She really was a magnificent woman.
*
Livy
It did nottake Pa long to share his story about the Sanderson brothers with Aunt Ginny. Papa had taken a house in the same street as the Marple London residence, and Aunt Ginny walked across the street the following morning.
Livy and Cilla, who were sitting on the terrace enjoying a cup of tea in the spring sunshine, could hear Papa leading her into the parlor just one open window away from them.
“Before I send for my daughters, Virginia, I have something to say. We met two young men at one of our stops on the way to London. They apparently encountered Lucilla and Olivia in Marplestead, and they wish to pursue their interest.”
Cilla made to get up, presumably to either remove herself or to let Pa know he had an audience. Livy frowned at her and gestured for her to sit again and be quiet.
“Really, Horace?” said Aunt Ginny. “How charming. Who are they?”
“Mandrake and Wolfbane Sanderson. Their father was Sanderson Medicinals. Apparently their older brother is at the helm now.”
Aunt Ginny commented, “Young Drake and his half-brother, Bane. Merchants, at best. Cilla can do better, Horace. Livy, too.She is a fine-looking woman, and some men prefer women who are a little older.”
“Sanderson Medicinals,” Pa repeated. “There’s money there, Virginia.”
“The eldest brother got it all, unfortunately. Not that the younger sons are destitute. Rumor has it that, after his daughter married, Old Mr. Sanderson gave them both a sum of money and told them to make their own way. They are both good boys, and they certainly haven’t been wasting their money in riotous living. I daresay they are living on the interest.”
“It bears looking into,” Pa said. “Cilla’s young to be thinking of marriage, and need not feel pressured to make any choices, but I’d like to see Livy settled, and that is a fact. If Bane Sanderson has money, he might do for Livy.”
“He is not a real Sanderson,” Aunt Ginny said, and Livy could hear the sneer in the word “real”. “He is George Sanderson’s son, right enough, but no one knows who his mother was. George Sanderson brought him home and made Ethel—Ethel was his third wife, his daughter Larkspur’s mother—made her give him houseroom. The boy was very sick, and not expected to live, and by the time it was clear he would recover, Drake had taken to him. He would not hear of Bane being sent away.”
“A by-blow, eh? He looks quite different from the other lad,” Pa commented.
“Yes. The other two brothers have the look of their father, but Bane must take after his mother’s family, for he is altogether larger, and his coloring is quite different. In any case, Drake and Bane have been inseparable ever since, and it is quite true that George Sanderson never made a difference between the boys. Ethel hated Bane, though, and the eldest brother didn’t like him, either.”
“He appears well spoken enough,” Pa commented.
“He is well-educated, it is true,” Aunt Ginny acknowledged. “I see no harm in him. He has the manners of a gentleman, is a hard worker, and is of sober habits. But as a husband for my niece? Setting aside the ugly scars and the mismatched eyes, he is illegitimate, Horace. One cannot get past it.”
“He plans to call, he and his brother. Will you deny him the house?”
Livy almost objected. How unfair, to hold his father’s sins against the poor man! She opened her mouth but Cilla put a hand on hers and touched her mouth with her forefinger, turning the tables neatly. Livy subsided. Cilla was correct. They would look very much in the wrong if she spoke up now, after listening to the conversation so far.
Aunt Ginny, who had been silent for several seconds, spoke decisively. “No, I think not. I have a soft spot for both lads, and whatever they are doing in London, it might harm their chances to be turned away. No one needs to know about Bane’s tarnished birth, Horace. And if he shows an interest in Livy, then perhaps other men will do likewise. It would be a different story if he was enamored of Cilla. She has a soft heart, and might be inclined to encourage him.”
“I see what you mean,” Pa commented. “Livy is determined not to marry, so he may court her and do no harm. And perhaps some good, as you say. Men want what other men want, and he seems to be the type others will emulate in spite of his faults.”
“I will have a word with Livy,” Aunt Ginny said. “It would be best if she understands that Bane Sanderson is not eligible. On the whole, I am not displeased about this. Not displeased at all. I must send the brothers an invitation to the debut ball.”
“If you think it best, Virginia,” Pa said. “You know much more about these things than I.”
“Mind you, it will do no good for them to call in the next week,” Aunt Ginny mused. “Oh, Horace, the girls and I are goingto have so much fun! Now, I have written out the budget you asked for, and I have made an appointment with my modiste for this afternoon. My daughters have a fitting for the gowns we have ordered, and it will be a good opportunity to make a start on a wardrobe for Cilla and Livy.”
“One more thing, Virginia,” said Pa. “I will stand the ready for the season, but I shall not have any rumors about you and Viscount Curston.”
“Horace!” Aunt Ginny’s voice was accusing. “Someone has been filling your ears with lies! I am a perfectly proper widow.”
“That may be, by the standards of the upper sort. But I don’t want my daughters thinking that kind of behavior is acceptable.”
“I have done nothing of which I ought to be ashamed,” Aunt Ginny insisted. “A lady is entitled to some fun after her husband dies, Horace. That does not apply to this year, however. I am bringing my daughters out this year, and your nieces, too. What is acceptable for a widow is not acceptable for a mother of marriageable daughters. I shall be a pattern of rectitude, I assure you.”
Pa made a harumphing sound, then said, “Let me look at these figures, then, Virginia.”
