Lady Incognita by Nina Coombs Pykare

Author:Nina Coombs Pykare [Pykare, Nina Coombs]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency Romance
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 1980-09-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The next day life in the house on Arlington Street continued in its usual fashion. If from time to time Louisa went to her wardrobe and fondly touched a dress of cream satin, there was no one there to see. And if the new hero Percival persisted in drawling languidly and gazing at the heroine Corrine with mysterious dark eyes, it simply could not be helped. She would change him later - when the romance was completed.

And then the even-tenored life they had known so long was disrupted. During the early hours of the afternoon, carriages began stopping in front of the door instead of rattling by as was their usual wont, and footmen came bearing visiting cards.

Louisa found the whole thing quite confusing and stood staring down at two cards left by ladies whose visit had not exceeded five minutes because, as they said, they had so many calls to make, when Lord Harvey arrived and, close on his heels, Lord Reardon.

Louisa had no recourse but to greet them pleasantly. Lord Harvey bowed stiffly. “It’s a pleasure to see you looking so well,” said he with as much solemn effect as if he were addressing the House of Lords on an important question.

“Yes,” lisped the foppish Reardon, shooting his cuffs and elegantly taking snuff. “Pleasure. Looking well,” he mumbled.

Louisa, catching the distaste that Drimble could not quite mask, invited the gentlemen to leave hats, canes, and gloves and follow her to the drawing room.

Her hope was that the gentlemen’s visit would be as sweetly short-lived as that of the ladies, but such good fortune did not appear to be her lot.

Lord Harvey settled his bulk into a comfortable chair and began a monologue on the latest skull that he had analyzed. Louisa felt she could have suffered through this learned discourse with an occasional “Yes, how interesting.” But the exquisite seemed to think that she would enjoy being ogled at the same time and he alternated between staring at her through his quizzing glass and delicately taking snuff.

Louisa found her nerves becoming more and more lacerated as Harvey continued to drone and Reardon continued to ogle. What did a woman do with such visitors, she wondered and then Aunt Caroline came bustling in. “Louisa, my dear. How pleasant. We have guests.”

Hearing another knock at the door, Louisa mumbled, “Excuse me,” and hurried off, leaving the gentlemen to Aunt Caroline. Any caller, she thought with a wry smile, would be welcome now. Any at all.

The new arrival turned out to be Lady Constance, who listened calmly to Louisa’s half-coherent explanation of the events of the afternoon. “Excellent,” said she, then turned to issue orders to Drimble. “Miss Penhope is not at home,” she directed, “unless my brother arrives.”

Drimble, looking to Louisa for confirmation, got a grateful nod. She could hardly believe that a single appearance at Almack’s could make such a change in her social life.

“Come,” said Lady Constance. “We cannot stand about here in the hall. We must go into the drawing room and close the door.

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