“Saturday, then,” declared Nerissa. “Do say you will come on Saturday.” She made it sound like a humble petition.
“We would be delighted,” said Portia honestly. She had been feeling so alone, and now it seemed she had a relative and perhaps a friend. Nerissa was so wonderfully warmhearted that it was not surprising that everyone seemed to adore her.
Whatever Bryght Malloren’s motives, she wanted to thank him for this, but when she turned, she found he was already strolling off.
Back to Mrs. Findlayson, it would appear.
Lord Trelyn’s voice jerked her attention away from that elegant green silk back. “And how do you come to know Lord Bryght, Miss St. Claire?”
She turned to him nervously. “He is merely an acquaintance of my brother’s, my lord.”
“Ah.” Lord Trelyn flicked a strange look at Oliver.
Oh, gracious. Would they interpret that as meaning Oliver was a gamester? What would happen when the Trelyns found out Oliver was ruined?
But Nerissa linked arms with her and drew her away from Lord Trelyn. “I feel as if I have gained a sister. We will be Portia and Nerissa at all times.” She chuckled. “Just like in theMerchant of Venice,except that there Nerissa was Portia’s serving maid. We will have to find you a noble Bassanio!”
For the next fifteen minutes or so, Portia was “my dearest cousin.”
Though not much taller than Portia, Nerissa was an overwhelming presence, and Portia could hardly think while drowning in light chatter and rather heavy perfume. When it was time for them to move on she was a little bit relieved.
“Upon my word,” said Oliver, once they were out of earshot. “The Trelyns and the Mallorens in one day. We are moving in the highest circles.”
“Such high living is more likely to cost money than earn it, Oliver.”
“That shows you don’t know how the world works. Those great families have patronage at their fingertips. There are government posts worth hundreds, even thousands a year just waiting to be given, and they are given by people like that. Even if Fort lends me the money to redeem Overstead, there will still be a heavy debt to repay. An extra income of a few hundred a year would help.”
“It certainly would, but you would not have time for extra duties, Oliver. If we do get a mortgage on the estate, all our efforts will have to go into paying it off.”
He waved a careless hand. “Oh Portia, you know I’m no good at that kind of thing. But anyway, these posts don’t actually involve work. One hires someone else to do the job at a fraction of the income.”
She stared at him. “But that’sdishonest!The person doing the work should get the reward.”
He shrugged. “That’s the way of the world.”
In Portia’s opinion, the way of the world was wicked.
But she had another problem teasing at her mind. All the time she had been in Nerissa’s circle something had tickled her memory. It was an elusive reference, but it was as if she knew Nerissa from elsewhere, and yet she was sure they had never met, not even as children.
Suddenly it came to her.
Nerissa’s perfume.
Nerissa’s perfume was very like the one on that letter in Maidenhead.
Surely not.
She glanced at Bryght Malloren, who was kissing the hand of Mrs. Findlayson, widow of a tea merchant, and then at the gold and white Queen of Society, who had a taste for heavy rose perfume….
She shook her head. Assuredly not. Neither of them could be Desiree.
She turned to Oliver, and realized that during her abstraction he had arranged to meet some friends in Watkin’s Coffee House. Her instinct was to protest, but she could hardly keep him tied to her skirts, much though she wished to.
She feared, however, that good fortune was not turning Oliver’s thoughts in the right direction. Quite the contrary.
With a pile of guineas available, and the entree to the highest circles, he was already full of unrealistic plans.
All the way home he talked of rich sinecures and grand entertainments. He had not only put his debt out of mind, but clearly thought he was on the way to wealth and glory. Portia was so distressed by it that she was glad to wave him on his way. When he had gone, however, she discovered he had taken an extra twenty guineas to go with the fifty she had given him last night.
