of Hetty’s arm, but Lord Courtney did not.

  “Lady,” he sneered, fury at his plans being thwarted at the last moment making him reckless. “She is no more than a simple squire’s daughter made acceptable by the amount of her fortune, despite its being tainted by trade.”

  Even in the dim light of the lamps Jules could see Miss Biddle shrink at the heartless words.

  “Release Miss Biddle at once,” he said, threat implicit in his voice. Lord Courtney released Hetty’s arm, and she stumbled over to Lord Wakeford, instinctively leaning on his chest.

  “My seconds will call upon you this evening, Courtney,” Lord Wakeford said, goaded to the challenge by Courtney’s callousness.

  “My pleasure,” Lord Courtney replied, giving a mock bow and leaping into the carriage. He shouted an order to the driver, and the carriage raced away.

  Hetty remained against Lord Wakeford’s chest as she watched the carriage and Lord Courtney disappear into the night. Stunned by the happenings of the past few minutes, the import of Lord Wakeford’s last words to Lord Courtney did not penetrate her consciousness. She knew only that she felt secure and safe with Lord Wakeford and that he would never harm her. Lord Wakeford’s left arm encircled her for a moment, pressing her to him reassuringly, and then he stepped back, placing his hands on Hetty’s shoulders to keep her steady.

  “Do you feel composed enough to rejoin your friends Miss Biddle? I presume you did come to Vauxhall with a party? Or would you prefer I make arrangements for you to return home directly?”

  “I shall regain my composure momentarily and be able to rejoin my cousin’s party, Lord Wakeford,” Hetty assured the marquess, making an effort to focus her thoughts.

  She was aware that she had been a great fool, and that those who had warned her that Lord Courtney desired her only for her wealth had been correct. And Sophie would know of her humiliation. Worse, Lord Wakeford had been present to witness it as well. Although if he had not, she realized, shuddering, she would have been forced to go with Lord Courtney against her will. She turned with outward calm to Lord Wakeford.

  “Thank you for your assistance, Lord Wakeford. I am greatly indebted to you. I believe I shall be able to rejoin my cousin now. I came with Sophie, Lord Lockwood, and Mr. and Miss Alcock. They hired a box on the Promenade.”

  “I shall escort you back to them,” Lord Wakeford said, offering his arm and leading her gently back into the Gardens.

  The waterworks were over, and Hetty’s party were back in their box. Sophie looked at Hetty questioningly when she returned in the company of Lord Wakeford, but the others saw nothing strange in Hetty’s return, assuming she had been with Lady Emily and that Lord Wakeford had offered to escort Miss Biddle back to her box.

  Lord Lockwood issued the marquess an invitation to join the party for a glass of punch, which he accepted. Lord Wakeford proceeded to entertain the party with amusing anecdotes, and Hetty guessed that he was exerting himself in order to draw attention from her. After a half hour, Lord Wakeford excused himself, and soon afterward Lord Lockwood broke up their party, stating it was time he took Miss Hardwick and Miss Biddle home.

  When they reached the town house, Hetty retreated to her bedchamber immediately she had thanked Lord Lockwood for his escort and bid him good evening, wanting to be alone. But a few minutes later Sophie entered without knocking, peremptorily ordering Daisy from the room and closing the door behind her.

  “What went wrong?” she demanded. “Why did you return to the box with Lord Wakeford? Was not Lord Courtney waiting as planned?”

  “Yes, he was there,” Hetty replied, and in a flat, unemotional voice she recounted the events of the evening to her cousin. “So you see, he was interested in me only because of my fortune after all,” she finished.

  Sophie’s face reflected rapid changes of emotion as Hetty told her tale. At first she was clearly angry, then unhappy, but by the end of Hetty’s story a stangely smug look spread over her countenance.

  “Do you understand that Lord Wakeford and Lord Courtney are to fight a duel over you? If it gets out, there will be a great scandal,” she said with relish.

  “A duel?” Hetty repeated, looking at her cousin blankly.

  “What did you think having his seconds call upon Lord Courtney meant?”

  A cold fear came over Hetty as the import of Sophie’s words finally penetrated. A duel! Not only were duels outlawed, but one of them might be killed! Although she had been deeply hurt by Lord Courtney’s unkind words, Hetty did not wish him dead, and as for the thought of Lord Wakeford being killed, it was not to be borne.

  “We must stop them,” she cried in great agitation. “What can we do, Sophie?”

  “It is not possible to stop them,” Sophie informed her gleefully. “It is a matter of honor now.”

  “I must go to Lord Wakeford and try,” Hetty insisted, putting on her cloak again and pulling the hood over her head.

  “It is too late at night for you to make a call on the Wakefords,” Sophie objected.

  “I must go anyway,” Hetty insisted, ringing the bell for Daisy. “Lady Emily will see me.”

  Sophie shrugged. “If you insist. I shall wait here until your return,” she said, settling into a chair.

  Hetty and Daisy hurried through the dark streets the few blocks to the Wakeford’s. The footman who answered the door hesitated at first to allow the two women in, but then, recognizing Hetty from her previous calls, he allowed Hetty and Daisy to enter and went to inform Lady Emily of her unusual late-night caller. When the foorman returned he showed Hetty into a small salon off the hall where Lady Emily joined her almost immediately.

  “What is amiss?” Lady Emily asked upon seeing her friend’s distressed face.

  “Lady Emily, you must stop Lord Wakeford. He plans to fight a duel over me,” Hetty cried, and poured out the whole story of the elopement. “Sophie says you cannot stop them, but you must!” she finished in a despairing tone.

  Lady Emily did not make an immediate answer, and Hetty waited in agony.

  “I fear Miss Hardwick is correct,” Lady Emily said at last. “There is no way to prevent the duel from taking place.”

  “But Lord Wakeford might be killed. Could your mother Lady Wakeford stop it, or the authorities?”

  “You do not understand about gentleman and dueling,” Lady Emily explained. “It would do no good to try to stop the duel, for it is a matter of honor. And if Jules were to know his family were aware of the duel, it might only prey on his mind and rob him of his concentration. No, I shall not tell my mother or try to stop the duel, and you must not either. Do not fret,” she added as a tear trickled down Hetty’s cheek, “Jules is an accomplished marksman.”

  “The authorities,” Hetty repeated. “Can you not inform the authorities and have them stop it?”

  “We cannot inform the authorities,” Lady Emily said with finality. “It would not be the thing.”

  Lady Emily’s words did little to reassure Hetty and tears ran faster and faster down her cheeks despite her effort to will them to stop.

  “My brother will not kill Lord Courtney, I feel certain,” Lady Emily reassured Hetty. “And the fact of the duel will be kept quiet. Dueling is outlawed, and those involved will not broadcast their involvement.”

  “I am not worried about my reputation,” Hetty replied impatiently. “It is for Lord Wakeford that I fear. Lord Courtney has shown in his usage of me that he is an unscrupulous person.”

  Lady Emily approached Hetty and placed her hands on her shoulders, speaking to her in a kind but serious man
ner.

  “If you are concerned about my brother, you must do as I ask, Miss Biddle. Return home and say nothing to anyone. I shall send a note as soon as Jules returns from the duel. I would suspect it will be held early in the morning. I cannot find out for certain, for I doubt he will return home until the duel is over. But I promise that as soon as I hear the result, I shall send you word.”

  Although she was still distressed that nothing could be done to stop the duel, Hetty gradually accepted the good sense of Lady Emily’s advice and returned home with Daisy, accompanied by one of the Wakefords’ footmen. Despite the lateness of the hour, she found Sophie still waiting to be told the result of her call.

  “Lady Emily agrees with you that there is nothing that can be done to stop the duel,” Hetty said wearily. “And insists I do nothing to try.”

  “Lady Emily is correct that you should not endeavor to stop the duel,” Sophie said in satisfied tones. “I told you it was a matter of honor.

  “You must only hope no one will hear of it,” Sophie added as she rose from the chair. “To be the cause of a duel would entirely destroy your reputation and no one would ever marry you.”

  Sophie’s parting words had little effect on Hetty, who lay awake the entire night, unable to sleep from fear for the safety of the combatants.

  Chapter Ten

  After leaving Lord Lockwood and the rest of Hetty’s party at Vauxhall, Jules searched for his friends and found them enjoying supper in a Chinese-style kiosk. He was glad to see that Lord Palmer was of the party, for the rules of dueling required that one’s seconds be one’s equal in rank, and Lord Jeffrey Palmer qualified.

  Jules managed to get Lord Palmer aside and put his request to him. Lord Palmer was surprised to find his friend involved in a duel, but readily agreed to act as his second. The two men made their excuses to the rest of the party as soon as they could and repaired to Lord Palmer’s town house. There was a great deal to be done before the duel could take place, and Jules did not wish to return home, where his mother or sister might become suspicious or distract him.