“I hope so,” Alice agreed.
“A young lady’s come-out is an expensive matter. How can you possibly afford it?” Almeria said.
Alice ignored her. It was none of her business, and to ask such a question before guests was the height of rudeness.
“Mother,” Gerald said in quiet reproof.
His mother pouted. “Well, it is expensive.”
Gerald turned to Alice with a warm smile. “I hope you’re coming to my party next week, Aunt Alice.”
“Party?” Alice said blankly.
“For my birthday.” Gerald turned to his mother. “You did invite Aunt Alice, didn’t you, Mother? I particularly asked you.”
“Of course I invited her.” Almeria shrugged. “It must have gone missing in the post. In any case, it’s a small family party, a simple ‘at home’, hardly worth her attending.”
Since all Almeria’s invitations were hand delivered, the excuse fooled no one.
“In that case, I’ll invite Aunt Alice, and her guest, myself,” Gerald said.
His mother’s thin lips thinned further.
At that point the other guests reluctantly acknowledged their visit had, sadly, extended past the time generally accepted for morning calls. They rose and took their leave, pressing invitations on Lord Thornton to parties and visits to the theater and rides in the park—to all of which Gerald responded with charm while at the same time managing to avoid accepting any of them.
Alice seized the opportunity to escape with them. Explaining that she had errands to run, she hurried away.
* * *
* * *
As soon as the guests had left, Gerald turned to his mother. “That was not well done of you, Mother. You know Aunt Alice is not well off.”
His mother pouted. “So you constantly claim, but sponsoring a young lady is an expensive enterprise, so you see, she must have money. Your father was right not to give her an allowance.”
“Uncle Thaddeus didn’t leave her a penny. It’s a damned disgrace.”
“Gerald! Such language.”
“Well, it is.” Gerald was unrepentant. “Father inherited everything, so it’s his responsibility to make the provision for his brother’s widow that his wretched brother failed to.”
“Nonsense! If Alice can waste money bringing out some girl nobody’s ever heard of, she clearly has money to spare. Unless the girl really is a lodger, which wouldn’t surprise me in the least, Alice having no sense of what is appropriate to her position.”
Gerald blanched. “Lodger? What makes you think—”
“And if she actually is short of money, she can do what everyone else does—find herself another husband and get out of our hair.”
“Mother!”
His mother lifted a hand. “That’s enough, Gerald! I’ve had quite enough of dreary Alice for today. I won’t hear another word about her.” She patted the seat beside her. “Now come over here and tell me how you found Lady Elizabeth. Or do you prefer her cousin, Miss Pumphrey?”
“Neither,” he said absently. If his aunt really had taken in a lodger, she was in worse straits than he’d thought. He’d argued repeatedly with his father about the need to make her an allowance—Uncle Thaddeus had cheated Alice and her unworldly father in the matter of marriage settlements, and as far as Gerald was concerned, it was a stain on the family honor to have the dowager countess left in such dire straits. Besides, he was fond of her.
But his father was a complete penny-pinch and even made Gerald—his heir and only son—a miserly allowance, hoping to make him dance to his tune. And his mother despised Alice and wouldn’t hear of giving her any support.
“Both young ladies seemed very taken with you,” his mother continued.
Gerald repressed a sigh. His mother was forever throwing eligible young ladies at his head, citing his need to beget an heir, but at twenty-seven, he was in no hurry to settle down. His early adulthood had been spent overseas, part of an army at war. Having sold out after Waterloo, and then finding himself raised to the peerage, courtesy of his uncle’s death, he was enjoying the diversions of peacetime London. And was in no mood to find a leg shackle just yet.
He rose. “Thank you, Mother, I’m off.” He wanted to catch Alice for a private word.
“Won’t you stay for dinner? We have guests and you’d be most welc—”
“Sorry, Mother, I have other plans.” He didn’t, but he knew what kind of dinner his mother would arrange: one with a blushing young lady seated on either side of him. He’d taken lodgings in town for this very reason—he valued his independence. And it limited his mother’s opportunities to thrust potential brides at him.
Gerald hurried out into the street, ran to the corner and looked both ways. Yes, there was Alice, crossing Berkeley Square, all on her own. She ought to have a footman or maid with her, but he doubted she could afford it. Her situation was a disgrace.
He ran after her. “Alice, Aunt Alice!”
She turned and watched his approach with a faint frown. “Is something the matter?” she said when he arrived.
“I’m not sure—is there?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Mother said—” He broke off as a sudden spatter of drops fell. “Look, it’s going to rain. Let us go into Gunter’s. We can talk while we wait out the rain.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue, but the heavens opened, and they ran the short distance to Gunter’s and entered with rain pelting down behind them. They found a table, and Gerald ordered a pot of tea and some almond biscuits.
When their tea arrived, Gerald said, “Mother said you’ve taken in a lodger. Is that true?”
She made an annoyed sound. “Oh, what nonsense. Almeria was just making mischief. You know her way. I do have a young lady staying with me, and it pleased your mother to call her a lodger. But she is a guest.”
He lowered his voice. “Are you sure, Aunt Alice? Because if you are in financial difficulties, I could speak to Father again and—”
“I said I wasn’t, Gerald.” She laid a gloved hand on his arm. “It’s kind of you to trouble yourself, but really, my situation is not your responsibility.”
“No, it’s my father’s,” he said bitterly. “But he will do nothing. But if she’s not a lodger, who is this girl? Mother said nobody has ever heard of her.”
“Lucy Bamber is my goddaughter. I’m perfectly all right, and there’s no need for you to worry. Now please, let us drop the subject.” She fixed him with a bright, determined smile. “Tell me, how did your race go?”