Marchioness Divine | A Regency Romance

Chapter Seven: Not To Be Seen At All

"You have created a monster."

The light chuckle woke Amelia from the nap she hadn't realised she had slipped into. She was in the blue room waiting for everyone to prepare for a party at the Ingrams. Amelia did not particularly like the family but she had to make one last appearance before her permanent return to Denmead. In spite of her lack of servants, Amelia was the first person dressed, often followed by Frederick and Christina, then Madeleine and Delilah, and then the troupe often waited another ten minutes for Henry to be ready. Whether he took a long time or started preparing late, nobody knew.

Frederick strolled into the room and took a seat across from Amelia. "Delilah. She cannot make a choice between all of the dresses you bought her. I did not realise you had purchased six."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Frederick always recounted his days to her in great detail in their daily meetings, but apart from that he rarely said a word. Amelia very quickly learned to be comfortable when sitting in silence with him.

"So this is to be your last ball?" Frederick finally said. "Are you sure we cannot persuade you to stay?"

"No," said Amelia. She couldn't. She was tired, collapsing, her seams no longer able to hold her together.

"Well... I have appreciated your advice. However well it was intended."

Amelia couldn't help but smile at the twinkle in her cousin's eye. "I enjoyed our conversations more than I had anticipated," Amelia admitted, earning a wide smile from her cousin.

"Everyone has enjoyed hosting you," he exclaimed, before adding more quietly, "We will all miss you."

"Well, you are at your liberty to write."

"And you are at your liberty to stay with us whenever you wish," Frederick declared loudly. "You need not write ahead. Just knock on our door."

Amelia nodded but she could not say a word. She had spent nearly every waking moment with these five people, and in a week she could not be sure she would ever see them again. She may be a liar, but she would not make promises she could not keep.

"I am glad we put the past behind us," Frederick continued. "In spite of my father's feelings towards him, I regret that the last time I saw your husband was when I was but two years of age. I would like to have seen him again."

"I would like to see him again," Amelia sighed, surprised at how true it was. "People wonder why we chose to live isolated in the country, but upon arriving I discovered that only one person in this city cared for him. The servants and I were his only companions."

"And you will have no companion when you return."

Amelia peered up to see her cousin's raised eyebrows. "Yes," she replied, more to herself than to him. "That is what I prefer."

*

Being a success in society was not as entertaining as watching someone else be a success in society. Amelia barely had a moment to herself all evening – first all of Delilah's friends, who had learnt of her generosity towards her cousin, came to wish her well and ask for a turn about the room. Then came their parents, the lords and ladies with whom Amelia had dealt and flirted on Frederick's behalf – during her second hour at the party she was trapped in a series of bores determined to congratulate her for her intelligence, for 'intellect is so refreshing in a lady.' For once Amelia wanted to dance with all of them, if only so she could break their feet with her boots.

However, they were nothing compared to Henry's friends – he had tried to hold them back, but there was little he could do to stop the swarm of second-born sons hunting fortunes. Fifteen of them had sisters or mothers who threatened to call on her before she left – she would have to make a quick escape.