"The only intriguing thing about him was his late arrival," Alice said firmly, determined not to give Nancy even a hint of what she was so obviously looking for—hope.
"He did appear awfully wild and handsome upon his arrival, did he not?" Nancy pushed and it was clear that she was fishing for yet more information. Gritting her teeth, Alice forced herself to remain calm, knowing that if she reacted impulsively then her friend would likely take it to mean something.
"Indeed, though not everything is about good looks, Nancy," Alice frowned at her friend before shaking her head and adding, "And you ought not to let your husband hear you talking of his closest friend in such a manner."
"Oh, do not be ridiculous!" Nancy exclaimed, tapping Alice's forearm in a scolding manner. "My husband knows very well that I only have eyes for him, but I can see that Lord Warrington is handsome enough for my closest friend."
"As I said," Alice repeated firmly, "it is not all about good looks. Besides, he was quite infuriating."
Nancy's lips quivered as though she was barely concealing amusement, and she nodded her head annoyingly slowly as if she were only just agreeing. "I am quite sure he was."
The knowing look that flashed across Nancy's face was almost as infuriating as Lord Warrington had been, and Alice was about to tell her friend to stop looking at her in such a manner when Nancy surprised her by leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Good night, Alice. I do hope that you sleep well."
Quite dumbfounded by her sudden release, Alice could do nothing but return her friend's kiss on her cheek.
"I am sure I shall sleep perfectly in this grand house of yours," Alice responded, certain that the compliment would entirely turn any conversation away from Lord Warrington.
"It is quite perfect, is it not?" Nancy said gleefully, screwing up her eyes like an excitable child who had just gotten all she had ever wanted in the world. "It is just large enough for all the children Owen and I hope to have."
"Nancy, you are not…" Alice began, her eyes widening even as she glanced down at her friend's stomach, but Nancy laughed and quickly shook her head, gripping Alice's hand as though she thought she might faint with fright.
"Have no worry, Alice, you are not being called upon for Aunt duties just yet," Nancy assured her, squeezing her fingers, and patting her comfortingly on the back of the hand before she added, "Though I am sure it will not be much longer." Nancy's cheeks reddened then, and she cleared her throat, releasing Alice's hand and stepping away with her hands clasped before her as she quickly added, "Though I should not speak of such things."
Alice opened her mouth, about to remind her friend that they talked together about everything when Nancy quickly added, "I would not wish to jinx anything."
Alice was certain it had more to do with her being embarrassed to talk of what she did behind closed doors with her husband as Nancy had always been quite prudish, though Alice did not push the matter because the truth was, she was not at all sure she wanted to know.
That can wait until I am married,she decided firmly, not for the first time.If I am ever to be married, that is.
A part of her rather hoped that such things were not on the cards for her though she was aware of the fact that as the only child of a viscount and a female child at that, she did not have the best prospects unless her father could somehow sway a little inheritance her way.
She had already overheard his lawyers urging him to keep everything the way it had always been, to keep the estates and all his finances for the next male heir in his line, which as things stood now, was some distant cousin Alice had never even heard of.
He is welcome to it if it means I can live in peace,she thought, though a shiver ran through her spine when she thought of what might happen to her and her mother should anything happen to her father.
"Alice, are you quite well?" Nancy asked and Alice realised she had been standing there silently staring at a painting on the wall without truly seeing it for several moments.
"Yes, yes, I am merely tired," Alice insisted, clearing her throat and mentally shaking herself as she forced herself to remember that she was still young, and her father was in exceptionally good health even if he was beginning to get on in years. She was certain she had no need to worry about such things anytime soon.
"Off to bed with you then," Nancy insisted with a waving gesture of her hand to shoo Alice away. "We are all to be up early for more entertainment."
Alice stifled a groan at her friend's words knowing that what she really meant to say was that they were to be up early for more matchmaking. Forcing a smile onto her face, Alice said good night to her friend and host and quickly began to make her way down the hall to the grand staircase before Nancy could change her mind and try to question her further.
She could feel Nancy's eyes burning into her back as she went, though as she drew closer to the stairs, she heard a commotion coming from the parlour and knew that her friend's attention would likely soon be distracted by her other guests.
Even as she hurried up the stairs, she found herself thinking once more about not just her conversation with Nancy but also her conversation with Lord Warrington as well.
He is a most disagreeable man indeed,she determined silently though there was a small part of her, deep down in her stomach that twisted with protest.Of all the men that Nancy could have invited, why did she have to invite one such as him?
Though, Lord Warrington had insisted himself that he knew nothing of Nancy's intentions and was adamant that he had come only to spend time with Lord Kendall, Alice was all but certain he was spinning the truth in order not to make her feel uncomfortable.
Or he is the kind of man who likes to play games,she thought with a shiver because Lord Warrington was certainly handsome enough to play games with if she were so inclined. Reminding herself that she was not, she quickly hurried to the relative safety of her guest room across from her mother's, pausing outside it for just a moment to listen and see whether her mother might still be awake.
As luck would have it, it appeared not. Alice was certain she would have been waiting just on the other side of her door to question her just as Nancy had if she were not already tucked up in bed. Alice breathed a sigh of relief. She could go to bed in peace, at least for tonight.
Although she found her way peacefully to bed after a little struggle undressing due to her desire not to bother one of the maids, Alice did not sleep anywhere near as soundly as she had expected in such a large and comfortable bed.
Instead, she found herself tossing and turning, worrying, and whittling herself down to shattered anxiety as she imagined why her mother had been any part of Nancy's shenanigans. Although she could understand it to an extent, she could not understand the timing. Up to now, her parents had been quite happy to simply allow her to have fun.
She lay in her guest bed, staring at the ceiling with heightening anxiety that left her certain that her parents would likely soon begin demanding that she find herself a suitable marriage.
Perhaps they will suggest I find one before they find one for me,she thought, a shiver passing through the length of her body at the images it conjured up, forced to marry one of her father's older gentleman friends simply because they were better established and could offer her security along with their loyalty to her father and his wife should anything happen to him.
It made Alice sick, mostly because she had seen far too many young women fall to the same sword, their families much more impatient or even desperate.
Reminding herself that she was lucky to have parents such as her own, she huffed out a deep breath and rolled onto her side, adjusting the pillows as she went in an attempt to get comfortable enough to sleep. A small voice in the back of her mind said,Enjoy it while you can. Soon, you will sleep on your husband's time.
Bile rose in the back of Alice's throat as she imagined living her life by anyone's wishes but her own and she remembered once again why she had never felt any desire to marry.
She remembered anxiously the words one of her mother's friends had once said, 'A debutante who does not wish to marry is like a bird who does not wish to fly. It will fail.' Alice had never much liked the sour-faced old hag who had already married off three daughters and was currently attempting to do so with a fourth. She liked her even less now, wondering whether she had been dripping poison into her mother's ear whenever she had not been listening.