A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting(13)

Misgendering aside, Kitty was quite pleased with this statement. It suited very well for Mr de Lacy to consider himself a romantic hero, and Lady Radcliffe the dragon guarding the castle.

‘Mr de Lacy, it is such a reassurance to hear you say so,’ she praised.

Kitty stopped on the path, forcing him to halt with her.

‘I hope you do not consider me too forward,’ she said, pushing as much warmth into her voice as she could. ‘But I am beginning to think you a most treasured friend.’

‘Miss Talbot, as do I,’ Archie breathed. ‘I am quite determined that we should still see each other. I shall speak to my mother today; I am sure I can make her see sense.’

Very well played, indeed, Kitty congratulated herself. Just so. When they parted an hour later, Kitty felt rather pleased with how the day had gone. But no sooner had they returned to Wimpole Street than Cecily spoke up, apropos of nothing.

‘Do you care for Mr de Lacy?’ she asked, as Kitty tugged the ribbons of her bonnet loose.

‘Why do you ask?’ Kitty said, frowning. The knot at the base of her chin was quite troublesome.

‘I heard what he said – that it would not matter if you were a prince or a pauper. But that isn’t true for you, is it?’

Kitty shrugged her shoulders, forgetting for a moment Dorothy’s strict instructions that she was not to do anything so unladylike any more.

‘I admire him, certainly,’ Kitty said defensively. ‘He has many admirable qualities. But if you are asking me if I am pursuing him for his fortune, then of course the answer is yes, Cecily. What else did you think we were here for?’

Cecily looked a little lost. ‘I suppose,’ she said haltingly, ‘I suppose I thought you would try to find someone rich who you also cared for.’

‘That would be very nice,’ Kitty said tartly, ‘if we had all the time in the world to do it – but we now have only eight weeks, before the moneylenders will be at Netley. And this time they will not leave empty-handed.’





6


The next day dawned bright and sunny. Excellent weather, in Kitty’s opinion, for a spot of fortune-hunting. This auspicious start, however, proved to be short-lived, for when they met the de Lacys, Mr de Lacy looked as bashful as a lamb.

‘I am afraid Mama was not to be persuaded,’ he admitted, as soon as they began their turn. ‘I tried speaking to her – I promise I did – but she quite nearly went into hysterics when I tried to explain what your papa said about one’s insides.’

Kitty had the sinking realisation that the imagery of this speech might have become rather garbled in translation.

‘She’s written to our brother about you,’ Lady Amelia chipped in, gleeful again – she was quite thrilled by the theatrics that the Talbots had introduced into an otherwise very dull month.

‘Whatever for?’ Kitty asked, alarmed. The last thing she wanted was another protective de Lacy descending upon her.

‘Suppose she’ll want him to weigh in – forbid me from seeing you or somesuch,’ Archie said without concern. ‘Nothing to worry over – James always sees through her guff.’

Be that as it may, Kitty was keen that Archie be distanced from his mother’s influence before she became any more motivated to separate them. But how to do it?

‘Mr de Lacy, may I ask you a question?’ she asked, as Cecily and Lady Amelia moved off ahead of them. ‘I am still unused to London ways, you see. Is it regular for a man such as yourself, of your age and stature, to still lodge with his mother?’

Mr de Lacy looked taken aback. ‘My schoolfriends all do so,’ he confessed. ‘James, my brother, does still have his own lodgings in town, though the family house is his now – Mama did offer to leave, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Though as he is hardly ever in London, he rarely uses either house.’

‘I see,’ Kitty said thoughtfully. ‘Do you think he would grant you leave to use them, should you like to? I own that were I in your shoes, I should very much like the freedom living alone would offer.’

‘What do you mean?’ Mr de Lacy asked, uncertainly. The idea of having his own lodgings had never occurred to him.

‘Well, one could do what one wanted, whenever the fancy struck,’ Kitty suggested. ‘Come and go as one pleased, and suchlike.’

‘I would not have to answer to Mama or Pattson, who always seem to have something to say about everything I do,’ Mr de Lacy said, catching on.

‘You could breakfast for supper,’ Kitty said roguishly. ‘And stay up as late as you like.’

‘Oh, I say,’ he chuckled, finding this idea quite scandalous.

‘Just a thought,’ she said. ‘It could be marvellous, you know.’

Kitty hoped this had been enough to prompt some action from the boy, but upon the next day, perceived at once this tactic to have been a mistake. Lady Amelia greeted them with the news that they had been forbidden from ever seeing the Misses Talbot again – a decree that they seemed all too cheerful to disobey, the attraction of youthful company in an otherwise deserted London proving too powerful to ignore.

‘Mama almost fainted when Archie said he wanted to find his own lodgings,’ Lady Amelia told them. ‘She lays all the blame on you, Miss Talbot.’

‘Tosh,’ Mr de Lacy dismissed at once. ‘A load of dramatics. Do not think on it for a second, Miss Talbot, she’ll come around soon enough.’