The question surprised her, and Amelia stared at Lady Bowcott, who laughed lightly, then gestured at the pianoforte.
“Oh! Yes. Yes, I quite adore music. Do you play as well?”
“I haven’t much talent for it, but I certainly enjoy partaking in others’ talent.” She laughed again. “I suppose I should have gone to last night’s musicale then. What is the next event you will be attending?”
“I am not sure if—that is, Lord Norwich and I have not yet discussed it.”
Lady Bowcott’s striking blue eyes focused on Amelia as if trying to puzzle something out. Amelia shifted in her seat. “Forgive me if this is presumptuous,” Lady Bowcott said, “but I gather you appreciate a level of frankness?”
Amelia nodded, but her jaw tightened with worry of what the beautiful woman would say next.
“It is only that I find myself curious as to the nature of your relationship with Lord Norwich.”
Amelia stilled, her head tilting slightly to the side. From anyone else, she would assume the unspoken question was an attempt to unearth gossip, but Lady Bowcott did not seem malicious in intent. She even looked marginally abashed by the candid question. A sigh escaped Amelia. Whatwasher relationship with Lord Norwich? Currently, it was only a facade.
“Lady Bowcott—”
“Please, call me Kate. I cannot make such forward questions without allowing you the use of my given name.”
“Kate, then.” The corners of Amelia’s lips lifted, and Kate returned the expression. “I fear I may give you more than you bargained for in frankness, but I’m afraidIdo not even know the nature of my relationship with Lord Norwich.”
Surprisingly, Kate laughed, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Amelia blushed, and Kate held out her free hand placatingly. “I am sorry to laugh. It is only that if you had inquired after my relationship a couple weeks into my engagement with James—Lord Bowcott, that is—I would have said precisely the same thing. Actually, I likely would not have said anything at all, but I would have inwardly held the same sentiment. But I do not wish to presume... perhaps you do not wish to have a deeper relationship with Lord Norwich?”
“I am happy to hear I am not unique in my confusion. And, well, I do not believe I want a relationship. However...” Amelia trailed off and offered a tense smile, unsure how to continue.
“I think I understand,” Kate said. Amelia wondered how she could, though. “Tell me, did you know him at all when you married?”
Amelia ducked her head. “No. We had only met once. Well, twice by the time we married, I suppose. But I knew his reputation.”
Kate looked thoughtful, her fingers tapping lightly against her teacup. “Perhaps you would know better than I, but I admit I have often wondered how accurate Lord Norwich’s reputation might be.”
“Forgive me.” Amelia set her tea down. “Were you not almost engaged to him? Surely you know him well.”
Kate shook her head. “Not at all! I believe we had danced a time or two. I was wholly astonished when I learned he had offered for me.”
“Then why would he propose marriage?” Although, Lord Norwich had said he’d planned to marry this Season anyway. Was that the reason behind his proposal to Lady Bowcott—Kate?
“Lady Norwich—”
“Amelia.”
“Amelia.” Her mouth lifted. “I cannot begin to guess what is in another’s head, but regarding his attempted engagement to me, many have said that he simply wished to attain something no one else was able to.” Amelia’s confusion must have shown on her face because Kate elaborated further. “I did notwantto be married. Ever. And my actions for two Seasons made that clear. But in the end, I had to. You see, my father married me off in an attempt to appease some of his debtors, but I was entirely against the idea. Supposedly, Lord Norwich saw me as a shiny sort of challenge.”
“But you do not think so.” Something in the way the woman gave the explanation made it appear that she did not agree with her own words.
Kate smiled conspiratorially. “No, I do not. I believe Iwasa challenge in a way, but not in the way Society believes.”
At the look on Amelia’s face, Kate spoke again. “I apologize. I am not explaining this well. I will start at the beginning. As I said, my marriage was unorthodox. James and I knew each other before we were engaged, but I did not even know it was he who had secured my hand in marriage until partway into our betrothal. It caused a great deal of trouble, but that is a story for another time.” Kate smiled, and questions jumped to the forefront of Amelia’s mind.
“I did not know who the other gentlemen were who had solicited my father for my hand. When I learned that Lord Norwich had been one of those men, I found myself curious as to why. Why would a man I did not know at all attempt to marry me? For years, all of Society had watched as Lord Norwich fell into scandal after scandal. It was as if he was always leading some poor woman into disrepair every other week.”
Amelia grimaced, but Kate shook her head as if to tell her to wait for the rest of the story.
“He even told me at my wedding ball that he believed any woman would do for him. But,” here Kate paused, focusing intrigued eyes on Amelia, “then I realized something: I have never actuallyseenanything. I have never seen Lord Norwich lend a woman particular attention, nor have I ever spoken to someone who has. He is certainly a flirt and a flatterer, but I have never seen him act in an untoward way at all. All I have heard is the trailing gossip that follows him around.”
With sudden understanding, Amelia saw her husband as possibly innocent of everything except a tendency to offer false compliments and hide behind a shallow mask. “Gossip that is often exaggerated.”
Kate smiled. “Exactly. And I will add, Ihaveheard of a plot or two to entrap him in marriage but never with his knowledge, so far as I am aware.” Kate raised an eyebrow.
