did look lovely. Although she had a face mask, she wasn’t wearing it at the moment. Unlike many of the other women wearing the Elizabeth costume, Alex didn’t need a wig. She had curled and styled her own hair into a sophisticated coif. I felt my own “simple” appearance more acutely than ever.
Byron quickly covered his gaffe. “Elizabeth here was just saying that you seemed a very genteel, pretty kind of girl, and I quite agreed.”
Alex smiled archly, in a manner more in keeping with Lady Catherine than Elizabeth Bennet. “But of course, you were,” she said with a condescending tone. “Now, I hate to break up such a charming couple, but Richard asked me to find you—which took some time in this crowd, I can tell you—and ask that you finalize his notes from earlier and send out the e-mails to the societies.”
Byron’s face registered annoyance. “Where is Richard?”
“He ducked out for a cigarette,” Alex said with a faint trace of irritation.
Byron sighed and glanced regretfully in my direction. Alex noticed and added sweetly, “Of course, if you prefer, I can always tell Richard that you are too busy to do your job just now.”
“Of course not. I’ll get right on it,” Byron muttered.
“Excellent. I’ll let him know,” she said with a satisfied smile. Her task completed, Alex turned back to push through the crowds and return to Richard. As Byron apologetically made his excuses to me and left, I was dismayed to see none other than John Ragget bearing down on me, his intention to claim his dance clear. Putting on a brave smile, I tried to think of a topic to mentally distract myself from John’s otherwise mind-numbing conversation.
It didn’t take me long, for I quickly found myself wondering if the reason Richard sent Alex to find Byron wasn’t so he could have a cigarette but so he could have his little conversation with Lindsay without her knowledge.
CHAPTER 10
I was as civil to them as their bad breath would allow me.
—LETTERS OF JANE AUSTEN
B Y THE TIME my dance with John was over, I was seriously rethinking my partiality for English accents. And as I’d once joked that an Englishman could read me the phone book and I would still lose all capacity for rational thought, that was really saying something.
On the other hand, even a dry recital of the phone book would be more interesting than John’s incessant cataloging of his finer points. Among the fascinating tidbits I learned was that John’s horses and dogs were the “bloody best” in England and that the beer he brewed got you “completely arseholed.”
Oh, be still my beating heart.
After claiming that a slight headache unfortunately prevented me from another dance, I let John escort me back to Aunt Winnie. Cora joined her just as we did, with another glass of wine in her hand. She stumbled toward us, and it was with some surprise that I realized that she was quite tipsy. Aunt Winnie stared at the glass with obvious annoyance.
“Cora, please. You need to eat something. One shouldn’t drink her dinner. Not after the age of eighteen months, anyway.”
Cora waved away Aunt Winnie’s suggestion as if it were nothing more than an irksome fly. “I’m fine, Winifred. Please stop fussing over me.” Her words would have been more believable if her wig wasn’t askew. “Anyway, I’ll eat after I talk to him.”
Aunt Winnie’s green eyes opened very wide at this. “You can’t be serious! Cora, have you heard nothing I’ve said? For God’s sake, leave it and Professor Piano Teeth alone!”
John looked from Cora to Aunt Winnie to me. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Perhaps I can be of assistance?”
“No, it’s fine…,” I began, hoping that he would just leave, but Cora, of course, had other ideas.
“I’m going to demand that Richard not present his paper tomorrow,” she said. “I’m going to tell him that if he does, I will do everything in my power to discredit him.”
I rolled my eyes
Byron quickly covered his gaffe. “Elizabeth here was just saying that you seemed a very genteel, pretty kind of girl, and I quite agreed.”
Alex smiled archly, in a manner more in keeping with Lady Catherine than Elizabeth Bennet. “But of course, you were,” she said with a condescending tone. “Now, I hate to break up such a charming couple, but Richard asked me to find you—which took some time in this crowd, I can tell you—and ask that you finalize his notes from earlier and send out the e-mails to the societies.”
Byron’s face registered annoyance. “Where is Richard?”
“He ducked out for a cigarette,” Alex said with a faint trace of irritation.
Byron sighed and glanced regretfully in my direction. Alex noticed and added sweetly, “Of course, if you prefer, I can always tell Richard that you are too busy to do your job just now.”
“Of course not. I’ll get right on it,” Byron muttered.
“Excellent. I’ll let him know,” she said with a satisfied smile. Her task completed, Alex turned back to push through the crowds and return to Richard. As Byron apologetically made his excuses to me and left, I was dismayed to see none other than John Ragget bearing down on me, his intention to claim his dance clear. Putting on a brave smile, I tried to think of a topic to mentally distract myself from John’s otherwise mind-numbing conversation.
It didn’t take me long, for I quickly found myself wondering if the reason Richard sent Alex to find Byron wasn’t so he could have a cigarette but so he could have his little conversation with Lindsay without her knowledge.
CHAPTER 10
I was as civil to them as their bad breath would allow me.
—LETTERS OF JANE AUSTEN
B Y THE TIME my dance with John was over, I was seriously rethinking my partiality for English accents. And as I’d once joked that an Englishman could read me the phone book and I would still lose all capacity for rational thought, that was really saying something.
On the other hand, even a dry recital of the phone book would be more interesting than John’s incessant cataloging of his finer points. Among the fascinating tidbits I learned was that John’s horses and dogs were the “bloody best” in England and that the beer he brewed got you “completely arseholed.”
Oh, be still my beating heart.
After claiming that a slight headache unfortunately prevented me from another dance, I let John escort me back to Aunt Winnie. Cora joined her just as we did, with another glass of wine in her hand. She stumbled toward us, and it was with some surprise that I realized that she was quite tipsy. Aunt Winnie stared at the glass with obvious annoyance.
“Cora, please. You need to eat something. One shouldn’t drink her dinner. Not after the age of eighteen months, anyway.”
Cora waved away Aunt Winnie’s suggestion as if it were nothing more than an irksome fly. “I’m fine, Winifred. Please stop fussing over me.” Her words would have been more believable if her wig wasn’t askew. “Anyway, I’ll eat after I talk to him.”
Aunt Winnie’s green eyes opened very wide at this. “You can’t be serious! Cora, have you heard nothing I’ve said? For God’s sake, leave it and Professor Piano Teeth alone!”
John looked from Cora to Aunt Winnie to me. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Perhaps I can be of assistance?”
“No, it’s fine…,” I began, hoping that he would just leave, but Cora, of course, had other ideas.
“I’m going to demand that Richard not present his paper tomorrow,” she said. “I’m going to tell him that if he does, I will do everything in my power to discredit him.”
I rolled my eyes
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