A Lesson in Friendship Read online

  Still deep in thought, Ginny nearly jumped at the sound of knocking. It was too early for her mother to come in and nag her, and MaryAnn would knock once and enter herself. Wondering at who it was, she called out for them to come in.

  Charlotte, still dressed in her nightgown, padded in. Ginny threw back the covers and invited her sister to join her. Climbing in, both girls moved to lay their heads on the pillows and face each other.

  “Did I wake you?” Charlotte asked.

  “No. I was just sitting here thinking. What has you up so early? I didn't hear you get home last night.”

  “No, I would not imagine you would, since you were not in your room.”

  Ginny stared at Charlotte, trying to be expressionless and utterly failing. It never occurred to her that her sister would check on her when she got home. And it never occurred to her to find out when they would be getting home. There was nothing to do about it, but try to play it off.

  “What time was it? I may have been in the kitchen getting a snack.” Being careful not to commit to anything, Ginny smiled at her sister.

  “Good try, Sarah, but I know you were not at home. Where did you go?” Judging by the look on her older sister's face, Ginny knew she was in big trouble. She hadn't told their mother yet, but there was no guarantee that she wouldn't.

  Casting her eyes downward, looking as guilty as she was, Ginny said, “I went to a party. A party with masks, so no one there knew who I was.”

  A gasp escaped her sister as she sat bolt upright. “Sarah Elizabeth Dunworthy, what could you have possibly been thinking? What kind of party necessitates wearing masks, when I know of no masked balls being held last night?”

  Ginny sat up and propped herself against the pillows. Having her sister disappointed with her was painful, more than it would have been if her parents were. Somehow, her sister, who had never asked for anything from her, meant more to her than anyone else in her family.

  “Not the kind of party that I should have ever considered attending. I made a stupid, arrogant mistake, but by the grace of God, was not caught. No one knew it was me and I have no intention of ever letting anyone know I was there.” Ginny was earnest and it paid off. Her sister relaxed somewhat and leaned against the pillows next to her.

  “What were you thinking?” she asked, beseechingly.

  Staring at the far end of her room, she answered as honestly as possible. “I doubt I was thinking at all, Lottie. I wanted to do something daring and risky and I never once considered the consequences of my actions. I was being immature and I swear I won't do it again.”

  “And no one recognized you? Are you certain?”

  “Yes, I'm certain. I left long before anything untoward could happen.” Though lying, Ginny was reasonably certain her sister would never find out about Lord Conway. If being caught were bad, knowing that her suitor was attending the same party would not help matters.

  “Very well. I hope you have learned a lesson. Being discovered at that party, with no proper escort... well... you would have been laughed out of polite society, to be sure.” Charlotte stared at her younger sister with something close to awe. She may have had such thoughts on occasion, even wanted to lash out in independence, but she never did and probably never would.

  “I promise I won't.” Ginny thought she sounded like a chastised five year old, which in a way, she was.

  They fell into silence for a while, both thinking their own thoughts, when Charlotte shocked Ginny to her very core.

  “What was it like, Sarah? Did you see people... touching?” All the pain and embarrassment were in her tone, so Ginny knew not to brush it off. It took a lot for her sister to ask that question.

  “A little. Some kissed, but I wouldn't say anyone was being particularly vulgar.”

  “Did you have any questions about what happens between a man and woman? I think I shall die telling you, but I would not want you to be completely ignorant on your wedding night.”

  Glancing sideways at her sister, she said, “I know some. I guess I was just curious as to what people did at such parties.”

  “Where did hear about such a thing in the first place?”

  “Ladies retiring room.” No sooner were the words out of her mouth then Charlotte was nodding her head. Of course, where else would an innocent, young lady hear about such things.

  “Ladies should be more careful about what they say in front of... well, they should be more careful, is all.”

  “In all fairness, they didn't know I was there. I was hiding behind a screen.”

  Charlotte shook her head. Before she could say anything else, Ginny covered her face with her hands. She heard her sister's sigh and was happy to not be lectured again. Peeking out through her fingers, she saw her sister smiling at her. It was all it took to get them both laughing.

  When they both calmed down, Charlotte said, “I envy you, Sarah. You have your whole life ahead of you. I do so hope you marry someone for love, and know the happiness I had with Mr. Stevens.” Ginny saw the glassiness of her sister's eyes and wondered what would happen to her if Sarah did marry.

  “And your life is over?” she asked, not quite believing her sister's attitude.

  “I am not a prime catch, Sarah. I have no dowry and have already been in a marriage that produced no children. Unless a man cared not for having children, no one would want me.”

  “Your not having a child may not have been your fault, Charlotte. Mr. Stevens was sick, maybe he was not able to give you a child.”

  “Even if that were true, not many men would believe it.”

  “What about Mr. Richter? You seem to like him a great deal.”

  At the mention of the pianist's name, Charlotte blushed. When she wouldn't look Ginny in the eye, she knew something was up. “Did Mr. Richter say something to you?”

  As Charlotte blushed a bright crimson, Ginny was torn between wheedling out the details and giving her sister the room she needed to confess. Despite her curiosity, Ginny remained silent, hoping that her sister would eventually confide in her.

  After what seemed like hours, Charlotte finally spoke up. “He told me he thought I was beautiful last night.”

  “And...?”

  The girl laid on the bed, nearly purple with embarrassment. Obviously, something had happened between the two. Again, Ginny waited, until she heard her sister let out a great sigh, as if relieving the tension she'd been feeling.

  “He told me that although his family in Germany is well off, he often travels on the kindness of others.”

  “Alright.” So far, Ginny wasn't impressed. There had to be more to the story.

  “Many of the women of the ton appreciate him for more than his musical talent.” Her tone was so robotic, that Ginny hardly realized the meaning of her words. When it hit, she nearly choked.

  “Are you telling me that Mr. Richter confessed to you, last night, that he was often called upon to provide more than just his talent at the piano, but for his talent, in say, the bedroom?” So badly she wanted to laugh, but knew she couldn't. For one thing, besides hurting her sister's feelings, Charlotte would clam up tight.

  “You should not know of these kinds of things, Sarah. To whom have you been speaking?”

  “Don't you dare change the subject. What were you talking about that brought about... his confession?” Incredulous, Ginny had to wonder how Mr. Richter could have gotten her sister's personality so wrong. The girl couldn't even discuss her period without nearly dying of mortification.

  “He said that he wanted to share my bed, Sarah. He said he had not felt in a long time about a woman the way he feels about me.” Tears cropped up and spilled over, running down her cheeks.

  “Why would that make you cry?” Ginny asked, wondering how repressed one woman could be, even after sharing a marital bed with someone.

  “Because I almost said yes. Because I want to desperately. Do you think me a wanton?” She choked out every word, as though it gave her great pain to do so.

&
nbsp; Ginny's head fell back and she looked at the top of her canopy. From all she'd read, in all the novels she had on her ill-fated vacation, the one thing that came out was that widows were the only women with any true freedom. Naturally, those with money had more freedom than those without, but that stood to reason with most of society. The fact was, once that small piece of flesh had been pushed through, a woman no longer had to worry so much about what society would think if she chose to take a lover. After all, it wasn't as though she had anything more to prove.

  Ginny purposefully chose not to look at her sister when she asked her next question. “Did you enjoy that part of your marriage, Lottie? Did you like sharing a bed with your husband?”

  Expecting a gasp, or at least some kind of shiver, Ginny was surprised when all her sister said was, “Yes, very much so.”

  “Do you think you could enjoy it with Mr. Richter? Even without a commitment?”

  Silence reined again and Ginny patiently waited it out. When she heard the whispered confession, that Charlotte did think she would enjoy it, she turned and looked at her sister.

  “Then what can I do to help? Because Lottie, dammit, you deserve some happiness. You deserve to feel good about yourself, after all you've been through.”

  Seeing her tears, Ginny thought that maybe she'd gone too far. Then a smile formed on her sister's face that told her that everything would be okay. Whether or not her sister took a chance with Mr. Richter was immaterial. What mattered was that she was beginning to recognize that her life wasn't over and that she could still be married and have a family of her own. At least that was what Ginny chose to see in that small smile. Because for once, it wasn't about her happiness. Not when she had the power to make it about someone else.

  Chapter 10

  The three women sat in the parlor, entertaining callers as they came by. After staying up half the night, the boredom of the afternoon made all the women continue to cover up their yawns in between guests. Close to tea time, the butler announced Lord Conway and Mr. Richter. Ginny thought it couldn't have been more fortuitous.

  Lady Weston gave her perfected fake smile to the men and offered them some refreshment. Both declined, and mentioned that it being such a fine day, they had hoped to go for a walk in the park with the sisters.

  “Why Lord Conway, you garner so much attention on my sweet Sarah. Tis very fine of you, indeed.”

  Everyone in the room, with the exception of Lady Weston, stiffened at the obvious slight of both her older daughter and Mr. Richter. Although Lady Weston was a great lover of fine music, apparently she gave little thought to who was providing it. And unless the man carried a fine title and more wealth than Croesus, he was too far below her notice.

  Before she could point out her mother's rudeness, Ginny said, “I think that's a fine idea, don't you Charlotte? If you would wait a moment, we will retrieve our things.” Grabbing her sister's arm, the two left the room in a swish of skirts. Conway and Richter were waiting for them in the foyer when they returned.

  Both men had their own curricle, with Richter using a borrowed one from his latest patroness, Lady Melbourne. Everyone was silent until they entered the park, pulling over so they could walk instead of ride. Ginny was tense, with this being the first time seeing Oliver since her ill-fated attempt at independence.

  After assisting her to the ground, Oliver held out his arm and began to walk toward the lake. There were plenty of people about, but no one close, including her sister, to overhear their conversation. The day was indeed warm for that time of the year, with the sun in full bloom overhead. It felt good just to be outdoors.

  “I trust you suffered no ill effects from your foray into depravity last eve?” he asked, trying to sound curious, but only coming off as joking.

  Taking on a serious tone, Ginny said, “I should tell you that Charlotte knows.” It took all his willpower to keep his head from whipping around to meet hers. Instead, she felt him stiffen noticeably.

  “Then, why would she allow us this time together?”

  “She doesn't know about you. She went to check on me last night after she returned home. Obviously, I wasn't there. She came to my room this morning to confront me and I guess... I guess I owed her my honesty. I wasn't completely honest with her though, since I left out my father hitting on me and you saving me. She merely thinks I went, looked around and came right home before anyone could discover me.”

  Releasing a breath he'd been holding during her explanation, Oliver had to smile. With each turn, she demonstrated what a unique woman she was. If the truth be told, he would have to admit to being a little disappointed, though. If she had confessed his part in her escapade, they would be getting married immediately. Nothing would please him more.

  “Are you angry with me?” she asked, glancing around with disinterest, although her voice sounded nervous.

  Squeezing the hand that lay gently on his arm, he whispered, “Of course not. I'm happy that you and your sister are so close. I was never close to my sisters growing up.”

  As they continued their stroll, Ginny decided to elicit his help with her sister. “May I ask you a hypothetical question, Oliver?”

  Raising an eyebrow, he nodded.

  “If two consenting adults wished to have a private evening together, without it being known by every one and sundry, how would they go about doing that?”

  Oliver stopped short. Not only had his feet stopped, but he swore his heart stopped as well. Was she asking what he thought she was asking? Did she want to meet him alone, again?

  “Uh...” was the only sound he could muster. Seeing the confused look on his face, Ginny realized that, once again, she led him in a direction that she hadn't meant to. Closing her eyes for a moment, in the hopes of clearing out any additional stupid she had stored in her brain, she went about setting him right.

  “No, Oliver,” she said, laughing at own idiocy, “I was asking for someone else, not me. I think I've exhausted my allowance of risky behavior for this month.”

  Oliver began to move them forward once again, trying to mask his disappointment. He forced out a laugh, that came off more as a bark, and responded, “You torment me once again, Sarah.” He kept his voice light, but inside, his heart was dropping to his feet.

  “I'm sorry, Oliver. I was referring to my sister and Mr. Richter.”

  Turning his head to glance at the couple several paces behind them, he answered, “As two consenting adults, I should think it their problem to work out, Sarah. I do not presume to know your sister well, but from what I do know about her, I doubt she would approve of your interference.”

  “You're right, but I want her to be happy.” Ginny glanced over the lake, watching the ducks as they glided across the water in search of food.

  Feeling badly for his rebuke, Oliver thought about the situation. “There are many coaching inns, right outside the city proper, that would provide a room for the evening, without question. On the main road toward Folkestone, there is an inn called The Wiley Hare. It is both clean and discreet and of an easy distance from the city. If your sister could produce a reason to be away overnight, I am certain it would meet their needs.”

  “Folkestone? Why does that sound so familiar?” Ginny had just heard her mother blathering on about the town, but couldn't remember why.

  “Have you been invited to Lady Hopewell's house party in a few weeks time? Her country home is outside Folkestone.”

  “Yes, that was it. My mother said something about accepting an invitation. Duh!”

  Oliver's mind was turning over. Had he received an invitation? He knew of it from Devon but couldn't remember if he'd been invited. But as soon as he dropped off Sarah, he would rush home and find out. If he hadn't, he knew that Devon could acquire one for him, using his newly made acquaintance with the widow to do so.

  “Are you going to the party too?” she asked, looking up in his face with anticipation. At least, that was how Oliver chose to see it.

  “Yes, I will be a
ttending as well,” he prevaricated, although fairly certain that Lady Hopewell would more than accept another eligible bachelor into her mix. The woman was a notorious matchmaker, having spent the last year in mourning must have been hell on her social agenda.

  “Great. I know that Penelope Hammersmith will be there as well. If I'm surrounded by friends, I won't have time to be bored, will I?”

  Her angelic smile warmed his heart. Could this party be exactly what he needed to sway her toward a real courtship? Suddenly, Oliver wanted to be home, making sure that he was invited to that party. He thought back to when Devon told him about it, but couldn't, for the life of him, remember if he said something about going.