planet, and even if I didn’t ever receive another offer.”
Her mother looked taken aback. “And why would a pretty girl like you not receive many offers to choose from, Hetty?” Lady Partington squeezed her hand. “You grow more charming by the day so perhaps Araminta is jealous.”
“Araminta…jealous of me?”
Her mother laughed. Her pregnancy was now highly visible but so too was the glow of happiness that suffused her. Hetty had wondered if it was through the hope that she carried a son, but to her surprise her mother had vehemently professed a preference for a girl, which made no sense at all.
“As for marriage, no one’s going to make you marry anyone you don’t wish to.” She stroked her daughter’s cheek. “No girl should suffer the terrible fate of being forced to live with a man she does not love or who—worse—does not love her. Ah, here you are…”
A smile of such serenity lit up her face that Hetty was surprised it was only Cousin Stephen who entered the room.
Sybil patted the seat on her other side, invitingly. “Come and sit with us, Stephen, and reassure Hetty that Araminta will not be allowed to pressure her sister to marry against her inclination. Apparently Araminta thinks Mr. Woking is a catch Hetty cannot afford to refuse. Fortunately, Hetty, marrying for love is a much greater consideration than it was in my day.”
Stephen leaned across Sybil and asked with uncomfortable acuity, “Are you in love with someone else then, Hetty? Shall I tell Araminta so she will desist from encouraging Mr. Woking?”
Lady Partington clapped her hands together. “Oh Hetty, so you are in love. I can see it in your eyes. Who is the gentleman?”
Stephen smiled at her fondly though his smile for her mother was fonder. “You look so much like I imagine your dear mama looked when she was your age. I’m sure a judicious bit of eyelash batting will have the gentleman in question eating out of your hands.”
Hetty stared fixedly at the floor. “Not if I’m standing next to Araminta.”
Predictably, both her mother and Stephen objected strongly to this.
“Why, Hetty, I found you far more to my liking,” her cousin told her. “Araminta’s style is not to everyone’s taste.”
“I suspect it will be with regard to this gentleman…when it comes to taking a wife,” she mumbled, her previous pleasure rapidly eroding. But she shook her head when they looked inquiringly at her. Her desire for Sir Aubrey—both in essence and in practice—was a secret she was going to have to guard very closely.
Changing the subject, she said airily, “It would appear Araminta is not heeding your advice to steer clear of Sir Aubrey, Cousin Stephen.”
“And who is Sir Aubrey?” Lady Partington inquired, patting Stephen’s thigh.
Hetty was surprised when Stephen gripped her mother’s hand, saying, “Suffice to say he is a gentleman in whom Foreign Office is interested.”
“You have no proof Sir Aubrey is the villain you believe,” Hetty burst out. When Stephen looked suspiciously at her, she added hastily, “That’s what Araminta says, which is why she believes it’s all right to encourage him.”
A small frown of concern creased her mother’s brow. She glanced between Stephen and Hetty. “Should Humphry speak to Araminta if you don’t believe Sir Aubrey is a suitable candidate for her interest? She’d be more inclined to listen to her father than to either of us.”
“If she’s in danger of eloping with Sir Aubrey, then yes.” Stephen sent Hetty a narrow-eyed look. “While it is true we have nothing more than Lord Debenham’s unsubstantiated allegations to work with, Hetty, the fact is that Lord Debenham is a highly esteemed politician while Sir Aubrey has done little to distinguish himself other than play fast and loose with the ladies and at the gaming tables.”
Ignoring this, Hetty leaned forward, eagerness making her words rush. “Could it be possible Sir Aubrey is the wronged party and Lord Debenham is making it appear he’s guilty of something he’s not?”
“Why, Hetty, what a strange thing to say,” her mother cried. “What has Araminta been saying? It’s so like the girl to concoct a story she wants to believe. If she’s not careful, Lord Debenham will accuse her of libel and her second season will finish under a cloud.”
Hetty saw doubt flit across Stephen’s face. She squared her shoulders. “Why should Lord Debenham be believed over Sir Aubrey when there’s not a jot of evidence either way?”
With a grunt of irritation, Stephen rose, dropping Sybil’s hand with a look of surprise, as if he’d been unaware he’d been holding it. “If Sir Aubrey is thick with the Spenceans then he consorts with traitors who would turn this country upside down.” Hetty had never seen such a stern cast to his pleasant features. “The matter is serious, Hetty, for all you appear to treat it lightly and seem to believe what Araminta would like to believe. If you have chosen to champion Araminta in her quest to snare Sir Aubrey, then I urge you to think again.”
* * * * *
Hetty had as much intention of championing Araminta in her quest for Sir Aubrey’s affections as she had marrying Mr. Woking. So when her sister breezed into her room and asked to borrow her pearl earrings while Hetty was dressing for dinner, Hetty swung ’round on her stool, saying, “Cousin Stephen warned me again about what a dangerous man Sir Aubrey is. I hope you do not plan to see him again.”
Araminta’s lips curved up in that self-satisfied smile that indicated she had no intention of doing anything other than what she desired. Toying with the tassels of a cushion as she relaxed on the bed, she said with a languid yawn, “You don’t really believe Sir Aubrey’s vile excesses and cruelty were the reason his wife took her own life, do you?”
Hetty, in the middle of combing out her hair, nearly dropped her brush. “Sir Aubrey has been accused of being a Spencean by a man who was jealous of him.” She felt cold inside. As if all the warmth of her previous encounters had turned to ice. “Not a wife abuser.” The fact such a thing might be whispered in the public domain filled her with horror. She knew he’d been falsely accused but Lord Debenham had influence amongst those who mattered.
Araminta laughed. “You’re so easy to shock, Hetty. Yes, that’s what people are saying, which is all the more reason to stay away—not that there’s any danger of you straying into his line of vision. Sir Aubrey is on the lookout for a wife. A rich, beautiful one.”
“I come well provided for,” Hetty murmured as she bent to pick up the brush. She stared unseeing into its figured silver back.