Apparently, Lady Isabella shared Lady Atwood’s disapproval of the dance, because she said, “Don’t be stupid, Frances. Such indecency shall never be accepted in England.”
Lady Frances gave her sister a sharp, almost feline smile. “It’s already being accepted, dear. The courts of Vienna have been dancing the waltz for years, and I have even attended assemblies here in London that have included it. Mr. Roberts and I have danced it. The Countess de Lieven is an admirer of it, and I hear that she is petitioning to bring it to Almack’s.”
“I do not believe it.”
“When did you become such a prig, my dear?” Lady Frances laughed, and turned to Rebecca and Kendra. “You would not credit it, but when we were children, Isabella persuaded Louisa and I to sneak out of our schoolroom by climbing down the tree in the backyard so we could feed sugar lumps and apples to the horses in the stables. We were very naughty, but it was a grand adventure.”
Ludlow frowned. “It sounds quite dangerous.”
Lady Frances gave the old man a playful tap with her fan. “Oh, it was, I assure you. Which is why it was such fun.”
Lady Louisa forced a laugh that sounded too shrill. “Do not tell Lord Ludlow such fairytales, Frances. I would never have behaved in such an ill-mannered way. You are misremembering the incident.”
“I remember it exactly, sister dear. In fact, you were first out the window. A regular hoyden.”
Kendra observed the sisters’ interaction with interest. She’d never known her half siblings—from her father’s second marriage—but she’d seen similar rivalries when she’d gone to college. It had been awkward to be so much younger than her classmates, but it had allowed her to observe them as they jockeyed for positions in the social hierarchy, to witness what she’d always thought was a shocking amount of pettiness.
Lady Frances might have been the youngest of the three girls, but Kendra suspected that her natural beauty had given her a great deal of confidence. Her more advantageous match—with her husband in line for an earldom—had apparently increased her self-assurance.
Her snide comment made Lady Louisa turn red. She looked quickly to Lord Ludlow and assured him, “Lady Frances is teasing, sir.”
“Ah, yes . . .” His gaze barely touched Lady Louisa’s before drifting off. “I must take my leave.” He offered another creaking bow, then made a quick retreat into the crowd—well, as quick a retreat as a man his age could manage.
Lady Louisa looked stricken. Then she glared at her younger sister. “How could you say such a thing, Frances? You know His Lordship is a high stickler when it comes to propriety!”
“Calm down, darling. You are turning into the ape leader you so fear. We were children. Oh, Mr. Sedwick,” she purred, as her brother-in-law returned with her lemonade. “You are a godsend, sir. I swear, one more minute, I’d have sipped from the Thames itself.”
“Where is Mr. Roberts this evening?” Lady Isabella asked abruptly.
“Heaven knows.” Frances gave a shrug before sipping her lemonade. “He mentioned spending time at his club. He may come here later.” She took another swallow of her drink, then handed the glass back to her brother-in-law. “Now, I do believe the dance has finally come to an end. I really ought to find Baron Faust. It was lovely to meet you, Lady Rebecca, Miss Donovan.” She gathered up her train again and as gracefully as she’d sailed into the group, she sailed out again.
Sedwick collected the empty glasses and waved down one of the circulating footmen to deposit them on his tray. Returning, he offered his arm to his wife. “I have been remiss in my duties—would you care to dance, madam?”
“Thank you, sir.” Lady Isabella gave a distant nod to Rebecca and Kendra. “Good evening.”
Kendra glanced at the sister who’d been left behind and felt an unexpected surge of sympathy for Lady Louisa. There was something forlorn about the woman as she stood with her gaze fixed on the parade of men and women gliding by on the dance floor.
Rebecca must have felt it too. She gave the other woman a kind smile. “Do not be distressed by your sister’s story, my lady. Personally, I’m of the mind that children ought to get into mischief once in awhile, otherwise they’ll become spineless adults.”
Lady Louisa stiffened. “My sister spins tales. I have never been so unladylike, so ill-bred. I . . . I need to go to the withdrawing room. If you’ll pardon me . . .” She dipped into a quick curtsy and hurried away without meeting either Kendra’s or Rebecca’s eyes.
Kendra expelled the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, and shot Rebecca a look filled with irony. “Well, my lady . . . I guess we both need to work on our finesse.”
19
Rebecca had the grace to look sheepish after Lady Louisa’s hasty exit. “I don’t know what I was thinking through that entire discussion. When Lady Isabella was admiring that idiot Sidmouth, it became clear that she didn’t have a thought in her head except what was put there by Mr. Sedwick. I was annoyed.”
“And you thought you’d be less annoyed if you told them that I was investigating Lady Dover’s murder? That my deductive reasoning is quite singular? That I had an expertise in criminal investigation?”
“Did I say that?”
“You did.”
“Well, I have complete faith in you, Miss Donovan.”
Kendra gave her a wry look. “So much for flying under the radar.”
“What does that even mean?” Rebecca’s eyebrows pulled together in a perplexed frown, but as she had apparently grown accustomed to the American’s odd expressions, she waved away the question almost immediately. “Never mind. I confess that I let my temper get the better of me, Miss Donovan. ’Tis sad that the spirit Lady Isabella and Lady Louisa displayed as children has been diminished.”
“Lady Frances seems to have enough spirit for all of them.”
“Yes, I saw that. Though she was unkind to Lady Louisa with her comment about being an ape leader.”
“Yeah, what exactly is that?”
“’Tis a spinster, Miss Donovan. You must know the expression. Women who fail to be fruitful and multiply are punished in the afterlife by leading apes into hell.”
“I think I’d prefer that to being married to Lord Ludlow. He isn’t exactly a prize. Unless there’s another Lord Ludlow, maybe a century younger?”
Rebecca’s lips twitched. “Keep your voice down, Miss Donovan. And, no, that is the only Lord Ludlow.”
“He’s older than Methuselah. His bones creaked.”
Rebecca laughed. “Those were his stays. Some men wear them, like the Prince Regent. The device helps with their . . . form.” She paused. “Poor Lady Louisa. From what we witnessed, her efforts are for naught. Lord Ludlow’s interest has faded.”
“She should be celebrating.”