nodded, wondering what was on his friend’s mind.
“I have asked Lady Louisa to make some inquiries through her friends about a family called Richards. Conceivably you could do the same, discreetly, of course?”
“You think we can turn up something to help you?”
“It is worth a try. I need hard facts to use when I have Miss Richards in a trance. I have still been unable to jolt her unconscious mind into recalling anything other than fragments of her happy childhood memories. I know I am on the verge of breaking through, but I need names and places that are familiar to her.”
“I will bear it in mind, then, Paul,” Lord Umber said as he pulled out his fob watch and opened it casually. “In fact, I can start immediately. I promised to look in at Lady Barbara’s for tea, and there is bound to be a cluster of her admirers I can ask.”
“Good, good,” Dr. Ross said absent-mindedly. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
However, it was Lady Louisa, on the following afternoon, who uncovered the first clue of Felicia’s true heritage. They had arrived at Lady Jersey’s imposing house in Belgrave Square at the appointed hour, and Lady Louisa was immediately surrounded by many of her old friends. Felicia managed to slip out of the circle without being missed and within a very few minutes had struck up a conversation with a shy, unimpressive young girl who looked pathetically out of place. Her chaperone was one of the women clamoring for Lady Louisa’s attention.
Some time after their entrance, Lady Louisa managed to find a seat and, drawing one of her oldest friends, the Honorable Mrs. Melanie Courtney, out of the main press of people, bade her be seated. This was not a thoughtless gesture, for Melanie Courtney was known to be a walking Debrett’s. Casual chatter composed the conversation for a while until Lady Louisa artfully brought up Felicia’s name and quickly outlined the mishap that had befallen her with the resultant loss of memory.
“How terribly confusing for the poor child,” Melanie murmured sympathetically, quizzing Felicia through her lorgnon. “And such a beauty, too. What a terrible shame. Your niece, you say, Louisa?”
“No. No, Melanie,” Lady Louisa said hastily, for it would never do if that exaggeration was put around. “Great Aunt Agatha’s granddaughter,” she improvised quickly. “A very remote connection. But when I needed someone to make the journey with me, Great Aunt suggested Felicia, as she thought the change would be beneficial.”
“So prettily behaved, too,” Melanie continued approvingly. “I can quite see her capturing a few hearts this Season. Not a large fortune, I don’t expect, if she is from Agatha’s side.”
Lady Louisa shook her head as she wondered what trouble her one lie would lead to.
Melanie, who had two sons of marriageable age, was in no way put out that another beauty had arrived on the scene. Her only regret was that Felicia did not have a large dowry. She sighed. What a pity that face and fortune seldom accompanied each other.
“Did you say you knew Felicia’s mother, Melanie?” Lady Louisa asked vaguely, afraid that she had lost her friend’s attention. “I never met her myself. She must have been in London during my confinement with Ian.”
“Richards, you said, was the last name?” Melanie frowned in unaccustomed concentration. “I do believe I met Arabella once or twice, but that was years ago. ’Twas not the done thing at all, as I recall, to speak to her for she had eloped with a gambler. It was just a rumor, which I never did set much store by, of course…that he was a gambler, I mean. They dropped out of sight as he had supposedly won a small fortune from one of the York’s. But you know how it was in those days, ladies were never included in any of the really interesting conversations. That didn’t stop us from speculating though.” She smiled at her own recollections.
“Of course,” Lady Louisa agreed. She
“I have asked Lady Louisa to make some inquiries through her friends about a family called Richards. Conceivably you could do the same, discreetly, of course?”
“You think we can turn up something to help you?”
“It is worth a try. I need hard facts to use when I have Miss Richards in a trance. I have still been unable to jolt her unconscious mind into recalling anything other than fragments of her happy childhood memories. I know I am on the verge of breaking through, but I need names and places that are familiar to her.”
“I will bear it in mind, then, Paul,” Lord Umber said as he pulled out his fob watch and opened it casually. “In fact, I can start immediately. I promised to look in at Lady Barbara’s for tea, and there is bound to be a cluster of her admirers I can ask.”
“Good, good,” Dr. Ross said absent-mindedly. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
However, it was Lady Louisa, on the following afternoon, who uncovered the first clue of Felicia’s true heritage. They had arrived at Lady Jersey’s imposing house in Belgrave Square at the appointed hour, and Lady Louisa was immediately surrounded by many of her old friends. Felicia managed to slip out of the circle without being missed and within a very few minutes had struck up a conversation with a shy, unimpressive young girl who looked pathetically out of place. Her chaperone was one of the women clamoring for Lady Louisa’s attention.
Some time after their entrance, Lady Louisa managed to find a seat and, drawing one of her oldest friends, the Honorable Mrs. Melanie Courtney, out of the main press of people, bade her be seated. This was not a thoughtless gesture, for Melanie Courtney was known to be a walking Debrett’s. Casual chatter composed the conversation for a while until Lady Louisa artfully brought up Felicia’s name and quickly outlined the mishap that had befallen her with the resultant loss of memory.
“How terribly confusing for the poor child,” Melanie murmured sympathetically, quizzing Felicia through her lorgnon. “And such a beauty, too. What a terrible shame. Your niece, you say, Louisa?”
“No. No, Melanie,” Lady Louisa said hastily, for it would never do if that exaggeration was put around. “Great Aunt Agatha’s granddaughter,” she improvised quickly. “A very remote connection. But when I needed someone to make the journey with me, Great Aunt suggested Felicia, as she thought the change would be beneficial.”
“So prettily behaved, too,” Melanie continued approvingly. “I can quite see her capturing a few hearts this Season. Not a large fortune, I don’t expect, if she is from Agatha’s side.”
Lady Louisa shook her head as she wondered what trouble her one lie would lead to.
Melanie, who had two sons of marriageable age, was in no way put out that another beauty had arrived on the scene. Her only regret was that Felicia did not have a large dowry. She sighed. What a pity that face and fortune seldom accompanied each other.
“Did you say you knew Felicia’s mother, Melanie?” Lady Louisa asked vaguely, afraid that she had lost her friend’s attention. “I never met her myself. She must have been in London during my confinement with Ian.”
“Richards, you said, was the last name?” Melanie frowned in unaccustomed concentration. “I do believe I met Arabella once or twice, but that was years ago. ’Twas not the done thing at all, as I recall, to speak to her for she had eloped with a gambler. It was just a rumor, which I never did set much store by, of course…that he was a gambler, I mean. They dropped out of sight as he had supposedly won a small fortune from one of the York’s. But you know how it was in those days, ladies were never included in any of the really interesting conversations. That didn’t stop us from speculating though.” She smiled at her own recollections.
“Of course,” Lady Louisa agreed. She
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