“Covent Garden fare?”she’d repeated.“I don’t understand.”
The woman explained in one pithy, brutal sentence, adding that with a face like hers it wouldn’t be long before some rich gentleman would snap her up and she could then earn her living on her back.As she was no doubt used to.
Her cheeks burning, Tessa turned to walk from the room with as much dignity as she could manage.At the door she stopped, her temper rising.
Now she understood why so many agencies had stressed their respectability as they curtly dismissed her: they thought her some kind of courtesan.Or worse.
It was mortifying, not only for the undeserved slur on her character, but because Edgar had implied much the same fate awaited her if she refused to marry Sir Henry Lester.And she’d had enough of it!
She turned back and marched toward the desk.“As a lady I would not deign to acknowledge such a nasty, vulgar and unjustified slight, but then I’m not a lady, am I?According to you I’mCovent Garden fare.In which case—” She picked up the scummy cup of cold tea and threw it over the woman who let out squawks of indignation.
Feeling much better Tessa stalked from the room, but the minute she was back outside, even Billy’s joyous welcome failed to cheer her up.A momentary rebellion, but a pointless result.She was still no closer to finding employment.
Disheartened, she trudged slowly back to Alverleigh House.As she entered the house again by the kitchen entrance, Peverill said, “Lady Gosforth asked to speak with you as soon as you came in, m’lady.She’s in the small sitting room.”
Tessa sighed and, deciding to get it over with, went straight to the small sitting room, leaving Billy to coax a treat out of Cook.There she found Lady Gosforth knitting some small, delicate white garment.The sight surprised her, but she wasn’t going to ask.
The old lady looked up, set her knitting down and eyed Tessa through her lorgnette.“I see today’s efforts have been as successful as yesterday’s,” she said sarcastically.
Tessa shrugged.“These things take time.”
“I wouldn’t know.”She picked up her knitting and resumed it.“But it’s clearly not as easy as you imagined.I suppose next you’ll be advertising yourself in a newspaper.”
“Oh.Good idea,” Tessa said.“Thank you for the suggestion.”
The finely plucked eyebrows flew up.The gnarled old fingers didn’t stop knitting.“It wasnota suggestion.Women of our class donotadvertise themselves in newspapers.”
“Perhaps they don’t.But then, I’m no longer of your class, am I?I will soon be some kind of servant.”
“Pshaw!Ridiculous.Blood is blood, and though your father and elder brother were a disgrace, their ancestry was distinguished and your mother was a lady from an excellent family.”
“Nevertheless, needs must,” Tessa said and left the room.She found Peverill and asked him for some recent newspapers.
“Newspapers, m’lady?For what purpose?”
“To read, of course.”Tessa wasn’t going to tell him her purpose.He was sure to disapprove as much as Lady Gosforth.
She took the newspapers up to her room and examined the advertisements, first to see if anyone was advertising a position that might suit her and, if there was nothing, to draft one advertising herself as a companion.
But to her delight, she found a notice requiring the services of ‘a genteel female to act as a companion to an elderly lady.’It was in Yorkshire, which would be perfect.She knew nobody in Yorkshire and hoped nobody there would know of her background.She wrote a letter of application, describing herself as a widowed lady, sealed and addressed it.
Then sat staring at it.How to post it?It cost money to send letters, and she had not a bean to her name.In any case, she’d always had a husband or Edgar frank her letters to NannyJune.Dare she ask Lord Alverleigh to frank this for her?
#
THE FOLLOWING MORNINGat breakfast, Lady Gosforth almost made Tessa choke on her tea when, out of the blue, she said, “My nephew claims he proposed marriage to you.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”Tessa hid a smile, recalling the fleeting look of shock in his eyes when he realized what he’d done.
The old lady raised her lorgnette.“He says you refused?”
“I did.”She served herself a small portion of scrambled egg and added two spoons of grilled mushrooms.She liked mushrooms.She often used to collect them at Ferndale—she knew just which ones were good—and she and NannyJune would have them on toast for their supper.
“Hmm.”After a moment’s narrow-eyed contemplation, Lady Gosforth asked, “Why?”
“That’s my business.”Tessa took a mouthful of egg.
“A trifle reckless, wouldn’t you say?”
