CHAPTER 1
February 1822—Hampton House, Northamptonshire, England
“Be careful with that!” Alice snapped. “I swear if one of my new gowns is ruined by a clumsy footman...”
Observing her cousin give the footman a nod when he hefted the trunk once more, Alice swallowed her frustration as Priscilla turned back to her, lips twitching. “No harm was done, and the last trunk is being brought in now. I think your gowns will be fine,” she said with a small chuckle.
How Priscilla could be amused at such a time was beyond her comprehension. Now remarried, and happily this time, she seemed to have forgotten the anxiety which surrounded a young, eligible woman during the season.
Alice’s entire future was contained within those trunks. No expense had been spared by her father in the creation of her wardrobe for the coming season, and pressure bloomed in her chest whenever she thought about the necessity of ensuring it was money well spent.
Taking in a deep, stuttering breath, Alice stilled and looked up at Hampton House—the estate where she would reside for the next few months until it was time to return to Town for the official start of the season.
This would be Alice’s second season, an occurrence which was causing more than a dash of distress to multiple parties. Not having secured a husband the year before, she was anxious for what might unfold in Town this cycle. While she knew he did not mean to make her uneasy, her father’s desire for her to make a grand match weighed quite heavily upon her shoulders. Her failure to marry last year required extra funds to procure everything necessary for participating in months oftonevents without causing embarrassment due to being poorly turned out.
Aware she was growing maudlin as she gazed at the stone façade before her, Alice reminded herself that even Priscilla—her cousin who was so admired and held in esteem by the family—had also failed in her first season before landing herself a duke. A fact, she thought bitterly, which seemed to be easily forgotten once her cousin had made a second successful, high-profile match last year after falling in love with the Marquess of Hampton.
It was for this second achievement that, just six weeks ago over Christmas celebrations at Hampton House, her father suggested that Priscilla should tutor Alice prior to the season’s commencement. It simply would not do for her to remain unmarried another year.
Alice had been mortified when her father foisted her onto Priscilla without invitation, the implication being that he did not trust her to succeed on her own. But he looked so frail sitting by the fire that evening—deep beneath his blankets—that she could hardly protest when West, Priscilla’s new husband, didn’t balk at an uninvited guest. And after sending a sharp, inquisitive lookAlice’s way and seeing acquiescence, Priscilla readily agreed to the proposal with a nod.
“I’ll take her in hand and make sure she is able to present the best side of herself, don’t you worry, Uncle,” Priscilla said as she tucked Alice’s father even more securely under the rug on his lap.
Alice blushed remembering the exchange, as it seemed her father was not the only one who found her to be lacking in some way, but also the cousin she had always looked up to and admired. That wasn’t to say she was unhappy to be here now, though a bit resentful that others felt it necessary. If it meant peace of mind for her father who had so much else to contend with, Alice was glad to receive Priscilla’s guidance. Father’s increasingly pale countenance of late concerned her, and she was loath to cause him additional stress which could so easily trigger one of his episodes.
Yes, if being here under Priscilla’s tutelage would ease her father’s concerns about her potential for making a well-placed match this season, Alice was more than willing to heed her cousin’s advice.
Following Priscilla into the house at last, Alice tipped her head back, taking in the grand foyer. Alice knew that Priscilla had brought a great deal of wealth into her new marriage as a dowager duchess and that the funds were being used to make much needed improvements to the manor house as well as the greater estate. She was impressed with the changes she noticed, even in the short time that had elapsed since her visit over the holidays. New paper lined the walls, and furniture had been pared back to emphasize the grandeur of the entryway, creating a sense of space and simple elegance.
“I’ve placed you in our best guest suite,” Priscilla said as she began mounting the stairs to the first floor. “The rooms overlookthe gardens, and while the grounds are not much to speak of at present, you still have a wonderful view of the river.”
Alice followed silently until they arrived at the first door on the second landing, the guest suite located centrally between the wings on either side of the Georgian structure. “See, all is well,” Priscilla said as they entered the main room, inclining her head toward the mound of trunks that had been left. “I’ll send Meredith over to assist you in unpacking, we don’t want any of your new dresses to crease.” Alice strongly suspected Priscilla was teasing her due to her earlier upset, as her voice had assumed a false severity at the end of her pronouncement, but she agreed that getting the gowns out of their containers as soon as possible was a good idea and decided to overlook the gentle jab.
Wandering to the large window taking up much of the back wall of the room, Alice peered through aged, slightly wavy glass to the grounds below. It was an impressive view, even if the gardens were in a less-than-desirable state as Priscilla had warned.
Severely overgrown, the picture before her was a tangle of greenery and weeds tumbled far outside their borders onto the pathways and over a patchy lawn. It was hard to find any kind of remaining design or intention in what grew, but there were signs of the beauty that had once been if one looked long enough. Though only the start of February, and with coatings of frost making an appearance most mornings, the earliest and hardiest of spring flowers were just beginning to poke up through the ground. Alice spied a few glimpses of promised color as she looked out toward the water beyond the bounds of the formal yard.
It was a pity the estate had become so run-down, but knowing Priscilla, everything would be set to rights in no time at all. Alice was glad that the marquess had accepted the moneyPriscilla brought into their marriage and was using it to improve the estate. While many men of thetonintentionally married for money, Hampton had expressed his desire to wed for more than just security. Luckily, he’d fallen in love with a woman who also had the means to help him reestablish the Hampton seat once he got over his stubborn pride.
Even though her reason for being at the estate was a bit humiliating, Alice was happy to have these next few months away from Town. She would work as hard as possible to learn from her cousin and see if she could gain the same level of success regarding matrimony. Alice had tried so hard last year to emulate the beautiful Priscilla, who moved effortlessly through society during her own debut, even if it did not come quite so naturally to her. But the forced nature of her mannerisms must have led to her failure, so she would just have to practice her small talk, flattery, and witty remarks until they came out sounding natural—showcasing an ease in society and an ability to fit into any ballroom seamlessly, as any Pembroke should possess.
A scratch sounded at the door, pulling Alice from her thoughts, and she turned to see a maid, presumably Meredith, popping her head through the doorway.
“Lady Hampton sent me over,” she said with a polite curtsy after stepping into the room. “Is now a good time to get you unpacked, miss? I can coordinate with your lady’s maid if you’ll let me know where to find her.”
Alice’s face heated at the mention of a lady’s maid. Having helped run the house alongside their housekeeper since she was sixteen, in the absence of a lady of the house, she was intimately acquainted with the household finances and knew the additional season would make money tight. Her father had expended so much on her new wardrobe that she had felt the need to let her longtime maid go.
Alice had been grieved to lose Jenny after becoming so comfortable with her over the past years, but she had been able to find her a new place in an equally fine household working for the daughters of an earl. She would need to hire a new lady’s maid before the season, but given that it was her fault a second year’s worth of clothing must come from her father’s pocket rather than a husbands, she decided this was an easy way to economize, knowing Priscilla would have someone to assist with her dress in the meantime.
“I have given my lady’s maid a holiday during my time here, so I’m afraid you’ll have to manage on your own.” Alice thought she had managed to sound strong and indifferent in her delivery of the falsehood, but seeing the maid’s eyes grow wide caused her to blush further, undermining her fake bravado.
Trained well, Meredith simply curtsied once more and turned to open the top trunk without commentary, though the lack of attendant had certainly taken her by surprise.
Alice watched the maid for a few moments to make sure she handled the gowns with care—many made of silk with fine overlays and detailed beadwork—until satisfied Meredith knew her trade and would not mishandle or rumple any of the new finery.
Cheeks remaining hot, Alice turned back toward the window and tried to put on an air of indifference, ignoring the sounds of unpacking behind her. Resting her still warm face against the cool glass, she resumed her gaze out at the garden. Closer to the view this time and with her head turned, she could see a larger panoramic slice of the landscape and observed a few men working at the furthest edge of the formal garden, tearing up the ground around them.
The movement caught her eye, and soon Alice was captivated watching the man located nearest to the house raise his tool over his head, gripping it in both hands, before forcefully swingingit back down to loosen a patch of grass. As he repeated the movement, she noticed his shirt clinging to his back with the sweat of his exertion. Startled to notice that the man’s jacket had been removed, she reasoned he’d likely overheated from his labor even though it was a cool day. Through the now-sheer linen, her eyes traced the muscles across his side and back as they rippled like waves with his repetitive motion, up through the smooth arc of his raised arms, then back down to continue working the ground below him. Alice was mesmerized, soon becoming lost in the flow of his swing.
