promise from her.
"Well, there you are." Lady Louisa noddedher head. "You can scarcely go back on your word, and I am almost certain Joss won't change his mind on the subject. He seems a rather determined man to me."
"A stubborn one, you mean," Matty corrected, rising to her feet. "Not that it signifies, I'm not matchmaking. I am only inviting some of your dear friends to call upon you. You're out of mourning now, and 'tis hardly surprising you'd desire company. I hardly see that his lordship has any cause to complain."
Lady Louisa was silent, as if considering Matty's words. "I would like to see my friends again," she admitted wistfully. "But I am afraid it would upset Joss."
Good
, Matty thought grumpily,
let him be upset
. She felt it was no less than he deserved for cruelly trying to deprive Lady Louisa of visitors. She began pacing, her practical mind making plans. "You mentioned that his lordship wants you to continue regarding Kirkswood as your home, did you not?" she asked, coming to a halt beside the other woman's chair.
"Oh yes." Lady Louisa fairly glowed at the memory of the kindness shown her. "He said this was my home and that I should always be welcome here."
"Then I don't see that we have a problem," Matty concluded, in what she felt was a mostlogical fashion. "We will invite
your
friends to call upon you at
your
house. His lordship needn't even bestir himself to meet them, if that is his desire."
Lady Louisa looked doubtful. "He may suspect you of trying to trap him."
"Let him." Matty gave an indifferent shrug. "I don't really give a fig. Now, as to the matter of guests, whom would you like to invite first? You were always rather fond of Lady Elsington; perhaps we might ask her."
"Oh, but she is already married! That is . . . as a married lady she is certain to be spending the season in London. I was thinking we might ask Miss Gossmoore. She is a lively girl, don't you think?"
Matty remembered a pretty brunette who had spent part of last winter at a neighboring estate. "Most lively, indeed," she said, recalling the girl's incessant chatter. "But I thought you weren't overly taken with her. You never seemed to spend much time in her company."
"I was still mourning Frederick," Lady Louisa said with a reproving look. "But I did find her interesting. And she is so friendly we needn't worry about the conversation dragging."
"There is that," Matty agreed with a wry grin. "Very well, Miss Gossmoore it shall be. Anyone else?"
"Lord Frampton's oldest daughter, Sarah, is spending this season at home, so I thought we might ask her — oh, and your cousin, what is her name . . ."
"Juliana?" Matty answered in dismay.
"Yes. She is a beauty, if I recall rightly, and you said she was a fine rider."
"Among other things," Matty said, trying not to shudder at the memory of the beautiful girl who had been the bane of her childhood. She was the only daughter of her well-heeled uncle, and she had outshone Matty in every single thing. The prospect of having her under the same roof, even for a few days, was enough to send her spirits sinking. But she supposed she could endure it for Lady Louisa's sake.
"And to round out our numbers I was thinking we might invite Mr. Smythe-Boothe, and Sir Valen," Lady Louisa concluded, naming two of the most eligible bachelors in the area. "They're so amusing, and Frederick did once mention that Sir Valen went to school with Joss. I daresay he'd be delighted at seeing his old friend again."
Matty gave a nod, thinking that a house party of some half-dozen persons shouldn't be all that difficult to arrange. A few formal dinner parties, a ball or two, and, much as she detested the idea, a hunt, should be more than enough to keep their guests entertained. Thinking of a hunt brought to mind the duke, and she gave a dispirited sigh. "What of our neighbors?" she asked bluntly. "We shall have to include them in at least some of our plans, otherwise it will cause no end of hard
"Well, there you are." Lady Louisa noddedher head. "You can scarcely go back on your word, and I am almost certain Joss won't change his mind on the subject. He seems a rather determined man to me."
"A stubborn one, you mean," Matty corrected, rising to her feet. "Not that it signifies, I'm not matchmaking. I am only inviting some of your dear friends to call upon you. You're out of mourning now, and 'tis hardly surprising you'd desire company. I hardly see that his lordship has any cause to complain."
Lady Louisa was silent, as if considering Matty's words. "I would like to see my friends again," she admitted wistfully. "But I am afraid it would upset Joss."
Good
, Matty thought grumpily,
let him be upset
. She felt it was no less than he deserved for cruelly trying to deprive Lady Louisa of visitors. She began pacing, her practical mind making plans. "You mentioned that his lordship wants you to continue regarding Kirkswood as your home, did you not?" she asked, coming to a halt beside the other woman's chair.
"Oh yes." Lady Louisa fairly glowed at the memory of the kindness shown her. "He said this was my home and that I should always be welcome here."
"Then I don't see that we have a problem," Matty concluded, in what she felt was a mostlogical fashion. "We will invite
your
friends to call upon you at
your
house. His lordship needn't even bestir himself to meet them, if that is his desire."
Lady Louisa looked doubtful. "He may suspect you of trying to trap him."
"Let him." Matty gave an indifferent shrug. "I don't really give a fig. Now, as to the matter of guests, whom would you like to invite first? You were always rather fond of Lady Elsington; perhaps we might ask her."
"Oh, but she is already married! That is . . . as a married lady she is certain to be spending the season in London. I was thinking we might ask Miss Gossmoore. She is a lively girl, don't you think?"
Matty remembered a pretty brunette who had spent part of last winter at a neighboring estate. "Most lively, indeed," she said, recalling the girl's incessant chatter. "But I thought you weren't overly taken with her. You never seemed to spend much time in her company."
"I was still mourning Frederick," Lady Louisa said with a reproving look. "But I did find her interesting. And she is so friendly we needn't worry about the conversation dragging."
"There is that," Matty agreed with a wry grin. "Very well, Miss Gossmoore it shall be. Anyone else?"
"Lord Frampton's oldest daughter, Sarah, is spending this season at home, so I thought we might ask her — oh, and your cousin, what is her name . . ."
"Juliana?" Matty answered in dismay.
"Yes. She is a beauty, if I recall rightly, and you said she was a fine rider."
"Among other things," Matty said, trying not to shudder at the memory of the beautiful girl who had been the bane of her childhood. She was the only daughter of her well-heeled uncle, and she had outshone Matty in every single thing. The prospect of having her under the same roof, even for a few days, was enough to send her spirits sinking. But she supposed she could endure it for Lady Louisa's sake.
"And to round out our numbers I was thinking we might invite Mr. Smythe-Boothe, and Sir Valen," Lady Louisa concluded, naming two of the most eligible bachelors in the area. "They're so amusing, and Frederick did once mention that Sir Valen went to school with Joss. I daresay he'd be delighted at seeing his old friend again."
Matty gave a nod, thinking that a house party of some half-dozen persons shouldn't be all that difficult to arrange. A few formal dinner parties, a ball or two, and, much as she detested the idea, a hunt, should be more than enough to keep their guests entertained. Thinking of a hunt brought to mind the duke, and she gave a dispirited sigh. "What of our neighbors?" she asked bluntly. "We shall have to include them in at least some of our plans, otherwise it will cause no end of hard
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