Any particulargentleman, she meant.
I smiled, hoping it would suffice as an answer, and folded my hands neatly in my lap.
“Perhaps a new topic of conversation is in order, my dear.” Henry gave me an apologetic look. “I believe Hannah does not wish to speak of her visit.”
“How right you are,” I said.
Georgiana frowned and reluctantly conceded the conversation.
“Why don’t we discuss what diversions you want to fill your time with while you’re here,” Papa suggested.
“We actually do not have much time to fill,” Georgiana said.
“Nonsense,” Papa said. “A week is plenty of time.”
Henry straightened. “Unfortunately, we cannot stay that long. We should like to, of course, but the roads are in such poor condition because of all the rain, and so it is probably prudent to depart London early so we can arrive on time.”
“Wemust,” Georgiana corrected, “if we do not want to sleep in the attic with the servants. Captain Bromley runs his parties with the same precision he runs his ship. He has a reputation for rewarding guests who arrive early enough to attend his notorious welcome luncheons with the best rooms.”
“I understand.” Papa smiled, but the sentiment did not reach his eyes.
I felt bad for Papa, but I was not surprised that Georgiana wanted to arrive at the house party early. She loved social events with a ferocity that I could never hope to understand. I often marveled how she seemed to derive energy from the same social events that left me feeling drained.
Henry chewed his lip. “I would have written to you about the change of plans, but my letter would have arrived after we did.”
Papa patted Henry’s knee. “We will make the most of the time you have. How long will you be staying?”
“Two days,” Georgiana answered curtly.
Two days was still one too many, in my opinion, but not for Papa. He’d been anticipating their arrival since reading their letter and had planned more than enough diversions to fill a fortnight. Though he tried not to let his disappointment show, it still bled through.
Georgiana touched my arm. “Perhaps you could play something uplifting on the pianoforte for us, Hannah.”
“I was just thinking how much I missed your playing,sister.”
Georgiana bristled at the term of endearment. It was not very Christian of me, but I took a strange sort of pleasure in her discomfort. Henry had fallen for Georgiana almost as soon as we’d arrived in Bath, but Georgiana had not accepted Henry until after her fifth Season when all her other prospects for marriage had withered, and though she had finally come to accept Henry, she’d never fully accepted the rest of us.
“Perhapsyoucould play?” I suggested. “Papa is tired of my pecking, and besides, you are a better musician than I am.” Georgiana was only barely proficient at the pianoforte, but I played her pride to my advantage.
“How kind of you to say. I would be delighted.”
She chose a fast-moving, scattered piece that was as unwelcome as a nightingale’s song at midnight. The second piece was even more cacophonous, and by the third, I considered holding pillows against my ears.
I glanced at Henry to see if perhaps he could extricate us from the misery, but he was smiling adoringly at his wife. Love was as deaf as it was blind, I supposed. And Papa was no help at all; he only appeared pleased to have a full house again.
When at long last Mrs. Potter announced dinner, I sprang from my seat and followed the scent of roast beef to the kitchen. Henry’s favorite.
Without a footman to assist, Henry pulled out his wife’s chair and helped her settle into her seat. Watching Henry care for his wife felt odd. As a boy, he had been so ill-mannered at the dinner table, chewing with his mouth open, resting his elbows on the table, and even tipping back in his chair so far that he fell over a few times. But he seemed to have matured into quite a refined gentleman.
“Tell me more about this house party,” Papa said to Georgiana.
“Well.” She patted a napkin around her mouth. “Captain Bromley amassed quite a fortune during the war, and now that he is home on half-pay, he apparently means to enjoy it. He has invited some of London’s finest families and planned an endless supply of entertainment. Hannah will have such a diverting time that she won’t want the weekend to end.” Georgiana subtly tipped her head in Papa’s direction.
Worry lines framed Papa’s eyes and scored his forehead. I had been so entrenched in my own heartache that I hadn’t realized I’d been causing him pain too. I had no desire to go to Captain Bromley’s party, but if I stayed home in London, Papa would continue to worry over me. He’d endured enough worry these past few years already. I did not wish to be the cause of any more.
“I daresay I will find it diverting.” I smiled at Georgiana. “Thank you for inviting me to come with you.”
She gave me a subtle nod of approval.
