A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting(29)

‘Then I shall write to the Talbots this moment!’ his mother declared, brow clearing. ‘Could Hinsley be persuaded to wear his regimental colours, my dear?’

‘A dinner party?’ Aunt Dorothy’s voice was as scandalised as if Kitty had suggested they tie their garters in public.

‘Yes, isn’t it marvellous?’ Kitty beamed, brandishing the letter. ‘Some of the highest lords and ladies will be there – if all goes well, we shall be quite launched onto the Season!’

Mrs Kendall lay a hand upon her forehead. ‘Exhausting child,’ she said wearily. ‘Any time I leave you alone for more than five minutes, you are in the midst of another unwise scheme. We have already been unveiled to Lord Radcliffe – I cannot think this is the right course of action, now.’

‘It is,’ Kitty said firmly. ‘Given that Radcliffe was threatening to tell everyone about Mama, I rather think I should be commended for how I turned it around.’

‘Tell everyone what about Mama?’ Cecily piped up from the corner. Kitty jumped slightly – she had quite forgotten about Cecily.

‘Oh,’ she said breezily. ‘Nothing to worry about.’

‘I want to know,’ Cecily insisted. ‘If it is about Mama, I deserve to know, too.’

Kitty sighed, recognising the mulish look on her sister’s face, and went over to sit beside her.

‘This might come as a shock,’ she said, not having time to spin the news delicately. ‘But Mama used to – that is, Mama was a – a courtesan. That is how she and Papa met.’

Cecily’s jaw dropped. ‘What?’ she gasped. ‘That cannot be true. She was an actress.’

‘Yes,’ Kitty agreed. ‘And also a—’

Cecily clapped her hands to her ears. ‘Don’t!’

Kitty felt a rush of impatience at her childishness. This was not a productive use of her time, when she had so much to prepare.

‘I-I cannot believe it. We loved to speak of the great playwrights together,’ Cecily was stammering. ‘Of Shakespeare – a-and Marlowe.’

‘Come now,’ Kitty said bracingly. ‘She is still the same person, Cecily, still our mother. This doesn’t mean she didn’t like Shakespeare and – and whosit. You are just learning something new about her – at the very least, is it not interesting?’

From the nasty look Cecily shot her, Cecily did not think it was interesting.

‘How could you not tell me this?’ she demanded.

‘Mama thought it would upset you – and clearly she was right!’

‘But she told you!’ Cecily accused. Kitty bit her lip, unsure whether to answer truthfully. The truth was, Mama would never have dreamed of disturbing Cecily with such a confidence. Cecily was the precious dreamer of the family, the intellectual – Mama spoke to Cecily about books and plays, and it was only with Kitty that she had spoken of the past. There had been no secrets between Kitty and her mother: they had discussed frankly their financial difficulties, and shared in schemes of how they might escape them; whereas Cecily had had quite a different relationship with her.

‘Kitty, we cannot attend,’ Aunt Dorothy spoke over Cecily’s spluttering.

Kitty frowned at her. ‘Why are you so against this?’ she demanded. ‘This is an opportunity, Aunt – I have a real chance, here.’

‘So did your mother, and look how that turned out!’ Aunt Dorothy retorted, shrilly. Both Kitty and Cecily recoiled a little in shock. Aunt Dorothy pressed a trembling hand to her mouth.

‘I did not mean that,’ she said. ‘I am sorry … You are so like her, you know. She was just as confident that she could have it all – love and marriage and money altogether. But when you get involved with the ton, nothing is that simple, and everything can be taken out of your hands all at once. She was sent away and I never saw her again.’

The room fell silent. They had never seen Aunt Dorothy lose her composure like this before.

‘The difference is,’ Kitty said, ‘that I won’t be falling in love with anyone.’

‘I am not sure that helps.’ Aunt Dorothy cast her hands up in frustration. ‘It is a most unwise plan. None of us has the faintest idea of how to behave at such an event.’

‘I thought you might,’ Kitty admitted. ‘You have socialised with gentlemen before.’

‘Not in front of their wives,’ Aunt Dorothy stressed. ‘This is as new to me as it would be to you. There are all sorts of rules that govern these events about which we don’t have the faintest idea – and have you thought what might happen if a gentleman in attendance recognises me?

‘It has been ten years,’ Kitty pointed out dubiously.

‘Ten years that I am reliably informed have been very kind to me,’ Aunt Dorothy told her severely. ‘It is just as well my hair is black now, not red – there is a reason I avoid these sorts of people, Kitty. And as for you, you look the spitting image of your mother! You had best write back to Lady Radcliffe and let her know we cannot attend.’

‘And give up?’ Kitty raised her chin in defiance. ‘No, I shall find out all we need to know – we are going to that dinner party!’

True to her word, Kitty gamely set out that afternoon on an information-gathering expedition. Her destination, Cecily in tow, was the library, for Cecily had often spoken of the conduct books they were given at the Seminary, which taught them of maidenly virtues. Kitty was to be disappointed, however. To her disgust, even the most academic of these volumes held only the barest and most useless of instructions. How was such nonsense as ‘have a sacred regard to truth’ and ‘possess dignity without pride’ to help her at a dinner party? They left empty-handed, and Kitty avoided Aunt Dorothy’s eye that evening.