Lissa met Cosmo on the corner of the street, where he was waiting in a hackney. She’d left the house wearing a drab brown pelisse, but the afternoon gown Araminta had lent her had been a perfect fit and was in the first stare though, to her surprise, it was not a gown a debutante would wear. A bold cerise color, adorned with ruffles of a lighter hue, it clung to her curves in a way that, while perfectly decorous for a garden party, nevertheless highlighted Lissa’s finer attributes.
And even though she had no full-length looking glass, she could tell by the way it molded her body and, later, the flare of interest in the glances of gentlemen of all ages, that she cut a fine figure. So while she smiled and nodded in response to the greetings she received, often coupled with the hopes that “Cosmo’s fair cousin enjoy her sadly too brief stay in London”, she was painfully aware that the pleasure of the moment was a cruel contrast to her reality.
A perfect summer’s day had created an idyllic backdrop to Mrs. Gargery’s summer entertainment. Trestle tables beneath the trees overlaid by white tablecloths carried an abundance of delicious food. Sweet and savory pies, strawberries and cream and syllabub were just some of the mouthwatering fare on offer. The gardens of the elegant house were exquisite, with terraces and rosebushes and sweeping grassy hills. The hostess herself seemed to take a shine to Lissa and was quizzing her with great interest over her “background”, as she tried to recall a certain young lady she’d met recently whom Larissa strongly resembled.
“I’ll have to introduce you to my nephew when we meet in the ballroom,” she declared. “Indeed, there he is. My darling Roderick. Mr. Roderick Woking. That’s Lord Debenham’s nephew on the other side of the family. The poor boy has lost his heart to a dark-haired enchantress but a blind fool could see Roderick is out of his league and will get nowhere.”
Lissa liked Mrs. Gargery’s unaffected friendliness and was sorry when Cosmo reclaimed her to point out his quarry. “There, you see, is the gentleman your father does business with an
d who danced with you though he doesn’t remember it for I beheld him look at you a moment ago, quite blankly.”
Lord Debenham was conversing with a much younger gentleman, whose brisk and enthusiastic manner and bright and eager expression instantly brought a pang to Lissa’s vulnerable heart. For indeed, as she had hoped, Mr. Ralph Tunley was in attendance.
“Lead me to them. You can introduce yourself to Mr. Tunley and remind him of his visit to the house,” Lissa urged, to Cosmo’s surprised horror. Adding, when her employer’s son demurred, “I can’t possibly get Lord Debenham’s eyes right unless I look into them. Please, Master Cosmo, I’ve not disgraced you up to this minute and I shan’t start now.”
The patent shock in Mr. Tunley’s eyes when Lissa was introduced by Cosmo as his “cousin from Little Paisley enjoying a couple of weeks in London” was adequate reward for Lissa executing Cosmo’s commission. In her reticule, she had a pencil and small sketchpad, of which she would avail herself shortly. In the meantime, she made sure to take in every detail of haughty Lord Debenham.
But it was Ralph who really interested her; whose bright blue eyes remained wide with delighted amazement and whose kind, generous mouth did things to her insides that she’d never experienced before.
Lord Debenham was particularly assiduous in making her feel that London was indeed a richer place through her presence, at which point Lissa decided she trusted him as much as a stoat in a henhouse. His response was in direct proportion to the level of humility she had shown, and she was sure that if she’d had more experience, she’d have understood a greater subtext in his smooth words. He found her worthy of more than a cursory greeting, that much she knew, but there was something about him that made her recoil. Certainly he was handsome in a commanding way, but there was a cruel twist to his mouth and a look of entitlement in his eye that she did not like at all.
Ralph, on the other hand, was clearly longing to say things that current circumstances prevented, and she was ridiculously delighted when a little later, she found herself part of a much larger group, and that Ralph had somehow managed to inveigle himself between two dowagers so that he could murmur without being overheard, “You are clearly the mistress of subterfuge, Miss Hazlett, but I fear your Master Cosmo must be your chosen consort.”
Above, the enormous branches of an elm tree shaded them while clusters of guests picked at the sumptuously laden food table or sat in comfortable wicker chairs or strolled amidst the lovely gardens.
Lissa recognized the longing tinged with jealousy in his voice. It made her feel powerful in a way she’d never experienced. “Master Cosmo sees me as no more than the lowly governess, whose talent he wishes to exploit in order to add to his consequence.”
She hoped she didn’t betray her shocked delight when she felt the quick, surreptitious squeeze of her new admirer’s hand before he added, softly, “Perhaps such enterprising minds as ours could change our hopeless situations.”
When another guest arrived, they both turned away to the food table where they pretended great interest in the selection.
“You’re the man with all the experience, Mr. Tunley, and tomorrow I must return this which was the only decent dress I was able to procure by less than honest means,” Lissa whispered. “You tell me how we might alter our—as you put it—hopeless situations, though what you would like to alter it to, and what your motivation is I can only wonder at.”
“My hopeless social and financial situation never felt so hopeless until I discovered myself hopelessly in love with a lowly governess in an even more hopeless situation, Miss Hazlett. What are we to do?”
He slanted a suitably agonized expression up at her as he speared a piece of ham and Lissa laughed. “Oh, my, but you have perfected the star-crossed lover look to the finest degree. I think your calling is the stage if you want to really be noticed, though I doubt that will bring the necessary financial rewards.” Nevertheless, his words reverberated through her and filled her with warmth and, yes, hope.
Mr. Tunley pretended to look slightly offended before the light returned to his eyes and his mouth quirked. “I am rather good at charades, I’ll admit, however in this instance, my sentiments are a true reflection of what I feel here.” He tapped his heart and suddenly there was nothing but raw feeling in his gaze.
Adding a plover’s egg to his plate, he said a little wistfully, “It’s true that I can get beyond myself in the excitement of the moment, Miss Hazlett. Forgive me. You are beautiful and clearly clever and enterprising. You can—and I suspect, will—rise above the shortcomings of your birth. Forgive me for putting it so bluntly. I hope you will make a fine match and one that will make you happy. Sadly, I have five older brothers. I am required to prove myself before I can inveigle myself into some rewarding sinecure. Perhaps in ten years I’ll be in a position whereby I could make you a respectable offer, but you’ll be long married by then.”
She was about to respond with all the intensity such a declaration demanded; indeed, she was about to put her hand on his sleeve and tell him that her feelings echoed his and not to despair, for there must be some way, when Cosmo suddenly appeared.
“Miss Ha— I mean, Cousin Larissa, it’s time we departed. Are you ready?”
Would he really speak to a cousin with such cavalier disregard for whether she might share his desire to leave, and when she was in conversation with another? Yet she was his servant when all was said and done. With a quick nod at Ralph, and a look which she hoped conveyed that her heart was in accord with his, she responded to Cosmo’s summons.
“Please, Master Cosmo, I need but two minutes to sketch Lord Debenham without his realizing it,” she whispered when they were out of hearing.
He cut her off. “Lud’s sake, you’ve had all afternoon to look at him.” He was clearly agitated and eager to go, making his reasons clear when he said, “Can’t you do it from memory? You’ve created far too much interest already. I don’t know how I’m going to explain it if you come up in conversation at some later date. One gentleman thought he recalled seeing you at Lady Stanley’s ball whereupon Lord Debenham announced you were a fine dancer. Fortunately, the subject was changed at that point.”
“Please, just two minutes more.” Lissa scrabbled in her reticule and brandished her sketchpad then took refuge in the shade of a tree a few feet from the rose garden, but so she had a clear view of Lord Debenham, who was once again in a group that included Ralph.
True to her word, it took only two minutes to sketch a rough draft she could work from later, with another thirty seconds to sketch a quick one of Ralph. She was just closing her book when Mrs. Gargery’s voice intruded.
“My dear, so you’re an artist, please let me see what you’ve drawn.”
Lissa was aware of Cosmo’s horror when she slanted a glance to her left, and was pleased to compound it as she flipped open a page, asking, “Do you think it a fair likeness?”