Yours Truly

Chapter Six

Adelaide lead Margaret upstairs to her room. She reached under her bed and slid out the painting she had finished.

"Oh, Adelaide. It's fantastic!"

"Really?"

"If you don't believe me, let us send the portrait to Henry. God knows he would never lie to spare your feelings." Adelaide saw worry cross her aunt's face.

"What is it, Aunt Margaret?"

"I'm afraid I have one limitation that I must place upon you."

Adelaide stiffened slightly. Would now be when it all came crashing down around her?

"I would ask that you remain anonymous or use a pseudonym. If your father were to find out that you were painting under your own name, I would be wary of what he might do."

Adelaide nodded quickly.

"I completely agree, Aunt Margaret," Adelaide frowned slightly. "If my name isn't attached to the work, Father would never think to suspect me, even on the slight chance he heard about their work."

"So it's settled! Now, for your pseudonym, I think Mrs. Williams would be best. It's a name one certainly sees often!"

Adelaide laughed and agreed to her aunt's suggestion.

"Mrs. Williams it is!"

Aunt Margaret wrote a note and had one of the footmen deliver the painting to Henry. Before much time had passed, Henry had already sent the footman back. Without the painting. But he had sent back a letter instead. Margaret waited eagerly in a chair beside Adelaide to hear what he had said.

Dear Mrs. Williams,

A mutual friend, the Dowager Countess of Yorkshire, recommended that I display your work at my art gallery, Prescott's. I would prefer for you to visit tomorrow if possible as the show is coming up fairly quickly.

Henry Prescott, Earl of Devonshire

"He can be really quite rude, Aunt Margaret! No mention of whether or not my work was actually decent. Just 'be at my service, you lowly painter'."

Margaret smiled ruefully.

"So, in the little time you spent in his company, Henry didn't make a great impression, did he?"

Adelaide had spent more time with Henry than Margaret knew. However, it was much safer to just pretend she had never met him before. Now if only she could convince herself...

"Well, I suppose that would be the polite way of phrasing it, wouldn't it be?"

"I'd like to apologize for his behaviour and offer an explanation if I could."

Adelaide nodded and set his letter on the nearby table.

"Henry Prescott's full title would actually be Henry Prescott, Earl of Devonshire. His parents died when he was very young and, unfortunately, his older sister had to support him in various ways." Margaret gave Adelaide the same look Madame Winthrope had when implying prostitution, so Adelaide nodded her understanding. "I first met Henry when he was fifteen and was looking to start a business venture to pay some of the debts his father had accumulated. I learned about his aptitude when it came to finding artists of worth and he opened Prescott's. He feels slights or insults very keenly and it can make him rather defensive. I don't know exactly what was it that he misinterpreted while meeting you today. I have confidence, however, that once I can clear this misunderstanding up, you and Henry can get along much more easily."

She had already heard everything Margaret had said from Henry. Everything but the fact that he was an earl, of course. Now she understood that his sister had been a prostitute which she hadn't before. Henry certainly seemed to be someone Margaret cared about dearly and she could make an effort to be more understanding towards him. Even if he insisted on being rude because he wouldn't hear out her explanation for lying to him.