Mrs. Princeton inhaled deeply and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked directly at Susannah and said, “Should you ever decide to relinquish your title as duchess and marry, it would be your duty to marry well. The marquis would certainly be a suitable gentleman for you. He may behave rashly on occasion, as evidenced by this morning, but I believe that is because he is a man of great passion. I have heard talk about him at the parties. I don’t believe he is a fortune hunter, a gambler, or a wastrel. You could do much worse.”
Mrs. Princeton’s emotional flare-up faded as quickly as it had appeared, and she returned to her composed, rigid self. She was letting Susannah know that she was aware that the marquis had spent the night in Susannah’s bed.
“I don’t know that I will ever remarry, Mrs. Princeton. Fate has not been kind to me concerning men. However, I will take your kind words to heart and think on them.”
Mrs. Princeton nodded. “I am available to aid you however you need me.”
Susannah smiled gratefully. “Good. Now tell me, what is it that you were looking at when I came in?”
Mrs. Princeton walked over to the desk and picked up several cards and held them out to Susannah. “All these are invitations. Most of these are requests for you to attend parties, balls, and teas. You’ve had fifteen invitations arrive just this morning.”
“That many?”
“There are always a lot of parties near the end of the Season. And it seems most everyone wants you in attendance. It makes them feel quite popular to have a duchess honor them with an appearance.”
“I suppose you are right. Tell me, did I receive a letter from my mother?” Susannah asked hopefully.
“No, Your Grace.”
Susannah cleared her throat. “Well, maybe tomorrow. Are there any invitations for tonight?”
“Three.”
“Marvelous. While I wait for the carriage to arrive, I’ll look at them and decide which one I want to attend.”
“Do you mind if I ask where we are going this morning?”
Susannah folded her arms across her chest. “I’m going quite improperly to see a gentleman. You will of course go with me, but I must speak to the man alone.”
“I understand. I’ll get our capes, gloves, and bonnets while you look over the invitations, so we’ll be ready when the carriage arrives.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Princeton, for everything.”
The older woman smiled shyly and hurried away.
Thirteen
My Dearest Grandson Alexander,
Think on these true words from Lord Chesterfield: “To be heard with success, you must be heard with pleasure.”
Your loving Grandmother,
Lady Elder
An hour later, Susannah and Mrs. Princeton stood in front of Sir Randolph Gibson’s door.
A well-dressed butler answered. “Yes?” he questioned with his nose so high in the air he had to look down on Susannah, though he wasn’t any taller than she.
“I am the Dowager Duchess of Blooming, and I’m here to see Sir Randolph. If he is at home, I would be pleased if he could give me a few minutes of his time.”
The butler snapped to attention and blinked rapidly. It was almost comical at how instantly his attitude changed when he heard she was a duchess.
He swept a low bow and said, “Forgive me, Your Grace. Please come in. Sir Randolph is at home, and I’ll check at once to see if he might be available.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sure Sir Randolph would want me to offer you tea or chocolate while you wait,” the butler said as they walked into the exotically furnished drawing room.
