“Barely a bow, certainly no smile or any indication that he entertained an interest. And then, as we were departing, he approached my uncle and merely nodded. That was all. I thought nothing of it until we arrived home. Then I was told that Mr. Seton-Mowbray was interested in taking me into his protection.”
“You have lived through some interesting times, I see.” Letitia realized her words were an abysmal understatement of matters.
“You have the right of it. Anyway,” Harriet went on, “not to put too fine a point on it, I was sent to his house, unaccompanied, and told to do whatever he wanted. Otherwise they would have me declared insane and committed to Bedlam.”
“My God, could they do that?”
Harriet snorted. “I didn’t want to find out.”
“I can’t blame you. What happened with Mr. Cold Eyes?”
Incredibly, Harriet chuckled. “An apt nomenclature. He was…cold. I stood in his parlour, where only a few candles were burning. He told me to remove my cloak, which I did.” She took a breath. “Then he told me to remove the rest of my clothing.”
Letitia gasped. “And…did you?”
“I got to my chemise and my hands were shaking so much I couldn’t untie anything anymore.” She shrugged. “At that point I was resigned to my fate. He came up to me and tore off the garment, leaving me…” she gulped, “quite bare to his gaze.”
Letitia was speechless.
“He walked around me, Miss Ridlington. I stood there, unclad, while he walked around me. It was as if he was appraising me. A truly awful experience. And do you want to know the worst thing of all?”
Letitia nodded, still at a loss for words.
“He gave me back my chemise and told me to get dressed.”
“Uh…”
“Apparently, I did not suit.” She sighed. “I put my clothes on, and he was decent enough to tell me he would speak with my uncle soon. But he told me that I did not have the makings of the kind of mistress he was looking for. I was too average for his tastes.”
“What on earth kind of tastes are those?” Letitia cried out. “No, wait. I have no wish to know.” She leaned back, stunned at Harriet’s story. “My dear girl, how can I help? You cannot possibly go back to those awful people.”
“They were already seeking another protector for me. I heard them talking a couple of days ago. And that’s when I knew I could not stay any longer. And why I ended up here.”
“A fortuitous meeting, indeed. I shall do all I can to help.” Letitia nodded.
“You are very kind, but I’m not sure I know how such help could be rendered…”
“I’m quite resourceful, Miss Selkirk. Let me put my mind to it.”
“Oh.” Harriet frowned. “Do you know, I have remembered something. I met a lovely young lady at that ball. Her name was Kitty, and I do believe her last name was Ridlington. I just recalled her as I spoke of that night. Is she a relative of yours?”
Letitia grinned. “Oh yes. That’s my sister, Kitty. Actually she’s my half-sister, but that’s another story for another time.”
“I saw Mr. Seton-Mowbray talking to her. I think they might have danced. He is quite impressive for his height alone, a noticeable presence in a ballroom.”
“I think it most likely they danced,” said Letitia wryly. “Kitty is a wonderful sister, indeed, but made no secret of her desire to travel to London and join in what she viewed as the revelries and fun of the Ton. If he was attractive and noticeable, she’ll have definitely danced with him.”
“And you have no such desire, Miss Ridlington, if you’ll forgive the personal nature of the question…?”
“Goodness no. I have other plans.” She glanced at the clock. “One of which may be about to come to fruition.” She rose, as did Harriet. “As far as your dire situation is concerned, an idea will come to me, I know, but I must take care of my meeting first. Will you wait for me to conclude my business?”
“Of course.” Harriet looked relieved. “I confess it is welcome to have someone tell me what to do, and to be able to answer in the positive for a change.”
“Excellent.” Letitia heard voices outside. “I must go. My meeting is in the snug. It shouldn’t be more than a half an hour or so, I expect. So we’ll meet down here afterward.” She gave a little wave and left the parlour, her mind busy with ideas.
She had indeed passed an interesting hour with Miss Harriet Selkirk. Now she was about to pass another hour or so with Mr. Lionel Lesley, Owner, Lesley and Sons Publishers.
The man who held Letitia’s future in his hands.
