The Girl is Not For Christmas - Emma V Leech Page 0,31
make you feel better.”
“Oh, no. I haven’t your skill for thrift and mending, Livvy, dear. You know that.”
Another sigh.
One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and….
Ceci picked up her magazine again. “Oh. I should have liked to take dear Susan shopping for her gowns in a few years, but I don’t suppose she’ll have a season at all now.”
“No,” Livvy replied through gritted teeth, stuffing the mending back into the basket and rising to her feet. “I don’t suppose she will.”
Somehow, she held her tongue all the way out of the door.
She stood in the hallway for a moment, just breathing, and fighting the temptation to visit Ceci’s wardrobe and pull out all the expensive gowns that had been bought for her over the years. The desire to fling them in her face and say, there, that’s why the girls can’t have a season you selfish, ignorant creature, was almost overwhelming. Knowing what kind of scene would follow was the only thing which made her swallow the words down. She had tried before now, tried to make them see, but it only ended up with Ceci crying and her brother shouting, the children frightened and upset and Livvy ever more aware of just how precarious her position in the household was. If she upset Ceci too badly or too often, Charlie would side with her, not Livvy. It would be her forced to leave, and then what?
Yet, this would not do. Sooner or later she would cause exactly such a scene and her brother would give her an ultimatum: marry Mr Skewes or get out. Once upon a time she would never have believed him capable of such a thing, but now he was determined she listen to reason. After all, he thought marrying Mr Skewes was reasonable. Mr Skewes was young and handsome and wealthy. Why would any young lady not wish to marry him? Indeed, if Livvy ever tried to justify what it was about him she found so reprehensible, she could never quite manage a satisfactory explanation herself. It was pure instinct, in the manner of a dog that shied away from a man likely to kick it. Charlie, who was used to Livvy being the practical one simply refused to listen to explanations about her feelings. He thought she was being an irrational female for no good reason. It was only a matter of time before he forced the issue and she would have to decide, give in, or runaway with nowhere to go to.
New Year was just three weeks away. Supposing she could even get to Bath in time for the party, she needed to prepare. She had toyed with the idea of writing to her aunt and asking for help, but decided against it. It was much harder to deny someone standing on your doorstep than it was to refuse them by letter. She must make it a fait accompli. Also, she must do something with her best gowns, such as they were, to make them presentable for a lavish house party. One might hope her aunt would lend her something, but it was always better to be prepared for the worst and pleasantly surprised by the best. Still, these were all practical problems, and Livvy saw no reason she could not deal them with herself. The problem of how to be, how to act around a man she wished to make her an offer with indecent haste was another entirely. She had never been in society, never flirted, or made scintillating conversation with a man, with anyone. No, she needed Kingston, and she needed him now.
Livvy glanced behind her to ensure no one was watching before she climbed the stairs and walked down the corridor that led to Lord Kingston’s rooms. She wondered why she bothered being discreet. Birdie and George were both napping, and the older children were occupied downstairs. Charlie was ensconced in his study, pretending to work but more likely reading some sporting magazine, and Ceci wouldn’t bestir herself unless the house was on fire. It would never occur to either of them that having such a man as the earl in the house might present a danger to Livvy. Though, to be fair, if there was any danger it was Livvy dragging him into it, not the other way about. Whoever would have thought it so difficult to get a man widely proclaimed a rake and a libertine to take liberties? Which only went to show