Closing her eyes, Lady Newfield let out a long, slow breath, clearly readying herself as ensuring that she was not about to lose her temper. “I should not have pushed you to do so,” she said, surprising Delilah with such a statement. “I am sorry, Delilah. I did not think that your uncle would be so furious and I certainly never imagined that Lord Coventry would not wish to dance.”
It was not something that Delilah had immediately believed, despite how fervent her uncle had been in telling her that Lord Coventry simply did not dance. She did not think that she had been the one to convince him to dance, for she had not said a word about it. He had been the one to offer to take her to the floor, but mayhap she had been wrong to dance with Lord Fitzherbert in the first place.
“I do not think that Lord Coventry felt obliged to dance with me, Lady Newfield,” Delilah said, glancing at her godmother and feeling a little awkward as she spoke against her uncle. “My uncle did not want me to dance; that was the only concern he had. It was not that Lord Coventry did not wish to but rather that I had chosen to disobey him.”
“Regardless,” Lady Newfield said firmly, “he should not have struck you.” Her eyes narrowed. “I shall make certain it does not happen again.”
Delilah shook her head, fear clutching at her. “Pray, do not, Lady Newfield,” she said desperately. “I should not like him to become angry with you also.”
Lady Newfield’s lip curled. “Have no fear, Delilah,” she replied steadily. “He shall not dare lay a hand on either myself or you again. Now.” Taking in a deep breath, she looked at Delilah again and smiled gently. “Now, are you ready for me to take you out into town today?”
Delilah’s eyes widened in surprise. “Into town?”
“Yes,” Lady Newfield said, her smile growing steadily. “We are to go into town and purchase you a few more new gowns.”
“But I already have a new gown,” Delilah replied, her heart thumping quickly as she began to panic about her uncle. “I do not think that Lord Denholm would wish to give me any more gowns or incur any more expense.”
“Nonsense,” Lady Newfield replied with a wave of her hand. “I shall be purchasing such things for you, not because your uncle has not the funds to do so, but rather because he might throw up something of a fuss if I had all the bills sent to him.” Rising to her feet, she beckoned Delilah to do the same. “Now, ask your lady’s maid to set your hair so that a curl falls over your cheek. There are cosmetics that can be applied also if that does not suffice.”
Delilah found herself led away, and, within the hour, she was ready to go into town—albeit a little afraid that her uncle would suddenly appear and demand to know where she was going. Her bonnet was set just so, her hair curled and set in place. All in all, she looked quite the perfect young lady, ready to see all that London had to offer. But she felt nothing but dread.
“Now,” Lady Newfield said as Delilah picked up a pair of silk gloves, running her fingers down over the material and struggling to believe that the large number of items ready to be purchased were all for her. “What else is it that you require?”
“I—I do not think I require anything further,” Delilah replied as Lady Newfield looked down at the gloves Delilah held. “You have been very kind, Lady Newfield.”
“New gloves!” Lady Newfield exclaimed, smiling beautifully as Delilah looked at her in surprise. “Of course. You must have at least two new pairs.”
“Two?” Delilah gasped as Lady Newfield nodded. “I do not need more than one, surely, and I already have—”
“Delilah,” Lady Newfield said, putting her hand on Delilah’s arm. “You have been given very little in this life. You have had very little choice. As your godmother, it was very difficult for me not to know where you were or what had happened to you.” Her smile was soft, but her eyes were glistening with tears. “Allow me now to do these small things for you. For it will not only bring you joy but it will bring me some also.”
Knowing that she could not argue, that she could not refuse, Delilah only nodded, a lump forming in her throat as she saw Lady Newfield’s smile grow. She then plucked the gloves from Delilah’s hands and took them to the dressmaker, adding them to the list of things that she was already purchasing. Smiling to herself, Delilah moved through the shop, making certain to avoid the other ladies who had come in. She meandered slowly, taking in all the wonderful colors, the different fabrics, the beautiful items ready for someone to purchase.
“Did you see Lord Coventry last evening?”
The smile Delilah wore dropped in an instant, and she froze, her back towards the ladies that were speaking in less than quiet tones.
“I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw him dancing with that lady!” said another voice, a giggle following her words. “How dare he think of standing up on the floor in such a manner?”
“And what of the lady herself?” came a third voice. “She did not seem to think it improper for her to dance with such a disgraced gentleman.”
“Perhaps she does not care about her reputation,” said the first. “I should never even allow myself to greet him, given what the beau monde would think of me.”
Another giggle ran through the shop, and Delilah closed her eyes, feeling heat climb up her spine and rush into her cheeks.
“The stain that would be on my reputation should I allow myself to converse with him,” said the second, an affected tone in her voice, being so dramatic in her judgment upon Delilah that the other ladies giggled uproariously. “Some would give me the cut direct; I am quite sure of it!”
“Mayhap we ought to give that particular lady the cut direct,” said the third, sounding considerably more haughty than before. “Does anyone know her name?”
Delilah winced and tried to make it appear as though she were looking at the items near to her but found that she could not move. A slight trembling was taking a hold of her limbs and she had to put all of her energy into remaining still.
“No,” said one of the ladies, filling Delilah with relief. “No, I do not know her.”
“I am sure someone will be aware of her,” another said. “We shall have to discover her name at the very least, for to dance with Lord Coventry is quite foolish.”
“Mayhap she does not know of his reputation,” said a fifth voice that Delilah had not heard before. “There is, perhaps, a chance to show some kindness here.”
This was met with a moment of silence, only for the other ladies to titter and laugh as though the suggestion were quite ridiculous. Delilah felt an urge to turn around so that she might see the fifth lady, to know whether or not she had been laughing also, realizing how foolish she had been. But she dared not say a word, dared not move for fear that she would be recognized.
“I think the lady needs nothing but a clear resolve from us not to associate with her should she continue to spend time in the company of Lord Coventry,” said the first lady, haughty and determined. “There is no need nor any requirement for kindness, Miss Jamieson.”
Miss Jamieson.
Delilah allowed the name to ring around her mind as she felt a small sense of relief creep over her shame, reminding her that there were, at least, a few within society who would not turn away from her with the same force and disdain as others. There might come a time where she would seek out Miss Jamieson in the hope that the lady would speak to her when no one else would.