The Unaccomplished Lady Eleanor (35 page)

‘
Perhaps
,
’
said James,
crossing one leg over the other,
‘
that is because
the weather is a
deal more interest
ing than many of our acquaintances
, Aunt
.
’

‘
Well
I won’t disagree with you there,
’
chuckle
d the
d
owager
,
accepting a cup of tea from
Stevens. 
‘
But it is so
awfully
tedious be
ing stuck in one’s roo
m.  One would die for even the tiniest bit of
gossip.
’

Eleanor watched as James’s jaw tightened. 
‘
U
nfortunately, Aunt,
’
he replied stiffly, ‘
I am not aware of-
’

He broke off as Giles appeared in the doorway.

‘
Lady Carmichael and
Miss Felicity Carmichael, your g
race,
’
he announced.

Eleanor was aware of all colour draining from her face.  James, too, looked several shades paler than he had a few moments before. 
 

‘
Oh well,
’
huffe
d the
d
owager
, raising her cup to her lips,
‘
if there is one thing Cynthia Carmichael is good for, it’s gossip-mongering.  Now
she
will
def
initely know what’s been
going on.  Show the
m
in, Giles.’

A minute later,
both
Lady Carmichael
and Felicity
bustled into the room
. 

‘
Oh my goodness, Lady Ormiston,
’
gushed
the older woman
,
‘
we have been so
dreadfully
worried about you.  We thought we simply
must
come and see how you are.
’

The dowager rolled her eyes
. 
‘
A
s you can see, Cynthia,
I am well on my way to recovery.
’ 
She
waved a hand at the sofa, which the Carmichaels correctly interpreted as an invitation to be seated. 

‘
I must confess, we have been quite at sixes and sevens ourselves,
’
flustered Lady
Carmichael
, as she sank on
to the sofa n
ext to Eleanor and
began untying
her bonnet strings. 
‘
Felicity
has been quite out of frame and we have
not the slightest idea what is wrong with her, have we,
my dear?
’

‘
W
e do not, M
ama,
’
replied the girl serenely. 

‘
I won’t go into details in front of a gentleman of course,
’
whispered
Lady Carmichael, throwing a coy glance at James as she tugged her bonnet from her head,
‘
however
the doctors believe that it is a matter regarding the
female
disposition.
’

‘
Really,
’
muttered the d
owager
prosaically
. 
‘
How
very
interesting.
’

‘
D
o you know, Lady Ormiston,
that those are the
very
words D
r Gosport used to describe
her condition last week.  T
he man is quite flummoxed by it
.
So flummoxed that, while he continues his investigations, he recommends the poor child rests.  We have been quite
out of c
irculation since the Illingsworth
s’ soir
é
e.
’

‘Well in that case,’ said the dowager, eyeing
Felicity suspiciously as the girl accepted her cup of tea from Stevens. 
‘
What on earth is she doing gallivanting about here?
’

‘
Oh she was
most
anxious, Lady Ormiston, that we come and see you.  In fact
,
she quite
insisted
upon it. 
Such a thoughtful child.
’

All eyes turned to
Felicity
, who
gave a bashful sm
ile, which encompassed them all
.

An uneasy feeling began worming its way under Eleanor’s skin.
What
exactly
had Felicity told her mother about
the incident at the Illingsworths’
?  A
nd was the girl purposefully keeping
h
er mother out of circulation to
avoid the gossip which
wou
ld undoubtedly be flying around?
  She
slanted a
glance at James
, who
was observing Felicity with
narrowed eyes.
Was he
,
too, trying to piece toget
her the next stage of her
plan? 

All her tit-bits of gossip imparted,
Lady Carmichael
moved on
to
meteorological observances.  These were rudely interrupted, however, by
Felicity
press
ing
a hand to
her
bosom and declaring,
‘
Oh M
ama, I feel quite faint.  I
think, perhaps, a little air is in order.
’

The
d
owager
, holding out her cup for Stevens to refill,
rolled her eyes.  ‘
Then go and stand over by the window, girl.
’

Felicity reg
arded her
hostess with wide eyes
. 
‘
Oh, I couldn’t possibly
,
Lady Ormiston
.  The
draught would exacerbate your
own condition. 
I think it best if I take a stroll around the garden.
’

‘
O
f course,
dear,
’
nodded
Lady Carmichael. 
‘
But you cannot possibly go alone when you are so out of sorts. 
James, w
ould you be willing to help out a damse
l in her hour of distress and accompany Felicity around the garden
?
’

All heads turned towards James.  The look on his face
had turned to
one
of utter disbelief. 

Lady Carmichael raised her brows quizzically. 
‘
James?
’

Before James had a
chance to reply,
Felicity rose to her feet. 
‘
I fear I must go this very instant, sir,
’
she declared, walking slowly around the back of the sofa and gripping it in the manner of one about to fall over. 
‘I
have no
wish to embarrass Lady Ormiston
by
suffering a
fainting
fit
in her drawing-
room.
’

‘
Oh, is she not all that is consideration,
’
flutter
ed Lady Carmichael
. 
‘
Now
,
James, dear, if you would be so kind?
’
she urge
d,
regarding him optimistically
.

S
till failing to acknowledge the request, James
sat quite still
, staring
balef
ully at Felicity. 
Eleanor held her breath. Would he
dare to expose the girl here, in
front of her
mother and Lady Ormiston?
And, if so, would anyone believe him? 
Eleanor started as, i
n one swift moveme
nt, James
suddenly thrust to his feet
and marched from the room.  Felicity
scuttled after
him.

Lady Carmichael emitted a
n audible
sigh of relief. 
‘
Well,
’
she exclaimed, with a knowing smile,
‘
I’m not one to jump to conclusions, as you know, Lady Ormiston
,
but, if I’m not mistaken,
James appeared to leap
at the chance to
accompany
Felicity.  Perhaps,
’
she continued, lowering her voice and casting a wary glance at Stevens who was
clearing away the
cups,
‘
he was glad of an opportunity to
discuss
his
intentions
toward
s
her.
’

‘
To which
intentions
are you referring
, Cynthia?
’
enquire
d the
d
owager
dri
ly.

 
‘
W
ell, of
course, I have no idea, I’m sure,
’
flustered Lady Carmichael
. 

  Eleanor
, on the other hand,
could make an
accurate
guess
as to
James’s intentions towards Felicity Carmichael. 
And, if the girl
rile
d
him
enough, he might well
carry them out
. 
She had to follow them. 
Her mind
rac
ed
frantically
for an excuse to leave the room.  And then she hit upon the perfect one
.

  S
he cleared her throat. 
‘
I hope you don’t mind me saying so, Lady
Carmichael, but
poor
Felicity
did not look at all well
.  May I
suggest that I
take out a
vinaigrette
, or perhaps a little hartshorn
to revive her shoul
d she have a fit of the vapours?
Men
are generally of little use in such situations.
Indeed
, to ha
ve such an attack in front of a gentleman can, so I have heard, quite turn his affections from a lady.
’

 
Cynthia
Carmichael’s eyes widened in horror
. 
‘
Heavens,
Lady Eleanor,
’
she
blustered, reaching for her reticule
,
‘
you are quite right.  Men are indeed
quite
useless when it comes to such
feminine
matters.
’  She whipped out her vinaigrette
a
nd handed it to Eleanor. 
‘
I’m sure Felicity will be most indebted to you for helping her out of a potentially
delicate
situation.
’

 
‘
Oh, I assure you it is the
least
I can do, Lady Carmichael,
’
replied Eleanor as she rose from her seat, snatched the vinaigrette from the older woman’s grasp and flew
from
the room. 
As
fast as she could
, she ran
across the great entrance hall, down the steps and out on
to the lawn
.  Shielding her eyes from the sun, she
spotted James and
Felicity heading towards the walled orchard
-
James striding
ahead,
his hands clasped behind his back,
Felicity
was
puffing along behind him
.  As they
disappeared into the orchard, Eleanor
sprinted after th
em, ignoring several quizzical
looks from the gardeners.