Rachael managed to smile, though her heart was still somewhere between confusion and happiness.
“I am still a little overwhelmed by it all. I have gone this morning from being a young lady without connection, to someone who will now be married come the end of the Season!” Even saying that aloud made her feel a little dizzy, and she sat back in her chair, one hand going to her forehead as she closed her eyes, not at all concerned with propriety. She wanted to be true, to be honest to her friends about her present circumstances and her feelings, and hiding it would do no good. “Goodness, I am a little overcome, I think!”
“As we can all understand.” Miss Fairley smiled warmly.
“But what about all these rumors?” Lady Alice asked as Rachael opened her eyes, reaching for her cup of tea which sat to one side of her on a small side table. “Are you just to forget about them all?”
Rachael took in a breath and considered.
“I had not thought about that. I am not certain what ought to be done. Either we do forget them and leave things as they are, or we continue to seek out the truth.” Her shoulders lifted andthen fell. “There has been no further attempt to spread gossip about him. Perhaps whoever wished to do such a thing – for whatever reason – has given up.”
“Though I think you should still tell Lord Blackmore about the conversation you heard between the two ladies,” Lady Frederica put in, as Rachael nodded. “I presume you have not had the opportunity to do so as yet?”
Rachael smiled ruefully.
“No, not as yet. I did say to him, upon our parting, that I wanted to speak with him about this and, indeed, was about to commence with a conversation only to see one gentleman and two ladies hurrying towards us and, given that they would, no doubt, have wanted to speak to us about the betrothal, I took my leave. It will wait for another time.” A small smile crept up one side of her mouth. “Perhaps the danger has passed. Thetonwill be so busy speaking of our betrothal, that even if there was another rumor spread, it might fade away to nothing.”
“Do be cautious.”
A gentle frown caught Rachael’s forehead.
“You think it might still be a concern, Miss Fairley?”
“I do,” came the reply. “I would like to agree with you but to my mind, after hearing the conversation from the two ladies, and being aware of what has been said before, I would urge caution. It might be an excellent opportunity for whoever this is to say something more, to speak even more ill, though I still cannot comprehend what their purpose in doing so might be.”
Rachael considered this and, seeing her friend’s wisdom, thanked her for it.
“Someone is clearly eager to bring Lord Blackmore low,” Lady Frederica put in, quietly. “They wish to ruin his reputation, to have him unworthy of society’s consideration. Firstly, last Season, they sought to have him seen as a rogue, a gentleman who would have young ladies at his townhouse late in theevening and into the following morning. Why your name was attached to it, Miss Simmons, might simply have been the choice of whoever is behind this, merely because they needed a young lady of quality who could be attached to the situation to make Lord Blackmore appear all the more a scoundrel.”
Rachael scowled.
“Which does not speak very highly of them. Clearly, they did not consider what would happen to my reputation.”
“I doubt they think of anything save for themselves.” Miss Fairley clicked her tongue in displeasure as Lady Alice nodded. “Their purpose is to stand against Lord Blackmore, regardless of whoever else they must use to gain what they want.”
“I cannot think of who it might be, and Lord Blackmore assures me that he has no enemies.” A troubling thought pinched at Rachael’s mind, and she let out a breath, her brows furrowing. “I do worry now, that, when the time comes for me to marry Lord Blackmore, there will be this weight, this shadow which will cover us, which willclingto us. We will not know who it is who has done this, who has spread the rumors, and whether or not they will seek to do so again. That is a worry which will linger, I fear.”
Lady Alice smiled gently, chasing away some of Rachael’s worry.
“Or it may fade, if nothing more comes of it,” she suggested, countering Rachael’s concerns. “You may find yourself so happy that you forget about it entirely, and nothing but joy and contentment will be yours.”
Seeing the smiling faces of her friends, Rachael clasped her hands lightly in her lap and smiled back at them, letting her happiness begin to grow as she thought about soon becoming Lady Blackmore. There was a lot for them to discuss, yes, and she still had her own heart to contend with, but now that she had been allowed to think on it, to let the realization of what herfuture would be settled in upon her mind, Rachael had to admit one thing.
It was nothing short of wonderful.
Chapter Eleven
“My hearty congratulations, old boy!”
Hugh smiled and shook Lord Elmsford’s hand.
“It is good to see you here this evening.”
“You did not think that I would miss this wonderful occasion, did you?” Lord Elmsford grinned as he released Hugh’s hand. “And yes, Lord Kelling has informed me of everything. We must talk later this evening, though I will say that I am pleased to hear of your betrothal. I think it is a magnificent idea.”
“You do?”
Lord Elmsford chuckled as he walked away.
