Page 58 of The Gentlewoman Companion

At last, the carriage stopped in front of a building embellished with the words Lewis Hendrie Perfumer. The window displayed cut glass bottles, lotions, soaps, and powders. Lady Halverton looked at Louisa, and they both grinned.

The shop’s interior, equally crowded by men and women, opened to a towering expanse of shelves and tables piled high with every conceivable object necessary—or not—for one’s toilette. Most items were recognizable, but others required some imagination.

A young gentleman dressed in black emerged from behind a pile of hair powder. Pale-eyed, with unruly blond curls, he dressed with unassuming care, smiled a lot, and held himself with careless grace.

“Lady Halverton?” the man said.

“Hugh? Mr. Morden? How delightful to find you in London!” Lady Halverton opened her arms to the young man, who hesitated at the sight of her enthusiastic greeting. Lady Halverton took him by the hands. “It must be four years at least since you visited Lundbrooke. Look at you! A dashing man, yet I still remember you darting through the house with muddied boots and leaves in your hair. How long have you been home?”

“Only a few weeks. Is James in town? I returned in a hurry and haven’t had time to write. He must think me ill-mannered or lost in the Alps.”

“We arrived with him only a few days ago. But why the rushed return to England? Is anything amiss?”

Mr. Morden fingered a mourning band. “Not at all. That is, I suppose, yes. A distant relative of mine died, which is regrettable; but it seems I unwittingly charmed him when I was but six years old. He left me his property, so I’ve returned.”

Mr. Morden’s eyes fell to Louisa. “Pardon me,” the countess said. “I was so surprised at seeing you, I forgot my manners.” She turned to Louisa. “This young man came to Lundbrooke on too many school holidays to count. Mr. Morden, allow me to introduce Miss Louisa Thorpe, my dear friend. Mr. Morden is James’s⁠—”

“Brother in all but name. We met at school, then travelled a great deal together.”

Louisa curtsied. “Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Morden. I am sorry about your relative, especially as your mourning will prevent us from seeing you at balls and parties.”

He fingered the mourning band. “My great uncle had no close family; I’ll not offend anyone if I discard my mourning early. I am planning to fully engage once Parliament convenes.”

Lady Halverton nodded in understanding. “You must dine with us this evening.”

“Thank you. James will be pleased to know I am still living. Delighted to meet you, Miss Thorpe. Hmm, Thorpe…a familiar name but I can’t think why. No matter. Until this evening.”

Louisa watched him smile and tip his hat to anyone who caught his eye as he made his way out the door. Mr. Morden’s sudden appearance interested her; when Lord Halverton had interacted with his neighborhood acquaintances at the card party, he had seemed somewhat distant and unfamiliar. It should be amusing to watch Lord Halverton interact with a close friend.

“Mr. Morden is very different from Lord Halverton,” Louisa said. “They’ve known one another since school?”

“Yes, Mr. Morden made a perfect companion for James. Hugh is a second son and not encumbered with the idea that he must obtain all knowledge to become a competent earl. I am very pleased Hugh has acquired an estate.”

They returned to the task at hand. And with what satisfaction did Louisa help Lady Halverton exhaust the contents of the perfumery! They debated the merits of creams, tinctures, perfumes, powders, patches, and soaps until Lady Halverton’s purchase pile was large enough to require two crates. By the time they made their way to the carriage, seven varieties of powder streaked across Louisa’s arm, and the two women smelled like a still room.

“As soon as we’ve attended a few ourselves, we will hold a salon.” Lady Halverton pulled out a fan and waved it aggressively. “I wish these windows opened. But we have an invitation to Lady Montparnasse and Mrs. Blake’s next week.”

“Will it be so different from the literary breakfasts?”

“Vastly. We are in London with access to the most learned and intelligent society. Lady Montparnasse wrote me a list of her attendees. Louisa! I almost fail to comprehend a room replete with so many of England’s renowned.”

How strange to hear her lady expressing anxieties similar to her own. “You are one of them and can enter anywhere you choose.”

“I suppose, but…it has been so long.” Lady Halverton became contemplative and watched out the window.

Louisa followed her example and soaked in the bustling metropolis, throngs of people intently making their way across the city. Her eyes caught on the familiar gait of a young man walking in their direction. She watched him as the carriage approached. He looked up. Charles.

She gasped and pulled back from the window.

“What is it, dear?” Lady Halverton’s brows were drawn, and she made use of her fan to cool Louisa, who knew herself be turning red from the heat that crept into her cheeks.

“Nothing at all.” She could not explain why seeing her brother was so upsetting without divulging the man’s awful nature or her own Great Misjudgment.

“It seems like something. Is there anything you wish to discuss?”

Louisa ran her hand down the front of her gown until a finger snagged on a bow, which she began to twist. It was one thing to receive Charles’s letters. It was quite another to see his loathsome face traipsing along a London road, visible evidence of her precarious situation. What could she do to rid herself of him? Suggest he enlist in the navy? He was too lazy. Find him a rich wife? No one would have him.

“If ever you wish to tell me something,” Lady Halverton said, “I am an understanding listener.”