Morgan laughed. “Be glad to when the time comes, but for now I’m having too much fun on earth.”
“With a dowager duchess in Town, I’m sure Henrietta will want to invite her to tea. It’s the proper thing for her to do.”
“By all means,” Race said with a confident smile and relaxed into the settee.
He wasn’t worried about Susannah meeting Blake’s wife, the Duchess of Blakewell. He had the feeling Henrietta wouldn’t get any more information out of the duchess than he had.
Seven
My Grandson Alexander,
I was reading one of Lord Chesterfield’s letters today and found this extraordinary quote from him. Read this with interest: “He who flatters women most, pleases them best; and they are most in love with him, who they think is the most in love with them. No adulation is too strong for them, no assiduity too great, no simulation of passion too gross; as, on the other hand, the least word or action that can possibly be construed into a slight or contempt is unpardonable and never forgotten.”
Your loving Grandmother,
Lady Elder
Susannah and Mrs. Princeton walked through the front door, laughing.
“I really can’t believe the judgment of that French dressmaker we talked to earlier today,” Susannah said as she took off her black cape. “It did not take me very long to decide that she will not be designing anything for me.”
Mrs. Princeton set her packages on the floor beside her and began taking off her outdoor clothing. “Some ladies go for the more extreme styles of diaphanous fabrics for evening and wide stripes for day.”
“Hmm, and very vivid colors, too, but they are not for me. I prefer simple lines, pastel shades, and basic fabrics. Thankfully, I didn’t have to choose a dressmaker today. I can interview more modistes later in the week. However, I am very pleased about my purchase of the pianoforte,” Susannah said with a smile, untying the ribbons on her straw bonnet. “I can hardly wait for it to be delivered tomorrow.”
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of the shopkeeper, but what will you do with it when we leave? Do you plan to have someone take it to Chapel Gate for you?”
Susannah laid her gloves and reticule on the side table. “Of course not. Why would I, when I have one there? I will leave it here for the owners of this house so others can enjoy it, or,” she added thoughtfully, “perhaps I can find a small church here in London that is in need of a used pianoforte and donate it to them. That might be a nice thing to do, don’t you think?”
“Very nice,” Mrs. Princeton agreed, brushing her wiry gray hair away from her eyes.
“What is important to me right now is that it will give me comfort and pleasure to play in the afternoons. And since the owner of this house has not seen fit to keep a gardener employed on a regular schedule, I think I will look into the possibility of hiring someone.”
“I would be happy to see to that for you.”
“Thank you. It appears I’m going to be staying in London longer than I originally thought,” she said more to herself than to her companion. “So I might as well make this house as pleasing and comfortable as possible.”
“Oh, my, look at this,” Mrs. Princeton said, thumbing through the calling cards that lay on a silver plate on the vestibule table. She looked up at Susannah with a sparkle in her eyes. “You have become popular since we left the house today. You had several callers while we were out. And look, more invitations have arrived. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Susannah pursed her lips and frowned. “I don’t consider that wonderful. You know I was hoping to stay out of the public eye while here.”
Mrs. Princeton chuckled lightly. “How could you do that when you have now been seen in Hyde Park with one of the most popular, most handsome, and most eligible gentlemen in all of London? The marquis was the perfect gentleman for you to be seen with. He is not seen as a gambler or a fortune hunter.”
“What did I tell you about trying to be a matchmaker?” Susannah said with more merriment than she was feeling.
“Not to.”
“That’s right. The eligibility of a gentleman does not matter to me. I am not here to find a husband.”
Mrs. Princeton sighed. “More’s the pity,” she mumbled under her breath and then quickly added, “I see theTimeshas been delivered, too. It’s been two days since you were with the marquis. Do you think perhaps you should look at it and see if you are mentioned in Lord Truefitt’s Society’s Daily Column today?” Mrs. Princeton held out the newsprint for her.
“Do I really want to know the answer to that?”
“Up to you, of course,” Mrs. Princeton said, the twinkle returning to her eyes.
Susannah took theTimes, folded it, and tucked it under her arm without answering her companion. She would decide later if she would read it.
“You have four calling cards, all from ladies, it seems. Obviously someone recognized you when you were in the park a couple of days ago.”
