Cecily divided theportions of bread equally and handed them out to her three friends. Today was the girls’ morning to feed the waterfowl and her turn to bring the food. Being well into the afternoon, the walk along the Serpentine was already quite populated with preening ladies and gallant gentlemen.
Emily held up the bread and a few of the braver ducks waddled toward them. Ignoring them, Rhoda continued looking over Cecily’s shoulder at the very large, black-clad gentleman who hovered off to the side, keeping close watch of Cecily. “Who is…that,and what on earth is that animal with him?” she asked curiously.
Cecily smiled and threw a piece of bread at one of the smaller ducks who was having difficulty wading over to shore. “They,” Cecily said with a grin, “are my bodyguards. The taller one is named Salaam, and the furry one is Chadwick.” And then she let out a bubble of giggles. “Stephen, ah… Mr. Nottingham, has arranged for Salaam to follow me whenever I am away from home. I decided myself to add Chadwick to the team. Mr. Nottingham doesn’t like that Flavion hasn’t afforded me more… protection.”
All three friends gaped at her, ignoring the increasingly voracious ducks to instead stare at their quite-satisfied-looking friend.
“Why, Cecily Nottingham,” Emily said, “is there something you are failing to share with us?”
Cecily raised her shoulders and shrugged. As heady as her night had been, she suddenly didn’t want to share it with anybody — her good friends included. “He is rather kind. He made Flavion apologize to me.” And then, changing the subject, she asked, “How was the ball last night?” Cecily had not been invited. The invitation delivered to Nottinghouse had been addressed solely to the Earl of Kensington. She supposed she could have attended anyway but was growing tired of it all…
“It was livelier than usual,” Emily said while looking rather pointedly at Sophia. “Soph, here, danced three times with Lord Harold!”
At this statement, Sophia blushed rather profusely. Lord Harold Brooks was the second son of a duke, a pleasant fellow but somewhat standoffish.
“Was one of them a waltz?”
Sophia shook her head, causing her blond ringlets to dance about her shoulders. Whenever they fed the ducks, Sophia was kept busy with her little dog, Peaches, who would much have preferred toeatthe ducks. But Sophia never left Peaches at home alone. Today Peaches was equally interested in Chadwick.
After scooping the short-legged little dog up into her arms and shushing her, she tucked the pup’s head under her chin. “Not a waltz, but the first one was the supper dance. And he was very attentive and kind. He made a plate for me with all of my favorite foods. I don’t know how he knew which my favorites were, but he did.”
Such good news heartened Cecily. Sophia needed somebody kind and gentle in her life. Lord Harold seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
“Oh, that’s lovely,” Cecily gushed. “But why aren’t you having an at home with your mother today? What if he were to call on you, and you are away at the park with us?”
Sophia blushed, if possible, even deeper. “He sent me the most beautiful bouquet. In the note, he invited me and my family to attend the theatre with him and his brother and parents in their private box.” Lord Harold’s father was a very powerful and wealthy gentleman. Sophia’s parents must have been in raptures over the possibility of a connection.
“Oh! Thisiscause for celebration!” Cecily felt cheered as she tossed more scraps of bread toward the increasingly ravenous ducks. “So you will not be joining us tonight, I take it?” She teased her friend a little but softened it with an encouraging smile. “Rhoda and Emily, you are still planning on attending with me, aren’t you? Mr. Nottingham said he will escort us if Flavion fails to follow through with his commitment.”
Her friends nodded, but she realized they were not as exuberant as she. “What’s the matter?”
“We missed you last night. Flavion was there, albeit late,” Rhoda said “Were you ill?”
Her husband had told her he was not going to go to the ball that evening. And then he had attended anyway. Cecily bit her lip at this information. “Flave did not return home last night.”
None of the girls met her eyes directly. Instead, they were all suddenly quite distracted by the ducks.
“He was not with Miss Cunnington last night. He danced with Colonel Harris’ daughter,” Emily said in a clipped tone.
“Twice,” Sophia added.
“And then disappeared outside with her,” Rhoda said.
Cecily was not surprised. Or outraged. Or even insulted by his behavior.
He could do whatever he pleased and then go to hades for all she cared.
“They left together,” Emily said. “Your husband snuck out of a ball with one of the Season’s incomparables, and then neither of them returned. Everyone is talking about it. The colonel was livid.”
Cecily tossed her last chunk of bread to the rather large duck that had nudged at her skirts a few times already. “Well then,” was all she could come up with. Did Flavion have a death wish? “Perhaps, Emily,” she said, “we won’t have to kill him, after all.”
And then feeling as though they weren’t as alone as she had thought, she looked over her shoulder and caught the piercing glare of Miss Daphne Cunnington.
Poor Miss Cunnington.
The lady seemed to have come to some sort of a decision and began walking purposefully toward Cecily. As she drew near, she glanced hesitantly over at Salaam and Chadwick but trudged forward nonetheless. Brave girl, Cecily thought, brushing the crumbs from her hands and turning a smiling face toward her husband’s lover.
Peaches yelped twice at Miss Cunnington, but Sophia quickly shushed her again— not the lady, the dog. “No barking, Peaches,”
