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Authors: Evelyn Richardson
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steady than he was credited by most people, who were inclined to dismiss him as a lovable chap but sporting mad and devoted to nothing more serious than his stable.
This reverie was broken by Higgins, who announced, "Lady Taylor. Miss Arabella Taylor."
Cassie gave a start of surprise. Never intimate with Arabella in the country, she had not sought her out in the city, and had been annoyed at herself for being piqued at Arabella's failure to acknowledge her existence when their paths had crossed at various social functions. Wise enough in the ways of the world to recognize that Arabella never entered into friendships that did not profit her, Cassie perfectly understood that someone determined to be labeled an incomparable would rather die than admit a connection to a young woman who, to all intents and purposes, was a country nobody and content to remain exactly that. Furthermore, running an eye recently educated in the shops of Bond Street modistes over Arabella's walking dress of jaconet muslin under a richly worked open robe with a mulberry-colored spencer that showed off to perfection the flawless skin and dark eyes, Cassie was puzzled by the visit and the obvious care Arabella had lavished on her toilette. The plaited front of the gown enhanced a generous figure and the cornette of lace under her hat framed her face delightfully.
"La, Cassandra, you are looking vastly elegant, I am sure," Arabella declared, tripping across the room. Modifying this uncharacteristically generous praise, she continued, "I vow I wouldn't have recognized you at all."
A casual observer might have been pardoned for being confused over the intended recipient of this speech as Arabella, ostensibly addressing Cassie, never looked in her direction but smiled and dimpled at Freddie instead the entire time she was speaking.
"You must think I showed a sad lack of conduct in not calling on you directly you arrived in Town. I am sure I meant to call times out of mind, but one has so many engagements, so many pressing social obligations..." She trailed off, hoping to be asked to elaborate on these.
Cassie, who found more to comment on in this sudden appearance than in her neglect, was cudgeling her brains for an explanation for this sudden solicitude and wondering how best to discover the reason for the visit in order to bring it to a close as expeditiously as possible. Town bronze, in her opinion, had done nothing to improve the dubious charms of Hampshire's reigning belle. "Do not refine too much on it, Arabella. Having been about a bit, I can see that someone as sought after as you must have many more urgent engagements," Cassie replied, adopting what she hoped was an interested enough tone of voice to encourage Arabella to state the purpose of her visit.
However, Arabella was not to be led. Her eyes surveying the room, she disposed herself elegantly upon a chair and smiled intimately at Freddie, remarking, "What a stir you and Ned caused at Almack's! Everyone has a different story to explain how you made your fortunes and what you plan to do to dazzle us with your wealth. Do tell me all your adventures. I feel certain you and he outshone everyone there. You certainly did last evening— both of you brown as natives and looking as though you had a hundred hair-raising tales to relate. Do tell me." She looked up expectantly, her whole being expressive of eager anticipation—an attitude that had won the hearts of numerous swains happy to recount the least little exploit to such a charming listener.
Freddie had known Arabella too long to be overwhelmed by the thought of so much charm and beauty waiting breathlessly to hang on his every word. Like his sister, he was extremely curious as to what really lay behind the unexpected call. Whatever it was, it had not been accomplished, because Arabella's eyes never left off their restless inspection of the room. In the midst of a truly gripping account of stalking a man-eating tiger, he became aware that
This reverie was broken by Higgins, who announced, "Lady Taylor. Miss Arabella Taylor."
Cassie gave a start of surprise. Never intimate with Arabella in the country, she had not sought her out in the city, and had been annoyed at herself for being piqued at Arabella's failure to acknowledge her existence when their paths had crossed at various social functions. Wise enough in the ways of the world to recognize that Arabella never entered into friendships that did not profit her, Cassie perfectly understood that someone determined to be labeled an incomparable would rather die than admit a connection to a young woman who, to all intents and purposes, was a country nobody and content to remain exactly that. Furthermore, running an eye recently educated in the shops of Bond Street modistes over Arabella's walking dress of jaconet muslin under a richly worked open robe with a mulberry-colored spencer that showed off to perfection the flawless skin and dark eyes, Cassie was puzzled by the visit and the obvious care Arabella had lavished on her toilette. The plaited front of the gown enhanced a generous figure and the cornette of lace under her hat framed her face delightfully.
"La, Cassandra, you are looking vastly elegant, I am sure," Arabella declared, tripping across the room. Modifying this uncharacteristically generous praise, she continued, "I vow I wouldn't have recognized you at all."
A casual observer might have been pardoned for being confused over the intended recipient of this speech as Arabella, ostensibly addressing Cassie, never looked in her direction but smiled and dimpled at Freddie instead the entire time she was speaking.
"You must think I showed a sad lack of conduct in not calling on you directly you arrived in Town. I am sure I meant to call times out of mind, but one has so many engagements, so many pressing social obligations..." She trailed off, hoping to be asked to elaborate on these.
Cassie, who found more to comment on in this sudden appearance than in her neglect, was cudgeling her brains for an explanation for this sudden solicitude and wondering how best to discover the reason for the visit in order to bring it to a close as expeditiously as possible. Town bronze, in her opinion, had done nothing to improve the dubious charms of Hampshire's reigning belle. "Do not refine too much on it, Arabella. Having been about a bit, I can see that someone as sought after as you must have many more urgent engagements," Cassie replied, adopting what she hoped was an interested enough tone of voice to encourage Arabella to state the purpose of her visit.
However, Arabella was not to be led. Her eyes surveying the room, she disposed herself elegantly upon a chair and smiled intimately at Freddie, remarking, "What a stir you and Ned caused at Almack's! Everyone has a different story to explain how you made your fortunes and what you plan to do to dazzle us with your wealth. Do tell me all your adventures. I feel certain you and he outshone everyone there. You certainly did last evening— both of you brown as natives and looking as though you had a hundred hair-raising tales to relate. Do tell me." She looked up expectantly, her whole being expressive of eager anticipation—an attitude that had won the hearts of numerous swains happy to recount the least little exploit to such a charming listener.
Freddie had known Arabella too long to be overwhelmed by the thought of so much charm and beauty waiting breathlessly to hang on his every word. Like his sister, he was extremely curious as to what really lay behind the unexpected call. Whatever it was, it had not been accomplished, because Arabella's eyes never left off their restless inspection of the room. In the midst of a truly gripping account of stalking a man-eating tiger, he became aware that
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