from the pianoforte—a single melodic strike that arrested everyone’s attention.
Miss Wilson proceeded with a piece that Beatrice did not recognize but that suited the provocative mood of the evening. Cecilia was seated on one side of Beatrice and Lord Destry was on the other. She looked around for Lord Jess and found him standing near the doors.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the countess called. “First I would like to make the voice of the monster known to you.” She gestured to the doors. “He is our own Mr. Brent.”
She raised her hands to applaud his performance as Abel Brent came into the room.
“PAPA!” CECILIA COULD not believe it was her father who had played the part of the monster. Her father was not an actor, or had never been before.
Beatrice did not appear surprised at all. She clapped her hands.
Mr. Brent strode to the front of the room, taking a bow before the countess and the assembled party. Then he came over to take a seat near where the countess was standing.
“I knew it was Papa!” Beatrice looked back toward the double doors and Lord Jess bowed to her. Cecilia watched the exchange and knew that no matter what Beatrice said, her sister was as infatuated as any innocent could be.
“How? How did you know?” Cecilia asked, doing her best to draw her sister’s attention away from the only man in the room of whom her father did not approve. Please let Lord Jessup exercise some discretion and not pay his gaming debt in Papa’s presence, she prayed.
“Beatrice!” Cecilia nudged her sister. “Turn around and act like a lady, please.”
Beatrice settled facing front once again.
“How did you know it was Papa?”
“That deep sonorous voice is the one he uses when he is speaking in public. I heard him once, when the second mill opened. Mama and I attended the tea after the inspection and Papa spoke to all the new workers.”
“Why didn’t I go?”
“You had the headache.”
Oh yes, Cecilia remembered. She had suffered such awful cramps in those days when her courses had first started. She was often abed for a day or two. Thank goodness that had passed.
“He is willing to do anything to see us properly launched,” Cecilia whispered to her. “Including becoming an actor.”
“Or perhaps he is just very fond of the countess,” Beatrice whispered back. Her eyes widened. “The most shocking idea just occurred to me. Do you think they are having an affair?”
Cecilia gave a couple of short sharp shakes of her head and tried to banish even the mental image that brought to her. “No!” she said with more shock than denial. “He is a successful mill owner, a respected personage in Birmingham, a generous benefactor to several workhouses.”
“None of which means he does not have a personal life.”
“Yes, but it’s hard to think of him being involved with someone other than Mama.”
Beatrice took her sister’s hand and gave it a squeeze, as much as saying, Let us not think about it.
Cecilia squeezed back. I have already forgotten it. It was not the truth but she hoped it would be once their attention was distracted.
The countess stepped up to the music stand beside the piano. “Our reader this evening is the Reverend Michael Garrett, vicar of the church at Pennsford and Lord Jessup Pennistan’s brother-in-law. He is a gentleman very familiar with public speaking.”
Reverend Garrett strode into the room, stopping to grasp Lord Jess’s hand warmly and bow to the company. He took his place at the music stand set next to the piano.
Beatrice nudged her sister. “He certainly is handsome.”
“He is married, you know.” Cecilia’s smile took all criticism from her comment.
“One can still admire.”
“Is his wife with him?”
“How would I know?”
“Lady Olivia will join us in the morning. She’s retired for the evening.” Lord Destry, still seated next to them and blatantly eavesdropping, joined their conversation as if he had been invited.
“Thank you, my lord,” Cecilia answered with a downward cast to her eyes. How much had the marquis overheard?
Reverend Michael Garrett waited until the room was quiet. “It’s a pleasure to be invited to read something aloud besides the Bible. The anonymous author of this piece has written a fascinating book and I hope what you hear tonight will encourage you to read it in full. In the meantime, I invite you to discuss each section as I finish reading.”
Twilight was settling, which meant it must be close to ten. The half-light added to the mood of the evening. At the piano Miss