Lady Madeline's Folly by Joan Smith

Author:Joan Smith [Smith, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency Romance
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 1983-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Lord Eskott sought out Taffy Barker at Lord Sidmouth’s ball to see if he could discover anything amiss with Aldred’s personal life. The necessary preliminaries regarding the state of their respective health and the fineness of the party were quickly covered.

“Your friend, young Aldred, is rising fast in the world,” Eskott said at length, glancing to the floor, where Henry was performing an exquisite bow to Madeline during the course of the cotillion.

“Knew he had it in him,” Taffy agreed. “Very capable, popular fellow at Christ Church. Best-liked man in his class. Don’t believe he ever made an enemy.”

“A man who has not made a single enemy at his age must have a very obliging set of principles, ones that change with the company he keeps,” Eskott said, making a joke of it.

“Wouldn’t say so,” Barker answered, choosing to take offense at the jibe. “Haven’t an enemy myself, so far as I know. Not what you’d call a real enemy. The Sanfords were put out with me that I didn’t offer for Caroline, but as to enemies—no such a thing.”

“Rumor has it Henry left a lady behind crying willow when he left,” was Eskott’s next venture.

“Anges Dannaher? Devil a bit of it. She was the one gave him the rush. That is to say, her uncle did it for her. Aldred ain’t well inlaid, but he’ll do. Do very well for himself. How’d you hear about Agnes? But you’re a friend of Lady Madeline, of course,” he went on, answering his own question.

“Was he actually engaged to Miss Dannaher? You paid him a visit a while ago, if memory serves.”

“No, never got so far as an engagement. Hinted him away before he came up to scratch, you know. He wanted to court her, but it was frowned upon. They’d have been more than happy to have each other, but the old uncle thought he could do better for the gel. Daresay he will too, despite her looks.”

“Is she not well endowed? Physically, I mean.”

“Between you and me and the bedpost, Eskott, ugly as a badger. Nice, lively, entertaining gel, but plug ugly.” He screwed up his face and shook his head to indicate his repulsion at the girl’s looks. “Not that Henry could find a fault in her appearance. You never want to hint it in front of him.”

“Odd that he would have been dangling after an antidote.”

“Love is blind, folks say. Well, half of the county is blind to Agnes’s looks, and the other half is female, if you see my meaning. The fellows are all trying their luck, but Henry definitely had the inner track, till the uncle came down hard. Forbid the match.”

“At Christmas?”

“No, earlier. He had spoken of letting Agnes come up to town with Mrs. Aldred to visit Henry, but when Henry didn’t land himself in the honeypot in London fast enough to suit them, nothing came of it. Henry had some hope when he left last month to visit home that the thing might be kept alive, but he don’t mention Agnes now.

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