Chapter Five - What Tea Cannot Fix

 



Several long weeks had passed Emilia by since her night out at the opera, the subsequent scandalous articles, and Ginny's enlightening visit.

Emilia was now barely leaving her sister's house, not even to go visiting of a morning.

Lydia had tried to no avail to get her to venture out for social outings in Simdon, but Emilia could not be persuaded into stirring outside the public rooms of the home.

 

The news that so close a friend had done such a thing, to cause much distress and anguish to Emilia and her family, made Emilia wretched.

 

She could still recall Ginny's face breaking into a sly, gleeful smile as she told the sisters of the endeavours she undertook to ruin Emilia's reputation after the papers had printed news of her and the Duke courting.

She had been there, in the music room, standing and looking at Emilia and Lydia with such a terrible smirk on her face as though it were all amusing to her. 

 

“The revenge served for the disappointment of a brother,” Ginny surmised, “is worth the loss of you as a friend, I am afraid.”

Lydia growled in anger, but Ginny was not yet finished her diatribe.

 

“I had hoped after your debut season to keep you as an influential friend in the tonne, but how could I overlook the insult to my own brother.”

Emilia rose out of her chair indignantly.

 

“It was not done spitefully, nor with any intention to hurt! Your brother and I never had any kind of an understanding, Ginny!”

 

“You knew of his feelings, you knew and yet you did not discourage him from his pursuit of you.” 

 

A bitter looked crossed over Ginny's determined face.

 

Emilia looked in askance at her sister. Where had this even come from? Ginny was her friend, as were her brothers, but there was never anything more between herself and the younger Drake son.

 

“We did not know of his feelings, Ginny,” Emilia said heatedly.

 

Ginny tossed her hair tempestuously, as though she had no care in the world beyond her wounded feelings.

“I cannot escape the debasement of a connection with your family now, even the rumours in the paper did not deter Theodore from proposing to Rosa, nor did my pleading I should add.”

 

Emilia became disquieted as Ginny continued, and she sank down into the plush satin of the armchair behind her. To stoop so low as to discourage a connection, a love match even!

 

She barely registered her sister forcefully removing their unwanted guest from the townhouse, nor Ginny's continued crowing all the way to the door.

 

Was this Emilia's fault? The scandal, the gossip, the trouble it had caused her family?

Emilia mourned the loss of what could have been with the Duke too, she did not want to visit the unfortunate circumstances upon him – his reputation, wealth, and prestige would weather him through almost any slanderous occasion.

Though were Emilia to allow the Duke to embroil himself in the disgrace, she felt assured that he would come to resent her eventually.

 

She had toyed with the idea of seeing him once again, he had visited with Lydia and Beacon several times but had always turned down any offer of dinner or more.

That was for her own comfort Emilia supposed. She did not deserve such deference in his treatment, acting as cowardly as she had.

Sometimes Emilia almost tortured herself listening to his voice float through the sitting room doors and up the stairs where she sat. 

 

Emilia had continued the practice, even after Lydia had come upon her one visit and declared her a lost cause. Some things were worth the risk of Lydia's exasperation.

 

It was not until one afternoon where Rosa had come to visit from their aunt Darley's townhouse and been met with the Duke's presence in, that Emilia started to realise how silly the predicament had become.

Rosa had not held back her disapproval of Emilia's actions and let her bear the brunt of it.

“And you haven't left the house in above a fortnight Emi! Lydia has told me all. You cannot let these people rule your life.”

 

Emilia wrung her hands in a worried fashion.

“I won't have him dragged into this mess with me Rosa.”

 

Rosa put her head in her hands.

“I'm not saying you have to go running back and ask for his forgiveness, though you should because you are being ridiculous, but at least get out of the house!”

 

Rosa pouted at her sister sadly.

“At least venture out and buy a gown for my wedding, Emi.”

Emilia knew Rosa would not rest until she got her own way, and she really could use a new gown for the wedding.

 

“I can have James and Clara go with you,” Lydia joined in, knowing Emilia's hatred of shopping with her sisters, being an in-and-out sort of shopper.

Emilia sighed at the two of them ganging up on her.

“Et tu, Lydia? I don't suppose I have much of a choice now do I?”

Her sisters laughed and shook their heads as Rosa took a seat on the arm of the loveseat.

 

“What would you do without us?”

 

“'What would you do without us?'” Emilia imitated under her breath. “I'll tell you what I would do without you.”

She frowned before entering Simmadilly arcade, it seemed there were quite a few shoppers today.

“I would be a lot happier right now, let me tell you!”

She made her way through the crowds with some difficulty, it being such a crush at this time of day.

Rosa's dressmaker had a pattern, fabric, and trimmings all prepared for Emilia to look at, and an appointment had been made two days hence from the conversation in the drawing room.

Emilia trusted Rosa implicitly and Rosa trusted this dressmaker. If only her establishment was not in the busiest arcade in Simdon!

After all the fuss in getting there, Emilia's fitting went surprisingly well. Madame Bella had superb taste, and allowed Emilia to keep her dress simple they way she wished.

 

The crush had quietened down after the long appointment, and Emilia admired the trinkets in the windows as she walked with a slow pace to the awaiting carriage outside.

 

“Miss Wharburton!”

She turned in recognition of the voice and it took her but a moment to recognise the speaker as he stepped forward, the red of his coat striking against the grey stone building.

With a sceptical eye Emilia looked over at Mr. Laurent Haynes.

After the betrayal of a good friend such as Ginny, Emilia was not in the mood to be inconvenienced by a dissolute such as he.

 

“Mr. Haynes, I pray you will excuse me for I have another appointment to attend. I was just leaving as you see.”

Laurent gave her wry grin.

 

“I know you have no other business Miss Wharburton, I have just been to visit with my brother and he has charged me with ensuring your safe return to Beacon house.”

Emilia looked on him with doubt.

“I assure you that James is quite capable of conveying me thusly, Sir.”

 

“Ahh James is here? I had understood you had ventured out... alone.”

The light in Laurent's eyes turned dark as Emilia replied.

 

“With such rumours abound about my reputation Sir, I had not any thought of leaving the house alone,” she turned towards the lined up carriages on the street and gestured towards the footman. “He is just there Mr. Haynes. Shall you be returning with us?”

Emilia turned back towards her unwelcome conversation partner and found no sign of him.

The spot Mr. Haynes had been occupying not seconds before was now completely devoid of any person.

 

Emilia could not find that she was so very distressed with the turn of events, but was quite perplexed at his sudden departure.

Perhaps he had seen an acquaintance or some manner of trinket he wished to inspect? Though it was not entirely unexpected, his rudeness bothered Emilia and she resolved to speak of it to Beacon as soon as she were home.

She heard voices coming from the upstairs sitting room and made her way through the home towards it. She stepped into the room and at once knew something was not quite right.

“You are all quite white in the face, whatever is the matter?”

Beacon glanced at the two other women before saying sombrely,

“Laurent has deserted his regiment in the north, Emilia.”

 

“I believe he has come after me, Emi.”

Emilia looked in askance at her Rosa once she spoke.

“After the wedding, before father banned him from the home, he imposed himself on me.”

Emilia gasped in horror and looked towards Lydia and Beacon. The grave expression they both wore told Emilia that they had been made aware of this already.

 

“Why did you not tell any of us?” Emilia asked sadly.

“I gave him a swift kick to the tackle and he ran. The next day father and he had that chat and he was gone within the hour from Simbury.”

 

Rosa smiled at her sister before continuing.

“It is no matter now, no real harm was done.”

“But if you are his true object in returning to town, what are we to do?” Emilia questioned.

 

“He has risked deportation in leaving his regiment to try to get to Rosa again. We shall see to it that he is found.” Lydia said angrily.

Beacon's face turned a ghostly shade of white.

 

“You think he will be deported? He is the son of an earl!”

“As well as a deserter, my love!” Lydia returned viciously.

 

Beacon glared at his new wife before storming out angrily, muttering about family disgraces and wives who didn't understand.

Lydia watched her husband leave impassively, turning sadly back towards her sisters.

She grimaced before opening her mouth once more.

“Well then Rosa, I shall send someone to fetch your things from Darley house directly.”

As she waltzed out of the room the two remaining sisters shared a pensive look. An unsettling silence occupied the room in Lydia's absence.

There was a beat before Rosa broke the stillness.

 

“Beacon will be grovelling for her forgiveness in less than a day, I dare say.”

Emilia shared a small smile with her.

“What say you we have ourselves some tea then?”

“I'm not sure that tea will be able to fix all of our ills this time Rosa.”

"Nevertheless, I shall go and grab some for us both."

 

Alone in the sitting room Emilia found herself doubting that anything, in fact, would be able to cure all of their ills this time.