She had read about something exactly like it in one of her very favorite books. The heroine had to find a way to convince her father's friend from trying to marry her and she ran from a ball into a lake in her very best finery and swam right out to the very middle where she stayed until everyone had seen her wet and disheveled.
Everything on the list was from a book. The people she wanted to be like lived between pages and it was her own tiny little victory to emulate them in some small way. She might not be witty or able to hold some delightfully clever conversation, but she could dance in the rain like the gothic heroine fromA Cursed Italian Heart. Admittedly said lady had lost her mind, but it was a scene that had stuck with her.
Louisa paused and looked around, completely lost. Which waywasshegoing?
"My dear, you must take this to yourgrave. No one caneverfind out that I told you this!"
The voice cut through the silence and Louisa stopped still, her breath catching and her heart beating fast in her chest. There were footsteps coming her way and there was absolutely no chance she would be able to convince strangers that she was going about perfectly normal business.
Louisa knew better. Her face always gave her away the second that she tried to lie.
In a moment she had darted into an adjoining room and settled herself on the sill of the window, closing the heavy draperies in front of her. All she needed was to wait for the two to pass on, they were clearly having quite the salacious conversation so they would naturally be looking for a private space of their own. Then she could resume her quest for the lake and the second to last item on her list.
The door creaked open and she heard voices, people entering the quiet little office area.
"This will do," the same woman said, her voice low and delightedly scandalized. "Pull me out a chair, my dear, please. I am tired beyond imagination from all the excitement. You must sit with me and I shall tell all, but do remember that I never told you so."
"Of course, of course," another woman said, breathy and eager. Chairs moved and creaked as the two ladies settled themselves."I am all aquiver, Annabelle. Whatever could it be that has affected you so?"
"Oh you know how frail my nerves are, it is a wonder that I am ever out of Bath I am sure."
"You are an angel, you strive so hard against all your troubles," the breathy lady said, sounding a little bit impatient. "I am sure that I do not know how it is that you do it, but please. Your news!"
Louisa could feel her stomach tightening. It was the worst kind of gossip, the kind of rancid salacious stuff that made her feel a little ill, and worst of all it was not meant for her ears. But what could she do? She could hardly tell the women that she was hiding in the room so that she could go swim in the lake without anyone noticing. It was too late to reveal herself now.
"Of course," Annabelle said, far too eager to share her tale to be put out by being hurried. "You know of Lady Bettie Beaumont?"
"The fiancée to the Earl of St Vincent?" her friend asked, delighted already. "Of course I know her. She was the diamond of her season, was she not? And he is well known for being one of the most charming men in London!"
"Oh my dear you have no idea! He is such a delightful gentleman, and so handsome too! But I am distracted, I was calling on Lady Bettie the other day you see, and she happened to confide in me quite the little secret. Perhaps even ababysecret, one might say."
"My word! They are pregnant and before the wedding?" the friend sounded a little disappointed. "That is hardly done but I suppose should they marry fast they will hardly be found out."
"Oh no, no that is not it! Oh my dear, I did vow so very devoutly not to tell a soul about this, but you are my dearest friend…"
The two ladies giggled together. Louisa wondered if she would be able to open and jump out of the window without drawing attention. It would be far more pleasant than sitting in a room listening to any more of this gossip. Surely the fall would not be far, and it was grass which would soften the noise.
She had her hand on the latch when Annabelle spoke again.
"She is indeed pregnant," she said, gleeful with the pleasure of saying something so damning. "But the child is not that of Lord St Vincent."
"Mydear!" her friend gasped, delighted at last.
Whatever they said next, Louisa could not hear them over the rushing in her ears. Lord St Vincent was a friend of Theodore Notley, Duke of Thornfield and her sister Margaret's husband. He had 'spoken of Cedric Pembroke to her sister before while she had been visiting. "Pembroke was with us again last night," he had said dryly. "I'm surprised that he could find the time in amongst all the young ladies he has dangling after him at the moment. Do not fall for his charms, Louisa. He is handsome as the devil and just as dangerous."
But it was rather awful now. He was being fooled into marrying a woman who just wanted him to cover up her pregnancy with another man. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He should get to choose something like that, not be tricked into thinking the baby was his!
Oh she would have to do something!
The door slamming broke her out of her stupor and she slid off the windowsill and slipped out of the room as quickly as she could. All thoughts of the lake and the swim that she had been planning for so long were driven from her mind. She had to get help from someone, tellsomeoneabout this, dosomethingto stop it!
"There you are!" Her arm was caught and she found herself looking into the annoyed face of her eldest sister. Evelina, Duchess of Dunmore was as beautiful as ever in her gorgeous pale pink gown and even the frustration on her face couldn't detract from how well she looked. "What have you been doing, Louisa? I have told you before that you simply cannot run off in the middle of a ball, you will get a reputation my darling!"
Being with Evelina always made Louisa's heart hurt a little. Ever since the death of their mother it had been her who had held them when they were frightened, soothed fevered brows or solved girlish squabbles. She had organized everything that needed organizing so well that it had felt like the end of the world when she finally left.
It also felt just a little like a betrayal of their dearest mama to feel so strongly the need to cling to Evelina for comfort and sympathy. Perhaps there was something of this turmoil on her face, for Evelina's frustration faded away and was replaced by a soft look of concern and affection.
She tucked a strand of Louisa's hair into place with a gentle hand and drew her along with her, ignoring any attempts to stop her. "Now you are going to come with me and speak to Lord and Lady Mason and we are all going to have a lovely time, dearest, do you understand?"
