Fiona instantly liked her.
Lady Cassandra held out her hand. Uncertain, Fiona glanced toward Lady Pickering, who inclined her head. Fiona took the young lady’s hand, and Lady Cassandra gave her a warm squeeze. “I’m delighted to meet you. Navigating the Season together will be such fun.” Her eyes danced with enthusiasm, and Fiona couldn’t help but smile.
Letting go of Fiona, Lady Cassandra gestured for her to come stand next to her. She looked toward her brother. “Con, aren’t you going to say something?”
He arched a tawny brow at her. “May I?”
“No, no, you don’t get to say that.” Lady Cassandra rolled her eyes. “I am not monopolizing the conversation. However, I intend to, so say something now.”
Aldington gave Fiona a slight bow. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Wingate. You are quite fortunate to have Lady Pickering sponsoring you.” He sent an approving look toward Lady Pickering.
“I think so,” Fiona said. “Who is your sponsor, Lady Cassandra?” It occurred to Fiona that it was probably her mother. She oughtn’t assume other young ladies were like her and no longer had mothers.
“My aunt. She’s here somewhere.” Lady Cassandra glanced briefly about the room, but without any apparent intent of finding her. “She rarely stands still.”
“Like you,” her brother murmured.
Fiona couldn’t tell if Aldington was being kind or not. Without any siblings of her own, such relationships were foreign to her. But Lady Cassandra’s answering laugh said she wasn’t offended by what he’d said. “Just so, Brother. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I must visit the retiring room, and Miss Wingate is going to accompany me.”
“Fiona, when is your next dance?” Lady Pickering asked.
“Not this set but the next.” She had plenty of time to visit the retiring room, and she wanted to ask Lady Cassandra a thousand questions.
“Go along with them, Miss Lancaster,” Lady Pickering said with a gentle smile.
Lady Cassandra looped her arm through Fiona’s and led her from the ballroom. “How was your dance with Mansfield?”
“Fine, I think. I did step on his feet a few times. I have not had much experience dancing.”
“You’re new to London then?” She directed Fiona up the stairs.
Fiona glanced back to make sure Prudence was following. Of course, she was. “I just arrived from Shropshire the other day.”
“And you’re already out? My goodness, Overton didn’t give you much time to prepare.”
“It’s quite all right. I’ve spent my entire life in a small town without much family. I am eager to be out.”
Lady Cassandra flashed her a smile as they reached the landing of the next floor. “Then this will be an exciting Season! It’s my first one too. I presume the goal is for you to wed before it ends.” She waved her hand. “It must be. There is no other reason to have a Season. If you don’t want to marry, you may as well be Miss Lancaster.” She turned toward Prudence. “My apologies, I meant no offense. Indeed, I envy you in many ways.”
“I have no complaints about my current station,” Prudence said pleasantly.
Lady Cassandra led them into a room arranged with chaises and chairs, as well as several mirrors. There was lemonade, pitchers of water, and a maid to presumably provide assistance.
“Would you mind fetching a plate of biscuits or similar?” Lady Cassandra asked. “I’m feeling a bit peckish.”
The maid curtsied and took herself off.
Fiona would never have realized you could ask for something like that. “There was food in the ballroom.”
“Oh, I’m not really hungry. I just wanted her to leave us alone. Servants often gossip.” Lady Cassandra winked at Fiona. “How can we get to know each other if we’re thinking about whether our words will be repeated?” She looked at Prudence. “You don’t gossip, do you?”
Fiona answered for her. “Prudence is my friend. She would never.” She didn’t really know that, but she couldn’t see Prudence sharing information. Particularly given her assistance yesterday morning when they’d walked to Hyde Park. To see one of London’s primary attractions firsthand had been exhilarating. Fiona couldn’t wait for her first promenade during the fashionable hour.
“Wonderful!” Lady Cassandra sat on a chaise and leaned back, bringing her feet onto the cushion. “Is Mansfield on your list of potential husbands?”
Fiona perched on another chaise but didn’t lie back. “I don’t have a list.” She wanted to tell her she had no plans to wed but also didn’t want to sound provincial or silly. “Do you have one?”
Lady Cassandra laughed briefly. “No. My father does, but I choose to ignore him. It’s a miracle I persuaded him to let me wait this long to come out. I’m twenty-one, for heaven’s sake. Almost on the shelf.”
It definitely seemed as though Lady Cassandra’s mother was no longer living, but Fiona wouldn’t ask about it tonight. Hopefully this would be the beginning of a friendship in which they commiserated about a great many things. “Is that true? I’ll be twenty-two in just a few weeks.”
“I’ll be twenty-two in May, and yes, we are not as young as we ought to be.” She snorted. “But can you imagine being chained to a husband at seventeen or eighteen?” She shuddered.
“No, but then I can’t imagine being chained to a husband now.” She clamped her lips together as if she could somehow stop the words, but it was too late, of course. “Nor can I imagine anything about being in London, but here I am.” She forced a laugh to cover her mistake.
Lady Cassandra swung her feet back to the floor and sat up. She did not angle her legs as Lady Pickering had instructed. And she leaned slightly forward, her eyes animated. “Miss Wingate, do you even wish to marry?”
Fiona wanted to expose her true feelings to this new
