The Reluctant Debutante (8 page)

“Don’t be so stuffy, Ginger. You’re beginning to sound like my mother.” Elizabeth looked again at the two English gentlemen and waved back enthusiastically, nearly falling from her chair. “I do hope they come up here at intermission, so I can hear his lovely accent once again!”

Ginger laughed before she replied, “I love your enthusiasm, but should you not be a little more reserved? After all, you don’t want to make Cedric think he has a chance with you. Your father has already said he’ll not welcome a penniless Brit into the family.”

“Hang my father. I find the thought of adding a titled young British fellow to the family exciting, especially if the young man is Cedric Smith!”

• • •

Basil and Joseph walked through the gilded hallway of the Opera House on their way to the family’s box. Basil said to his friend, “You’ll have to keep an eye on Ginger tonight, Joseph. I’ll be distracted watching my latest conquest up on the stage.”

“You only met Mademoiselle Rachel last night, Basil. I would hardly consider an evening’s amusement a conquest.”

Basil gave Joseph a wink and a sly grin. “Ah, but you don’t know what we did during last evening’s amusement. I’m surprised the woman has the stamina to perform tonight. She was a French delight. I’m so glad you broke the ice by speaking her language to her. But, it was obvious from the start I was the one she was interested in. Sorry you missed out.
Ooh la la
.”

“You are welcome to your actress. I have no interest in her. And, as for your sister, I have no doubt she can handle herself just fine without either of us rushing in to save her.”

“Maybe so, but the men who are making plays for Ginger seem to be a bit unruly, especially that young Cavalry officer William Davenport, so it’s best we keep watch.”

“Yes. Let us discuss Cavalry officer William Davenport. Why did you encourage him when he brought up the idea of the horserace?”

“I apologize for putting you in a tough spot. Had I known how quickly he would react, I would not have agreed. Can you imagine, he actually wanted to race through the park? It was all I could do to get him to agree to hold off until we go to the country.”

“And now I am forced to push my horse to his limits to satisfy this senseless challenge. It is all so unnecessary. After all, we are not chasing buffalo.” Joseph shook his head.

“No, and again, I’m sorry. With any luck, William will be otherwise occupied this evening, so we won’t have to put up with him.”

“I do not think our luck will hold. He does not seem to be the type of man who lets an opportunity slip through his fingers. He went out of his way to invite himself here tonight, so I doubt we will be lucky enough to avoid seeing him this evening.”

Basil and Joseph entered the box quietly, and watched the two young ladies run their hands over their dresses and fuss with their jewelry, much to the delight of the young men who were watching from adjacent boxes and from the floor below.

Ginger turned in her seat and glimpsed the two men standing at the back of the box. Smiling, she rose gracefully and made her way to them. Her green dress complemented her eyes. Her hair was caught up in curls, in a show of fine craftsmanship by her talented maid. Each curl was held in place by small emeralds. Matching stones dangled from her ears. The dress fell off her shoulders, revealing her swell of bosom, which was accentuated even further by an emerald necklace.

“Basil! Joseph! How nice to see you again.” She kissed her brother lightly on the cheek and took Joseph’s hand, feeling the sparks race up her arm as her fingers touched his dark skin. “Come, sit with us.” She tugged on Joseph’s hand, pulling him forward.

“Elizabeth and I were just talking about the upcoming horserace at Roslyn. We’re so excited at the prospect. How do you feel about it, Joseph?”

“I feel it is foolish and childish, much like the young man who suggested it.”

Perplexed, Elizabeth said to Joseph, “But Officer Davenport is so dashing. I mean, with his uniform, and all. Do you feel your horse is at a disadvantage, then?”

Ginger sputtered, “Of course he doesn’t. Joseph’s horse is going to win!” She looked at Joseph. “Won’t he?”

Joseph glanced at the two young beauties before he replied. “I came here to sell my horses and have accomplished my mission already, except for two of them. One I plan to take back to St. Louis with me. So I am left with only one to sell. I do not need a race to draw attention to my horses, or to myself, unlike Officer Davenport. Any man who knows horseflesh can tell mine are superior.”

“See, Elizabeth, I told you his horse will win!” Ginger said. “Elizabeth is picking Officer Davenport’s horse to win, but I am backing yours.”

Joseph nodded briefly at the compliment before Ginger continued, “But why are you taking one back to St. Louis instead of selling them all here?”

“Because I plan to ride back home on horseback. I do not like these railroads.”

“Frankly, I can’t wait to ride the train to St. Louis. It’s going to be my reward for behaving myself through the season.” She smiled at Joseph and Basil.

Before Basil could reply, a voice broke through the din. They glanced around to see William Davenport entering the box, in full military dress. They stood as William greeted Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick, Ginger, Elizabeth, and the two men. As the theater began to darken, they all took their seats. William snuck into the seat next to Ginger where she’d hoped Joseph would sit. Joseph said nothing, and took a seat in the row behind them, where he could watch every move William made.

• • •

At intermission, Joseph stood silently at the back of the box. Basil had stepped out for some stronger refreshments than the lemonade provided in the box. He also wanted to greet other friends whom he had spotted and had not yet talked to since his return from St. Louis. And Joseph knew he was hoping to get backstage during intermission and steal a kiss from the lovely Rachel. The box was crowded as people milled around, saying hello to George and Charlotte, or, if they were younger, stopping by to see Ginger and Elizabeth.

The ladies were among the most popular of this season’s debutantes, and the parade of young gentlemen had not ceased all during the break. Joseph kept watch, as Basil had requested, thinking he much preferred the mating rituals of his mother’s people. A young Indian man, before taking a woman as a wife, first had to prove he could take care of her, which meant demonstrating his strength mentally and physically. He must take part in a buffalo hunt and go through the manhood challenges, including a vision quest. After those rites of passage, a young Indian male needed to assemble gifts to take to his chosen one’s father. The more comely the maiden, the more gifts he needed. A man could take months assembling a cache of presents to exchange for his wife, consisting of bison meat, deerskins, horses, and furs.

Joseph looked around at the pasty faces and soft bodies of the men in the box, and thought none of them would have been able to survive the most basic of Indian rituals. He grabbed a glass of lemonade as the waiter made his way through the box. He waited.

And watched.

William took Ginger by the hand and led her to a corner. She seemed to go willingly enough to begin with, until she realized she was about to be trapped. She turned, only to discover he was mere inches away from her, with an arm on either side of the wall at her back, corralling her into the corner. Joseph quietly glided over near them.

“Officer Davenport, what are you doing?” Ginger’s eyes widened as she realized her dilemma. She grabbed his forearms and tried to push him away.

“I’m only trying to capture your heart, my sweet. It’s too difficult to express my feelings for you if you never allow us time to be alone together.” He attempted to lean in and steal a kiss from her, but Ginger dodged his lips and he kissed the air next to her ear.

Surprised by her adroitness, William growled, “So, you like to play hard to get, do you? Well, I like things a little rough myself at times.”

He narrowed his arm span on either side of her, and boldly moved his mouth toward her plunging neckline. Ginger stomped on one of his feet in protest. He let out a yelp and backed away a few paces. Ginger quickly skittered around him, freeing herself from the corner, just as Joseph appeared at her side with a glass of lemonade.

“Here is the lemonade you requested, Miss Ginger.”

He handed her the glass and gazed into Ginger’s eyes. He then looked at William, who glared at him. Joseph calmly returned the glare of the young man before turning his attention back to Ginger.

She laid her hand on his arm. “Thank you, Joseph, for the refreshment. Perfect timing, for I’m absolutely parched. The second act is about to begin — we should take our seats.”

Joseph maintained his stance until William turned to follow Ginger back to their seats. Joseph took his seat immediately behind them once again, being certain to bump William’s chair slightly during the remainder of the performance, reinforcing the fact that he was being watched.

May, 1855

The two Englishmen, Richard Douglas and Cedric Smith, huddled over the roughly hewn table at a small tavern off Broadway. As Cedric raised a foamy mug of ale to his mouth, Richard’s hand came down on the table.

“Damn it, Cedric. We are running out of time. It’s already been two month’s worth of dances, that boring opera, and calling on young ladies in their parlors at tea time — and we have gotten nowhere.”

“I know,” Cedric said as he rubbed his stomach. “It seems there’s not a good scone to be had in the Colonies.”

“I’m not talking about food, you oaf. If we don’t make some progress toward finding a wealthy young American woman who wants to be affiliated with English royalty, we are doomed! Our fathers will yank us home in another month or so, and we will have to live in poverty.”

“What do you suggest? Surely, we’re doing all we can.”

“Well, since our natural English charm seems to be falling on deaf ears, we need a strategy. Our two best bets are Ginger Fitzpatrick and her sidekick, Elizabeth Martin.”

“Yes, I agree. I rather fancy that Elizabeth Martin,” Cedric replied.

“And both of their fathers have loads of money, so we can continue to live the lives to which we are accustomed, should we marry one of them.”

“But they are the most sought-after women this season. We have never even been alone with them.”

Richard’s eyes took on a gleam of excitement. “Unless I miss my guess, both of these young women seem to be adventurous. Suppose we issue them an invitation to join us for an evening’s entertainment at Niblo’s Theater. Then, we can entice them into the Pleasure Garden for some night air.”

“And what good would come from having them join us for some air, pray tell?”

“For God’s sake, Cedric, do I have to spell it out for you? All we have to do is be discovered by someone while we have these ladies in a compromising position, and they’ll have to marry us in order to preserve their reputations!”

Cedric scratched his head, running his hand through his thinning blond hair. “So, how do we get them into these ‘compromising’ positions? The ladies seem to be joined at the hip.”

“We separate them from each other. When we get them into the Garden, you’ll stroll one way with Elizabeth and I’ll go the other direction with Ginger.”

Cedric thought for a moment. “Although the idea of getting Elizabeth alone in a dark garden is making me hard as a rock, I still don’t see how it will advance my cause of getting her to marry me.”

Richard sighed. Sometimes Cedric could be so thick. “I will arrange for our good friend and patron, Mr. Harris, to find us once we have sufficiently undressed the ladies. He knows our purpose for being here this season, and he knows we are running out of time. He’ll be more than happy to be able to report back to our fathers of our success in finding heiresses to marry.”

“All right, then, if you think this is our only option. I do rather fancy Miss Elizabeth, and I’m happy for the opportunity to see more of her.” He winked at his friend. “If you know what I mean.”

Richard groaned. “Okay, then, let’s put together an invitation.”

• • •

Between dinners, the opera, and the other events comprising the high social season, Basil and Joseph had been kept busy. Everyone who hosted an event needed available single men to balance out the young ladies who attended. The Pleasure Garden at the corner of Broadway and Prince was their chance to mingle with all types of people, not just the elite. It was a place where people could have some fun without worrying about always being proper.

Etiquette took a back seat to fun when one was in the Pleasure Garden, an outdoor entertainment complex with wandering gravel paths leading past candlelit sculptures. Songbirds in gilded cages filled the air with sweet melodies, in counterpoint to the string quartets placed in gazebos around the park. Basil had an assignation later in the evening with his French actress, Rachel, but for now, they were just two men on the prowl, as was often the case during their many evenings together in St. Louis.

The strapping men soon attracted the attention of a lady of the evening. “Hello, handsome,” she said saucily to the men.

In unison, they examined the voluptuous strumpet before them. She was scantily clad in an off-the-shoulders blouse with a band of ribbon around the top, holding it up over her bosom. A long, slim skirt hugged her hips. The skirt was slit up to her thigh.

Basil gave her an easy grin, and replied, “To which of us are you referring?”

“Either one. It makes no difference. You’re both quite handsome, Lordy, and a sight for these sore eyes.”

Basil replied, “Well, then, you’ll need to pay attention to my friend here, as I have a prior engagement.”

Basil took his leave, and Joseph was left alone with the comely woman.

“Come with me, handsome. Let’s go some place where the light is not so bright.” She took Joseph’s hand in hers and led him into a darkened corner of the garden, surrounded by tall hedges that afforded them some privacy. They sat on a bench that had been conveniently placed in the corner for just such encounters.