She smiled, taking perverse pleasure in imagining the tall, strapping man standing hatless in the pouring rain.
But a moment later, her resolve weakened. She relented and ran her hands down the sides of her skirt. She had to go to the door. If she didn’t, he would continue to knock until one of the girls heard and let him in.
She strode purposefully to the door and opened it, prepared to do battle again.
“God’s teeth! What in heaven’s name took you so long to get here?”
A beautiful lady with coal black eyes swept past Louisa in a swirl of dark green skirts and a black cape. An older, stocky-built woman with a dour expression on her round face walked in behind her, carrying a traveling satchel.
“First, I have to endure a rainstorm for hours in a leaking carriage that was stuck up to its axles in mud. Then when the roads finally dried out and we get a new carriage, a wheel breaks, delaying us further. Dash it all, I thought I’d never get here, and when I do, what happens? I’m left standing on the stoop to freeze in the chilling rain.” The lady abruptly stopped her tirade and looked at Louisa and asked, “Which room do you have me in?”
Taken aback by the harsh, demanding tone coming from such a lovely lady, Louisa cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but before a sound was uttered the stranger declared, “Never mind. Manny, go look over all the rooms and take the one you think will best suit me. If someone’s things are already in there, move them out. If I’m going to be responsible for half a dozen girls, I’m going to very well be comfortable doing it. Then go out and have the driver bring up my trunks.”
“Yes, madam.”
The lady looked Louisa up and down and promptly said, “Who are you?”
Louisa started to clear her throat again and thought better of it. She had already seen enough to know that she couldn’t show this person any hesitation or weakness. “I am Louisa Prim, and who might you be?”
The woman started taking off her woolen gloves. “Mrs. Ramona Colthrust. I take it you are one of the misses I am to chaperone for the Season.”
Not if I can help it,Louisa wanted to say but answered instead, “My uncle told me to expect you.” Louisa then looked up at the maid who had almost reached the top of the stairs. “Manny,” she called, and the woman stopped and looked down at her. “Mrs. Colthrust’s bedchamber has already been prepared for her. It’s the second door on the right. It’s the largest and the only one with two windows. I think she’ll be very comfortable there.”
Manny cut her eyes around to her mistress. Mrs. Colthrust threw her gloves on the side table and nodded once to the maid before swinging her cape off her shoulders and saying, “Lord Wayebury told me he had turned your financial matters over to the Duke of Drakestone because you haven’t the good sense to force the duke to make good on his promise to marry you. I assume that is still the case.”
Louisa thought, as if anyone could make that man do something he didn’t want to do. “I have no desire to marry him, and I would think anyone would understand my reasons.”
“Well, we don’t. Whatever your reasons are, they are foolish, and I assure you they have no merit. There could never be a reason good enough to refuse a duke’s offer of marriage. But I’ll leave that decision with you, as I am not getting paid enough to worry with such unwise behavior. I shall meet with the duke as soon as possible and advise him what we will need. We must get started right away. There is much to accomplish to get three ladies properly gowned for the Season, and there isn’t much time.”
“Oh, we don’t have to worry about me. I’m not looking to make a match this Season.”
“Ha! Of course you are. You don’t expect Lord Wayebury to be responsible for you for the rest of your life, do you? You need a husband to look after you and the allowance left to you by your brother. Heavens have mercy, he has six of you to marry off.”
Louisa stiffened. “There are five of us, Mrs. Colthrust.”
“Oh, well, yes. But he expects two of you will be married by the time he returns to England. We must get to it.”
Louisa didn’t want to get into telling Mrs. Colthrust about her feelings of being abandoned by her father, her brother, and now her uncle, so she thought it best to just pretend she was looking for a husband, too. Only Louisa had to know that she would never accept the attentions from a man or marry and leave her sisters without the love and attention she gave them.
“Now, I will talk more about this with you at a later time. I must get some rest so that I can see the Duke of Drakestone tomorrow and speak to him about what we need.”
Louisa caught her as she was turning away, saying, “I’ve already spoken with the duke about the things we need for the Season, and he said he would see that we have everything we ask for.”
Mrs. Colthrust whirled back to Louisa. She lifted her bonnet off her head, revealing hair as dark and shiny as a raven’s feathered coat. “You spoke to him? When?”
“Today. A few minutes ago. He said he would be setting up accounts for us in Town and that he would send someone around to see what other things we might want.” Mrs. Colthrust’s eyes darkened. Louisa could see the woman wasn’t going to like it if she wasn’t in complete control.
“Did he?”
“Yes, but I am glad you are here now to take over and handle anything he might have overlooked.”
“Of course,” she said, leaving Louisa no doubt she was miffed. “Since I had carriage problems and was delayed, it’s good you sought him to find out what was going on.”
“Actually, he came here to see us. My sisters and I have been in London almost a week. Perhaps he heard that you were delayed by travel and thought he should stop by.”
“Yes, I’m sure that must be what happened. I can’t blame him for wanting to keep up with the whereabouts and care of you and your five sisters. Every eye in Town will be looking at him and how he handles this.”
“Four,” Louisa said tightly. “I have four sisters.”
