Page 26 of The Sprinter
Grace suppressed a sigh and laid her hand on her maid’s hand. “That is perhaps enough for now, Betsy,” Grace said.
*
George left thepark seething. Jacobs was no gentleman and if he thought it would not make things worse for Miss Yardley, he would have been happy to take his aunt’s suggestion and get him blackballed from White’s.
He had denied the whole circumstance though he wondered if that were really the right course. It had seemed so the night before, but he had given a deal more thought to the circumstances and it had changed his opinion of Miss Yardley’s actions.
Yes, what she’d done was outrageous. Not to mention reckless and dangerous, had she been shot by Ranston, or cracked her head when she fell, or had she been able to get away unseen. Anything might have happened to her on the road, accompanied by a groom or not.
For all that, though, he could not help but admire her sense of duty to her family, which now only consisted of her mother. Lady Barlow was a malingerer extraordinaire, but her daughter did not perceive it. As far as Miss Yardley was concerned, her mother was being mistreated. She had gone to his aunt about it and been turned away. Her next step, climbing out the window, had not been at all rational. It had been loyal, though. As unpredictable as she was, it did seem she possessed finer feelings than were to be found in most.
And then her expression when Jacobs had accosted her in the park, and on her discovery that she was namedThe Sprinter.
He’d wanted to protect her, to assure her that nobody would get by him to hurt her.
Of course, he could not say such things. He was a little shocked he evenfeltsuch things.
He had been so angry with her the night before. Now, he was angry at everybody else.
Well, he could not be sure if denying what occurred was the right path forward, but that was the path they had chosen and there was no turning back now.
And, as a practical matter, he’d set a watch on the house. He could not guess if Lady Barlow would send off another ridiculous list of complaints or whether Miss Yardley’s finer feelings would drive her to make another run from the house.
*
Penelope Prescott, Marchionessof Heathway, and Theodosia Whitby, Her Grace the Duchess of Stanbury, had put their heads together to compose two things. One, a list of people that must be contacted. And two, the outlines of a letter that would be sent to each person on the list.
They would bring the power they had between them to bear on theton, and rescue Miss Yardley from her very large misstep. Or,mis-descent, as the duchess took to calling it, somehow considering herself amusing.
Each letter had been personalized to its receiver, but most followed along very similar lines. Penelope’s letter to Lady Tredwell had been typical.
My dear Lady Tredwell,
As you must be aware, myself, the Duchess of Stanbury, Lady Mendleton, Lady Easton, Lady Redfield, Lady Featherstone, and all the various lords and ladies of our extended families are always delighted to receive an invitation to your annual masque ball. Of all the events we are pleased to attend, we always consider your ball one of the standouts of the season.
However, there is one little matter I must bring to your attention. A certain Mr. Robert Jacobs, who is a renowned gossip rivaling somebody’s spinster aunt who has been left alone in the countryside for too long, has recently taken to outright lies. Gossip may be tedious, we do not engage in the habit ourselves, but fabrications will not be tolerated by us.
We find we cannot condone placing ourselves in the same house with Mr. Jacobs.
Of course, my dear Lady Tredwell, we would not be so bold as to meddle with your guest list. We only wish to be apprised if Mr. Jacobs will attend the masque, so that we may act accordingly.
My very warmest regards,
Penelope Heathway
Letters had gone flying out the door, with every footman in the house doing the rounds of London’s various addresses.
Let it be seen whether the likes of Lady Tredwell would be willing to lose six powerful matrons and their sisters, brothers, sons, nephews, and nieces on account of the gossipy and irritating son of a baron.
Penelope thought not. She doubted many, outside of a handful of equally juvenile gentlemen, evenlikedMr. Jacobs.
As for Mr. Jacobs himself, he was on the verge of finding invitations dried up and receiving various excuses as to why he should not arrive to balls and parties that had already been accepted. The size of the room having been miscalculated or finding there was an imbalance of ladies to gentlemen were two of the most likely. There would be red-faced ladies all over Town, as it was a ghastly thing to do.
But then, Mr. Jacobs was rather ghastly.
What would be the feelings of ladies receiving their letters? Penelope supposed they would vary—some would shrug, some would feel aggravation, some would fret.
But what all of them would conclude was,Lady Heathway and Her Grace have spoken.
