Elizabeth sighed. She thought of Mist, eating her head off in Lord Godmanchester’s stable, and resented her enforced seclusion.
‘Will you be wearing the sprigged muslin this morning, miss?’ repeated the maid, seeing her in a brown study.
‘The … Oh yes, please, Ditcham. I do not intend going shopping this morning, unless Miss Amelia is set upon it, and if we do, then the mulberry spencer will suffice with it.’
‘And tonight?’
‘The pale lemon silk with the silver trimming, if you please. I will wear Mama’s diamonds with it, for the occasion, the grande parure.’
When she came down to breakfast, her uncle was finishing his repast. He had clearly enjoyed a hearty meal and the servants were clearing a plate showing signs of cold beef, and slices of a fine York ham. The ladies of the household ate far more sparingly, and Lady Chalford frequently shook her head at her spouse’s adherence to what he termed ‘setting up for the day’. He rose at her entrance, beaming,185and came forward to envelop her in an avuncular hug.
‘My favourite niece. My sincere felicitations, my dear. Iwas hoping you would come down early, so I lingered over breakfast.’
She smiled at him, and her eyes twinkled. ‘I do hope that this lingering did not lead you to overindulge, Uncle. I am sure I have heard my aunt say that if you ate too much she would put you upon a restricting diet.’
‘Your aunt, bless her, fusses too much. A man needs to keep his strength up.’
‘Indeed, sir.’
‘Minx.’ He patted her cheek, and then took a package from the seat of the chair beside him. ‘Upon the occasion of your coming of age, my dear.’
He handed her the slim parcel. She unwrapped it carefully. Within a case with the name of Phillips, New Bond Street inside it, lay a delicate necklace of topaz stones, and a matching bracelet.
‘Oh, Uncle William, they are beautiful. Thank you.’ She hugged him. ‘I was going to wear Mama’s diamonds tonight, but I can …’
‘Oh no, my dear, tonight is just the night for your poor dear mother’s jewels. I shall not be offended, I assure you.’ He planted a kiss upon her cheek. ‘You are a good girl, Elizabeth, and I am as proud of you as your father would have been. Now, before I get maudlin, I will be off.’
He left her in solitary state, but it was not long before Amelia peeped round the door, gave a giggle and rushed to embrace her.
‘Happy birthday, my dearest, dearest cousin.’
186‘I am your only cousin, to my knowledge, barring those awful connections of your mama, who descended upon us last summer, and they were second cousins, I am sure.’ She grinned.
‘Well, you would still be my dearest cousin if I had a positive regiment of them,’ declared Amelia. ‘And I have a present for you.’
‘Not one of those knotted purses you made for Aunt Risborough last year, I hope.’
‘No such thing.’ Amelia giggled. ‘So wait here.’
She rang the bell, and Ribston, clearly primed, entered with a soft package upon a salver. Beaming in a positively paternal fashion at Elizabeth, he held the tray so that Amelia might take the parcel and hand it to her cousin.
‘What is it?’
‘Open it and find out, go on.’
Untying the ribbon and folding back the tissue paper revealed a scarf of ecru ribbon lace.
‘Oh Amelia, just such a one as we saw at Grafton House. You clever puss, that is just the thing.’ She hugged the blushing Amelia.
‘I was, of course, tempted by a book of verse, but in the end …’
‘Wretch!’
‘Perhaps I could do as well as Mr Escott? Let me see. Um, “Cousin fair, I want to say, On this, your very special day, I hope your hours are filled with joy, And” … Oops, what rhymes with that besides “boy” and “toy”?’
‘Coy?’ suggested Elizabeth, failing to keep a straight face.
187‘But none of them fit,’ bemoaned Amelia, with an exaggerated pout.
