Felicity
CHAPTER7
An entire day had come and went without word from Benjamin. It made Felicity worry that she had said the wrong thing, that she had asked the wrong questions, that she had revealed too much. By the afternoon on the second day, Felicity had taken to pacing around in her room like a caged animal. She had to remind herself that Benjamin might be busy, or that he could be taking his time responding to her letter, so he could answer all of her questions fully. She was not sure if that was truly the case, but it helped her to feel better about it all. It had been a huge leap of faith for her to trust that Benjamin would not betray her trust and reveal her secrets to anyone else.
The only thing she had to distract herself was the never-ending stream of suitors who came calling almost as soon as breakfast ended and left well after dark. She had received more flowers than she, or the maids, had known what to do with. Vases of beautiful arrangements sat on almost every table in the house. The scent of roses was so thick that it gave her a headache. Despite the cool autumn air, Felicity insisted on opening the windows to ease the smell, if only a little bit.
She had poured more tea and walked in circles around Hyde park more than she had ever thought possible. And the thing that stood out the most to her as she and Delilah entertained each eligible bachelor, one after the other, was that none of them had captivated her the way Mister Chapman had. There was a distinct difference in the way he talkedtoher versus how every other man had talkedather. She spent hours listening to them drone on about their work and families, only getting the chance to briefly talk about her expected achievements and family for the handful of suitors who had remembered to ask.
Delilah seemed to be just as vexed by the attention as well. With them both being put on display most hours of the day, their mother had grown more and more particular about their dresses and hairstyles, often sending them back upstairs to pin a stray curl or change their stockings to better match their dresses. Felicity did her best to grin and bear it, not wanting to rouse any suspicions, but it was wearing on her.
Between trying to appease her mother’s wishes and getting Delilah to comply, Felicity had very little energy to throw into getting to know her callers. Perhaps they could tell that she was uninterested as very few seemed to return often enough for her to know anything about them. With each passing day, she knew her mother grew more irritated by Felicity’s lack of a courtship, let alone an engagement.
When Ruth brought her mother a tray of letters with the afternoon tea, Felicity almost asked to be excused, so she could rush up to her room and search for a letter of her own. But before she could ask for permission, a broad smile spread across her mother’s face as her eyes scoured the page in front of her. She wasn’t sure why, but something in Felicity told her whatever was about to happen, was not a good thing.
“Excellent news, my dear,” her mother said, looking up from the letter and instantly beginning to weigh if Felicity’s dress was good enough for whatever awaited them. “We are expecting a very special guest this afternoon for a promenade around Hyde Park. Ruth, take Felicity upstairs and put her in that pale blue gown we love so much. And hurry! We do not have much time before he will arrive.”
Felicity sent Delilah a pleading look, but her sister looked as worried as she felt. Without another word, Felicity rose from her seat in a trance and followed Ruth up the stairs to her room.
“I am sorry, Felicity. There is still no letter from him,” Ruth told her as soon as the door was closed.
Felicity had momentarily forgotten about Benjamin in her attempts to process the dread that was building in her stomach. She only nodded as Ruth unlaced her gown and slipped it over her head. They silently went through the motions of redressing as Felicity wracked her brain, trying to figure out who her mother could be so excited about calling.
“Who was that letter from, Ruth? Who is coming?” Her voice was shaky with desperation.
“I did not recognize the handwriting, but the return address was to an M. Roberts. There was a seal on the wax. I think it said `Earl of Edgewall.’”
“Edgeware. The Earl of Edgware.”
Felicity collapsed onto the side of the bed with a hand to her chest.
“Who is that? Felicity? What is wrong?”
The concern in Ruth’s voice melted the icy fear that had gripped Felicity tightly.
“He is a friend of Lady Eunice. She introduced us at the Leisure Ball. I had forgotten all about him if I am honest.”
“Too distracted by your Benjamin, I would imagine,” Ruth remarked with a warm smile.
Felicity returned the smile with a blush before she continued.
“I do not know what it is about Lord Roberts, but he is a slimy kind of man. His reputation is that of a rake who is in need of a wife to convince his investors that he is a good businessman. He has been heard saying that he has no intention of dismissing his mistress once married,” Felicity said, horrified.
“Oh, Felicity,” Ruth soothed, “you know how ruthless and baseless rumors in the ton can be. Who knows how accurate those rumors are.”
“You don’t understand, Ruth,” Felicity gripped her friend’s hand, desperate to make her see. “I met him. He is the same age as mother and just as bad. He only sees me as the perfect solution to all his problems.”
“Surely that cannot be true,” Ruth said, dismissing Felicity’s fears.
“It is, Ruth!” Felicity argued, her tone growing more and more fraught as she tried to make Ruth understand. “After Lady Abbott introduced him to us at the Leisure Ball, he only bowed before saying to Lady Abbott, ‘Yes, she’ll do quite well for me, I am sure.’ It was almost as if he decided I would be his wife before I said a word.”
Ruth looked uneasy at her recounting of their introductions.
“What did your mother think?”
“Oh, Ruth. She only saw his title and fortune. She is blind to everything else.”
This was the exact kind of man Felicity had hoped to avoid this season. Felicity would never forgive her mother if she was promised to the Earl.