Diana, page 5
Diana found herself being led away as Lady Alford explained how paying a few pounds a year allowed a member to use the lending library.
“This area contains books to be loaned and I gather here often with my friends to discuss books we’ve read,” Lady Alford said, indicating plush seats.
“Though I won’t be in London beyond the Season, a subscription would be a good idea. Both Thea and I enjoy reading quite a bit,” Diana said, warming to this woman, if not her husband.
“Let’s visit with Mr. Stinch. He can help set up your subscription.”
Within minutes, Diana found herself a member and Lady Alford told her she’d have to join the regular Friday morning reading circle for their next discussion.
“Now, let’s find something for your sister. She was to make her come-out?”
“Yes. Thea is eighteen.”
Lady Alford smiled sweetly. “Then her head is probably full of romance.” The countess pulled a book from the shelf. “This is a new one I’ve already read. Caroline, Lady Mayfield, often lets me preview books before they land on the shelves. The privilege of being friends with the owner of Evie’s.” She handed the book to Diana. “It’s called Emma. It’s about a young woman who meddles in other’s business.” She smiled. “With very interesting results.”
“I think Thea will enjoy it. Thank you, Lady Alford.”
“Rachel tells me it’s your first time in London. The Season can be overwhelming to a newcomer. My best advice is to pace yourself.” She rubbed her belly. “I certainly shall have to this time around.”
“Do you have other children?” Diana asked, knowing full well the woman did.
Her features softened. “I do. And here comes my Rose with her papa now.”
Diana turned and saw a handsome man, as blond as his wife and the young girl he carried in his arms, approaching.
Not the man who’d stared at Diana.
Lady Alford held her arms out and took the girl. “Darling, this is Lady Diana.” She paused. “Rachel didn’t mention your last name.”
“It’s de Wolfe.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Diana,” the earl said. “Leah, love, give Rose back. You shouldn’t be holding her in your condition.”
“I want croons!” Rose demanded.
“She means macaroons,” Lady Alford said. “From the tearoom next door. We were going to go for tea now. Would you care to join us?”
Diana would have enjoyed that—but looming within her was the fact she’d met people who would be at ton events. She remembered her promise to Derek to keep quiet about the twins.
“Perhaps another time, Lady Alford. I have an errand to attend to.”
“Probably a new hat,” Lord Alford said with a smile. “My wife has a mad passion for them, especially when the Season is starting.”
Lady Merrick joined them, holding a baby in her arms, a striking man following her. Drool dribbled along the baby’s chin and Diana remembered how difficult it had been when the twins were teething at the same time.
“Lady Diana, this is Merrick, my husband. Evan, this is Lady Diana de Wolfe, whom I mentioned to you.”
“Ah, Lady Diana.” The marquess eyed her with interest and Diana prickled at the attention, thinking him another philandering husband. “It’s a pleasure to meet my wife’s new acquaintance.”
“Pish-posh, Evan. Lady Diana and I are friends—or we will be. Would you like to have tea with us next door?”
“I’m afraid I can’t,” she repeated. “Lady Alford just asked me and I told her I have an errand I must run.”
“Then why don’t you come for tea tomorrow? Bring your brother. I’d enjoy meeting him as well.”
“I’d be delighted,” Diana replied, liking this woman very much—even if she didn’t like her husband.
“We’ll see you at four then,” Lady Merrick said, handing her son to his father, who wiped the drool from his chin, as she gave Diana their address.
They said their goodbyes and Diana saw the line in front of the duchess was still miles long. She pulled a few books from the circulating library for the twins so they’d have something to read and checked them out with the clerk, also paying for Thea’s novel at the same time. She thought it best to leave the bookstore as soon as possible without her new acquaintances seeing her with two children.
As she entered the play area, she saw a new stranger on the floor with blocks in hand, looking very much like Lady Merrick and Lord Mayfield. She assumed the distinguished-looking man in his early thirties must be the Duke of Everton. She paused next to Miss Smith.
“His Grace does love to play with his children,” the woman murmured.
The duke handed two blocks over and said, “Keep adding them, Finn. Help him, Timothy. Yes, just like that.”
A clerk breezed past them and said, “Your Grace, the duchess said it’s time to take the children for tea so they won’t become grumpy. She said she should be through in another hour.”
The duke pushed to his feet and said, “Mama said it’s teatime.” He scooped a young boy from the lap of a nearby girl. “Thank you for reading to Philip, Jenny. Let’s go have some cakes.”
“But we want to stay and play with Finn and Mena, Papa.”
“Another time, Delia. Come along.” He held a hand out and his daughter took it, while his son followed behind. “Goodbye, Finn. Goodbye, Mena,” called the duke over his shoulder.
“Goodbye, Your Grace,” Finn replied as they left.
The duke nodded to Miss Smith and Diana as he passed.
Diana’s heart pounded. A duke had been playing with her children. She hurried to the twins.
“We need to go home.”
“We made new friends, Mama,” Mena said excitedly. “Delia and Timothy. Their sister sat and read to her brother but they played with us.”
Finn was putting the blocks away and Mena began helping her brother. Diana bent and helped them, asking, “Did you enjoy the story you heard?”
“Yes. Delia’s mama wrote it,” Mena said. “Her mama tells them stories all the time and then she writes down the ones they like and other children get to hear them.”
“That’s lovely, Mena.”
“Can we see them again?” Finn asked. “Their papa played with us and his friend before that. It was fun.”
“We’ll see,” Diana said, wondering who the duke’s handsome friend might have been as she hustled them from the bookstore.
Chapter Five
“Will you stop fidgeting?” Derek asked, grabbing Diana’s hands and pushing them to her lap as the carriage rolled from the drive.
“I can’t help it. I’m nervous.”
“It’s only tea, Diana,” her brother said, his exasperation evident.
“It’s more than tea, Derek,” she explained. “Lady Merrick is a marchioness. Her brothers are the Duke of Everton and the Earl of Mayfield. She’s already seen that we’ve been invited to a few events. How many invitations have you landed us?”
He flushed. “One. From Whitby’s parents.” He paused. “It’s just that the people I know know about you, Diana. They know your story. Or think they do,” he said unhappily.
“It’s just as I thought,” she said miserably. “This is all a waste of time, bringing me to London and trying to find me a husband. You might as well turn the carriage around. Once Lord and Lady Merrick learn who I am, they will rescind their invitation—and urge their friends to do the same.”
“No,” he said firmly. “We’re going to tea. You never know who will be there. What might come of it.”
But she knew. Word of her scandalous behavior would spread like wildfire through London’s elite.
Derek squeezed her fingers. “We’ve got to try, Diana. I know how hard these last few years have been.”
“Do you really, Derek?” she asked, her eyes meeting his. “I would never have guessed after having grown up at Esterley. I woke up and had someone dress me in freshly-laundered clothes, never thinking of the labor that went into washing, drying, and ironing them. I blithely went downstairs and took food from the sideboard, not realizing someone had to purchase that food and prepare it. The sheer physical labor almost overwhelmed me—and it never ended. Then the twins came.”
She paused. “I knew nothing about how to raise a child, much less two of them at the same time. What it took to nurse them. Bathe them. Play with them. Our parents never did any of that with us, Derek. I learned, on my own, just what it takes to run a household and raise children. And I would do it all again, no matter how difficult it was, because Finn and Mena are my world. Yes, I’ve been lonely. I missed my family terribly. But I decided you were right. The twins are missing out by not having a father. Hopefully there’ll be at least one man in London who can ignore the scandal I brought down on the House of de Wolfe and take a chance on me. He may be old and bald and fat. I don’t care. As long as he treats Finn and Mena well, I will be happy.”
Derek couldn’t hide his sadness. “What of you, Diana? Your happiness?”
“I don’t matter. That’s one lesson I learned from becoming a mother. I would sacrifice everything to see my children taken care of. Don’t worry, Derek,” she assured him, “I will take the first offer I receive. If I receive any. I can’t afford to be choosy. I hope to find a husband early in the Season and wed quickly.”
The carriage slowed and her throat grew dry. She took a deep, calming breath and allowed Derek to hand her down. They were quickly ushered inside the Merrick townhouse and taken to the drawing room. Diana spied two other couples present besides their hosts, though their backs were turned to the door. Instead, she focused on her hostess.
Lady Merrick greeted her. “It’s so good of you to come, Lady Diana.”
“Thank you for the invitation, my lady. May I introduce you to my brother, the Earl of Reston?”
“Good to meet you, Reston,” Lord Merrick said, shaking hands.
“And this is my brother, the Duke of Everton, and his wife,” Lady Merrick continued.
The duke’s eyes flickered with interest and Diana hoped he didn’t remember where he’d seen her before.
“Your Graces,” she said as she curtseyed to the couple. “I enjoyed your reading at Evie’s yesterday, Your Grace.”
The duchess was even more beautiful up close, with flawless skin and lovely auburn hair. “Thank you, Lady Diana. It’s almost like reading a bedtime story to an army of children. I try out all my tales on my own children before I ever put pen to paper.”
She did know and almost said so, catching herself in time. “I think the adults were as entranced as the children. I certainly was. I plan to collect all of your books.”
“That’s very kind of you, Lady Diana,” the duchess said, her smile warm.
Lady Merrick said, “And here is our wonderful friend, the Earl of Merrifield.”
Diana turned and froze.
It was the stranger from Evie’s Bookstore.
He was devastatingly handsome, his eyes a crystal blue that seemed to penetrate to her very soul. Then she saw the woman next to him, young and with a face and figure that every woman would wish for and every man would admire. Her heart sank.
As the earl took her gloved hand, Diana murmured, “Nice to meet you, Lord Merrifield,” proud the words came out without sounding strained.
“A definite pleasure, Lady Diana,” he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You, too, Lord Reston. This is my sister, Lady Amelia Ward.”
Diana’s head grew light and her fingers tightened on his before she had the sense to release them. “Oh. I see,” she said, sounding foolish to her own ears. “Lady Amelia. It’s certainly nice to meet you.”
“I was eager to be introduced to you, Lady Diana,” the young woman said. “Lady Merrick said such lovely things about you. She mentioned you also have a sister my age.”
“I do. Her name is Thea and she is eighteen.”
“Oh, so am I!” Lady Amelia declared. “Is she making her come-out?”
“I’m afraid not,” Derek said. “Thea broke her leg and cannot participate in the activities of the Season. She will delay her come-out until next year.”
“How awful,” Lady Amelia said. “Does she have friends in London?”
“No,” Diana said, concentrating on Lady Amelia even as she felt the woman’s brother gazing at her. “It’s the first time in London for all of us.”
“Then I must come to see her,” Lady Amelia determined. “She will be lonely with you and Lord Reston gone so much over the next few months. Would you mind?”
“Not at all,” Derek answered. “Thea would appreciate the company.”
“Let’s sit,” Lady Merrick said. “The tea cart has arrived.”
As everyone took a place, Diana found herself seated with Lord Merrifield to her left.
He said, “With it being your first time in London, Lady Diana, there are many things for you to see in the city. I’d be happy to show some of them to you.”
A frisson of pleasure ran through her. “What would you recommend, Lord Merrifield?”
“The parks, to begin with. I’m a great walker and rider and engage in both activities daily.”
Diana smiled. “I love to walk. There’s nothing like being outside with the sun shining on your back and the smell of spring flowers in the air.”
“What about riding?”
She sighed. “I used to ride quite a bit as a girl. I haven’t in several years, though.”
“Then we will remedy that and take you riding in Rotten Row.”
She frowned. “I haven’t a horse, my lord. We are merely renting a townhouse while in London and only brought carriage horses with us.”
“Not to worry. I have several mounts you can choose from.”
“I’d like that.”
“I also enjoy bookstores,” he continued. “I read voraciously and love to give books as presents.”
The Duchess of Everton interjected, “Merrifield is forever bringing books to our children, especially our oldest, Jenny.”
The earl shrugged. “Books make the perfect present, no matter what your age.”
“I was quite impressed with Evie’s Bookstore,” Diana said. “We don’t have anything nearly that large at home.”
“Where is home?” he asked.
“Northumberland,” she said, reluctant to divulge the information but knowing she couldn’t avoid his question.
“I’ve never been that far north,” Lord Merrifield said. “What’s it like?”
“Beautiful but rugged,” she told him. “We live close to the Scottish border. The further south we journeyed, the more sedate the countryside seemed. Where is your country estate?”
He chuckled. “In the south. Merrimore is surrounded by gently sloped hills and more trees than you could imagine. Greenery abounds.”
“Esterley Castle sits high atop a hill. From the top, you can see for miles in any direction, even to the sea. We don’t have nearly the trees you do in the south.”
He looked at her thoughtfully. “I would like to see this rugged land sometime. I suppose it produces a very hardy people.” His gaze lingered, causing her skin to tingle. “Do you consider yourself hardy, my lady?”
“Not in my youth. I’m afraid I was a bit spoiled. Things change, though. I am blessed with robust health and have always had a curious spirit that looked for adventure.”
She wondered why she shared this with him. Somehow, Lord Merrifield inspired confidences. Considering the others around them engaged in separate conversations, she didn’t mind opening up a bit to him.
“I’ve always been inquisitive myself, which is why I’m peppering you with so many questions. I hope you’re not offended, Lady Diana.”
“Far from it. I’d been led to believe those of the ton spoke of little but the weather.”
He chuckled. “That very talk bores me to tears. At a ball, you’re likely to hear nothing except talk of the weather and whether the food or music are good that particular evening. That’s why I relish good conversation and try to associate myself with others who feel the same.” He gave her an appreciative glance. “You’re very interesting, my lady.”
Diana sensed her cheeks warming and raised her teacup to hide her blush.
“If it’s your first time in London, then you must attend the opera. And the theatre. I’m partial to both.”
She didn’t say anything, concentrating on the cake on her plate.
“Would you care to attend either?” he asked, his voice low and seductive.
Diana raised her eyes to meet his. “I would. Properly chaperoned, of course,” she added. Though she was twenty-five, she knew society would expect an unmarried woman in need of one.
Those mesmerizing blue eyes gleamed at her. “I know several.” He turned. “Rachel? Are you interested in attending the opera Thursday evening? Lady Diana has never been. I thought she might enjoy seeing a performance.”
Lady Merrick’s face lit up. “Don Giovanni opens then. Are you extending an invitation to your box, Merrifield?”
“I am. Lady Diana is eager to experience an opera. Mozart would be the best introduction for her.” The earl looked to Derek. “Would you be interested, Lord Reston?”
Derek frowned. “Not in the least, Lord Merrifield. Give me cards or horses instead.”
She glared at her brother. “I will need a chaperone.”
Before he could answer, Lord Merrick said, “We’d be happy to serve in that role, Lady Diana.” He looked to the duke. “Interested in going?”
Everton laughed. “Not a chance. The Season is almost upon us. Catherine and I are trying to spend every available minute with the children.”
It struck her as odd that the duke would give up a social event in order to spend time with his children. Once again, she thought some of these London men highly unusual.
“Seth is only a year old and won’t miss us,” Lady Merrick said. “Especially since the opera starts after his bedtime. Count us in, Merrifield.” She turned to Diana. “You’ll enjoy the opera, I’m sure.”
