‘Oh, do not worry. I am not cut up about it, notnowat least.’ She smiled at me genially and settled back against the edge of the pool. ‘In fact, it is rather a reliefnotto have Dory’s attention this Season.’
Dory?It was very intimate to call him that! I sucked in a breath that reeked of sulphur and let it out slowly, wondering if I dared to ask my question and how she should react. ‘Ah, were you and Mr Hart close?’ I said carefully.
Cecilia glanced at her friends and whispered to me, ‘Let us leave Lottie and Sukey to their gossip and take a little swim over here.’
She breaststroked away from her friends, saying she would be back shortly, and headed to the opposite corner of the pool. I had no choice but to dog-paddle after her with my bowl banging against my chin. Besides, my curiosity was burning. Here was a chance to find out more about her relationship with Mr Hart.
‘So what do you know already?’ she asked in a low voicewhen we were at the foot of a pillar. We were safely out of earshot of her friends, but I assumed she did not want to take any risks.
‘Only two things, but each contradicts the other. Your mother told Elizabeth at the ball we attended that Mr Hart was an “appalling scoundrel” and we should have nothing to do with him. And then the day after, he called unexpectedly. And my niece, Jane, and Elizabeth went off with him to Sally Lunn’s. Whilst there, they were informed that your mother cruelly separated “a couple in love”. His story was backed up by his friend Mr Smith-Withers and believed entirely by my niece and my friends. Now I am confused, both to Mr Hart’s nature and his intentions.’
‘I do not doubt it,’ said Cecilia with a rueful smile. ‘But can I tell you my own side of the story? I do not wish to keep you from your party, but I promise it is not too long-winded a tale, and you look like you would lend a sympathetic ear.’
‘Very well.’
She closed her large blue eyes briefly, as if gathering her thoughts, then said, ‘As you may have noticed, Dory is a remarkably handsome man.’
There was no point disagreeing. ‘He is indeed.’
‘So you can imagine how even a small amount of attention paid by a man that handsome might beoverwhelming.’
I nodded. Even the mere crumbs Mr Hart had paid me at the ball had made my brain whirl until I had regained my good senses. A young woman with far less experience than I would be caught off guard.
‘I understand.’
‘But he singled me out from all the other young ladies. And well, it made me feel special, and I was charmed ... No, that is not even the right word ... I wasdazzledby him. I could think of no other but him from morning to night. And if my day did not have him in it, then, oh, it felt as if I should shrivel up and die. Until he called upon me the next day, and miracle of miracles, I was instantly restored. He was like a drug. Have you ever taken opium, Mrs Fitzroy?’
‘Oh, er, no. I cannot say I have,’ I said, a bit taken aback. ‘But I did eat four slices of poppy seed cake at an afternoon tea party once. The next day, I felt very poorly.’
Cecilia nodded eagerly. ‘Exactly. Being around him was like being presented with a delectable poppy seed cake. I could not just take one slice.’
‘What are you trying to say, Miss Spencer?’
‘Ceci please.’
‘Very well ... Ceci.’
She leaned closer to me. ‘You will think me base saying this, but my passions were inflamed by him. He is the kindof man who inflames one’s passions. Don’t you think, Mrs Fitzroy?’
‘Please, call me Felicity,’ I said, ignoring her question about Mr Hart inflaming one’s passions. ‘So then it is true ... that your mother happened to come across you kissing in the parlour? And as she is a strict Anglican, she banned him from seeing you?’
An expression of surprise crossed Cecilia’s features. ‘Is that what he’s been saying?’
‘Yes.’
She stared at me blankly for a moment, then let out a snort of laughter. Glancing over at her friends, she grabbed her scented handkerchief from her bowl and pressed it against her mouth and giggled into it. When she had recovered, she took a deep shuddering breath and said weakly, ‘Oh, how funny, yet howkindof him to protect me.’
By this time, I was growing impatient and overheating in the water and tired of her talking in circles. ‘Ceci, please, will you speak plainly? I am a married woman, after all.’
‘Very well, Felicity, if you want the plain truth. My mother did catch Dory and me together one afternoon, but we weren’t in the parlour—we were in my bed. And we were doing much more than kissing, as you might imagine,’ said the girl, lowering her eyes.
Good gracious,I was not expecting that! A throb of heat raced through my body, and it was not because of the temperature of the water. A sordid image ofDorylying naked on top ofCecihad flashed into my brain.
‘What on earth!’ I gasped, my pruney fingers flying to my mouth.
Ceci nodded solemnly. ‘It is true and why I cannot tell my friends about it as they are apt to gossip. If word gets out, I would be ruined. But I feel that I can trust you on this matter as you have your niece’s best interests at heart. And you won’t tell anyone, will you, Felicity?’ she said beseechingly.
‘Of course not,’ I said before I knew what I was agreeing to. In truth, I was stunned by what she had said.
